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busybeeburns

busybeeburns

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Barry Hawkins seals Shoot-Out win

 

Barry Hawkins clinched the 2012 Snooker Shoot-Out crown after overcoming former world champion Graeme Dott in Sunday's final.

 

The 32-year-old from Kent received a cheque for £32,000 for coming out on top in the 10-minute battle, with his opening break of 46 enough to give him a lead he would not surrender.

 

Hawkins had booked his place in the final with a win over veteran Dave Harrold, while Dott - who won at the Crucible in 2004 - saw off Leicester's Tom Ford in another tight semi-final.

 

"I'm not used to being a champion. It's only one frame but it's still a win," Hawkins told Sky Sports afterwards.

 

"Even at 50 in front with two minutes left I was worried but I'm delighted. I'm getting married in the summer so the money will come in handy!"

 

Hawkins had earlier made a break of 55 as he took on Harold in the first-semi-final, with the Stoke veteran running out of time as he lost 56-30.

 

Scotsman Dott has looked in control against Ford as he made a break of 51 before missing an easy black.

 

Ford looked to have the match in his grasp as he responded with 31, but missed a black off the spot to hand the match to Dott.

 

Londoner Martin Gould claimed the £2,000 prize for the highest break of the tournament - a superb 135 in his third-round clash with Jamie Jones.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/snooker/news/12243/7464930/Hawkins-seals-Shoot-Out-win

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busybeeburns

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World Snooker Championship 2012: Williams 'hates' Crucible

 

Two-time winner Mark Williams says he "hates" Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, the venue for the World Snooker Championship.

 

The 37-year-old Welshman, champion in 2000 and 2003, said he would "rather play at Pontins" and hoped the tournament is switched to China. World Snooker chair Barry Hearn later said he was happy to stage the event at the venue "until the day I die".

 

The Grade II listed Crucible has held the tournament since 1977. After his initial comments, Williams tweeted: "Wow, I'm in trouble [with World Snooker] for my last tweet about the Crucible."

 

Realising his views could spark disciplinary procedures, he added: "It's only my opinion... so don't send me any letters or fines."

 

He added: "World Snooker been on the phone. Not sure if it's because I nearly swore, or said I hate playing at the Crucible, or want the World Championships to go to China."

 

The Crucible's contract to host the World Championship expires after the 2014 event. Hearn insisted that he could not see any reason why the deal would not be extended. "There's is so much history associated with the Crucible, it is synonymous with snooker and the World Championship," he said. "There's something unique and magical about the atmosphere in the arena which couldn't be replicated anywhere else. We look forward to a wonderful Betfred.com World Championship and to great years ahead in Sheffield, the Snooker City."

 

Nobody from the 980-seater Crucible, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, was available to comment. The Crucible underwent a £15m refurbishment in 2007, with the building closed for three years during the upgrade. However, it continued to host the World Championship.

 

World number two Williams begins his World Championship campaign against China's Liu Chuang on Wednesday.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17786195

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Williams brands Crucible a 'shithole'

 

Two-time world champion Mark Williams has branded the venue where snooker's flagship event is played, The Crucible in Sheffield, a "shithole" ahead of this year's World Championship.

 

The Welshman, winner of the event in 2000 and 2003, is in hot water with the game's governing body after criticising The Crucible, which has played host to the tournament since 1977 and has a contract to continue that tradition until at least 2015. Williams is not a fan of the 980-seat arena, though, offering his opinion on social networking site Twitter that it would be good to see the event go to China in the near future.

 

"World Championships just around the corner. Shame it's played in the Crucible, shxt hole, hopefully it will be in China soon," Williams said. He subsequently responded to a response from a follower, saying: "No Sheffield is a nice place, the Crucible is a shxt hole. Hate it.

 

"It's only my opinion about the Crucible WSA [World Snooker] so don't send me any letters or fines," he noted, before adding minutes later, "Wow I'm in trouble for my last tweet about the Crucible. "World Snooker been on the phone. Not sure if it's because I nearly swore, or said I hate playing at the Crucible, or want the World Champs to go to China."

 

Williams, who later acknowledged "shxthole was the wrong word to use," suggested that the constricted nature of the layout in the early rounds was part of his problem. "[it's] quite cramped, better if you can get to one table set up," he said. "Not seen that [stage] for donkey's!"

 

Barry Hearn, chairman of the WSA, immediately responded by saying he would be delighted to keep the event at the Sheffield site for many years to come. "We've had fantastic support from Sheffield City Council, Welcome to Yorkshire and the BBC, and as long as that continues I'd be happy to keep the event at the Crucible until the day I die," Hearn said in a statement. "It's an outstanding venue and the refurbishment which recently took place has greatly improved the facilities.

 

"There is so much history associated with the Crucible, it is synonymous with snooker and the World Championship. There's something unique and magical about the atmosphere in the arena which couldn't be replicated anywhere else.

"The vast majority of people involved in snooker would say the same."

 

Williams is due to face China's Liu Chuang in the first round of the tournament, which begins on Saturday.

