Steve Prest, a former professional and coach, has died suddenly at the age of 43.
Prest coached Shaun Murphy to victory at the 2005 World Championship and was in Neil Robertson and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s corner at the Crucible this year.
He worked with youngsters in his native Yorkshire and was an accredited World Snooker coach.
He was found dead at his home on Friday.
Steve was an affable bloke and well regarded as a coach. His death at such a young age has come as a terrible shock to his many friends in the snooker world.
We here at Snooker Scene send our sympathies to his family.
31.5.09
28.5.09
ASK CLIVE!
Snooker Scene's editor Clive Everton will be answering questions in the next Snooker Scene podcast.
If you have a question for him about players, snooker history or the game in general, email it to snookersceneblog@aol.com rather than posting it below.
We will be recording it next Tuesday so obviously need your questions by then.
If you have a question for him about players, snooker history or the game in general, email it to snookersceneblog@aol.com rather than posting it below.
We will be recording it next Tuesday so obviously need your questions by then.
27.5.09
NO PLACE LIKE ROME
Good luck to Ken Doherty who was on Sky News live from Rome this afternoon where he will tonight be watching his beloved Manchester United take on Barcelona in the Champions League final (or the European Cup in old money).
Here are clubs supported by some other players:
Ronnie O'Sullivan - Arsenal
Neil Robertson - Chelsea
Ding Junhui - Liverpool
Mark Selby - Leicester City
John Higgins - Celtic
Graeme Dott - Rangers
Joe Perry - Arsenal
Stephen Hendry - Hearts
John Parrott - Everton
Mark Williams - Manchester United
Dave Harold - Stoke City
Michael Holt - Nottingham Forest
Paul Davies - Ipswich Town
Nigel Bond - Manchester City
Ian McCulloch - Preston North End
Here are clubs supported by some other players:
Ronnie O'Sullivan - Arsenal
Neil Robertson - Chelsea
Ding Junhui - Liverpool
Mark Selby - Leicester City
John Higgins - Celtic
Graeme Dott - Rangers
Joe Perry - Arsenal
Stephen Hendry - Hearts
John Parrott - Everton
Mark Williams - Manchester United
Dave Harold - Stoke City
Michael Holt - Nottingham Forest
Paul Davies - Ipswich Town
Nigel Bond - Manchester City
Ian McCulloch - Preston North End
THE HUNT FOR SPONSORS
It's easy to say 'there should be more sponsors' but not quite so easy to attain any, particularly in the current economic climate.
Last weekend's Independent on Sunday points out how all sports are struggling at the moment.
Snooker has enjoyed some recent success. Betfred.com has signed a four year deal to sponsor the World Championship while Sportingbet.com will back the World Series for the next three years.
But the golden days of snooker sponsorship are over. In the 1980s, companies were queueing up to have their brands associated with the sport. Not any more.
Snooker is no longer considered fashionable and has to fight its corner against sports where major firms believe they will get a better return: football, rugby union, tennis, golf, cricket.
Darts, perhaps snooker's closest competitor, has also been successful in attracting sponsorship because it has reinvented its image without changing the sport.
This is presumably why World Snooker has engaged Tim Darby, formerly Barry Hearn's right hand man at the PDC, to look at ways of changing the perception of snooker.
I wish him well. The sport can't afford to stand still and the complacent attitude that nothing can ever change has to end.
As we saw at the World Championship, professional snooker is still a first rate product and the game includes a fascinating cast of characters, including those younger players emerging into the limelight.
The challenge now is to harness the interest that is there and persuade potential sponsors that snooker is a sport worth supporting.
Not an easy task but not an impossible one either.
Last weekend's Independent on Sunday points out how all sports are struggling at the moment.
Snooker has enjoyed some recent success. Betfred.com has signed a four year deal to sponsor the World Championship while Sportingbet.com will back the World Series for the next three years.
But the golden days of snooker sponsorship are over. In the 1980s, companies were queueing up to have their brands associated with the sport. Not any more.
Snooker is no longer considered fashionable and has to fight its corner against sports where major firms believe they will get a better return: football, rugby union, tennis, golf, cricket.
Darts, perhaps snooker's closest competitor, has also been successful in attracting sponsorship because it has reinvented its image without changing the sport.
This is presumably why World Snooker has engaged Tim Darby, formerly Barry Hearn's right hand man at the PDC, to look at ways of changing the perception of snooker.
I wish him well. The sport can't afford to stand still and the complacent attitude that nothing can ever change has to end.
As we saw at the World Championship, professional snooker is still a first rate product and the game includes a fascinating cast of characters, including those younger players emerging into the limelight.
The challenge now is to harness the interest that is there and persuade potential sponsors that snooker is a sport worth supporting.
Not an easy task but not an impossible one either.
26.5.09
IN THE NEWS
A few updates...
Jimmy Robertson has won the English Amateur Championship, snooker’s oldest title, with a 9-8 defeat of David Craggs in Sheffield.
Robertson, 24, is thus eligible to return to the main tour next season having played on the pro circuit during the 2002/03 season.
