Talk Snooker Blog

O'Sullivan keen to recapture top form

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:58:49 UTC

British snooker fans never really know what to expect from the talented enigma, Ronnie O’Sullivan. He is often moody, frustrating, and unsociable. However, sometimes he allows the public to glimpse his ambitious side, which is still hungry for further success despite the numerous titles won by the snooker legend.

A recent statement from O’Sullivan has provided such a glimpse. He has revealed that he is desperate to return to top form and replicate the impressive play which handed him the UK Championship title last year.

He won the title by playing consistently well throughout the tournament. Highlights included a maximum 147 break in the decisive final-frame decider of the semi-final match against Mark Selby. Stephen Maguire was thrashed in the final of the tournament and O’Sullivan really was on top form.

O’Sullivan will return to Telford to try to defend his title and he is hopeful of playing “good snooker again”. He revealed his excitement at winning the title last year, describing it as a “big moment” in his career and, furthermore, he said how much he loved making the 147 break, particularly at such a decisive moment in the tournament.

He was forced to withdraw from the Bahrain Championship last month as a result of fatigue and it was nice to see the player in such a good mood ahead of the tournament this weekend.

His first match will see him come up against Rory McLeod. Other opening day clashes which are bound to raise a few eyebrows include the match between Ryan Day and Matthew Stevens.

Robertson claims third ranking event

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:35:22 UTC

The Welsh snooker player, Matthew Stevens, who was fighting for a second ranking title, was unlucky to come up against an impressive and tough competitor during the final of the Bahrain Championship last weekend.

His competitor for the title was Neil Robertson, the Australian snooker player who is currently ranked tenth in the world. Although Stevens played well throughout the closely fought match, Robertson asserted his dominance and eventually won by a score of 9-7.

The match started with little hint of the excitement which was to follow at a later stage. Robertson opened up a 3-0 lead, at which point he felt “unbelievable, I was playing like I do in practice”, but the Welshman managed to bring the score back to 7-6, largely as a result of good defensive play. However, this comeback simply served to spur on Robertson, who won the critical fourteenth frame and continued to win the match.

Although Robertson has only won three ranking titles during his career (with his previous successes coming in the 2006 Grand Prix and the 2007 Welsh Open), he has an impressive record of winning every final in a ranking competition he has managed to reach. The player was rewarded with a total of £48,000 for his efforts at the Bahrain Championship and he revealed that winning the competition was a “real privilege”.

Robertson’s record puts Stevens’ record in finals to shame. The Welshman has now lost a total of six out of seven finals and he revealed his disappointment at losing in Bahrain after the match: “I’m gutted to lose this one”.

Higgins victorious despite impressive comeback from Day

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:44:23 UTC

This weekend saw John Higgins win his first ranking event for a year and a half following victory over the impressive Ryan Day at the Royal London Watches Grand Prix. Held in Glasgow, the competition win was the Scot’s first success in his home country, his nineteenth ranking title, and his fourth Grand Prix crown.

Higgins had not won a snooker title since his victory in the World Championship in the summer of 2007 and was desperate to make an impression in this competition.

However, the match did not all go John Higgins’ way. Indeed, Ryan Day, who was fighting for his first ranking title in just his third final, gave Higgins a real scare with an impressive comeback.

Day was keen to win his first ranking title following unfortunate defeats in his previous two finals, held in Malta and Shanghai.

The Scot was in good form during the opening session and managed to open up a 5-2 lead. Higgins seemed to be competing on a different level to Day, who was being truly humbled by the Scot’s magnificent performance.

He managed to amass four breaks of over 50, the best being an 85 in just the second frame. Higgins continued to extend his lead over the world’s eighth best snooker player, bringing the score to 7-2. However, at this point, Day seemed to remember where he was and what he was fighting for.

Five out of the following six frames were won by the Welshman and the match was delicately poised at 8-7 following a break of 83 from Day. However, Higgins managed to overcome Day’s inspiring comeback, which was sadly too little too late for the Welshman. The match ultimately finished 9-7 to Higgins.

Snooker pundits were quick to point out that Day must have been exhausted following his tense semi-final victory over Ali Carter. However, the Welshman refused to use exhaustion as an excuse and managed to be truly magnanimous in defeat.

