Mark Williams has been more Frank Spencer than John Spencer this season.
First, he broke his arm before the Shanghai Masters. Today he suffered a couple of hefty blows to his head on one of the light shades in the Pro Challenge Series at Willie Thorne's, Leicester.
Williams was beaten 4-1 by Jamie Cope.
The story put me in mind of Steve Davis, who banged his head on a thick steel door shortly before playing Ricky Walden in the 2005 China Open.
He became so dizzy that he had to withdraw midway through the third frame and was taken to hospital.
I know this will come as a shock to many of you but journalists tend not to be the most sympathetic of people.
There were a few jokes at Steve's expense backstage but fate got its own back.
As we left the venue that night, I banged my head on the same door.
It was the only time I was ever likely to emulate anything Steve had done.
And, yes, it hurt...
9.11.09
THE BARE ESSENTIALS
World Snooker has hired the Essentially Group, a leading media services agency, to sell sponsorship for the UK Championship, Masters and Welsh Open.
All three tournaments are currently without title sponsors, as was last month’s Grand Prix.
“World Snooker is looking forward to working closely with Essentially to extend our sponsorship marketing activities. Our tournaments provide sponsors with uniquely clean, creative branding opportunities and deliver considerable brand exposure throughout the UK, Mainland Europe and the Far East,” said Miles Pearce, World Snooker’s commercial director.
“Essentially is delighted to be working with World Snooker and look forward to delivering new sponsorship for the best snooker tournaments in the world, being broadcast to significant audiences on BBC and internationally,” said Nick Hoyle, sales director of Essentially.
The current global economic situation makes obtaining sponsorship difficult.
Snooker’s image – as Ronnie O’Sullivan pointed out last January – is not as strong as some other sports, despite healthy viewing audiences and the rise in interest in the game in Europe and the Far East.
If Essentially can navigate these tricky waters and find some much needed sponsors then they will be worth whatever they are being paid.
All three tournaments are currently without title sponsors, as was last month’s Grand Prix.
“World Snooker is looking forward to working closely with Essentially to extend our sponsorship marketing activities. Our tournaments provide sponsors with uniquely clean, creative branding opportunities and deliver considerable brand exposure throughout the UK, Mainland Europe and the Far East,” said Miles Pearce, World Snooker’s commercial director.
“Essentially is delighted to be working with World Snooker and look forward to delivering new sponsorship for the best snooker tournaments in the world, being broadcast to significant audiences on BBC and internationally,” said Nick Hoyle, sales director of Essentially.
The current global economic situation makes obtaining sponsorship difficult.
Snooker’s image – as Ronnie O’Sullivan pointed out last January – is not as strong as some other sports, despite healthy viewing audiences and the rise in interest in the game in Europe and the Far East.
If Essentially can navigate these tricky waters and find some much needed sponsors then they will be worth whatever they are being paid.
8.11.09
ALLISON FISHER'S STORY
Allison Fisher is the greatest player in the history of women's snooker.
She is now a leading light of the US pool circuit and tells her story in today's Observer.
Read it here.
She is now a leading light of the US pool circuit and tells her story in today's Observer.
Read it here.
6.11.09
JUDD TRUMPS O'SULLIVAN
Judd Trump’s second career victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Premier League last night proved that he is a big occasion player.
His problem, conversely, is making it to the big occasions.
I confess I didn’t see the match so have had to rely on what I’ve been told, but to beat O’Sullivan before a large crowd live on television as he did in Exeter is something that will give him huge confidence.
It follows his win over the world no.1 in the Grand Prix last year.
Trump has impressed in the Premier League, yet in the qualifiers at Prestatyn this season he is 0/3.
He could conceivably win the League title and drop out of the top 32.
Ever since he was a boy he has been tipped for big things. He was a prodigious winner of junior titles and maybe he expected too much too soon as a pro.
Judd has done pretty well, making it into the top 32 as a teenager. Comparisons with other players are inevitable but unhelpful.
O’Sullivan won a ranking title at 17. Shaun Murphy was 22 when he won his first.
Players mature at different rates. Trump is attempting to make the next step by going to Sheffield, where he will practice in the World Snooker Academy.
I’d imagine this was a hard decision for him to make. Keynsham is all he has known so far but, like any young man, he is looking to spread his wings a little, be more independent and take control of his own life.