The amateur title was first contested in 1916. It was won in 1987 by Mark Rowing who last weekend defeated Colin Norton 6-4 to win the English seniors title.
The Irish national title has been won by Martin McCrudden, who beat David Hogan 8-6. However, Brendan O’Donoghue finished top of the RIBSA rankings and will therefore be nominated for a place on the ranking event circuit.
Mark Boyle (no relation, as far as I’m aware, to Susan) is also heading for the pro tour after winning the Scottish title with a 7-0 defeat of Ross Vallance.
Michael White is the new Welsh champion, Warren Horsley has retained his South African national title and Robin Hull, whose professional career ended because of illness, has won the Finnish Championship.
Meanwhile Ronnie O’Sullivan, for whom running has become an obsession, was in Derby today launching a new charity challenge.
Has this video been speeded up or is Ronnie the new Usain Bolt?
Jimmy Robertson has won the English Amateur Championship, snooker’s oldest title, with a 9-8 defeat of David Craggs in Sheffield.
Robertson, 24, is thus eligible to return to the main tour next season having played on the pro circuit during the 2002/03 season.
The amateur title was first contested in 1916. It was won in 1987 by Mark Rowing who last weekend defeated Colin Norton 6-4 to win the English seniors title.
The Irish national title has been won by Martin McCrudden, who beat David Hogan 8-6. However, Brendan O’Donoghue finished top of the RIBSA rankings and will therefore be nominated for a place on the ranking event circuit.
Mark Boyle (no relation, as far as I’m aware, to Susan) is also heading for the pro tour after winning the Scottish title with a 7-0 defeat of Ross Vallance.
Michael White is the new Welsh champion, Warren Horsley has retained his South African national title and Robin Hull, whose professional career ended because of illness, has won the Finnish Championship.
Meanwhile Ronnie O’Sullivan, for whom running has become an obsession, was in Derby today launching a new charity challenge.
Has this video been speeded up or is Ronnie the new Usain Bolt?
PAST MASTERS#2
Continuing our series on ex-professionals...
Alain Robidoux followed in the footsteps of those great Canadian snooker players of the 1980s – Cliff Thorburn, Kirk Stevens and Bill Werbeniuk – and was his country’s no.1 player for a decade.
Robidoux was a French Canadian with an accent likened by one snooker journalist to Inspector Clouseau.
He was a friendly, laidback sort who reached ninth in the world rankings until his cue was broken beyond repair, which heralded a shockingly sudden decline and, ultimately, the end of his professional career.
Bizarrely, Robidoux joined the pro tour without winning a match. In the late 1980s, the WPBSA had a number of ‘non tournament’ professionals. They were on the ranking list but couldn’t play in most of the ranking events.
Robidoux could enter the 1988 World Championship but his first two opponents failed to show up and he amassed enough points to finish in the top 128 and thus join the tour full time.
He made an immediate impact by reaching the televised phase of his first tournament, the Fidelity International, and taking Steve Davis to a decider.
A month later, he reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix, losing 9-7 to Alex Higgins and it was clear he would soon pose a threat to the game’s elite.
In September 1988, he became only the sixth player ever to record an officially ratified 147 maximum break in the qualifiers for the European Open.
It took only two full seasons for him to be promoted to the top 16 and in 1990 joined Thorburn and Bob Chaperon in winning the World Team Cup for Canada.
Like many players, Robidoux’s form came and went in spells but by 1996 he was on an upward curve once again.
He qualified for the Crucible and drew Ronnie O’Sullivan in a match that ended in bitterness and controversy. Well ahead, O’Sullivan played left-handed for the first time in a major tournament. Robidoux believed he was making fun of him and, at 9-3 and with many, many snookers required on the pink, played on to make his point.
O’Sullivan elected not to pot the pink and so viewers watching live on the BBC were treated to ten minutes of nonsense.
Neither player covered themselves in glory with some ill judged post-match comments but they had patched things up by the German Open the following season, where they fought out a high quality final which O’Sullivan won 9-7.
In 1997, Robidoux enjoyed a run to the semi-finals of the World Championship, where his bid to emulate Thorburn as champion was ended in a 17-7 defeat to Ken Doherty.
It saw Robidoux rise to ninth in the world and poised to enjoy perhaps the best spell of his career.
But it wasn’t to be. Robidoux needed repairs done to his cue and sent it back to the man who had originally made it.
However, the cue maker was, it would be fair to say, something of a traditionalist and objected to Robidoux having fixed a sponsor’s logo to the butt end.
He objected so much that he smashed the cue up into several pieces.
It could not be repaired and Robidoux was forced to start the following season with a new model. But it didn’t feel the same and he failed to win a single match the whole campaign.
“It was like losing my right arm,” he said.
His form gone, he plummeted down the rankings and considered quitting altogether after suffering from bouts of depression.
Several years later I asked him his views on the cue maker, thinking the passage of time may have eased his anger.
“I want to kill him,” was his heartfelt response.
Robidoux never recovered from the incident and eventually slipped off the tour.
He still plays in Canada and also commentates on pool in French for Canadian television.
Alain Robidoux followed in the footsteps of those great Canadian snooker players of the 1980s – Cliff Thorburn, Kirk Stevens and Bill Werbeniuk – and was his country’s no.1 player for a decade.