 

http://www.espn.co.uk/snooker/sport/story/147143.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

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World Snooker Championship 2012: Stephen Hendry hits 147

 

Seven-time champion Stephen Hendry fired in a 147 maximum break on the first day of the World Championship.

 

The Scot, 43, made the 10th maximum at the Crucible in the seventh frame of his match against Stuart Bingham.

 

It was Hendry's third 147 at the venue and the 11th of his career, equalling two Ronnie O'Sullivan records.

 

"I still have a match to win but the 147 was probably one of my best, position-wise," said Hendry, who leads Bingham 8-1 after the first session.

 

Hendry's maximum came a day after he returned from a 10,000-mile round trip to China for business.

 

He stands to earn £50,000 - £40,000 for the 147 and £10,000 for the highest break prize - unless another player makes a 147.

 

"It was absolutely fantastic to make a third maximum at the World Championship," he added.

 

"I felt really good out there, and the jet lag - well, sleep is for wimps. It's the new way, fly in to Sheffield the day before with no practice!

 

"That ties me with Ronnie to have made three here, and I don't care what Mark Williams says about the Crucible, there is no better feeling than to make one here."

 

Hendry's closing remark was a response to the Twitter outburst from his friend Williams, the two-time world champion, who criticised the Crucible venue and said he hoped the World Championship would move to China.

 

Former world champion John Parrott said on BBC Two: "This shows Hendry can still do it at the highest level."

 

"I've got no idea what this is going to do to his confidence. When I looked at the draw, I didn't think he was going to win, but anything is possible now."

 

"What a performance from Hendry. That 147 was the icing on the cake for Stephen and it was wonderful to see," added John Virgo.

 

Ken Doherty and Neil Robertson, former world champions playing on the other side of the arena, stopped playing as Hendry moved close to the magical mark.

 

When Hendry calmly potted the final black, he punched the air and raised his glass of water as the crowd stood to acclaim his feat.

 

Doherty and Robertson joined Bingham in congratulating the Scot, whose previous 147s at the Crucible came in 1995 and 2009.

 

The 2009 break earned him £157,000 but World Snooker has downgraded the prize fund for maximums

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17800969

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Guest howyousawtheworld

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Gutted I missed that. Headed out into town when they switched to Doherty v Robertson after the first frame of the Hendry/Bingham match. Bad mistake BBC!

 

What a legend that man is.

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Reilly

Reilly

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I saw it last night, from the start I was wondering, how does he get a 147 from here?! There were at least 3 shots where he was way out of position, incredible break.

 

Did anyone see how Mark Allen just got dumped out? Amazing. I like it though, Mark Allen's a first rate douchebag, and we're going to see more of it down the years.

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busybeeburns

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Mark Allen accuses Cao Yupeng of dishonesty at Crucible

 

Mark Allen has accused Chinese opponent Cao Yupeng of dishonest play during his surprise defeat in the first round of the World Championship in Sheffield.

 

Allen, 26, claims that the world number 81 failed to admit an illegal push on the cue ball when the match was poised 5-4 in Cao's favour.

 

It was not called a foul, and the left-handed player from Northern Ireland eventually lost in a 10-6 shock. "I'm disgusted that it happened," Allen said after his disjointed performance.

 

"The state of snooker is very, very sad if it has to be down to that, but it's not the first time. Cao looked at the referee too so I'm very confident on where I stand on that."

 

Referee Paul Collier took no action at the time, and television replays proved inconclusive. Former Crucible champion Terry Griffiths, who coaches Allen, commented during live commentary: "I think he fouled that. I think he hit the white twice."

 

Players are expected to declare fouls when officials fail to spot such infringements, and Allen claimed he saw the nudge. "I thought the big turning point in the match was at 5-4 when he was in the balls and... the referee missed a blatant push," Allen said to the media after the match. It was quite obvious to me and anyone who was watching at home would have been able to see it no problem. It was a big stage of the match," Allen continued. "If the referee rightfully called a foul there I'd have had a chance of going to 5-5 and the match would have been different, but he went on to pull away."

 

Asked in the post-match news conference whether he recalled the incident, Cao answered through an interpreter: "No. I was just focusing on playing. I didn't realise if I had fouled. If I fouled, I say sorry. If I didn't foul, and Mark said that, then I would feel very upset and angry."

 

A World Snooker spokesman later confirmed the comments from Allen would be examined by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. It is not the first time that Allen has created controversy on the circuit. In March he took to his Twitter account to criticise conditions at China's Haikou World Open as "horrendous".

 

"Dead cat found this morning," he tweeted. "Any wonder this place stinks. Must be dead cats all round the town."

 

He went on to win the event, and later stood by his comments, insisting: "It would be nicer to play tournaments in the UK, but I have to go where the money is."

 

In December, the then-world number 12 called on World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn to resign after several changes were made to the format of major tournaments. "I've got no doubt he'll tweak the World Championship," Allen said at the time. "The whole tradition of the game is going to pot."