This is fine...as long as he continues to focus on his snooker.
Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry were not social animals as young men. You didn’t see them in nightclubs every weekend. They had that single-mindedness you need to succeed.
That said, comparing any player to those two is unfair: they are a breed apart.
Trump is practising with Daniel Wells and Jack Lisowski. I don’t know them personally but have interviewed them both and they seem like nice, down to earth lads and this trio is unlikely to turn into a sort of snooker brat pack.
They all love the game, they all love playing the game and the competition between the three could help each of them improve.
Trump’s next big test comes at the UK Championship qualifiers in a couple of week’s time.
He may go to Pontin’s bleary-eyed as Premier League champion.
I don’t believe he will simply fade away but it is pointless predicting what he will achieve in the future.
Better to just let the guy play. Because, as O’Sullivan will tell you, he can play.
His problem, conversely, is making it to the big occasions.
I confess I didn’t see the match so have had to rely on what I’ve been told, but to beat O’Sullivan before a large crowd live on television as he did in Exeter is something that will give him huge confidence.
It follows his win over the world no.1 in the Grand Prix last year.
Trump has impressed in the Premier League, yet in the qualifiers at Prestatyn this season he is 0/3.
He could conceivably win the League title and drop out of the top 32.
Ever since he was a boy he has been tipped for big things. He was a prodigious winner of junior titles and maybe he expected too much too soon as a pro.
Judd has done pretty well, making it into the top 32 as a teenager. Comparisons with other players are inevitable but unhelpful.
O’Sullivan won a ranking title at 17. Shaun Murphy was 22 when he won his first.
Players mature at different rates. Trump is attempting to make the next step by going to Sheffield, where he will practice in the World Snooker Academy.
I’d imagine this was a hard decision for him to make. Keynsham is all he has known so far but, like any young man, he is looking to spread his wings a little, be more independent and take control of his own life.
This is fine...as long as he continues to focus on his snooker.
Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry were not social animals as young men. You didn’t see them in nightclubs every weekend. They had that single-mindedness you need to succeed.
That said, comparing any player to those two is unfair: they are a breed apart.
Trump is practising with Daniel Wells and Jack Lisowski. I don’t know them personally but have interviewed them both and they seem like nice, down to earth lads and this trio is unlikely to turn into a sort of snooker brat pack.
They all love the game, they all love playing the game and the competition between the three could help each of them improve.
Trump’s next big test comes at the UK Championship qualifiers in a couple of week’s time.
He may go to Pontin’s bleary-eyed as Premier League champion.
I don’t believe he will simply fade away but it is pointless predicting what he will achieve in the future.
Better to just let the guy play. Because, as O’Sullivan will tell you, he can play.
4.11.09
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVENTH?
I’m told by a very good source that it is “99% certain” there will be a seventh ranking event this season.
If so, this is obviously good news, although it will raise the question of whether the ranking points tariffs should have been altered in the way they were as it will skew this season to be more important than last.
That’s a minor point for now. The more tournaments the better as far as I’m concerned.
Indeed, the number of tournaments being staged is increasing as private promoters stage more away from the ‘main tour’.
I’ve noticed a tendency for snooker fans to dismiss anything that isn’t a ranking event as a bit of nonsense that shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Well, Liang Wenbo won £50,000 for winning 110sport’s tournament in Beijing in the summer. I’d guess he took that pretty seriously.
Almost every ranking event started life as a smaller invitation tournament.
This was true of the UK Championship. Indeed, it was true of the World Championship.
But for Barry Hearn and his 80s vision, would there have been fully fledged ranking events in Dubai or Thailand or China?
So the next time you disregard a tournament just because it doesn’t carry ranking points, look back at snooker history and you may want to think again.
Whether an event carries ranking points or not, exposure for the game in terms of visibility cannot be overestimated.
If so, this is obviously good news, although it will raise the question of whether the ranking points tariffs should have been altered in the way they were as it will skew this season to be more important than last.
That’s a minor point for now. The more tournaments the better as far as I’m concerned.
Indeed, the number of tournaments being staged is increasing as private promoters stage more away from the ‘main tour’.