Robidoux was a French Canadian with an accent likened by one snooker journalist to Inspector Clouseau.
He was a friendly, laidback sort who reached ninth in the world rankings until his cue was broken beyond repair, which heralded a shockingly sudden decline and, ultimately, the end of his professional career.
Bizarrely, Robidoux joined the pro tour without winning a match. In the late 1980s, the WPBSA had a number of ‘non tournament’ professionals. They were on the ranking list but couldn’t play in most of the ranking events.
Robidoux could enter the 1988 World Championship but his first two opponents failed to show up and he amassed enough points to finish in the top 128 and thus join the tour full time.
He made an immediate impact by reaching the televised phase of his first tournament, the Fidelity International, and taking Steve Davis to a decider.
A month later, he reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix, losing 9-7 to Alex Higgins and it was clear he would soon pose a threat to the game’s elite.
In September 1988, he became only the sixth player ever to record an officially ratified 147 maximum break in the qualifiers for the European Open.
It took only two full seasons for him to be promoted to the top 16 and in 1990 joined Thorburn and Bob Chaperon in winning the World Team Cup for Canada.
Like many players, Robidoux’s form came and went in spells but by 1996 he was on an upward curve once again.
He qualified for the Crucible and drew Ronnie O’Sullivan in a match that ended in bitterness and controversy. Well ahead, O’Sullivan played left-handed for the first time in a major tournament. Robidoux believed he was making fun of him and, at 9-3 and with many, many snookers required on the pink, played on to make his point.
O’Sullivan elected not to pot the pink and so viewers watching live on the BBC were treated to ten minutes of nonsense.
Neither player covered themselves in glory with some ill judged post-match comments but they had patched things up by the German Open the following season, where they fought out a high quality final which O’Sullivan won 9-7.
In 1997, Robidoux enjoyed a run to the semi-finals of the World Championship, where his bid to emulate Thorburn as champion was ended in a 17-7 defeat to Ken Doherty.
It saw Robidoux rise to ninth in the world and poised to enjoy perhaps the best spell of his career.
But it wasn’t to be. Robidoux needed repairs done to his cue and sent it back to the man who had originally made it.
However, the cue maker was, it would be fair to say, something of a traditionalist and objected to Robidoux having fixed a sponsor’s logo to the butt end.
He objected so much that he smashed the cue up into several pieces.
It could not be repaired and Robidoux was forced to start the following season with a new model. But it didn’t feel the same and he failed to win a single match the whole campaign.
“It was like losing my right arm,” he said.
His form gone, he plummeted down the rankings and considered quitting altogether after suffering from bouts of depression.
Several years later I asked him his views on the cue maker, thinking the passage of time may have eased his anger.
“I want to kill him,” was his heartfelt response.
Robidoux never recovered from the incident and eventually slipped off the tour.
He still plays in Canada and also commentates on pool in French for Canadian television.
22.5.09
HENDRY SET FOR JIANGSU CLASSIC
Stephen Hendry is among the field for the second staging of the Jiangsu Classic, which takes place in Wuxi City from June 3-7.
The seven times world champion joins the 12 man field for the invitation tournament won last year by local hero Ding Junhui, who beat Mark Selby 6-5 in the final.
Ding and Selby return alonsgide Hendry, Ali Carter, Mark Allen, Marco Fu, Shaun Murphy, Joe Perry, Peter Ebdon, Ryan Day and local wildcards Li Hang and Jin Long.
The seven times world champion joins the 12 man field for the invitation tournament won last year by local hero Ding Junhui, who beat Mark Selby 6-5 in the final.
Ding and Selby return alonsgide Hendry, Ali Carter, Mark Allen, Marco Fu, Shaun Murphy, Joe Perry, Peter Ebdon, Ryan Day and local wildcards Li Hang and Jin Long.
20.5.09
WHO WILL BE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?
Note that the above question asks who will be in not who should be.
There is no should be when it comes to the Premier League. It’s Barry Hearn’s event and he can invite whoever he likes. He shouldn’t have to adhere to any criteria other than what is best for Matchroom.
(I point this out only because it’s amazing how many people in snooker get caught up in the phoney concept of ‘fairness.’ A governing body has to be fair; an independent promoter does not.)
We know Ronnie O’Sullivan, as defending champion, and Judd Trump, winner of the qualifying tournament, the Championship League, will be among the seven man field.
Hearn knows that having the world champion in the event will give it credibility, so John Higgins will also take part.
To facilitate TV sales to Asia, one of Ding Junhui, Marco Fu and Liang Wenbo can expect a call up.
Ding has taken part the last few years but has not too well of late and Fu is now Asia’s top ranked player, which may enhance his chances.
Fu also has an excellent record against the likes of O’Sullivan and Higgins and is a former champion.
Liang would bring his entertaining brand of snooker to the Premier League and would not struggle with the 25-second shot clock.
So that’s four spots taken care of, what of the other three?
Steve Davis has already been told he won’t be in the field for the first time since the Premier League began – as the Matchroom League – in 1987.
