Ronnie and Mark Allen played in the Magyar Gala in Budapest, yesterday and today. This is an exhibition event and they played three sessions. Jason Francis sent me a short report … thanks Jason.
The event was played in great spirit. It was very entertaining, the atmosphere was excellent, there were a lot of teasing, joking and laugher. The pros played shoot-out frames against local players, there were little snooker challenges and one match between Ronnie and Mark in each of the three sessions. Mark won them all: 4-3, 5-1, 5-0. That’s not very encouraging for us Ronnie fans, but maybe not that surprising given Mark’s form in recent months, and Ronnie’s struggles. Also Ronnie is probably not fully comfortable with his repaired/modified cue.
Ronnie did some filming for Eurosport as well, and both players spoke to the local press.
Ronnie will now head to Thailand where he is due to play on Tuesday. It’s a good thing that he has this non ranking event to play in given his recent woes with his cue.
Anyway…
Here are some pictures and videos, shared by Jason Francis on twitter
Red Carpet for the players at the 2023 6-reds Championship
Meanwhile, in Bangkok, the players involved in the 2023 6-reds World Championship got the red-carpet treatment …
2023 Championship League Snooker Invitational – John Higgins is the winner again
John Higgins won the Invitational 2023 Championship League, earning his place in the 2023 Champion of Champions. It’s the fourth time that John wins this event. He actually has now won four of the last seven instalments played under the traditional format.
John Higgins won the 2023 BetVictor Championship League Invitational, beating Judd Trump 3-1 in the final at the Morningside Arena, Leicester live on Matchroom.Live, Viaplay, DAZN and broadcasters worldwide.
The Wizard of Wishaw won the event for a second consecutive year and earned a place in the 2023 Champion of Champions, to take place in November.
In the final, he made a break of 62 in taking the opening frame before Trump levelled with a run of 100, career century number 899. But Higgins regained the lead with a 78 then got the better of a scrappy fourth frame to secure his first title since winning the same event 12 months ago.
“It feels amazing,” said the 47-year-old Scot, who won a total of £26,500 from the tournament. “I played really well the last couple of days, I was delighted with the way I hit the ball. It’s a big tournament in its own right now. It gets you into the Champion of Champions. It’s brilliant to win it and hopefully, it can give me a bit of confidence. I got some work done to my cue, but I am going back to my roots with same size of cue. It seemed to work. It’s given me confidence. It’s all about confidence this game.”
Earlier, in a dramatic semi-final, Kyren Wilson took a 2-0 lead over Higgins with breaks of 137 and 85, only for the four time World Champion to hit back with 86, 61 and 66 to win 3-2. Trump eased to a 3-0 success over Neil Robertson.
The 2023 Champion of Champions is set to take place at the Bolton Stadium Hotel, University of Bolton Stadium from November 13-19.
Xiao Guodong came from 2-0 down to beat compatriot Lyu Haotian 3-2 in the final of Group Seven, booking his spot in Winners’ Group at the BetVictor Championship League Snooker.
China’s Xiao crucially won his last round-robin match 3-1 against Matthew Selt, which got him into the semi-finals. He then beat Graeme Dott 3-1 with a top break of 106, while in the other semi-final, Stephen Maguire failed to score a single point as Lyu won 3-0 with runs of 76, 58, and 100.
Lyu took the first two frames of the final with breaks of 63 and 128, only for Xiao to hit back and win three scrappy frames, taking the decider after a long safety battle on the final brown.
Xiao completes a strong Winners’ Group, joining Jack Lisowski, Stuart Bingham, Kyren Wilson, Judd Trump, John Higgins and Neil Robertson.
Lyu Haotian who replaced Ronnie at short notice gave a very good account of himself.
The world ranking event will run from March 16th to 22nd at the Morningside Arena with a field of 128 players and total prize money of £427,000.