I’ve noticed a tendency for snooker fans to dismiss anything that isn’t a ranking event as a bit of nonsense that shouldn’t be taken seriously.
Well, Liang Wenbo won £50,000 for winning 110sport’s tournament in Beijing in the summer. I’d guess he took that pretty seriously.
Almost every ranking event started life as a smaller invitation tournament.
This was true of the UK Championship. Indeed, it was true of the World Championship.
But for Barry Hearn and his 80s vision, would there have been fully fledged ranking events in Dubai or Thailand or China?
So the next time you disregard a tournament just because it doesn’t carry ranking points, look back at snooker history and you may want to think again.
Whether an event carries ranking points or not, exposure for the game in terms of visibility cannot be overestimated.
3.11.09
RORY ROARS...AND OTHER NEWS
So well done to Rory McLeod for winning the Masters qualifying event.
His career seems to have blossomed much later than you would expect. Rory’s 38 now but in the last year made three successive centuries against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the UK Championship, qualified for the Crucible for the first time and is now Wembley bound.
A Wellingborough boy of Jamaican parents, McLeod now lives in Qatar.
During the Masters qualifiers he spent time between matches listening to verses from the Koran in an attempt to relax himself. It obviously worked and he now waits to see whether he will play Mark Williams or Mark King.
This will depend on who the other wildcard is. Liang Wenbo is hot favourite and will surely only miss out if there is a shock winner of the UK Championship.
You will recall McLeod and King played out a long, often tedious match at the World Championship last season that went into an extra session, so if they are paired together again I fear for the sanity of whoever is making the decision.
Better to pair McLeod with Williams and King with Liang.
Not that Rory will care who he plays. Snooker professionals at all levels are well used to the setbacks and disappointments that inevitably come as part and parcel of a sporting career.
This, though, is a moment to relish.
The Masters is the game’s most prestigious invitation tournament and to many players second only to the World Championship in terms of prestige.
Stephen Hendry won it a record six times and has appeared in a record nine finals.
He likes a record, does Stephen, just as he likes a trophy.
On Sunday he won his 74th in defeating Ken Doherty 5-3 to win the first 110sport Legends event in Glenrothes.
I can report it was a fun weekend, although the action was serious as the old warhorses locked horns once again.
I was alarmed by the sight of a frail Alex Higgins unable to produce any sort of form but cheered by Cliff Thorburn’s warmth towards him and the Canadian's general charisma.
Hendry was a fitting winner, given that his legendary status can’t be questioned.
He remains snooker’s greatest ever player. Tony Drago, with whom I did some commentary, also pointed out that he has profoundly changed snooker.
“Stephen is the most attacking player I have ever played. All the players who have come since have copied him,” he said.
While we were enjoying ourselves in Scotland, Ricky Walden was out pounding the streets as he completed the New York marathon in a time of four hours, 17 minutes.
That sounds pretty good to me and Ricky raised around £1,500 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Meanwhile, the WPBSA board member, Jim McMahon, made an attempt to broker peace in the civil war afflicting Scottish amateur snooker and came very close but the old order, having agreed on a way forward with the rival group, reneged on it at the last minute.
The WPBSA understandably withdrew from the mediation process and have now taken away the main tour place for Scotland.
While I was in Scotland I heard nothing but bad things about those who have been running Scottish Snooker for the last few years.
Their actions have now resulted in the young Scottish players they are supposed to be representing suffering the ignominy of not having a place on the circuit to play for.
If this doesn’t galvanise action north of the border, surely nothing will.
Next up in November is Pro Challenge Series event 3 in Leicester, followed by the UK Championship qualifiers.
Also, the IBSF world amateur championship takes place in India, starting on the 15th.
Snooker fans may also want to tune into ITV’s jungle-based humiliation-fest I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.
His career seems to have blossomed much later than you would expect. Rory’s 38 now but in the last year made three successive centuries against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the UK Championship, qualified for the Crucible for the first time and is now Wembley bound.
A Wellingborough boy of Jamaican parents, McLeod now lives in Qatar.
During the Masters qualifiers he spent time between matches listening to verses from the Koran in an attempt to relax himself. It obviously worked and he now waits to see whether he will play Mark Williams or Mark King.
This will depend on who the other wildcard is. Liang Wenbo is hot favourite and will surely only miss out if there is a shock winner of the UK Championship.