However, I’d expect Hearn to invite Stephen Hendry once again as his presence adds prestige to the tournament.
I expect the remaining two spots to be filled by two of the following: Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Ali Carter and Mark Allen.
Robertson’s great plus is that he is Australian and so may bring in extra TV revenue down under.
Selby was runner-up to O’Sullivan last season and has become one of the modern game’s most popular players.
Murphy is UK champion and was World Championship runner-up and so would bring an extra edge of credibility to the event.
Carter had an excellent year, finishing runner-up to O’Sullivan at the Crucible in 2008 and winning his first ranking title, the Welsh Open, last February.
Allen brought his bustling, exciting, pumped up form of snooker to the World Championship and reached the semi-finals.
So some excellent candidates but only seven places.
One thing the Premier League could do is have two groups of five with the top two from each going through to the semi-finals, which would actually mean one less match.
This is unlikely to happen and I understand the final seven will be announced within the next few weeks for the competition which starts in September.
But to return to the first point I made: whatever Hearn decides, nobody can complain.
It’s his event and he can pick whoever he likes.
There is no should be when it comes to the Premier League. It’s Barry Hearn’s event and he can invite whoever he likes. He shouldn’t have to adhere to any criteria other than what is best for Matchroom.
(I point this out only because it’s amazing how many people in snooker get caught up in the phoney concept of ‘fairness.’ A governing body has to be fair; an independent promoter does not.)
We know Ronnie O’Sullivan, as defending champion, and Judd Trump, winner of the qualifying tournament, the Championship League, will be among the seven man field.
Hearn knows that having the world champion in the event will give it credibility, so John Higgins will also take part.
To facilitate TV sales to Asia, one of Ding Junhui, Marco Fu and Liang Wenbo can expect a call up.
Ding has taken part the last few years but has not too well of late and Fu is now Asia’s top ranked player, which may enhance his chances.
Fu also has an excellent record against the likes of O’Sullivan and Higgins and is a former champion.
Liang would bring his entertaining brand of snooker to the Premier League and would not struggle with the 25-second shot clock.
So that’s four spots taken care of, what of the other three?
Steve Davis has already been told he won’t be in the field for the first time since the Premier League began – as the Matchroom League – in 1987.
However, I’d expect Hearn to invite Stephen Hendry once again as his presence adds prestige to the tournament.
I expect the remaining two spots to be filled by two of the following: Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Ali Carter and Mark Allen.
Robertson’s great plus is that he is Australian and so may bring in extra TV revenue down under.
Selby was runner-up to O’Sullivan last season and has become one of the modern game’s most popular players.
Murphy is UK champion and was World Championship runner-up and so would bring an extra edge of credibility to the event.
Carter had an excellent year, finishing runner-up to O’Sullivan at the Crucible in 2008 and winning his first ranking title, the Welsh Open, last February.
Allen brought his bustling, exciting, pumped up form of snooker to the World Championship and reached the semi-finals.
So some excellent candidates but only seven places.
One thing the Premier League could do is have two groups of five with the top two from each going through to the semi-finals, which would actually mean one less match.
This is unlikely to happen and I understand the final seven will be announced within the next few weeks for the competition which starts in September.
But to return to the first point I made: whatever Hearn decides, nobody can complain.
It’s his event and he can pick whoever he likes.
PAST MASTERS#1
Each week I will be looking back at the career of a former professional, starting with a player who is now involved in running the professional circuit...
Martin Clark was a great talent who rose to no.12 in the world rankings but whose career was ended by illness.
From Sedgley in the West Midlands in England, a long time hotbed for snooker, Clark was a talented junior who came to the fore in the region's highly competitive local league.
Sporting one of snooker’s best ever perms, he turned professional in 1987 and enjoyed a sensational television debut, beating Dennis Taylor – world champion in 1985 and at the time one of snooker’s best and most recognisable players – 5-0 in the Fidelity International at Stoke.
At the 1989 Mercantile Classic, Clark reached his first ranking event quarter-final and appeared in two more that season.
He was certainly good enough to win a title but never made it to a ranking semi-final. His defeat in ten quarter-finals remains a record.
Clark was a semi-finalist in the 1992 World Matchplay – a major invitation tournament – and recorded plenty of encouraging results against top players but never quite broke through into the upper echelons of the rankings.
Given his talent, he seemed to be heading for the top eight but was in fact relegated from the top 16 after four seasons inside.
His career declined through no fault of his own. Clark suffered from worn vertebrae in his neck. He had to wear a brace and his form inevitably dipped to the extent that he decided to retire.
It was a difficult, dispiriting decision to make but he did so without any complaint.
Clark is still very much involved in snooker as one of the WPBSA’s tournament directors and he is a credit to the governing body. He works hard, he’s very helpful and he has the respect of the players because he was one himself and he understands tournament life from their point of view.
He is a passionate Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter and so has, for once, had a good year at the Molineux.
Martin Clark was a great talent who rose to no.12 in the world rankings but whose career was ended by illness.
From Sedgley in the West Midlands in England, a long time hotbed for snooker, Clark was a talented junior who came to the fore in the region's highly competitive local league.
