Snooker [Latest - UK Championship, Barbican Centre, York 26 November to 8 December)

[Coldplay]

18 to 11*, not that it matters a great deal.

snooki

[Reilly]

Stay out of here this is man talk :veryangry:

[Coldplay]

Ok I'll go do the dishes : (

[busybeeburns]

 

Masters snooker 2013: schedule and results

 

FIRST ROUND

 

Mark Selby (Eng) 6-5 Stuart Bingham (Eng)

 

Matthew Stevens (Wal) 4-6 Mark Williams (Wal)

 

Judd Trump (Eng) 6-5 Barry Hawkins (Eng)

 

Shaun Murphy (Eng) 6-4 Ricky Walden (Eng)

 

Mark Allen (NI) 6-2 Mark Davis (Eng)

 

Neil Robertson (Aus) 6-5 Ding Junhui (Chn)

 

John Higgins (Sco) 6-3 Ali Carter (Eng)

 

Stephen Maguire (Sco) 5-6 Graeme Dott (Sco)

 

QUARTER-FINALS

 

Mark Selby (Eng) 6-1 Mark Williams (Wal)

 

Judd Trump (Eng) 1-6 Graeme Dott (Sco)

 

John Higgins (Sco) 5-6 Shaun Murphy (Eng)

 

Mark Allen (NI) 5-6 Neil Robertson (Aus)

 

SEMI-FINALS

 

Graeme Dott (Sco) 5-6 Mark Selby (Eng)

 

Neil Robertson (Aus) 6-2 Shaun Murphy (Eng)

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/20950536

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Masters snooker 2013: Neil Robertson to play Mark Selby

 

Defending champion Neil Robertson produced a superb display to beat Shaun Murphy 6-2 in the Masters semi-finals.

 

Breaks of 84 and a brilliant 133 put the Australian 3-1 in front, although Murphy could have been level, letting slip a 68-point lead in the fourth.

 

He reduced the arrears in the next, but Robertson made 85 and 127 as he went 5-2 up, and though Murphy had chances in the eighth, Robertson sealed the win.

 

He will play Mark Selby, who beat Graeme Dott 6-5, in Sunday's final.

 

"We both struggled out there, it was strange. I tried to focus but I couldn't. I did not feel comfortable at all, I just felt flat," Selby told BBC Sport.

 

"Hopefully, I can come back fresh tomorrow. It will be a tough game against Neil and I need to play 10 times better. If I do turn up and play, it will be a good match."

 

Dott won a tense opener after Selby missed the chance to steal the frame as he failed to pocket the black off the spot, but he soon levelled with a knock of 79.

 

Scotland's Dott then stroked in 111 and 75 on his way to a 4-1 lead, but he should have extended his advantage before missing the brown and the black, as Selby clinched the sixth.

 

It proved to be crucial as Selby - who won the UK Championship last month - took the following two lengthy frames to level but, despite needing a snooker in the ninth, Dott claimed the re-spotted black to go one away from victory.

 

A quick-fire 65 from the Leicester man took the epic tussle to a decider, one which he took to advance.

 

Earlier, Robertson said after his win: "To get to another final is an amazing feeling but I still have a lot of work to do. I will do what I have been doing all week and come back refreshed tomorrow.

 

"I have been pouncing on mistakes this week with big breaks and I can put that into my opponent's mind. You have to punish people.

 

"I have made a lot of centuries in my career, but my potting gets me out of trouble - I am trying hard not to do that now. I am nowhere near the finished article but I am getting there."

 

In a repeat of last year's final, Robertson produced a high-scoring display of snooker, and now has the chance to become only the fourth man to lift the title in successive years.

 

For Murphy, it was a case of missed opportunities, as he broke down in the 40s on several occasions, losing sizeable leads in the fourth and sixth frames.