You will recall McLeod and King played out a long, often tedious match at the World Championship last season that went into an extra session, so if they are paired together again I fear for the sanity of whoever is making the decision.
Better to pair McLeod with Williams and King with Liang.
Not that Rory will care who he plays. Snooker professionals at all levels are well used to the setbacks and disappointments that inevitably come as part and parcel of a sporting career.
This, though, is a moment to relish.
The Masters is the game’s most prestigious invitation tournament and to many players second only to the World Championship in terms of prestige.
Stephen Hendry won it a record six times and has appeared in a record nine finals.
He likes a record, does Stephen, just as he likes a trophy.
On Sunday he won his 74th in defeating Ken Doherty 5-3 to win the first 110sport Legends event in Glenrothes.
I can report it was a fun weekend, although the action was serious as the old warhorses locked horns once again.
I was alarmed by the sight of a frail Alex Higgins unable to produce any sort of form but cheered by Cliff Thorburn’s warmth towards him and the Canadian's general charisma.
Hendry was a fitting winner, given that his legendary status can’t be questioned.
He remains snooker’s greatest ever player. Tony Drago, with whom I did some commentary, also pointed out that he has profoundly changed snooker.
“Stephen is the most attacking player I have ever played. All the players who have come since have copied him,” he said.
While we were enjoying ourselves in Scotland, Ricky Walden was out pounding the streets as he completed the New York marathon in a time of four hours, 17 minutes.
That sounds pretty good to me and Ricky raised around £1,500 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Meanwhile, the WPBSA board member, Jim McMahon, made an attempt to broker peace in the civil war afflicting Scottish amateur snooker and came very close but the old order, having agreed on a way forward with the rival group, reneged on it at the last minute.
The WPBSA understandably withdrew from the mediation process and have now taken away the main tour place for Scotland.
While I was in Scotland I heard nothing but bad things about those who have been running Scottish Snooker for the last few years.
Their actions have now resulted in the young Scottish players they are supposed to be representing suffering the ignominy of not having a place on the circuit to play for.
If this doesn’t galvanise action north of the border, surely nothing will.
Next up in November is Pro Challenge Series event 3 in Leicester, followed by the UK Championship qualifiers.
Also, the IBSF world amateur championship takes place in India, starting on the 15th.
Snooker fans may also want to tune into ITV’s jungle-based humiliation-fest I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here.
31.10.09
CLIFF'S SHARP SHOOTING
Snooker legend Cliff Thorburn has warmed up for his first high profile playing engagement in a decade by taking a trip down memory lane.
Thorburn, a former world champion and world no.1, came through the pool and snooker hustling scene in North America in the late 1960s/early 70s.
And the 61 year-old Canadian revealed that it could sometimes be a dangerous way to make a living.
“I was 25 before I turned professional but I’d been banned from shooting pool in Victoria, then banned from Vancouver, then banned from Ontario. So we moved to San Francisco," he said.
“Then one night I won a lot of money but then had to lose it all – and a bit more – back to the guys I had taken it from in the first place when one of them opened his jacket and flashed a gun.
“I knew then I’d gone as far as I could go and the only place left after that was to come to the UK where the audience and sponsors would pay you to play.
“After the gun incident, suddenly wet, windy Tuesday nights in Blackpool, Derby and the likes seemed quite attractive.”
Thorburn is among the eight man field for the 110sport Legends event at Glenrothes this weekend.
He tackles Alex Higgins, who he beat 18-16 to win the 1980 World Championship.
And the ‘Grinder’ exploded the myth often propagated that snooker was all just a bit of fun in the boom years of the 1980s.
“It would be fair to say that Alex and I were not always on speaking terms way back then but that was the same as a lot of players because it was serious business,” he said.
“Look at some of the pictures before finals and you would often see the two players looking as if they really had no time for their opponent because it meant so much.
“Nowadays the players are asking how the wives and kids are, where they went on holiday. I don’t think it has the same intensity as it had back then.”
You can read a typically entertaining interview with Higgins in today’s Scottish Sun here.
Thorburn, a former world champion and world no.1, came through the pool and snooker hustling scene in North America in the late 1960s/early 70s.