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Notable first round matches include:
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mohamed Ibrahim – Friday March 17th, not before 6pm Mark Williams v Sean O’Sullivan – Friday March 17th, not before 2pm Judd Trump v David Lilley – Friday March 17th, not before 4pm Graeme Dott v Jimmy White – Friday March 17th, not before 12pm Jack Lisowski v Louis Heathcote – Thursday March 16th, not before 10am Neil Robertson v Luke Simmonds – Thursday March 16th, not before 2pm Mark Allen v Peter Lines – Thursday March 16th, not before 6pm Stuart Bingham v Ng Onyee – Thursday March 16th, not before 12pm Ding Junhui v Xu Si – Saturday March 18th, not before 12pm Ali Carter v Dechawat Poomjaeng – Saturday March 18th, not before 10am Shaun Murphy v Oliver Brown – Saturday March 18th, not before 4pm Kyren Wilson v Dean Young – Friday March 17th, not before 2pm Chris Wakelin v Reanne Evans – Saturday March 18th, not before 2pm John Higgins v Michael White – Saturday March 18th, not before 4pm Robert Milkins v Mink Nutcharut – Sunday March 19th, not before 10am Mark Selby v Fraser Patrick – Saturday March 18th, not before 6pm
The WST Classic is the last counting event in the race to qualify for the Duelbits Tour Championship, and for those who don’t make it to Hull it’s the final event before the Cazoo World Championship.
The final day will include the quarter-finals at 10am, semi-finals at 2.30pm and final at 7pm. All matches will be best of seven frames, up until the semi-finals which are best of nine, and the final which is best of 11.
On paper, Ronnie is not in the more difficult section but the way this season has gone I’m not holding my breath.
As the 2023 “traditional” Championship League is in its last day, Ronnie and Mark Allen prepare themselves for two days of exhibitions in Budapest. Phil Haigh reports on the coming Magyar Gala
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Allen attract huge crowds as they head to Hungary for exhibition
Phil Haigh Wednesday 1 Mar 2023 4:12 pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Allen are on their travels this weekend (Pictures: Getty)
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Allen will be delighting Hungarian snooker fans this weekend when they face off at a giant sold out exhibition in Budapest.
The Hungarian Snooker Gala is back for another instalment after starting in 2017 and has hosted a number of the top names in the game, including Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Steve Davis and Jimmy White.
The Rocket and the Pistol will be making their first trips to Hungary, though, and unsurprisingly the world champion has attracted big crowds.
The exhibition event is played over three sessions at the Gerevich Aladar National Sports Hall in Budapest, which has a capacity of 1,500.
The event sold out within 24 hours of tickets going on sale, so there is no shortage of interest in snooker in the Hungarian capital, with 4,500 set to enjoy the event.
O’Sullivan and Allen will play each other in shoot out frames and against local players, with the two top players then playing a longer match against each other later on.
There have been five editions of the event since 2017, but for three years, meaning organisers are thrilled for the gala to return with the sport’s biggest draw.
The organisers explain: ‘The event series started in March 2017 and was created by three dedicated snooker fans, Gábor Wéber, Balázs Csurgó and Gábor Buzás.
‘From the very beginning, the intention of the organizers was to promote the sport of snooker and to present Hungarian talents.’
Ali Carter and Neil Robertson played in the first event in Hungary (Picture: Magyar Snooker Gala)
It is a jet-setting for days for the Rocket who will head to Thailand after Hungary to play in the Six Red World Championship in Thailand, with his campaign there starting on 7 March against Jimmy Robertson.
Also in O’Sullivan’s group are Thai legend James Wattana and rising star Stan Moody.
I have been at three of the previous instalments of the Magyar Gala, including the first one, and it’s always a great, well organised and well attended event. Amongst the “Hungarian talents” I witnessed was a then very young Bulcsú Révész. He was about 11 years old and very small…
If you intend to go, the old Ghetto of Budapest is a great place to stay, and the Spinoza Cafe is a place to visit. If you’re lucky, you may even enjoy/discover the Klezmer music. Anyway…
That the event was sold out within 24 hours doesn’t surprise me. Snooker is well appreciated in mainland Europe, and Ronnie in particular is “big” amongst the fans. This is a market that is waiting to be further developed if only WST were ready to “depart” from their UK centric model. Yes, they do organise events in mainland Europe, but, other than the former PTCs, those events don’t feature the full “field”. Qualifiers are held in the UK. That and the structure of the ranking system, force mainland Europe young talents to go and live in the UK, as ex-pats, or to travel back and forth all the time. It’s not a level playing field. A true “European leg” of the tour, early rounds included, would certainly help. The interest is there.