 

His second century of the match, a 127 total clearance in the seventh frame, put Robertson on the verge of victory and he duly pinched the next to go through.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/21102150

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Reckon Robertson is firm favourite for this one with Selby not finishing until after midnight. If he was flat for the semi he will be positively knackered for the final

[Reilly]

You don't think Robertson was flat against Murphy/all tournament? These people aren't pensioners, a midnight finish won't kill anyone as the final started in the afternoon, I did believe Selby would take this even before the 5-1 lead he's now stomping into.

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Selby wins!

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Barry Hawkins led the first 16 players through in the Snooker Shootout

 

Defending champion Barry Hawkins edged into the second round of the World Snooker Shootout with a 45-42 victory over Steve Davis.

 

The match opened the show at the Circus Arena in Blackpool and it was a dramatic start to the night, with Hawkins fouling early only for Davis to forget the new 'ball in hand' rule.

 

The veteran duly fouled, handing the initiative back, although it was Davis who led for much of the 10 minutes despite fluffing a straight yellow cueing left handed.

 

But a brief safety duel saw Hawkins handed a chance to get the few points he needed to keep alive his hopes of successive titles.

 

Mark Williams thrashed Mike Dunn 73-0 thanks mainly to a break of 46 while Anthony Hamilton surprised Stuart Bingham 84-8 with some fluent potting in breaks of 54 and 24.

 

Mark Allen knocked in a break of 33 against Tom Ford who had his chances, a missed red to the centre finally putting paid to his hopes as the Northern Irishman won 63-11 with more than two minutes to spare.

 

There was disappointment for the vocal crowd when Jimmy White was crushed 69-36 by Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, the Chinese prodigy rattling in a break of 41 to leave the veteran requiring snookers.

 

Welshman Michael White overcame a nervy start to beat Joe Perry 64-17 after a break of 59, while last year's semi-finalist Marcus Campbell saw off Matthew Stevens 63-1.

 

Matthew Selt rattled in breaks of 28 and 25 to overcome Graeme Dott 58-17, while promising youngster Jack Lisowski defeated Adam Duffy 61-35 thanks largely to an early run of 38.

 

Ricky Walden and David Gilbert were inseparable at 43-43, thus forcing a blue-ball shootout for the first time in the event, and after Gilbert missed his first effort Walden calmly slotted to the left-corner pocket.

 

Dominic Dale defeated Peter Ebdon 31-6 in a scrappy affair in which Ebdon potted his first ball inside the final five minutes following a lengthy safety duel.

 

There were also wins for Jamie Jones over Mark King, 67-9, Robert Milkins against Ali Carter, 43-30 and Michael Holt who was a 49-10 victor in his match with Jamie Burnett.

 

Leicester's Ben Woollaston defeated Paul Davison 50-14 in an edgy affair, while in the final match of the night Alan McManus coolly brushed aside Fergal O'Brien 61-13.

 

The remaining first round ties will take place on Saturday afternoon before the evening session that will be contested by the last 16.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/snooker/news/12243/8439785/Barry-Hawkins-led-the-first-16-players-through-in-the-Snooker-Shootout

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Results latest:

 

B Hawkins 45-42 S Davis

M Williams 73-0 M Dunn

M Allen 63-11 T Ford

A Hamilton 84-8 S Bingham

M White 64-17 J Perry

M Campbell 63-1 M Stevens

M Selt 58-17 G Dott

J Lisowski 61-35 A Duffy

R Walden 43-43 D Gilbert

*Walden won shootout

J Jones 67-9 M King

D Dale 31-6 P Ebdon

R Milkins 43-30 A Carter

M Holt 54-10

J White 36-69 T Un-Nooh

B Woollaston 50-14 P Davison

A McManus 61-13 F O'Brien

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World Snooker Shootout: Martin Gould crushed Mark Allen to win in Blackpool

 

Martin Gould clinched the 2013 World Snooker Shootout with a crushing 103-0 final success over Mark Allen at the Blackpool Tower.

 

The Londoner maintained his blistering form from the semi-finals to open up a 46-point lead with Allen only able to watch-on from the sidelines.