And the 61 year-old Canadian revealed that it could sometimes be a dangerous way to make a living.
“I was 25 before I turned professional but I’d been banned from shooting pool in Victoria, then banned from Vancouver, then banned from Ontario. So we moved to San Francisco," he said.
“Then one night I won a lot of money but then had to lose it all – and a bit more – back to the guys I had taken it from in the first place when one of them opened his jacket and flashed a gun.
“I knew then I’d gone as far as I could go and the only place left after that was to come to the UK where the audience and sponsors would pay you to play.
“After the gun incident, suddenly wet, windy Tuesday nights in Blackpool, Derby and the likes seemed quite attractive.”
Thorburn is among the eight man field for the 110sport Legends event at Glenrothes this weekend.
He tackles Alex Higgins, who he beat 18-16 to win the 1980 World Championship.
And the ‘Grinder’ exploded the myth often propagated that snooker was all just a bit of fun in the boom years of the 1980s.
“It would be fair to say that Alex and I were not always on speaking terms way back then but that was the same as a lot of players because it was serious business,” he said.
“Look at some of the pictures before finals and you would often see the two players looking as if they really had no time for their opponent because it meant so much.
“Nowadays the players are asking how the wives and kids are, where they went on holiday. I don’t think it has the same intensity as it had back then.”
You can read a typically entertaining interview with Higgins in today’s Scottish Sun here.
29.10.09
LEGENDS PREPARE FOR BATTLE
The eight players who comprise the field for the upcoming 110sport Legends event have between them won 180 professional titles.
These range from the World Championship all the way down to the one frame Pot Black, with all manner of weird and wonderful events in between, the vast majority no longer still going.
Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty, Cliff Thorburn, Alex Higgins, Jimmy White, Tony Knowles, Nigel Bond and Tony Drago have between them appeared in 286 finals.
Of course, there are two types of player in this event: those who are still playing professionally and those returning to the limelight after a few years under the radar.
Thorburn still plays exhibitions and coaches in his native Canada. You can bet the ‘Grinder’ will be fully prepared for this weekend’s action.
Higgins also plays on the exhibition circuit, usually with White, and will be hoping to do better than in his last competitive outing in the Irish Professional Championship two years when he was beaten 5-0 by Fergal O’Brien.
Knowles plays in the World Championship qualifiers every year and last season won a couple of matches.
The action will be available to view on 110sport.tv next week.
Don’t think this is just an exercise in nostalgia. Although form deteriorates with age, pride of performance does not.
For those who got into snooker through the TV boom of the 1980s, this will be like going back in time.
When Thorburn played Higgins in the 1980 final you could have described the internet to someone and they would have assumed you were either mad or drunk or possibly both. This was in an age in which there were only three British television channels.
Some of the faces may be a little weathered now but the names remain legendary.
Seniors snooker has been talked of for many years but it is now finally here and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the players who built the game as we know it now doing battle once again.
These range from the World Championship all the way down to the one frame Pot Black, with all manner of weird and wonderful events in between, the vast majority no longer still going.
Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty, Cliff Thorburn, Alex Higgins, Jimmy White, Tony Knowles, Nigel Bond and Tony Drago have between them appeared in 286 finals.
Of course, there are two types of player in this event: those who are still playing professionally and those returning to the limelight after a few years under the radar.
Thorburn still plays exhibitions and coaches in his native Canada. You can bet the ‘Grinder’ will be fully prepared for this weekend’s action.
Higgins also plays on the exhibition circuit, usually with White, and will be hoping to do better than in his last competitive outing in the Irish Professional Championship two years when he was beaten 5-0 by Fergal O’Brien.
Knowles plays in the World Championship qualifiers every year and last season won a couple of matches.
The action will be available to view on 110sport.tv next week.
Don’t think this is just an exercise in nostalgia. Although form deteriorates with age, pride of performance does not.
For those who got into snooker through the TV boom of the 1980s, this will be like going back in time.
When Thorburn played Higgins in the 1980 final you could have described the internet to someone and they would have assumed you were either mad or drunk or possibly both. This was in an age in which there were only three British television channels.
Some of the faces may be a little weathered now but the names remain legendary.
Seniors snooker has been talked of for many years but it is now finally here and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the players who built the game as we know it now doing battle once again.
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