Sporting one of snooker’s best ever perms, he turned professional in 1987 and enjoyed a sensational television debut, beating Dennis Taylor – world champion in 1985 and at the time one of snooker’s best and most recognisable players – 5-0 in the Fidelity International at Stoke.
At the 1989 Mercantile Classic, Clark reached his first ranking event quarter-final and appeared in two more that season.
He was certainly good enough to win a title but never made it to a ranking semi-final. His defeat in ten quarter-finals remains a record.
Clark was a semi-finalist in the 1992 World Matchplay – a major invitation tournament – and recorded plenty of encouraging results against top players but never quite broke through into the upper echelons of the rankings.
Given his talent, he seemed to be heading for the top eight but was in fact relegated from the top 16 after four seasons inside.
His career declined through no fault of his own. Clark suffered from worn vertebrae in his neck. He had to wear a brace and his form inevitably dipped to the extent that he decided to retire.
It was a difficult, dispiriting decision to make but he did so without any complaint.
Clark is still very much involved in snooker as one of the WPBSA’s tournament directors and he is a credit to the governing body. He works hard, he’s very helpful and he has the respect of the players because he was one himself and he understands tournament life from their point of view.
He is a passionate Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter and so has, for once, had a good year at the Molineux.
19.5.09
THE OFF SEASON
So the 2008/09 campaign recedes into memory but there is still plenty to talk about in the coming months and I will, of course, be keeping this blog going.
After all, who wants to be lying on a beach in some far off sundrenched paradise now that the season is over?
Me, obviously, but them’s the breaks as Joe Davis may have put it.
The Jiangsu Classic takes place from June 3-7, the PIOS tour starts at the end of June, there is a big six reds event in Thailand in July and the World Series is likely to return the same month.
Away from all of that, each week I shall be posting a piece on a player now retired. This is not some nostalgic whimsy but an attempt to honour some of those who have played their parts in the snooker story, which will hopefully prove interesting to those new to the sport.
If anyone has any other ideas for posts, please feel free to suggest them.
After all, who wants to be lying on a beach in some far off sundrenched paradise now that the season is over?
Me, obviously, but them’s the breaks as Joe Davis may have put it.
The Jiangsu Classic takes place from June 3-7, the PIOS tour starts at the end of June, there is a big six reds event in Thailand in July and the World Series is likely to return the same month.
Away from all of that, each week I shall be posting a piece on a player now retired. This is not some nostalgic whimsy but an attempt to honour some of those who have played their parts in the snooker story, which will hopefully prove interesting to those new to the sport.
If anyone has any other ideas for posts, please feel free to suggest them.
18.5.09
MURPHY'S NOT BITTER
Shaun Murphy tries the same in every frame of every match of every tournament.
His professionalism has seen him bounce back from his Crucible final defeat to John Higgins two weeks ago to win two titles in the Sportingbet.com World Series.
Last week it was the grand finals of year one. Last night he beat Jimmy White 5-1 in Killarney to win the first event of year two.
Of course, Murphy would swap them both for the World Championship trophy but he genuinely enjoys playing and these tournaments did him a favour: he could have been sat at home mulling over why he didn't perform in the Sheffield final but instead got back to the table with a fresh challenge.
The weekend was fun as snooker always is in Ireland. The crowds were large and a good time was had by all.
The World Series has quietly become a success. It doesn't have the profile of the ranking event circuit but, so far, it has made good impressions in each of the cities it has visited.
Its strength is that the events only last a couple of days and so don't outstay their welcome.
This can only be good for snooker. The sport needs as many televised tournaments as possible to keep it in the public mind.
It used to be that when the World Championship ended, snooker disappeared from our screens for five or six months.
It can only be good that those days are over.
His professionalism has seen him bounce back from his Crucible final defeat to John Higgins two weeks ago to win two titles in the Sportingbet.com World Series.
Last week it was the grand finals of year one. Last night he beat Jimmy White 5-1 in Killarney to win the first event of year two.
Of course, Murphy would swap them both for the World Championship trophy but he genuinely enjoys playing and these tournaments did him a favour: he could have been sat at home mulling over why he didn't perform in the Sheffield final but instead got back to the table with a fresh challenge.
The weekend was fun as snooker always is in Ireland. The crowds were large and a good time was had by all.
The World Series has quietly become a success. It doesn't have the profile of the ranking event circuit but, so far, it has made good impressions in each of the cities it has visited.
Its strength is that the events only last a couple of days and so don't outstay their welcome.
This can only be good for snooker. The sport needs as many televised tournaments as possible to keep it in the public mind.
It used to be that when the World Championship ended, snooker disappeared from our screens for five or six months.
It can only be good that those days are over.
17.5.09
PODCAST#9...PAT MOONEY
The latest Snooker Scene podcast features me talking to Pat Mooney, promoter of the World Series.
Click here to listen to him talking about the concept of the World Series, snooker's current fortunes and why he doesn't want to take over the game.
Click here to listen to him talking about the concept of the World Series, snooker's current fortunes and why he doesn't want to take over the game.
