Snooker

[The Hare]

The only snooker I caught this week was I think Ross Muir playing( if he’s the one with the gloved hand), was late maybe gone 11 pm and I counted 7 people in the audience. Maybe they had all gone home as was only table playing.

That's the guy, it was a very late start to the game, after 10 and have to be a real diehard to stay that late. I just wish Muir would quicken his game up, another player who ponders too long over what shot to play.

Murphy back punditing on BBC Wales this morning after losing to a fluke yesterday, having given up his Representative role he is still sidetracked.

Don't know what Ronnie is playing at, maybe he gets sponsorship money to turn up at events. Haven't seen him on Eurosport yet but not seen all of it.

 

[The Hare]

The commentators and World Snooker keep raving on about the £150,000 BetVictor bonus for the 4 home nations events but there doesn't seem yo be anywhere to find out the tables, just a writing on the Official site which is no great help. So these are the 8 and their current totals in the last column, plus Lei who won in Scotland.

Anyone Allen downwards would have to win the event to have a chance. Wu needs at least the Final to have a chance.

 

[Delboy99]

John Higgins suggests reason behind Ronnie O’Sullivan withdrawal and backs Rocket to return.​

​

John Higgins reckons Ronnie O’Sullivan will be working hard behind the scenes to get used to a new cue ahead of some big events coming up.


The Rocket has not played since a brief appearance at the Championship League last month, where he was visibly frustrated with his game and pulled out before he had completed his matches.


The seven-time world champion admittedly ‘lost the plot’ and snapped his cue before leaving the event in Leicester as frustrations boiled over.


Since then O’Sullivan has pulled out of the Masters, German Masters and this week’s Welsh Open, with no clarity on when he is going to be back on the table.
Higgins is sure his old rival will be back in action soon enough and thinks he will just be getting used to a new cue after destroying the one he had been using for some time.


There are big tournaments to come in China, Hong Kong and then back in the UK ahead of the World Championships starting in April, and the Wizard expects to see the Rocket involved.


‘I think he’ll be back,’ Higgins said after his second round win at the Welsh Open. ‘I think obviously it’s well-documented with his cue.
I think he’s one of the sort of guys who will not want to turn up to an event and not be used to the new piece of equipment that he wants to use.


‘I think he’ll be putting the hours in behind the scenes and getting himself ready for the last part of the season, without a doubt.’


O’Sullivan has often opted out of events while fellow Class of 92 member Mark Williams has also skipped the odd event this season but Higgins tends to play in everything.


Asked if he has considered taking a break he joked that he wouldn’t know what else to do with himself, although as much as he chuckled as he said it, there is a truth to it for the 49-year-old.


‘What would I do? What would I do apart from just get on my wife’s nerves? It’s all I’ve ever known. I don’t know what else I’d do!’ Higgins said with a smile.
‘It’s true! You see it happening with people when they retire from their jobs, it’s tough for them. I think I’ll just keep on going. It’s not hard work at the end of the day, it’s not hard work. Going to these place, nice hotels, flying there, it’s not hard work.’


The four-time world champion is also motivated to compete in everything right now as he looks to qualify for the upcoming Players Championship and Tour Championship and make sure he goes to the Crucible as a top 16 seed.
‘I’m on the borderline for everything just now, for the World Championships and the Players events,’ he said. ‘So I’d dearly love to have a good run here and cement my place and play the World Championships. That’s maybe driving you on a little bit.’


The motivation appears to be working with Higgins in excellent form so far this week in Llandudno.


The Wizard whitewashed Graeme Dott in his opening match and beat Rob Milkins by the same 4-0 scoreline on Wednesday to book his place in the last 16.


He meets Mark Allen or Yuan Sijun in the next round on Thursday.

​

 

[The Hare]

The commentators and World Snooker keep raving on about the £150,000 BetVictor bonus for the 4 home nations events but there doesn't seem yo be anywhere to find out the tables, just a writing on the Official site which is no great help. So these are the 8 and their current totals in the last column, plus Lei who won in Scotland.

