16.4.09

BEWARE BALLRUN

Stuart Bingham is not a player to be underestimated.

Nine years ago, he made his Crucible debut against Stephen Hendry, then the defending champion and still one of the leading contenders for the world title.

Bingham won 10-7.

This year he faces Ronnie O’Sullivan, who goes to Sheffield looking to win a fourth world title.

Bingham knows all about Ronnie’s game because they practice together. He won’t be overawed playing the game’s no.1 because he is so used to it.

O’Sullivan starts favourite, as he does for every match he plays in but Bingham is not a pushover.

Here are some facts about Stuart:

- Is nicknamed ‘Ballrun’

- Won the 1996 world amateur championship

- Made a 147 during an event in the 1999 UK Tour and another during the 2005 Masters qualifiers

- Is the only player to make a 146 break in the World Championship

- Missed the pink on 134 with a maximum on against Ken Doherty at the Crucible in 2002

- Is the only player to win the Masters qualifying event twice

- Is one of only 29 players to have made a century of competitive centuries

- Is a member of Crondon Park Golf Club, home of the Championship League

21 comments:

wildJONESEYE said...

Dave

you dont have to tell me how tough a opening match that is for Ronnie...

Bimgham crucible CV is beating Snooker Legends both Hendry and Davis have fallen to him and the only people hes beaten there. can he make it a hatrick of snooker legends with the scalp of Ronnie ?

Anonymous said...

Everything will depend not on how will be good Stuart Bingham, but how will be good or bad Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Monique said...

Stuart certainly thinks he could and will give it his best:
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/4294761.It___s_bullseye_for_Bingham_/

BTW Dave I have been spamming your "same old, same old" thread ...
and I could go on. There is now a long article about Rory McLeod in the Sheffield Star, on Barry Hawkins in Bexley Times and several others on Mark Williams and Michaella Tabb ;)

Dave H said...

I know Monique but you're slightly missing the point: local papers will do stories on their local players, this is nothing new

Obviously the Chester Chronicle is going to interview Ricky Walden

My point was that the big national focus is always on the same players

By the way, I'm as guilty as anyone else. I was stood at the RAC Club last week waiting for Ronnie and as annoyed as everyone else when he went home before doing the agreed interviews

I realise this is hypocritical but if you can't be a hypocrite on your own blog, where can you?

Gareth said...

Dave - sorry to go off-topic, but I've left a question for you on the other thread. Maybe you haven't seen it. Hope that's OK - leaving the question, I mean.

And I agree Bingham's dangerous, but, yes, ultimately, it's whether O'Sullivan 'turns up'!

Monique said...

I realise this is hypocritical but if you can't be a hypocrite on your own blog, where can you?

lol! sure ...

But my point was, there is information available if you look for it. If you dont, then maybe you are not really interested?
Of course you could be "new" and not knowing where to look for it. In that case I think the logical place to start with would be the WPBSA web site. It's the lack of information there that shocks me most. Not that newspapers that needs to "sell" favour the household names or the defending champion.

Now I'm back on topic. promise.

Dave H said...

Matchroom always have a special website set up for, say, the World Pool Championship which is comprehensive with news and features, interviews, information, message boards etc

worldsnooker.com's pre-tournament coverage of the World Championship is virtually non existent. No player interviews, hardly any features at all. Let's hope it improves when the tournament begins.

Anonymous said...

I hope Stuart gives Ronnie a good match. What time does it start as I notice BBC coverage doesn't start until 4.30, isn't this much later than usual?

wildJONESEYE said...

if you got interactive its on at 10am on saturday or join Dave and the gang at eurosport it also starts at 10 am

it is unfortunate that the bbc dont start on terestrial until 4.30....

2 hours after the 3rd and 4th matches at the championship starts.

Anonymous said...

Hello Dave,

Can you confirm when Bingham complied the 146? Was it at the Crucible or in the qualifiers?

Thanks

Jon

Anonymous said...

Its an urban myth to suggest that everything hinges on the way O'Sullivan plays in this match.
What about the year where Ronnie made 5 centuries in his first round match against David Gray?
Gray still beat him.

jamie brannon said...

so now we find out why dave wrote the same old same old piece ronnie refused him an interview, it makes the post irrelevant now.it is nothing personal dave but there is no time for hypocrisy

Dave H said...

Er, that wasn't the reason I wrote it

But unless I either write 'Ronnie is a God' or, conversely, 'Ronnie is a dog' then somebody, somewhere, will take issue with it. How boring.

Snooker, indeed life, is much more than black or white (there are 15 reds and five other colours for a start)

Fan Zhao said...

Hi Dave, I am a snooker news reporter working for Sina.com
I agree with your comment on Stuart. I also believe he is a consistent player who has potential to pass the first round. Maybe a handicap for him is a good choice. :)

Claus Christensen said...

Now I'm feeling a bit guilty because I'm hoping Ronnie wins the match. And although they could have featured another player, I think that Jimmy White interview was brilliant. Those who missed it can check out snookerfan92 on youtube who has uploaded it.

jamie brannon said...

not at all, yes I am a massive Ronnie fan as person and player, but I dont mind you criticising him, I agree he should have waited for you and others, but I disagree that he gets more attention than he should, and disagree that his interviews take the same pattern all the time.

Anonymous said...

i think Ronnie gets more attention than he should and i think his interviews take the same pattern "all" the time.

come on bawheid bingham. 10-8 win will do

wildJONESEYE said...

Claus Christensen

what was brilliant about saying something hes been saying for years.

i just think theres other people who are relevent to todays game that should get BBC Airtime than jimmy white.

jamie brannon said...

yeah you would you just don't like ronnie

Anonymous said...

well said wJE

Claus Christensen said...

WildJONESEYE, I did not say they picked the right player.

But, looking past that, I enjoyed hearing from Jimmy White. It's not relevant to the WC and I hope you didn't think I believed that. I just enjoy listening to Jimmy, is all. So any day I catch an interview it's labelled 'brilliant'..