 

When Gould did miss a shot the Northern Irishman was unable to capitalise allowing the 31-year-old the chance to slot home a break of 57 and secure the spoils.

 

"It's very difficult. In ten minutes anything can happen. It means a lot to win this tournament," Gould told Sky Sports.

 

Earlier, Allen booked his place in the final with a remarkable final-ball finish against Stephen McGuire.

 

Allen raced ahead in the match with a 51 break only for McGuire to level things at 53-all, but he was unable to convert a tough black in the final minute.

 

His miss proved costly as Allen sunk the pot from distance to cap a thrilling semi-final.

 

Gould followed Allen into the final with a comprehensive 77-6 triumph over Michael Holt.

 

Holt thought he had played a safety shot to perfection, but much to his astonishment Gould slotted home a red which also allowed him to pot the pink.

 

He could only watch on as Gould managed a 71 break which left Holt requiring four snookers in the last two minutes of the match, a feat that proved impossible.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/snooker/news/12243/8447332/World-Snooker-Shootout-Martin-Gould-crushed-Mark-Allen-to-win-in-Blackpool

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Ronnie O'Sullivan to defend snooker world title

 

 

Ronnie O'Sullivan to defend snooker world title

 

Ronnie O'Sullivan has announced he is to end his snooker sabbatical and will defend his world title in April.

 

The 37-year-old pulled out of the 2012-13 season last November because of "personal issues". O'Sullivan had until 28 February to decide if he was going to play at this year's World Championship. "I got a bit bored," said O'Sullivan. "I needed a rest and I thought it was time to get back to what I have done for a lot of my life."

 

World Snooker says it is awaiting O'Sullivan's formal entry but that, as the reigning champion, he will be scheduled to play on the opening morning of the World Championship on Saturday, 20 April.

 

O'Sullivan added: "Three or four months ago I was sitting thinking that I would rather be losing 10-0 in Sheffield to be back playing, rather than going for lunch, dinner and chilling out. I had to get back to playing, winning or losing, and it shows how big a part of my life snooker is."

 

O'Sullivan continued: "I certainly feel refreshed. I was never out of juice. I don't find snooker hard mentally or physically. It is your job and you get used to it. I needed to take time out for other things. I knew I couldn't take too much time out. It was always in the back of my mind that I had to come back and come back with a clear head after sorting a few things out."

 

The four-time champion, who has battled depression in recent years, attended the Masters as a spectator in January. O'Sullivan has provisionally dropped to 24th in the rankings but, as defending champion, he will qualify for the World Championship and be the top seed.

 

Barry Hearn, chairman of the World Snooker Association, described O'Sullivan's decision as "great news" for the sport. "Ronnie's a one-off," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "There are a lot of great players out there but Ronnie brings more to the table than most of them. Snooker is a buzzing sport globally. If we've achieved what we've achieved in the last 12 months without Ronnie, goodness knows what we can achieve with him. He's the cream on top of the cake."

 

O'Sullivan suffered badly with glandular fever last year, but put that behind him at the Crucible to land his fourth World Championship title, beating Ali Carter in the final. However, O'Sullivan has only played one match on the tour since that victory when he was beaten by lowly-ranked Simon Bedford in a Players Tour Championship event in Gloucester in September.

 

He then played six exhibition matches against Jimmy White around the British Isles, the last in Liverpool on 25 October, before withdrawing the next day - on doctors' advice - from the International Championship in China.

 

"I've potted lots of balls, but I'm match rusty," he said: "I've not played matches in tense situations and it's going to be a tough course with no practice. You can never replicate match situations anywhere else. This is a massive challenge but I see this as the start of a bigger picture."

 

BBC Sport pundit and 1997 world champion Ken Doherty said: "At the back of my mind I did think he was going to return. When you have played the game for as long as he has it is very difficult to walk away. "It is great news. It is great for snooker. He is our talisman. The game is not about one player but he is probably the most talented player to lift a cue. He creates a buzz.