KILLARNEY NOTES
Day one of the Sportingbet.com World Series of Snooker in Killarney saw progress for each of the established names, although a couple were given scares by the invited Irish teenagers.
While Shaun Murphy (a 5-0 winner over Greg Casey) and John Higgins (who beat Andrew Gray 5-1) advanced with ease, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White were made to fight.
Indeed, Doherty, who trailed Tony Moore 4-2, could count himself fortunate after missing the pink in the decider and fluking a snooker.
Moore made contact but left the pink on and a relieved Doherty slotted it home for victory.
White was all at sea when he trailed Jason Delaney 3-0. He was guilty of some sloppy shot selections but won a tight fourth frame and the match turned round.
White made a century – not straightforward with only ten reds – and pounced when Delaney missed the black for 4-3, the Whirlwind going on to win 5-3.
So the semi-finals will pit Higgins v Murphy (again!) and Doherty v White.
Bad luck to the youngsters. At times, they each showed signs of great potential but it’s such a huge step up from the junior ranks to playing live on TV in front of a big audience against one of snooker’s best known names. If they felt nervous it was understandable.
The atmosphere backstage here is very relaxed and it was good to see such a sizeable crowd in as pro snooker returns to Ireland, always a stronghold for the game.
And hats off to Shaun for his interview skills. He has an ease in front of the camera that seems innate.
Higgins has his wife and three children here and Ken also has his wife and young son with him.
As it usually is in Ireland, this is a chance for a break as well as an opportunity to win a title.
The last Irish Masters was four years ago and many on the circuit still miss it.
Hopefully, this event can grow into a genuine replacement.
While Shaun Murphy (a 5-0 winner over Greg Casey) and John Higgins (who beat Andrew Gray 5-1) advanced with ease, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White were made to fight.
Indeed, Doherty, who trailed Tony Moore 4-2, could count himself fortunate after missing the pink in the decider and fluking a snooker.
Moore made contact but left the pink on and a relieved Doherty slotted it home for victory.
White was all at sea when he trailed Jason Delaney 3-0. He was guilty of some sloppy shot selections but won a tight fourth frame and the match turned round.
White made a century – not straightforward with only ten reds – and pounced when Delaney missed the black for 4-3, the Whirlwind going on to win 5-3.
So the semi-finals will pit Higgins v Murphy (again!) and Doherty v White.
Bad luck to the youngsters. At times, they each showed signs of great potential but it’s such a huge step up from the junior ranks to playing live on TV in front of a big audience against one of snooker’s best known names. If they felt nervous it was understandable.
The atmosphere backstage here is very relaxed and it was good to see such a sizeable crowd in as pro snooker returns to Ireland, always a stronghold for the game.
And hats off to Shaun for his interview skills. He has an ease in front of the camera that seems innate.
Higgins has his wife and three children here and Ken also has his wife and young son with him.
As it usually is in Ireland, this is a chance for a break as well as an opportunity to win a title.
The last Irish Masters was four years ago and many on the circuit still miss it.
Hopefully, this event can grow into a genuine replacement.
16.5.09
HERE'S (GOOD LUCK) TO YOU, MRS ROBINSON
Alex Higgins has recorded an edition of the BBC quiz show The Weakest Link.
I think this may be the only time I've ever felt any sympathy for Anne Robinson.
I think this may be the only time I've ever felt any sympathy for Anne Robinson.
15.5.09
ALL SET FOR KILLARNEY
There is more snooker on the TV this weekend with the next stage of the Sportingbet.com World Series in Killarney, Ireland.
John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White will be joined by four Irish juniors.
There's live coverage on Eurosport from 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
More information here.
John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White will be joined by four Irish juniors.
There's live coverage on Eurosport from 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
More information here.
14.5.09
BACK TO BAHRAIN?
Unlikely as it may seem, the Bahrain Championship could return to the calendar next season.
The event was not regarded as a success. The crowds were tiny, a scheduling clash with the Premier League kept some top stars away and it cost World Snooker a fortune.
However, Shaikh Abdulla bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Billiards and Snooker Association, has revealed he is putting together a bid to get the tournament on again in February of next year.
"We are currently working on getting our spot on the calendar and I'm very positive we can come to an agreement soon," he told the Gulf Daily News.
"We want to be a part of the World Snooker season and they want us to be there as well.
"Snooker is a very popular game around the world, especially here in the Middle East.
"Hopefully, we can get our deal done in the coming weeks and be included on next season's calendar, and hopefully we can begin our planning for a bigger and better tournament this time."
If Shaikh Abdulla can come up with the money to stage the event and it therefore doesn't cost World Snooker anything then the governing body should agree. The more tournaments the better.
However, I understand certain assurances were made last year that apparently failed to materialise.
If I were a betting man I'd say Neil Robertson will be holding on to his trophy for many years to come.
The event was not regarded as a success. The crowds were tiny, a scheduling clash with the Premier League kept some top stars away and it cost World Snooker a fortune.
However, Shaikh Abdulla bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Billiards and Snooker Association, has revealed he is putting together a bid to get the tournament on again in February of next year.
"We are currently working on getting our spot on the calendar and I'm very positive we can come to an agreement soon," he told the Gulf Daily News.
