GoldFields Open Qualifers

 Written by Rachael Rodgers

Well its been a very busy couple of days at the English Institute of Sport with players trying their hardest to make it to Australia, we can't blame them. But it is sad to say that none of the players listed 52-64 managed to break through the final rounds of qualifying.

I have to say I openly tipped Michael Holt, Jack Lisowski and Dominic Dale, one out of three I will pretend to be good odds, but I would have preferred it to have been two. Michael came up against a tough competitor in Stuart Bingham, who has had a slightly stronger past season after making it to the Crucible.
 Jack Lisowski, the one I always tip every time, maybe I am his bad luck sorry Jack! I do however think we should expect big things for Jack, he just has to gain more experience and keep it together when deciders happen. Tom Ford just has a few years more experience on Jack .

The one i tipped to get through to Australia was Dominic Dale and he got through! Dominic is a great player and showed that experience truly does win as he beat Liam Highfield 5-3. The Spaceman made his come back last season, playing well through out the PTC tournaments and met Ronnie O'Sullivan in the opening rounds of the World Championships, it had been the first time since 2004 that Dale had qualified for the World Championships.  Unfortunately for Dominic Ronnie found his love for the game again and won 10-2.

I comment on the Championships because Dominic's first round match in Australia will see him again facing Ronnie O'Sullivan, could be a grudge match although O'Sullivan is playing as well as he did in the 90's.

Snookerbackers Thursday thought is to Smart looking Snooker players

 Written by Rachael Rodgers

Snookerbacker is a big name in the world of Snooker news and his fun and easily accessible snooker reporting has spread to making sure our favourite Snooker players continue to look smart and dress like gentlemen.  Snookerbacker would like World Snooker to offer free ironing lessons to Snooker players in an attempt to keep our boys looking lovely.

"I feel that creases are indicative of 'shoddiness'. Snooker is a game for gentlemen (and ladies, let's not forget them) and whilst standards continue to slip outside of the baize, we should act as a beacon in the shirt/ironing/crispness world." Says Snookerbacker.

President of crisp clothes is Jack Lisowski who started the campaign by tweeting he was struggling to iron his shirt. Tomorrows campaign is increasing Peter Ebdon's fanbase as he plays against Rory Mcleod in OZ

PTC event 1 Sheffield

 Written by Rachael Rodgers

The first PTC of the season started on Friday, it had to be extended due to the amount of interest in taking part it was reported that it had an increase of at least 50%.
  Monday saw the start of the professional tour seeing the greats of Ronnie O'Sullivan who looked relaxed and happy to be in Sheffield and to be playing snooker again. This was a positive sign especially after last season that saw the Rocket drop down the ranking to number 9 in the world a position many would kill for but one that Ronnie hasn't seen for many years.  This was due to Ronnie's lack of love for the game last season and problems in his personal life.
   Ronnie's first round match was against a returning player Mike Hallett at first fans held their breath as it appeared that teh new confident and happy Ronnie had returned the mixed up and lost player of last season, as he slipped to 2-0 down thankfully the Rocket found his fight and came back to win 4-2. He then at 5 pm met Andy Hicks and saw him at 4-1, the rocket was back playing the same way he did in the 90's when he was the World Champion and World Number 1.  Ronnie finsihed off the late night which had seen game starting to over run by lunch time and had a knock on effect for every match following. Ronnie saw off Bjorn Haneever 4-0 to clami his place in Wednesdays Semi finals where he will meet Martin Gould, who made a impressive come back from 3-0 against Nigel Bond to win 4-3.
 "I don't know how I won to be fair, Nigel should have won 4-0 he deserved to, he lost the game from two blacks off there spot." Commented Martin Gould, his match ended at 12.30 am  he must be happy that he has a day off to settle into the idea of facing Ronnie at 10am.

One player who has captured a lot of attention through the first part of the PTC has to be David Gilbert, who has gone through Q School to join the professional tour, he has put the end to many long time professional players and showen that he more that deserves his place in the professional side of the game.
 David Gilbert put an end to Judd Trump's attempt at winning the PTC beating him 4-1, then seeing off Jamie Cope 4-2 and finally with an extremely late finish he put at end to Jimmy White 4-1.  Personally I think David Gilbert looks as though he is a force to be reckoned with and certainly a player to watch, this season.

Shock results have to be that the top sixteen players, have been booted out int he first rounds Shaun Murphy and John Higgins being the biggest names to suffer an early eviction from the PTC.