Ronnie’s withdrawal from the Championship League may be because it would have been quite a hectic schedule with those two events to follow and he’s qualified for next season Champion of Champions already, having won the tournament this season. Mark Allen withdrew from the 6-reds event.
Format of Play The first round will be eight groups of four players. The round robin stage will be conducted in the first round with the best of nine frames format. The winner of each match will receive one point while the loser gets no points. The top two players after the completion of the round robin stage will advance to the knock out stage The format of play for the last 16 to the quarter-finals will be the best of 11 frames. The format of play for the semi-final will be the best of 13 frames and the final will be the best of 15 frames.
The line-up is packed with stars such as World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Ding Junhui, Stuart Bingham and defending champion Stephen Maguire. O’Sullivan’s group draw includes an intriguing meeting with WSF Junior Champion Stan Moody.
The event runs from March 6 to 11 with total prize money of 11 million Thai Baht. Details of how to watch the event will be available soon.
This invitation tournament uses six reds instead of the traditional 15. Maguire lifted the trophy for the second time in 2019, beating John Higgins 8-6 in the final.
And these are the rules in use for the event as explained above (third link)
Additional Event Rules
1) At the end of round robin matches, positions in any given group shall be decided on the basis of number of matches won. 2) To resolve any ties within the groups when two (2) players have equal number of wins, the best frame differentials shall decide the positions. If still being equal, the winning result between the two (2) players concerned shall determine their positions.
3) To resolve any ties within the groups when three (3) have equal number of wins, the best frame differentials shall decide the positions. If still being equal, a draw shall be conducted to determine the top position. For the remaining two players, the winning result between the two (2) players concerned shall determine their positions.
4) In case of a walkover or forfeiture during the round robin stage, the player not in default shall be credited with a win, but no frames shall be awarded thereto. However, should the non-award of frames for the forfeited match affects concerned player’s position within the group, then a sufficient number of winning frames (not exceeding five frames) shall be awarded thereto to enable him to tie with the player immediately above him and to establish the eventual positions, the result of the match between the two players shall be considered.
5) No re-seeding shall take place at the conclusion of the round robin stage. Pairings for the knockout stage matches shall be decided by a draw shall as per following format:
Next month’s WST Classic will be broadcast across the globe (outside China) on Matchroom.Live, giving fans the chance to watch snooker’s star players compete over seven days in the new world ranking event.
The tournament at the Morningside Arena in Leicester will run from March 16th to 22nd, with a field of 128 players and total prize money of £427,000. All-time greats in the line up include Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Mark Allen, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, John Higgins, Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams and many more, with the draw and format to be announced on Wednesday.
Fans in all territories (outside China) can watch live on Matchroom.Live, with commentary on the main table from David Hendon and Dominic Dale. Details of the cost and how to sign up will be announced shortly.
Matchroom.Live is a global multi-sport OTT service, launched in May 2020 to provide a single destination for Matchroom’s diverse portfolio of events across many sports. The platform hosts live events for territories outside of existing broadcast agreements, as well as free on-demand content spanning over 40 years of Matchroom’s archive.
WST Chairman Steve Dawson said: “We are thrilled to team up with Matchroom.Live to broadcast the WST Classic to every corner of the globe. With such a strong field, it will be seven days of outstanding snooker. For fans who have not come across Matchroom.Live before, this is a chance to get a taste of the fantastic service on offer, with live action from many different sport available throughout the year.”
A limited number of tickets are on sale for the final day WST Classic. The final day will include the quarter-finals at 10am, semi-finals at 2.30pm and final at 7pm. All matches will be best of seven frames, up until the semi-finals which are best of nine, and the final which is best of 11.
I’m sure many will be disappointed. In the past the Matchroom.live service has not always been great (to say the least) but recently I must say that it has been good.