Day berated himself for being “slow out of the blocks” and spoke of his disappointment at the overall result. Whilst he revealed he was happy at the courage of his comeback, which was nearly enough to beat Higgins, he ended by stating that “John deserved to win” as he was the best player during the match.

The Scot, noticeably relieved after his victory, spoke about the impact of Ryan Day’s initially poor form on his own game. After noticing that the Welshman was not performing to the best of his ability, he began to gain motivation from his opponent’s failure.

Higgins believed it was just a matter of time before Day “got his cue arm going” so needed to make the most of his slow start.

It was nice to see a smile on the face of John Higgins again and the player spoke of his pride at the result. Despite his defeat, Ryan Day can console himself with Higgins’ words, after the Scot stated he was “the player of the tournament”. After this performance, it is surely just a matter of time before the Welshman wins his first ranking title.

Written by Charlotte Cook

O'Sullivan Down and Out in China

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:53:23 UTC

Ronnie O’Sullivan, the world's number one snooker player, has lost out on a £52,000 prize fund after losing 10-8 to Englishman, Ricky Walden, in the Shanghai Masters tournament. O’Sullivan said that his defeat was a disappointment but nothing less than he deserved: "There's no excuse. I just have to keep working hard and hope the results come."

Walden is currently ranked 17th in the world (up from 35th) and performed consistently well in both the Belgium Open and in a second Chinese tournament contested last July. Despite being handed abysmal odds by the bookies, Walden squashed both Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis on his way to the final. The youngster also secured convincing victories against Australian player, Neil Robertson, and Masters Champion, Mark Selby.

Walden’s victory in China marked the first time that he has won a major tournament since he turned professional. The former under-21 champion is planning to take his friends to Las Vegas to celebrate his recent success but has made no joke about the difficult task ahead of him. His recent run of form has given him a lot of confidence in his abilities but he is aware that his fans will expect bigger and greater things from him in the future.

The Glasgow Grand Prix began on Saturday 11th October and has since seen both Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis progress to the second round. Unfortunately, despite his performance at the Shanghai Masters, Ricky Walden lost 5-4 in a difficult match against world number 8, Ryan Day. Ronnie O’Sullivan will face 21 year old Chinese player, Liang Wenbo, later today (14th October).

Snooker stars seek to reinvent sport's image

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:45:11 UTC

Despite the best efforts of talented, charismatic and entertaining individuals such as Ronnie O’Sullivan and the late Paul Hunter, snooker remains a sport tainted with an unfairly boring reputation. Many young people perceive snooker as a game for older people and overlook it, preferring to indulge in a spot of American or English pool.

However, the launch of World Snooker’s ‘Hotshots’ scheme aims to change this attitude, by showing that there are still plenty entertaining personalities, to whom young people can relate, playing the game. At the official launch, Daniel Wells, the first player to be presented with the Paul Hunter Scholarship, spoke about his ambition to encourage “younger viewers” to be more enthusiastic about the sport.

Fellow professional, Jamie Cope, reiterated Wells’ opinions by stating that snooker is “a game for all ages”. Cope is certainly an example of the type of personality that the world of snooker really needs. He has an entertaining and aggressive style of play that should prove attractive to young viewers.

Some pundits remain cynical about the scheme from World Snooker, stating that previous similar schemes have failed. However, nobody can accuse World Snooker of being complacent about the image it attempts to portray to young people.

The ‘Hotshots’ scheme follows hot on the heels of other efforts to involve young people in the sport. For example, World Snooker Limited and World Snooker Academy have teamed up with Sheffield City Trust to fund a tournament for students from schools across Sheffield. The final of the competition will be held during the World Snooker Championship next year.

Written by Charlotte Cook

Joe Perry on-cue to help family raising money for renal unit

Fri, 30 May 2008 14:41:01 UTC

Joe Perry is helping a family friend raise cash for a renal unit at his local hospital. These are the types of stories that I really like. Raffle tickets cost £5 each and are on sale at Doddington Post Office; The George public house, Doddington; The George public house, Chatteris; The Conservative Club, Chatteris; Cassanos, March; Dobsons, March; and the Rose and Crown public house, Manea. The draw will be made at the end of July.