 

"It is going to be difficult for him. He is going to have to knuckle down and get some quality players to face in practice. But a lot of those will not want to play him as they would rather catch him cold at the World Championship."

 

Another former world champion, the 2010 winner Neil Robertson of Australia, said on Twitter: "Great to see Ronnie back to defend his world title, would have been weird not to have the defending champion there."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/21575730

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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND

(Seeded players are in brackets)

 

(1) Ronnie O'Sullivan v Marcus Campbell

 

(16) Ali Carter v Ben Woollaston

 

(9) Stuart Bingham v Sam Baird

 

(8) John Higgins v Mark Davis

 

(5) Shaun Murphy v Martin Gould

 

(12) Graeme Dott v Peter Ebdon

 

(13) Matthew Stevens v Marco Fu

 

(4) Judd Trump v Dominic Dale

 

(3) Neil Robertson v Robert Milkins

 

(14) Ricky Walden v Michael Holt

 

(11) Mark Williams v Michael White

 

(6) Stephen Maguire v Dechawat Poomjaeng

 

(7) Mark Allen v Mark King

 

(10) Ding Junhui v Alan McManus

 

(15) Barry Hawkins v Jack Lisowski

 

(2) Mark Selby v Matthew Selt

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World Championship 2013: Ronnie O'Sullivan cruises through

 

Ronnie O'Sullivan made a winning return to snooker with a stunning 10-4 first round victory over Marcus Campbell at the Crucible.

 

O'Sullivan, 37, has played only one competitive match since winning his fourth world title last May.

 

He won the first frame with an 82 and further breaks in the 80s helped him lead 7-2 after the first session.

 

O'Sullivan made it 9-2 with scores of 102 and 90, but Campbell responded before O'Sullivan sealed the win.

 

He will meet either fellow Essex player Ali Carter, who he beat 18-11 in last year's final, or Crucible debutant Ben Woollaston in the second round.

 

"I was not sure how the match was going to go and not sure how I was going to compete, it was an experiment in some sorts of ways," said O'Sullivan.

 

"In general I wasn't as slick or as tight as usual. But you've got to expect that if you've not played for a year, you can only get that through matches.... it's like trying to get fit for a marathon the day before a marathon starts."

 

While former world champion Peter Ebdon claimed O'Sullivan looked in better form in practice than last year, many good judges expected him to be rusty after his long sabbatical.

 

However, O'Sullivan, who was given a rapturous reception on his return, needed only one chance to win the first frame.

 

Missed opportunities in the third and fourth frames proved costly for World number 27 Campbell as O'Sullivan went into the mid-session interval 3-1 ahead.

 

O'Sullivan nicked a scrappy fifth frame before rattling in a break of 85 in the next to move into a 5-1 lead.

 

Scotsman Campbell, 40, reduced the deficit to three frames with a break of 54 but clearances of 86 and 58 saw O'Sullivan end the first session with a five-frame advantage.

 

O'Sullivan needed only 93 minutes of the evening session to wrap up the match, reeling off breaks of 102 and 90 before sealing victory in a scrappy final frame.

 

"I felt as though 7-2 was a bit unjustified," said Campbell. "I wouldn't say I made a fight of it but how I came out of that first session 7-2 down is beyond me. It was due to his brilliance when he gets in and around the balls, he's so clinical.

 

"He could certainly go and win it and batter everybody, but given the amount of quality players in the field I wouldn't be surprised if he lost.

 

"His long game would probably have to be better to beat the very best guys but he's different class, and he does it so quickly. You'll be having a scrap and all of a sudden his got a break of 60."

 

Meanwhile, the all-Welsh tussle between two-time champion Mark Williams and debutant Michael White was closely fought, with 21-year-old White, from Neath, edging into a 5-4 lead, in a match that finishes on Sunday afternoon.

 

The 2005 champion Shaun Murphy came from two frames down to take a 5-4 lead over qualifier Martin Gould into Sunday's evening session.