"We want to be a part of the World Snooker season and they want us to be there as well.
"Snooker is a very popular game around the world, especially here in the Middle East.
"Hopefully, we can get our deal done in the coming weeks and be included on next season's calendar, and hopefully we can begin our planning for a bigger and better tournament this time."
If Shaikh Abdulla can come up with the money to stage the event and it therefore doesn't cost World Snooker anything then the governing body should agree. The more tournaments the better.
However, I understand certain assurances were made last year that apparently failed to materialise.
If I were a betting man I'd say Neil Robertson will be holding on to his trophy for many years to come.
13.5.09
WHERE TO START?
I congratulate Daniel Wells and Li Hang for keeping their places on the professional circuit for another year having made their debuts last season.
This is a much better achievement than it sounds. The rankings are worked out using two season’s points.
Wells and Li had only one year’s points, plus the starter points they were awarded at the beginning of the campaign.
These points are the number earned by the lowest ranked player on the list, so they change in amount from year to year.
Actually, both Wells and Li stayed on through the WPBSA’s sensible decision to allow eight places for players who have earned the most points in a single season that are not already in the top 64 on the two-year list.
Even this is much harder than many people realise.
New on the scene, players start in the very first round of qualifying for ranking events and the qualifiers are as competitive as they have ever been.
There are some tough match-players at Prestatyn who will never win major titles but are adept at halting the progress of rising stars.
Daniel kept his place as a result of winning three deciders in the Betfred.com World Championship before losing a fourth to Barry Hawkins to be denied a trip to the Crucible.
By doing so, he has something to work on next season rather than being relegated and spending another year on the PIOS.
Not everyone’s heart will bleed at such a plight. Sport is, after all, the survival of the fittest but I do think new players are unreasonably disadvantaged because starter points vary from year to year and, however you look it, they are still starting right at the bottom.
Here’s an idea: why not just say to the new players that however many points they earn in their first season will be doubled?
This would have seen Wells finish 60th and not 70th while Li would have been placed 64th not 71st.
Would anyone begrudge them this?
Yes, almost certainly, because people begrudge one another all manner of things.
But doubling up would at least reward success to some degree and give the new faces more of a chance.
It will be even harder for those promoted for the 2009/10 season.
Only six ranking tournaments have been announced. If the individual points tariffs are not amended then I expect almost all of them to be relegated.
This is a much better achievement than it sounds. The rankings are worked out using two season’s points.
Wells and Li had only one year’s points, plus the starter points they were awarded at the beginning of the campaign.
These points are the number earned by the lowest ranked player on the list, so they change in amount from year to year.
Actually, both Wells and Li stayed on through the WPBSA’s sensible decision to allow eight places for players who have earned the most points in a single season that are not already in the top 64 on the two-year list.
Even this is much harder than many people realise.
New on the scene, players start in the very first round of qualifying for ranking events and the qualifiers are as competitive as they have ever been.
There are some tough match-players at Prestatyn who will never win major titles but are adept at halting the progress of rising stars.
Daniel kept his place as a result of winning three deciders in the Betfred.com World Championship before losing a fourth to Barry Hawkins to be denied a trip to the Crucible.
By doing so, he has something to work on next season rather than being relegated and spending another year on the PIOS.
Not everyone’s heart will bleed at such a plight. Sport is, after all, the survival of the fittest but I do think new players are unreasonably disadvantaged because starter points vary from year to year and, however you look it, they are still starting right at the bottom.
Here’s an idea: why not just say to the new players that however many points they earn in their first season will be doubled?
This would have seen Wells finish 60th and not 70th while Li would have been placed 64th not 71st.
Would anyone begrudge them this?
Yes, almost certainly, because people begrudge one another all manner of things.
But doubling up would at least reward success to some degree and give the new faces more of a chance.
It will be even harder for those promoted for the 2009/10 season.
Only six ranking tournaments have been announced. If the individual points tariffs are not amended then I expect almost all of them to be relegated.
R.I.P.
Two stalwarts of the snooker scene died recently.
Mario Berni was a leading Welsh amateur who won the country's national title in 1964 and also played snooker on black and white TV in the 1960s before the boom heralded by the introduction of colour television.
Billy Telford was a long time administrator of Northern Irish amateur snooker and also former treasurer of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation, one of many positions he held in the amateur game.
They were linked by a deep love of snooker and the desire to be involved in it.
We here at Snooker Scene send our sympathies to their respective families.
Mario Berni was a leading Welsh amateur who won the country's national title in 1964 and also played snooker on black and white TV in the 1960s before the boom heralded by the introduction of colour television.
Billy Telford was a long time administrator of Northern Irish amateur snooker and also former treasurer of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation, one of many positions he held in the amateur game.
They were linked by a deep love of snooker and the desire to be involved in it.
We here at Snooker Scene send our sympathies to their respective families.
12.5.09
THAT WAS THE SEASON THAT WAS
And so it is time to unveil the winners of my coveted awards, which have a rich history running back a whole two years.
This is a kind of six reds version of the Oscars. There is no ceremony or long speeches. Indeed, there are no actual awards.