Anyone Allen downwards would have to win the event to have a chance. Wu needs at least the Final to have a chance.

View attachment 154057

Well that virtually killed off this ranking award.

After today Neil Robertson wins unless Pang Junxu or Luca Brecel win the event, they play each other in the last 16 tomorrow. Brecel is the second top rated in the official rankings left in, Selby playing currently.

 

[The Hare]

Last 16 today and a lot of shocks have left a big opportunity for the lower ranked players to win the event, which is becoming a common occurrence in this event, The break over Christmas and January seems to leave the lower players fresher and more determined if they need ranking points for this event. The top 16 jaded after Masters, German and Champions League efforts.

Only Carter survives in the bottom half of the draw and an excellent opportunity for Lisowski? Plenty playing well though. O'Connor is much higher ranked on my ratings than officially, after his confidence boosting Champions League efforts.

 

[The Hare]

So the main thing seems to be the 1 year rankings with the top 32 on that after this event making the "Players Series" of ITV events, the first one is top 32 in Hong Kong and the chance to move up the rankings and earn some good money. This is the current top 32 and those players outside that are still in it. The top 28 on the list are secure.

A win today gets 4,200 extra points so only Ryan Day can move in to the list with 1 win.
An extra 12,000 for making the semi finals would give Maguire a chance of scrambling in.
Otherwise the rest need at least a final place 36,000 extra or 91,000 extra for winning the event.
So at most only 3 players can lose their place in the top 32. Selt could move above Jak Jones so Jones can still lose out.

 

[Delboy99]

John Higgins touted for Welsh Open glory as 'left behind' Scots hero says he's getting 'big slices of luck'.​

The Wizard of Wishaw breezed into the last quarter-finals in Llandudno and has yet to drop a frame in the tournament.​

Scots snooker veteran John Higgins has been tipped for the Welsh Open title after breezing into the quarter-finals. And he feels that luck has been on his side.


The Wizard of Wishaw hasn't dropped a frame in any of his three matches so far, and saw off Chinese opponent Yuan Sijun comfortably - despite a tricky first frame where his opponent gifted the 49-year-old a route back into the match. And he didn't look back, finishing with a sublime century with his flawless showings so far catching the eye of BBC pundit and former world champion Ken Doherty - who believes Higgins has finally found what he's been searching in his game for.
Doherty said: "It was a wonderful way finish, 1,015 centuries, what a career. I’d have been happy with 15! I thought he played really well, he got better and got stronger. He looks very composed, very relaxed and very self-assured around the table. He’s obviously searching for something, he’s not been on the winner’s rostrum for some time. He’s seen all these other guys picking up trophies and he’s been left behind a little bit.
"He needs something to prove to himself that he can be a winner again. And the way he’s played, he’s played some of the best snooker we’ve seen all week, he’ll be very difficult to stop. You are just searching for that one bit of inspiration, and a good run in this competition for John Higgins could have him back competing for every title once again."
A typically humble Higgins meanwhile said he felt he got lucky during the match but is relishing playing some top-quality snooker at one of his favourite venues. He said: "I’m delighted. I’ve not really had to play a hard shot or anything because my positioning has been pretty good and the balls have been falling nicely for me, and that’s half the battle.
"I’m delighted to have not dropped a frame so far. It’s obviously going to change. The first frame was very important, he missed a bad red, I think that he was frightened to get a cannon and just took his eye right off the pot. From then I got back into it, but I was lucky. I had a couple of massive slices of luck.
"I butchered a safety shot on the third frame, fluked one and did a frame-winning break. In these best of sevens, if you can get big slices of luck then that’s massive. Yuan will be walking away from that game thinking that he’s not really done much wrong. That’s just the nature of the game, you sit there driving home sometimes thinking you’ve not had much of a chance.



"You relish these moments even more now. I was going out there and it was a packed crowd and a big match. I really enjoyed it. I love the Welsh tournaments."