 

Ricky Walden opened up an 8-1 lead over fellow Englishman Michael Holt, firing in a break of 140 in the third frame. World number 12 Walden and qualifier Holt will play to a finish on Sunday morning.

 

Barry Hawkins, a winner in Australia this season, leads exciting 21-year-old Jack Lisowski 6-2 after the first session of their match and will play to a finish on Sunday evening.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/22232528

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Julian Rogers‏@Pilsudski9713m

If you are suffering from chronic insomnia then record Ebdon v Dott now and play it tonight. #snooker

[Prince Myshkin]

Looking forward to the snooker. It's my 2nd favourite spectator sport after football (soccer).

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World Snooker Championship 2013: Davis upsets John Higgins

 

Four-time champion John Higgins suffered a shock 10-6 defeat by Mark Davis in the first round of the World Championship at the Crucible.

 

Higgins led 2-0 but the world number 16 from Hastings forged 6-3 ahead overnight, with breaks of 85 and 96.

 

The Scot won two of the first three frames on Monday with runs of 92 and 69, but uncharacteristic errors allowed Davis to move within one of victory.

 

Higgins pulled a frame back but Davis made a composed 87 break to go through.

 

Despite winning the Shanghai Masters in September, defeat caps a disappointing season for Higgins, 37, who suffered a first-round Crucible exit for only the third time in 19 campaigns since his debut in 1995.

 

"It is just tough out there. Mark just punished me every shot I missed, and I did miss a couple of easy balls," said Higgins.

 

"That is the difference now. I don't know if it is old age or not, but I just missed certain shots, and I don't know how I missed them.

 

"I could only ask other people who have been through it, but maybe the strain of it takes it out of you when you get to your late 30s and 40s.

 

"You can't just put it down to age because Mark is older than me, but maybe he hasn't been at the business end of tournaments so he hasn't got the grey hairs I have now.

 

"Anything half difficult I was missing and it put the pressure on me, and I couldn't cope with it in the end."

 

Davis would, in normal circumstances, have been seeded at the championship, but had to come through qualifying after Ronnie O'Sullivan's return to snooker.

 

Described by BBC snooker pundit John Parrott as 'the most improved player on the circuit', the 40-year-old was given one of the toughest draws, but clinched his biggest win at the Crucible on his eighth appearance.

 

"It is my best win ever, without a doubt," said a jubilant Davis, who has reached three ranking event semi-finals this season. "I know I beat him [Higgins] in the UK Championship, but I have never played well here in Sheffield.

 

"I am really proud of myself to play as well as I did.

 

"I knew it wasn't over and I still had a mountain to climb to win the last frame but the run of the balls was key today. John had none, and I had it all, but I played well both days."

 

Despite taking a 2-0 lead at the start of the match, Higgins looked out-of-sorts, winning only one of the next seven frames.

 

Three frames behind at 6-3, Higgins opened the final session with a confident break of 92. The Scot was 57 ahead in the next, but missed a black off the spot and after a tactical exchange, Davis cleared up.

 

Higgins won another, but his opponent held his nerve in the 13th frame with a break of 81.

 

Higgins, who won his fourth title in 2011, was on a break of 21 in the next. Hoping to develop some reds, he potted the green at pace before seeing the cue ball roll into a pocket and, once again, Davis showed composure to move one frame from victory.

 

'The Wizard of Wishaw' pulled a frame back, but luck deserted him again in the next, inadvertently pocketing a red, as Davis came to the table to seal a superb triumph with an 87 break, setting up an encounter with either Stuart Bingham or Sam Baird in the second round.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/22252914

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World Championship 2013: Mark Williams beaten by Michael White

 

Michael White caused an upset by beating fellow Welshman and two-time world champion Mark Williams 10-6 in the first round at the Crucible.

 

White, 21, led 5-4 going into Sunday's session and further breaks of 65, 72 and 96 saw him over the finishing line.

 

"It's hard to take it in but I'm over the moon," he said. "To play that well and win against Mark was unbelievable."