Shaun Murphy ended a 3 years long title drought yesterday evening as he beat Ali Carter by 10- 4 in Wolverhampton. He also scored the five highest breaks in the tournament during the week.
Shaun Murphy ended a three-year wait for a major tournament win, by defeating Ali Carter 10-4 in the final of the Duelbits Players Championship in Wolverhampton.
Murphy last lifted silverware at the 2020 Welsh Open, an event predating the start of the coronavirus pandemic. On that occasion he thrashed Kyren Wilson 9-1 to pick up the Ray Reardon Trophy. An incredible display of break building has helped him to storm to the title this week.
The Magician has conjured a record 11 century breaks throughout the tournament, beating John Higgins’ previous Players Championship best of eight back in 2021. Murphy is also responsible for all of the top five highest breaks this week. The best of those was a contribution of 145 composed this afternoon and earns him £10,000.
Murphy has captured the 10th ranking crown of his career. That moves him clear of close friend Mark Allen, Peter Ebdon and John Parrott in the overall standings. He is now level with the legendary Jimmy White on the all-time list. Only nine players in the history of the sport have won more.
Murphy moves up to sixth position in the world rankings with the £125,000 top prize. Carter ends the week in 12th spot after picking up £50,000.
Victory makes up for the disappointment of last Sunday for Murphy, where another dazzling run ended short of the winning post. The 40-year-old suffered a shock loss to Robert Milkins in the final of the Welsh Open. That result handed Milkins a BetVictor Series Bonus of £150,000, pushing Carter himself out into second position on the standings.
Recently crowned German Masters winner Carter will be disappointed to have lost out to an inspired Murphy today, but he has the consolation of securing qualification for the upcoming Duelbits Tour Championship. Both finalists have comfortably clinched their places in the top eight qualifying positions.
Murphy put on a blistering display this afternoon to surge to a 6-2 lead, crafting runs of 145, 141 and 112 along the way.
When the players emerged for the evening session, Murphy continued his spellbinding sequence of breaks. He embarked upon a 147 attempt, but broke down on 89 by missing the 12th black.
It was soon 8-2 when Murphy fired in a century run of 103, before Carter hit back with breaks of 71 and 82 to remain in the hunt at 8-4 down.
However, his reprieve was to be short lived, with the sensational Murphy composing breaks of 88 and 130 to get over the line 10-4. After the match had concluded he punched the air with joy and took in the adulation of the crowd.
“I’m absolutely delighted, I’m over the moon. It isn’t often you get me speechless, but I’m pretty close. I’d forgotten what to say when you win. I’ve spent the last few seasons giving runner-up speeches. I’d become far too good at that for my liking. It was so nice to come to a tournament, play well and win. I can’t wait to take the trophy home to show Harry and Molly,” said Englishman Murphy.
“A long time ago now I wrote down a little goal of my own and that was to get to ten ranking titles. I’ve been in lots of finals and could or perhaps should have won more, but ten is a very nice number and I’m pleased I’ve reached one of my career goals tonight. It is lovely to join someone like Jimmy White with that number. Who knows, if I can play like I did today there could be another few to follow.
“I wasn’t guaranteed to be at the Tour Championship when I arrived here this week. That was a goal. I am now in it. I’m sure I will get to Sheffield ready. My game will be in the same shape as it is today. Obviously, I can’t wait to have another crack at the Crucible.”
Carter said: “Shaun played great. I think he played the best all week. There wasn’t really much of my game there today. I was struggling to find anything. Normally my strongest part is my safety and I wasn’t finding the baulk cushion. Shaun was just potting every long ball he was looking at. When he is on we all know what happens. It is unbelievable he hasn’t won for three years.”
I didn’t watch any of the action, so can’t comment, neither on this match nor on the semi-finals.
Earlier in the week, Shaun was involved in a bit of controversy after he reacted strongly to Jill Douglas suggestion that some of his mistakes were the result of slips in concentration. Apparently the press feasted on the incident. Maybe Shaun’s reaction was disproportionate but emotions are running high just after matches and it really only was a storm in a cup of tea. Anyway, Shaun accepted that he over-reacted and apologised to Jill with a card and a bottle of wine. Like the man or not, Shaun’s “old-fashion” manners certainly can’t be faulted.