 

Allen was fined for the Hearn outburst, and his Haikou World Open comments are still being assessed by the snooker authorities.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17808787

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Reilly

Reilly

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^THAT was not a push.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A195Q4GWd4]World Champs 2012 - Mark Allen v Cao Yupeng - The Push? - YouTube[/ame]

 

You can see what Allen means, he thinks the cue pushed through the white ball, then hit the red, then the cue tapped the white ball as it hit the red, but if you look closely you can see the cues too low and up to an inch away from the cueball. The comments seem to agree.

 

If there's any doubt about it then you shouldn't brand someone a cheat, especially a new player, and Allen actually went on to say how it's a trait of Chinese players haha, what a fucking idiot.

 

Did anyone see how Mark Allen just got dumped out? Amazing. I like it though, Mark Allen's a first rate douchebag, and we're going to see more of it down the years.

 

I didn't think we'd see it so soon.

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Allen comments saddens Hearn

 

World Snooker Championship: Allen handed disciplinary charge

 

Mark Allen is facing a disciplinary charge after snooker's governing body started proceedings against him for his comments following his first-round defeat at the World Championship.

 

Allen claimed that his Chinese opponent Cao Yupeng failed to declare an illegal push shot during his surprise 10-6 win over the Northern Irishman. The WPBSA said Allen would be given 14 days to respond to the charge. Allen was fined £1,000 for comments about the World Open venue in China.

 

At his post-match press conference on Sunday, Allen also made wider allegations that Chinese players on the circuit had been involved in "fouls and blatant cheating". WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said that the governing body took "very seriously comments made which could be perceived to be directed at a particular nation".

 

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn also made clear his displeasure at Allen's remarks. "To effectively accuse your opponent of cheating is looked on as bringing the game into disrepute," said Hearn. "Time and time again Mark seems unable to control himself in his public statements. Sometimes I am speechless."

 

In response to Allen's accusation of dishonesty on the part of Cao, Hearn added: "Players have rules written in their contracts and they are not allowed to say certain things. If they do, they are in breach of tournament regulations and will come under a disciplinary process."

 

Hearn also welcomed the news that Allen has closed his Twitter account as it was also revealed that the Northern Irishman had been fined £1,000 for criticisms of the tournament location at the recent World Open in China. "People must realise Twitter is out there in the public domain so you have to be careful what you say. Whether there has been a push shot or not is pretty much academic - it's the slant of the comments that Mark made afterwards. "He had the chance to say to the referee that he believed he had made a mistake, but did not take that opportunity."

 

Allen, 26, could face a fine, suspension or expulsion if found guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute. The Antrim player, who admits he was "completely outplayed" by the world number 81, claimed Cao failed to declare an illegal push shot when leading 5-4. No foul was given and the 26-year-old Northern Irishman eventually lost 10-6.

 

"I'm disgusted. The state of snooker is very sad if it has to be down to that, but it's not the first time," said Allen after the game. It is not the first time that Allen has caused controversy on the circuit. In March, he took to his Twitter account to criticise conditions at China's Haikou World Open as "horrendous". "Dead cat found this morning," he tweeted. "Any wonder this place stinks. Must be dead cats all round the town."

 

He went on to win the event and later stood by his comments, insisting: "It would be nicer to play tournaments in the UK, but I have to go where the money is."

 

In December, he called on World Snooker chairman Hearn to resign after changes were made to the format of major tournaments. "I've got no doubt he'll tweak the World Championship," Allen said at the time. "The whole tradition of the game is going to pot."

 

Allen was fined for the Hearn outburst before receiving another financial penalty for his comments at the World Open.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17811544

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World Snooker Championship 2012: Hearn warns Williams

 

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn has warned that former world champion Mark Williams could face a ban for his comments about the Crucible on Twitter.

 

Williams was critical of Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, the venue for the World Snooker Championship. "Why a double world champion could resort to language like that in the public domain about the venue is totally beyond me," said Hearn. "I hope he gets treated accordingly because we expect a responsibility."

 

And Hearn added: "We have the powers to do anything provided we've acted reasonably - a potential suspension or a ban. The big issue is I don't really want anything like this. This is a very good time to be a snooker player. It's not a good time to be an idiot."

 

World number two Williams begins his World Championship campaign against China's Liu Chuang on Wednesday. Hearn has also been critical of Northern Ireland's Mark Allen, whose accusations of cheating against Chinese opponent Cao Yupeng have resulted in a disciplinary charge for the 26-year-old.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17821090

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Reilly

Reilly

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Couldn't have happened to a nicer lad! :lol:

 

 

Love the way he starts waving his hands up to the crowd as if to say CMON and then, a second later, realises he's been dumped out.

 

I really think this is all Terry Griffiths fault, Allen didn't react when it happened, Allen said that Cao looked at the referee as to why he didn't call it, when he didn't (he wasn't even facing the ref), Terry called it in the commentary box and word got around to Allen about it, or Terry may have even told Allen himself as he coaches him.

 

Terry called it a foul instantly, and while it looked slightly more of a foul from the original camera angle, he should take a bit more caution in calling things so controversial when he can't say for certain whether it's a push. For me, it's still not, the cue is touching the cloth, about an inch from the cueball, when the cueball hits the red.

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