 

Meanwhile, Ricky Walden is through to the second round after a 10-1 rout of fellow Englishman Michael Holt.

 

Mark Davis is 6-3 ahead against four-time world champion John Higgins, while Graeme Dott leads Peter Ebdon 6-2.

 

Neath-born White, the world number 41, is in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest player to make a century break, which he achieved in 2001 at the age of nine.

 

He also won the World Amateur Championship as a 14-year-old but was making his debut at the Crucible this year.

 

His match against Williams, champion in 2000 and 2003, was billed as a potential changing of the guard for Welsh snooker and so it might prove.

 

White made six half-century breaks against his out-of-sorts opponent and will now play either Stephen Maguire or Thailand's Dechawat Poomjaeng in the second round.

 

Walden, the world number 13, led 8-1 after Saturday's first session and quickly wrapped up the match to set up a second-round encounter against either Neil Robertson or Robert Milkins.

 

The match between Dott and Ebdon is a repeat of the 2006 final, which Dott won, and was as turgid as most people expected it to be, with only eight frames possible in the session instead of the nine scheduled because of slow play.

 

Ebdon, the 2002 champion, was not at his best and Scotsman Dott ground out four half-century breaks to take a four-frame lead into Monday morning's final session.

 

Shaun Murphy, who lifted the world title in 2005, moved into the last 16 with a 10-5 victory over Martin Gould.

 

Londoner Gould had won the first two frames on Saturday before Murphy fought back to lead 5-4 at the end of the first session. Fifth seed Murphy was in fine form on Sunday, making breaks of 95, 78, 106 and 95 to set up a match against either Dott or Ebdon.

 

In the other match, Australian Open champion Barry Hawkins won four successive frames to clinch a 10-3 success against Crucible debutant Jack Lisowski and will now play either world number one Mark Selby or Matthew Selt.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/22242610

[busybeeburns]

Former champions are dropping like flies. Ronnie's year again?

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Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) 10-4 Marcus Campbell (Sco)

Ricky Walden (Eng) 10-1 Michael Holt (Eng)

Mark Williams (Wal) 6-10 Michael White (Wal)

Barry Hawkins (Eng) 10-3 Jack Lisowski (Eng)

Shaun Murphy (Eng) 10-5 Martin Gould (Eng)

[Reilly]

You never count Higgins out until the games actually over, he looked out of shape and when he did get small runs together he was pretty unlucky, but I've seen him completely turn it around from similar situations when he was seemingly not playing well. Mark Davis will be happy he got over the line just as Higgins was putting some shots together, and if it went 9-7 he would've just kept all the pressure on Davis.

 

Surprisingly Dott vs Ebdon hasn't been that boring so far...

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Poomjaeng WINS against Maguire, 10-9 and almost forgot to shake the referees hand

 

we have a new personality in snooker ladies and gents!

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Neal Foulds‏@fouldsy147

Poomjaeng is a Crucible legend. End of.

 

Newbs‏@newboujnow

70th ranked Poomjaeng ko's 5th ranked Maguire. Poomjaeng now played 5 matches to reach last 16! #worldsnooker #upset

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Jonas Juhler Hansen‏@jonasjuhlernow

POOMJAENG!!! Fly away Poomjaeng! Those ears will take you anywhere! #snooker

 

:lol:

[Reilly]

Dott made quite an outlandish complaint about Ebdons slow play directly after their game, he seemed pretty angry and said something should be done about it. I know from playing that if you're against someone who takes absolutely ages for half their shots, even straightforward ones, it drives you nuts and you can't play properly.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT_UwJYYUHI]Peter Ebdon legendary 12 break v Ronnie O'Sullivan - YouTube[/ame]

 

The best bit is at 3:13 where it looks like its put on a loop, but he drags his cue back and forth for 20 seconds, but the most sickening is that simple red into the left middle which takes 90 seconds to decide to play. Ebdon does indeed know what he's doing and I've seen him get centuries in 5mins before- not far off Ronnie pace is that.