In other snooker news…
The 2023 Women’s Snooker World Cup is underway in Thailand, and currently at the semi-finals stage. This event will be followed by the 2023 Women’s World Championship. This year there is a strong representation from India, and Mongolia. We almost never hear from snooker in Mongolia, but from what transpires the sport is very well supported there.
The Championship League Snooker Group 7 starts today. Yesterday, Rolf Kalb announced that Ronnie had withdrawn and was replaced by Lyu Haotian. That surprised me a bit because I was expecting Ronnie to take the opportunity to get used to his repaired cue. Indeed John Parris had to modify the cue after the problems Ronnie experienced at the 2023 Welsh Open. This morning Rolf Kalb backtracked, saying that Matchroom had sent incorrect information. But now Lyu Haotian indeed replaces Ronnie in the draw.
Theoretically, Ronnie can still qualify for the 2023 Tour Championship. It is, however, very unlikely as he needs to win the event and hope that other results go his way…
A limited number of tickets are on sale for the final day of the new WST Classic, at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on Wednesday March 22nd.
The world ranking event will run from March 16th to 22nd, with a field of 128 players and total prize money of £427,000. Star names in the field will include:
World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan Leicester’s local favourite Mark Selby Player of the Season Mark Allen Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, John Higgins, Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams – and many more.
The full draw and format will be announced soon.
The final day will include the quarter-finals at 10am, semi-finals at 2.30pm and final at 7pm. All matches will be best of seven frames, up until the semi-finals which are best of nine, and the final which is best of 11.
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Details of how to watch the event online will be announced soon.
Frankly the schedule on the final day is bonkers. The finalists might possibly play 27 frames on that day, with a minimum of 15 frames. For that to happen the winner of the event needs to whitewash their opponent in every match from the QFs on… Losing just 2 frames all day would have them playing as many frames as in a Home Nations Final going to a decider. I know that in the PTCs, the possibility existed of them playing as much as 28 frames on the last day but I don’t think that the pressure of playing in this event – basically the “last chance saloon” for many before the World Championship – compares to the (often too) relaxed approach to playing in a PTC.
WST has also (finally) published the draw and format for the 2023 6-reds World Championship in Thailand.
I haven’t got much time to watch the action this week, but here is how the 2023 Players Championship unfolded so far. All reports below were shared by WST.
World number 37 Joe O’Connor took full advantage of narrowly qualifying for this week’s Duelbits Players Championship by beating top seed Mark Allen 6-3 in Wolverhampton.
With the best performing 16 players of the season earning a place in this week’s elite event, O’Connor only just gained his spot by edging out three-time World Champion Mark Williams by £500.
The Leicester cueman clinched qualification with a fine run to the quarter-finals of last week’s Welsh Open. He has had the best campaign of his career so far this term, having also been runner-up to Gary Wilson at the Scottish Open before Christmas.
This evening’s win means O’Connor will now rise to a career high ranking at the end of the week. He’s guaranteed to move to at least 33rd position in the world rankings.
Meanwhile Allen will remain comfortably in first place on the one-year list and is assured of being top seed at the Duelbits Tour Championship in March. The Antrim potter has enjoyed a superb season, having racked up silverware at the Northern Ireland Open, UK Championship and Duelbits World Grand Prix.
Breaks of 63 and 64 helped O’Connor make a flying start this evening by moving 3-0 ahead. Allen showed his steel and fired in 85 to stay in touch at the mid-session, trailing 3-1.
When play resumed O’Connor re-asserted his authority and went 4-1 up. However, Allen immediately responded with a run of 91 to claw another frame back.
O’Connor moved to the verge of victory with a superb break of 132 to make it 5-2. Although Allen took the eighth, a clearance of 45 saw O’Connor steal the ninth on the colours and emerge a 6-3 victor. He now faces either Jack Lisowski or Luca Brecel in the quarter-finals.