​

 

[The Hare]

Quarter Final day and best of 9 now. All the 4 top 16 players won and match of the day is first on Selby v Higgins. Selby continues his excellent Champions League form but Higgins has yet to lose a frame this week. The Higgins "stable" of McGill, who played well in Germany, and Maguire also look close to their very best so they must have been working hard over the New Year.

For those yet to win a tournament O'Connor and Lisowski will never get a better chance and it is also good to see that Brecel has finally knuckled down and looks in best shape since winning the World title.

 

[The Hare]

In the race for the top 32 on 1 year rankings only 3 players outside the current to p32 remain in contention.

There are 7,800 points today so only Maguire would enter if winning today. O'Connor and Brecel would have to make the final to make the list.

In the BetVictor Bonus, Neil RObertson is the winner unless Brecel wins the tournament and then he would win. Certainly possible the way he is playing at the moment.

 

[The Hare]

A comparison between my ranking and the official ranking including all results to yesterday



and the last 8 past ranking history

 

[Delboy99]

A comparison between my ranking and the official ranking including all results to yesterday

View attachment 154095

and the last 8 past ranking history

View attachment 154096

..... spot on with Selby, good work! Large discrepancy with Luca Brecel. Don't know how they make him so high when he has done precious little and does not seem to have the drive these days! Disappointing to see Lisowski so far away. I know I keep trying to push him, but he has the potential but apparently not the steadiness to progress just yet. Carter still looks to be higher than I imagined, cannot see how he is still at 14. Wonder how long Maguire can manage to stop in so high, time he did something to show what he is made of. Higgins too looks to be currently living off past reputation.

 

[The Hare]

..... spot on with Selby, good work! Large discrepancy with Luca Brecel. Don't know how they make him so high when he has done precious little and does not seem to have the drive these days! Disappointing to see Lisowski so far away. I know I keep trying to push him, but he has the potential but apparently not the steadiness to progress just yet. Carter still looks to be higher than I imagined, cannot see how he is still at 14. Wonder how long Maguire can manage to stop in so high, time he did something to show what he is made of. Higgins too looks to be currently living off past reputation.

Selby outstayed Higgins in a safety battle.
The interval inspired Carter taking the last 4 frames.
Lisowski lost the game in the interval and his concentration is wayward at the moment and he doesn't seem able to focus for the 9 frames.
Brecel is looking much like his old best now but will need to tighten up his play against Selby to make the semi final, he needs too to qualify for the World Grand Prix and to win the tournament for the £150,000 bonus.

 

[Delboy99]

Selby outstayed Higgins in a safety battle.
The interval inspired Carter taking the last 4 frames.
Lisowski lost the game in the interval and his concentration is wayward at the moment and he doesn't seem able to focus for the 9 frames.
Brecel is looking much like his old best now but will need to tighten up his play against Selby to make the semi final, he needs too to qualify for the World Grand Prix and to win the tournament for the £150,000 bonus.

View attachment 154134

..... wow! that's a surprise Stephen Maguire in a semi final just as I said it was time he really did something! Been a long time coming! Always thought he was more than capable when on his game, so great to see him in there and would like to see him go all the way. Not a great lover of Brecel and Carter so looking for Selby to do something against Luca.

 

[The Hare]

Maguire makes first final since Covid days - first to `17 will be much tougher for him tomorrow I suspect.

 

[Delboy99]

Maguire makes first final since Covid days - first to `17 will be much tougher for him tomorrow I suspect.

View attachment 154152

...... yes a tough game indeed probably made harder by the fact it has taken so long to get back up there since his last win of any significance. Nevertheless I would like to see him play well and be a serious threat that he so often produced in the past. If he believes in himself he has a chance, but Selby is a grinder and often so determined when on song. I note as I write, that Selby is up 3-2 so looks like he is sticking in there. Really good price at 4.49 but could be ring rusty.