The shining star of the event had to be Ronnie O'Sullivan, who took the first event, putting behind him a tough season and being his first win in 6 months. We welcome back the Rocket and look forward to the up and coming events.

Dominic bids good night Vienna

(Taken from World Snooker)

Dominic Dale is moving back to the UK after four years in Vienna in order to cope with his busy snooker schedule.

The former Grand Prix and Roewe Shanghai Masters champion will leave the Austrian capital this weekend and live close to his practice base, the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.

Welshman Dale, age 39, had a fine season in 2009/10, winning a PTC event and climbing to No 31 in the world rankings, and hopes to continue that momentum in 2010/11.

"When I had a good look at the tournament calendar last month, I worked out that travelling to and fro from Vienna for the whole season was going to cost me around £15,000," said Dale. "Last season I was paying for flights and then staying in hotels in Gloucester where I practise and hotels in Sheffield for the PTC events and qualifiers.

"To be based anywhere other than the UK is prohibitively expensive because there are so many tournaments now. As the Americans say, it was a 'no-brainer' for me to move back to the UK.

"I will be sad to leave Vienna because I have a lot of friends there. I want to say thanks to the Koo 15 Reds snooker club for the support and friendship I had there. I love the culture in Vienna, the beautiful buildings, the opera house and the cosmopolitan nature of the city. I will miss it but I can still go back on holiday. I'm not a sentimental person so I'm not worried about the move.

"I had a good mindset last season and practising on my own in Vienna wasn't a problem, especially as I would come to the UK a few days before each event and play against other professionals. But I did get a bit jaded here and there from the travelling.

"I have to take an objective view of things because I am a professional sportsman and I want to do well. As a self-employed sportsman you have to consider yourself a business, and from a financial perspective it doesn't make sense any more to live outside the UK.

"The Academy in Gloucester is a great place to practise. The tables there are Championship standard and it's not often in my career that I've had the chance to play on tables like that every day. I still feel that I have another decade as a snooker player and this will help me get the best out of myself. It's up to me to make the best of this opportunity."

Dale is looking forward to the new season with enthusiasm and is particularly keen to qualify for the Australian Goldfields Open in July, which will be the first ranking event ever staged in Australia.

"It's important for snooker to be in Australia, particularly with Neil Robertson as their lynchpin at the moment," said Dale. "We have to look at the future of the game and realise that if it grows there then there could be more events with more prize money.

"If I qualify I won't mind flying economy, I've done it a few times before. You can get a flight for around £1,200 so the players who qualify will still make money, have a great time and get some ranking points. Some of the players sometimes expect too much or get a bit greedy and don't realise the importance of going to play in events like this."

As for his overall targets for the season, Dale added: "I just want to continue to improve. I believe that I'm good enough to beat anyone. I'm fit and dedicated and I feel like a 25-year-old. In terms of the rankings, obviously I want to stay in the top 32 and maybe have a go at the top 16, although the top 20 is more realistic."

World Championship review

Written by Rachael Rodgers
 
As the world championship snooker, is mere weeks away from the crucible and as the draw, is announced there is excitement among the fans. Especially as the current World Champion Neil Robertson, returns to defend his title facing hot new comer Judd Trump who is snooker's wonder child.  Judd is at the moment with bookmakers at 7/4 that could be looked at either way does he stand a chance of beating the Australian or does he face being the looser against the world champion? Its a tough choice to make, Neil has played in most tournaments since winning the World Championships last year, but has only managed to win the 12bet.com world open in Glasgow, his winning streak came to an end as he attempted to win the UK Championship at the Telford Centre, in an attempt to win three BBC televised matches in one season, the title went to John Higgins. Neil could win the title again but he faces the curse of the crucible, which has never allowed the same player to win twice in a row.  Taking this into account Neil is 2/5 with the bookies for the first match.

  Seeded players have to be the favourites and not surprisingly John Higgins is the over all favourite for the competition, at a price of 5/1 with Mark Selby and Ronnie O'Sullivan in joint second place at 13/2.

 Mark looks a favourite and as had a slow build up in his career. He is a strong player and a talented cues man he stands a great chance of taking the title, if he can keep his mind on the table and not get distracted.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has had a strange year in snooker and has dropped down the rankings as a result. With the break down of his marriage and his father being released from prison, seems to have taken its turn on his thought process. Ronnie's performance in China was poor and let lower seeded player Ryan Day through, Ronnie played well but not well enough to beat the Welshman.  You can't however rule Ronnie out of anything, if he turns up with the determination to play and win, then he will. If not 200/1 shot Dominic Dale will be through to next round. 