“I’ve played a pretty solid match. I don’t think Mark was at his best, but fortunately he gave me a couple of chances I wouldn’t get when he is at his best and I managed to punish him,” said 27-year-old O’Connor.
“This is massive for me. It is my first time at the Players Championship, on the main table against the best player of the season by a mile. I’ve turned up, played some good stuff and nicked some frames.
“In practice I have been working on shots that have cost me frames and matches. That seems to have instilled a little bit of confidence knowing I have an all-round game now. My game has been at a good place for a while now and it has just been about waiting for the wins to come.”
On the other table, second seed Ryan Day scored an impressive 6-2 win over recently crowned Shoot Out champion Chris Wakelin.
Day has enjoyed a fine season thus far. It was highlighted by winning his fourth ranking title at the British Open, where he defeated Allen in the final.
The Welshman top scored with a break of 103 this evening. He progresses to the quarter-finals, where he takes on either Mark Selby or Shaun Murphy.
Shaun Murphy ended a four-game losing streak against Mark Selby, emerging a 6-3 victor in their first round clash at the Duelbits Players Championship in Wolverhampton.
It’s Murphy’s first ranking event win over Selby on UK soil in 18 years, a run dating all of the way back to the 2005 Grand Prix. Selby’s recent four-game win streak against Murphy in all tournaments included a famous 18-15 win at the Crucible in the 2021 World Championship final.
However, today’s loss is a big blow for the Leicester cueman’s chances of qualifying for the Duelbits Tour Championship. Only the best eight players on the one-year list earn a place in Hull. Selby remains in seventh position, but Murphy is now hot on his heels in eighth.
The win sees Murphy recover quickly from a disappointing loss on Sunday evening in the Welsh Open final, where he was on the wrong end of a 9-7 scoreline against Robert Milkins. The Magician now progresses to this week’s quarter-finals and will play Ryan Day next.
Breaks of 72 and 75 helped nine-time ranking event winner Murphy to take the first three frames of the afternoon, before four-time World Champion Selby stole the fourth on the black to head into the mid-session 3-1 behind.
When play restarted, Murphy fired in a break of 92 to move 4-1 ahead and the 40-year-old was soon one from victory when he made it 5-1.
Selby showed his usual grit and determination to take the seventh and the eighth frames, but Murphy wasn’t to be denied and came through a 6-3 victor.
“I’m very happy. The result on Sunday against Robert had a huge impact on the draw. I then had to face one of the hardest players in the tournament and one of the hardest players of my career,” said 2005 World Champion Murphy.
“I certainly know that he has had the better of me more times than the other way round. We’ve been playing each other since we were ten years of age and we know each other very well on and off the table. I would pay tribute to Mark by saying that, for all those young players watching and trying to improve, he has never played a single shot in his life he hasn’t given 100% attention to.
“Anyone who plays accuracy sports understands that one of the big pats on the back you give yourself is where shots go exactly where you want them. Not just in the pocket, but exactly where you aim. A lot of my shots are going exactly where I want them. There are a few that aren’t which are a bit rogue, but I am working on them. In general my form has been good all season. It feels as if I’m getting to a crescendo moment and a win is around the corner.”
On the other table, world number seven Kyren Wilson eased to a quarter-final berth with a 6-2 defeat of Zhou Yuelong.
Wilson is the third seed this week after securing the European Masters title earlier in the season, thrashing Barry Hawkins 9-3 in the final.
The Warrior showcased his break building best this afternoon, firing in breaks of 76, 50, 100, 63, 121 and 51 on his way to victory. Next up Wilson plays either Ding Junhui or Gary Wilson in the last eight.
Man of the moment Robert Milkins admitted that the thought of defeat was a distant one this evening, as he kept up his momentum with a 6-5 win over Tom Ford at the Duelbits Players Championship in Wolverhampton.
The Gloucester cueman enjoyed the biggest moment of his career on Sunday, when he claimed his second ranking title after defeating Shaun Murphy 9-7 in the final of the Welsh Open. Following this evening’s deciding frame win he said: “When you are winning, it is hard to lose.”