 

[Delboy99]

Seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has apologised for withdrawing from recent events, saying he needed to prioritise his health and wellbeing.
O'Sullivan was expected to return to competition in the Welsh Open this week after missing the German Masters, the Masters and matches in the Championship League.
However, the 49-year-old Englishman pulled out on the day of his first-round match against Wales' Jamie Clarke on Tuesday.
"I've been trying to prioritise my health and wellbeing, which sometimes means making last-minute decisions not to play," said O'Sullivan. "It's never an easy decision and I hate letting people down.
"I realise plenty of people who bought tickets to some recent snooker events will have been frustrated when I withdrew, so I just wanted to say sorry.
"I'm doing what I can to get back to my best, and I'm grateful for all your support and understanding."
He is next set to compete in the World Open in Yushan at the end of this month.
O'Sullivan has not played on the World Snooker Tour (WST) since withdrawing midway through his Championship League group in January, snapping his cue after losing four of his five matches.

 

[Delboy99]

Maguire makes first final since Covid days - first to `17 will be much tougher for him tomorrow I suspect.

View attachment 154152

...... end of first session Selby 4 Maguire 3.

 

[The Hare]

Selby saved his best for the last 3 frames. Great effort from Maguire though, will he repeat it though?

These are the top 32 forr the World Grand Prix in a few weeks. The world Open starts a week today in China but points aren't included for the Grand Prix entry.

 

[Delboy99]

Selby saved his best for the last 3 frames. Great effort from Maguire though, will he repeat it though?

These are the top 32 forr the World Grand Prix in a few weeks. The world Open starts a week today in China but points aren't included for the Grand Prix entry.

View attachment 154176

…. agreed. I saw quite a number of frames in this final and Selby was nearly back to his best. Poor Stephen did not get much of a look in those final three frames or so backed up by a few rather loose shots which cost him dearly.

 

[Delboy99]

Stephen Maguire ‘tragedy’ addressed by Mark Selby after Welsh Open win.​

Mark Selby secured his 24th ranking title by beating Stephen Maguire in the Welsh Open final, with the Scot making it back to a ranked final for the first time since 2020.​

Two-time Welsh Open champion Mark Selby has said it's "a tragedy" that Glasgow's Stephen Maguire hasn't been more prominent in ranking finals lately.


After a closely contested final on Sunday - where the match was tied after 12 frames - Selby ultimately pulled ahead to secure victory. Maguire's appearance in the decider in north Wales marked his first in a ranking event since his 2020 Tour Championship triumph.
Elated with his Welsh Open success, four-time world snooker champion Selby shared with Eurosport the "great memories" he associates with the tournament. He also gave a shout out to Maguire for the intense competition he provided throughout their encounter.
Speaking to the WST (via the Daily Express) after his latest trophy triumph, Selby said: "He's a class act, isn't he? Obviously, for him to be struggling as much as he has for so long and not being in the back-end of tournaments. Just an absolute tragedy, really. It's great to see him back playing well [and] in the back-end of tournaments."
The 41-year-old praised Maguire's critical 71 clearance that levelled the game at six frames all, just as Selby appeared to be gaining ground. Nonetheless, Selby gained the upper hand again shortly after.


After taking an early 2-0 lead, it was only in the last three frames that either player gained an advantage of two frames or more. And following the match, Selby shared high praise for his competitor.
"The thing about Stephen, it's great to see him back in finals again," Selby told Eurosport. "Four years is way too long. He's a class act, and I'm one of his biggest fans. So, Steve, great to see you back playing well again, mate."


However, the Welsh Open victor didn't shy away from critiquing himself despite the triumph, joking: "I think my daughter could have potted that red I missed at 6-5."
Although Maguire hasn't claimed a ranking title in recent years, breaking his final drought is a substantial leap in the right direction. And his performance in Llandudno has helped solidify his status among the top competitors in snooker.
Selby, on the other hand, is savouring his second-ranking title of this season. With more tournaments ahead, he's well-positioned to potentially equal his own record by winning three major titles in one season for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.
'The Jester from Leicester' revealed he'll have just one day at home before jetting off to China for the 2025 World Open in Yushan. Judd Trump triumphed over Ding Junhui in 2024 to claim the title after the tournament took a four-year break.