For a long shot and a little of a dark horse has to be Pinner Potter Martin Gould, bookies have him at 80/1 to lift the trophy, which with the past year he has had, seems to be a large price for him and leaves him down on the suspected favourites lists. Martin however last year beat Marco Fu in the opening round at which point Martin was number 54 in the rankings, he went on to face Neil Robertson and almost beat the Aussie at the end of the first session he was 11-5, Neil came back to beat Martin 13-12. Martin didn't let the defeat effect him in a negative way and has gone on, to play throughout the summer in the PTC events, finding himself in more semi final matches than any other player.

  He has also qualified for most major tournaments through the season. His most notable match has to be the PTC grand final, in Dublin. He played and won against Mark Selby, Judd Trump and Michael Holt, to face Shaun Murphy who beat him 4-0. His Time in China started well but came a sudden end in a final frame decider, there is no word on what happened, but in those situations it’s a lottery and has nothing to do with skill or talent, but it has to hold him in good stead to do very well in the 17 day tournament.

John Higgins as you expect is the up most favourite of winning the event, though a favourite doesn't always win and he is beatable. His first round match in China was a close run game which could have gone either way, John just happened to push a head. There is more talent out there but most of the time at the crucible its experience that counts not talent, Higgins has oodles of experience.

 Speaking of experience, Shaun Murphy has to be a considerable contender for the trophy again, and his form has been undeniable, his win in Dublin was a joy to witness and his skill in China shows he is back to form.

Ding Junhui also has to be in line as a possible to lift the trophy, especially after his confident Master’s win and his ability in China coming back from 4-1 down to win 5-4 to the appreciation of a very loud Chinese audience who had all come to see their local hero.   Ding stands a good chance, maybe a little on the skirts at the moment, but of his time in China progresses then it would make him close to John Higgins, in the favourite list.

Who will win the World Championships, at the moment they all have a much chance as each other. Maybe a seeded player will win; maybe it will be a favourite. The crucible is the theatre of dreams, but whose dreams it will make is all down to fate.

O'Sullivan pulls out of Berlin

(taken from Sky Sports news)

Ronnie O'Sullivan has been warned about his future conduct by World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn after withdrawing from the German Masters on the eve of the tournament.

The three-time world champion was due to face Dominic Dale in Berlin on Thursday, but has now cancelled his participation, believed to be on medical grounds.
O'Sullivan, who has been at the forefront of Hearn's attempts to freshen up the sport's image, last year withdrew from the Shanghai Masters, where he was the defending champion, and from 10 of the 12 new lower-ranking events.
But the Essex potter, whose attendance record has seen him fall to number 10 in the world, appeared to be at his mercurial best as he played Jimmy White in an online exhibition on Tuesday and at the inaugural Snooker Shoot-Out in Blackpool at the weekend.
"When I took over he was my flag-bearer but now he's dropped the flag," Hearn told the Guardian.

Disappointed

"I don't care if Ronnie doesn't play but what he can't do is enter and pull out at the last minute, without very good reason.
"It's his face on all the posters in Germany; it's a very important tournament for us as we try to develop the European market and an awful lot of people are going to be disappointed he's not there.
"This can't go on. Ronnie's very likeable when he wants to be but he should start considering his future in the game and his responsibilities to it."
Hearn's worries have been added to with the news that world champion Neil Robertson may not be in Germany either owing to a lost passport.
Wednesday's wild-card matches saw Shoot-Out winner Nigel Bond beat Stefan Kasper 5-2, Joe Swail hammer Hans Blanckaert 5-0 and Anthony Hamilton defeat Pavel Leyk 5-1, while there were also victories for Jack Lisowski and Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon.

Ding is Masters Champ

Ding Junhui achieved what no other favourite in the Masters, could seem to grasp and won a positively strong Marco Fu 10-4 to win his first Masters competition.  This win makes five Major titles for the Chinese player originally from Jiangsu area in China, he now lives in Sheffield and his next attempt at success is the World Championships that will take place at The Crucible in Sheffield from the 16th April.
 Marco Fu believes that now Ding has won the Masters he is looking very strong at becoming the World Champion, and taking the title from the current World Champion Australian Neil Robertson. Is the next world Champion going to be from China? Only Ding and time can tell.

for more on Ding click here