Milkins scooped a huge £230,000 payout following his triumph in Llandudno, which included a £150,000 BetVictor Series Bonus. He’s now certain to be present for the upcoming Duelbits Tour Championship in Hull and is looking good to secure his place in the world’s top 16 and automatically qualify for the World Championship.
Next up this week Milkins faces an intriguing quarter-final showdown with the man he pipped to that bonus, Ali Carter. The pair met in the semi-finals of the recent German Masters. On that occasion Carter won out 6-5 and went on to claim the title.
Ford was the losing finalist in Berlin and suffered more disappointment this evening, with Milkins edging through in a final frame.
Runs of 62 and 70 helped Milkins into an early 2-1 lead this evening, but Ford pegged him back just before the mid-session and restored parity at 2-2.
When play resumed the standard went up and notch and the pair engaged in a break building battle. Milkins took the fifth to regain the lead, before a break of 68 saw Ford draw level again at 3-3.
The recently crowned Welsh Open champion edged back in front with a break of 53. However, Leicester’s Ford replied with 71 in the eighth to make it 4-4. Milkins then moved one from the win, only for Ford to force a decider with a contribution of 60.
It had looked as if Ford was going to take the lead for the first time at the vital moment, but he missed an easy red to the middle when leading 36-0. Milkins clinically punished that mistake with a break of 74 to secure the 6-5 victory.
“I don’t know what has happened. Like I say, when you are winning it is hard to lose. Little things went my way tonight and in the end I scraped through,” said 46-year-old Milkins.
“I was sitting back when he was in the balls at 5-5. Normally I would be thinking about wanting him to miss. I’m not even that bothered. It has been such a long journey over the last few weeks. It has been amazing.
“I’d like to think that win will help me. Maybe not right this second, but if I get in a position at the World Championship to win against a top player, maybe I can push on rather than be negative.
“I’m coming off the back of the biggest win in my career. If I can’t believe in myself now, then I never will. I am looking forward to the next round.”
On the other table, Carter earned his quarter-final spot with a nerve shredding 6-5 defeat of 2019 World Champion Judd Trump.
The win is Carter’s first over Trump since 2016, in a match over the best of seven frames or longer. The Captain was beaten by Trump in the World Grand Prix final back in 2019.
A dramatic final frame in this evening’s encounter saw Carter leave Trump requiring two snookers on two occasions. Both times he got them on the colours to leave the match in the balance. However, Carter eventually deposited a tricky blue to the right middle to get over the line.
Carter said: “Judd had me in all sorts of trouble all night. His safety was unbelievable and he will be disappointed to have lost there, I would have been if I’d have lost. I got the job done in the end.”
Belgian number one Luca Brecel took a huge step towards progressing to the Duelbits Tour Championship, after an entertaining 6-4 win over Jack Lisowski at the Duelbits Players Championship in Wolverhampton.
Brecel captured his third ranking title earlier in the campaign with victory at the Championship League. He was also runner-up to Mark Selby at the English Open, but is yet to confirm his qualification for the elite Tour Championship.
Only the top eight players on this season’s one-year list can make it to the series finale in Hull next month. Shaun Murphy’s first round win over Selby yesterday had seen him leapfrog Brecel into 8th position. However, today’s win for Brecel sees him move back in front.
Defeat for Lisowski leaves his Tour Championship hopes hanging by a thread. The six-time ranking event finalist now slips to 10th position on the live one-year list and only a deep run in the WST Classic can give him a chance of clinching a top eight spot.
Brecel made a fine break of 99 to take the opener this afternoon, before Lisowski responded by taking the next two and lead 2-1. However, they went into the mid-session level after Brecel fired in a run of 83 in the fourth.
When play got back underway Lisowski regained the lead thanks to a contribution of 85. Brecel did level up, but a century run of 104 from 31-year-old Lisowski saw him move ahead again at 4-3.
From there it was Brecel who charged to the line. Breaks of 78 and 58 saw him move 5-4 ahead, before a dramatic 10th frame. Lisowski had a chance to force a decider, but missed a straightforward red to the middle on 49. He lost the initiative in the frame and Brecel got himself over the line a 6-4 victor. He now faces a quarter-final with Joe O’Connor.
“We both wanted to win to get into the Tour Championship, so it was quite an important game. I am happy with how the game went,” said 27-year-old Brecel.
“It helps fighting for the Tour Championship and having something to play for, if you can handle it. I am going to be quite motivated tomorrow. I will enjoy it as well. This is a big tournament and everyone wants to do well here.
“Some people say it is all about winning but I don’t think so. There is more to it than that. If you watch football and see Messi and Ronaldo play it is different. People want to see entertaining football. If you have nice pots and nice breaks, that is the game me and Jack play. That is good for the crowd. It is what people expected before the game and we delivered.”
On the other table, Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson secured an impressive 6-3 win over 14-time ranking event winner Ding Junhui.
Wilson is also battling for a Tour Championship berth and today’s result keeps his hopes alive. The Wallsend cueman now faces Kyren Wilson in the last eight.
Wilson composed breaks of 61, 88 and 115 on his way to this afternoon’s victory and play’s his namesake in the last eight on Friday at 1pm.
Ali Carter thrashed Robert Milkins 6-1 to make the semi-finals of the Duelbits Players Championship in Wolverhampton.
The win acts as revenge for five-time ranking event winner Carter, who was narrowly pipped to a £150,000 BetVictor Series Bonus last week by Milkins. That came after the Milkman scored a stunning second ranking event victory at the Welsh Open, to catapult himself to the top of the series standings.
Carter had looked set to scoop the bumper payout for himself after his recent win at the German Masters. It was the Captain’s first ranking silverware since 2017. Following a 6-5 win over Milkins in the semis, he thrashed Tom Ford 10-3 in the title match.
This evening’s defeat brings Milkins’ sparkling run of form to an abrupt halt. However, both players look almost certain to qualify for the elite Duelbits Tour Championship, having maintained their positions inside the season’s top eight money earners.
Carter now progresses to the semi-finals where he will face either Luca Brecel or Joe O’Connor. If he were to win the event it would see him pick up two ranking titles in a single season for the first time in his career.
A break of 66 was enough for Carter to take the opening frame. The second was a more attritional affair, but Carter eventually took it, after 36-minutes of play. The Chelmsford cueman then claimed the third with a break of 98 to make it 3-0.
The last frame before the mid-session saw Milkins launch his cue in disdain after an error, but he got another chance and ensured he headed into the interval just 3-1 behind.
When the players returned it was Carter who blitzed his way to the finish line. He crafted breaks of 65 and 75 on his way to three on the bounce and came through with the 6-1 win.
Carter said: “I played great stuff tonight. I was really solid and I couldn’t fault my safety play. He produced some great safety as well, but when I got my chances I took them and I could count on one hand the amount of mistakes I made.
“He didn’t pinch the bonus from me, he won the tournament. He thoroughly deserved the bonus, but that is in the past now and there is no point worrying about it.
“It wasn’t the easiest of weekends. I obviously wanted to win the money, of course I did and anyone would have in my position. However, I like Rob and he won so good on him.
“The confidence is really high. It is one match at a time and four matches to win the tournament. I’ve got two under my belt and it will be a tough game on Friday night. I’m going home for a couple of days now and looking forward to coming back.”
I didn’t watch much at all, so can’t comment on the matches. All the same here are some “random thoughts”
From what I see Joe O’Connor is coming off age. He’s 27, it took him longer that many expected, but I would say that the opposition in the mid rankings is now stronger than ever.
Nice words from Ali about Rob Milkins and “the bonus”. Ali appears to be in a better place and more relaxed than he has been for a long time. I hope it lasts and his health problems are behind him.
Mark Selby seems to struggle badly. Other than the 2022 English Open this season has been quite “a low one” for him. Of course his health is much more important than any game of snooker.
On the other table, Carter earned his quarter-final spot with a nerve shredding 6-5 defeat of 2019 World Champion Judd Trump.
On the other table, Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson secured an impressive 6-3 win over 14-time ranking event winner Ding Junhui.