However, the following can bask in the glow of a season that has brought success...
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – John Higgins
Higgins was the only player to win two ranking titles and, of course, one of them was the World Championship. He also earned more ranking points than anyone else despite not receiving any for the Bahrain Championship, having been forced out by a scheduling clash.
Nobody dominates snooker like the days of Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry but Higgins’s consistency has been solid and he raised his game when it really mattered at the Crucible.
BREAKTHROUGH OF THE SEASON – Ricky Walden
Walden has long been regarded as a genuine talent but ultimately you have to prove yourself by actually doing it. And he did in some style by winning the Shanghai Masters.
He beat Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan – proof that reputations don’t concern him.
MATCH OF THE SEASON – John Higgins 13, Mark Selby 12 (World Championship quarter-finals)
Selby constructed five centuries and still lost which was an indicator of how high the standard was for this Crucible classic.
He did little wrong but Higgins, already buoyed by a final frame escape in the previous round against Jamie Cope, produced a fine finish to win one of the best matches ever played at the home of snooker.
BREAK OF THE SEASON – Ronnie O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan’s 76 in the seventh frame of his Northern Ireland Trophy final against Dave Harold had to be seen to be believed.
With balls on cushions and awkwardly placed he artfully set about a clearance that was as sheer a demonstration as pure skill as witnessed all season.
SHOT OF THE SEASON – Mark Selby
Frame five of his Masters final against Ronnie O’Sullivan and Selby was faced with a choice: play safe on the brown or attempt a very difficult long pot, cushion first.
After giving it due consideration he powered it in and went on to take the frame. A pressure ball if ever there was one and perfectly executed.
ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SEASON – Judd Trump
For Trump to win the Championship League was a great achievement for the lowest ranked and youngest player in that competition.
He demonstrated his prodigious skill at Crondon Park and earned the right to do so again on a much bigger stage in next season’s Premier League.
FINAL OF THE SEASON – The Masters
The Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Selby battle at Wembley Arena was gripping stuff as big breaks shared centre stage with hard matchplay snooker.
O’Sullivan’s patience and ability to handle the pressure was key to his 10-8 victory, which he unsurprisingly regards as one of his greatest ever.
AMATEUR OF THE SEASON – Luca Brecel
Brecel is a bona fide boy wonder. At 14, he became the youngest ever winner of the European Under 19 Championship and defeated Jimmy White and Ken Doherty at the World Series grand finals in Portugal.
A great future beckons if he can handle the pressure of expectation that will inevitably be placed on his shoulders.
QUOTE OF THE SEASON – Ronnie O’Sullivan
“The people who are running snooker seem to be going backwards. Nothing seems to be happening and it just feels boring and the sport is dying” – rarely has a single quote from a snooker player sparked such a debate as O’Sullivan’s heartfelt rant about the state of the game during the Masters.
World Snooker immediately went on the defensive by denying it all but have since accepted O’Sullivan had a point and engaged Tim Darby – Barry Hearn’s former right hand man at the PDC darts – to look at ways of injecting life and enthusiasm into the sport.
This is a kind of six reds version of the Oscars. There is no ceremony or long speeches. Indeed, there are no actual awards.
However, the following can bask in the glow of a season that has brought success...
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – John Higgins
Higgins was the only player to win two ranking titles and, of course, one of them was the World Championship. He also earned more ranking points than anyone else despite not receiving any for the Bahrain Championship, having been forced out by a scheduling clash.
Nobody dominates snooker like the days of Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry but Higgins’s consistency has been solid and he raised his game when it really mattered at the Crucible.
BREAKTHROUGH OF THE SEASON – Ricky Walden
Walden has long been regarded as a genuine talent but ultimately you have to prove yourself by actually doing it. And he did in some style by winning the Shanghai Masters.
He beat Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan – proof that reputations don’t concern him.
MATCH OF THE SEASON – John Higgins 13, Mark Selby 12 (World Championship quarter-finals)
Selby constructed five centuries and still lost which was an indicator of how high the standard was for this Crucible classic.
He did little wrong but Higgins, already buoyed by a final frame escape in the previous round against Jamie Cope, produced a fine finish to win one of the best matches ever played at the home of snooker.
BREAK OF THE SEASON – Ronnie O’Sullivan
O’Sullivan’s 76 in the seventh frame of his Northern Ireland Trophy final against Dave Harold had to be seen to be believed.
With balls on cushions and awkwardly placed he artfully set about a clearance that was as sheer a demonstration as pure skill as witnessed all season.
SHOT OF THE SEASON – Mark Selby
Frame five of his Masters final against Ronnie O’Sullivan and Selby was faced with a choice: play safe on the brown or attempt a very difficult long pot, cushion first.
After giving it due consideration he powered it in and went on to take the frame. A pressure ball if ever there was one and perfectly executed.
ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SEASON – Judd Trump
For Trump to win the Championship League was a great achievement for the lowest ranked and youngest player in that competition.
He demonstrated his prodigious skill at Crondon Park and earned the right to do so again on a much bigger stage in next season’s Premier League.
FINAL OF THE SEASON – The Masters
The Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Selby battle at Wembley Arena was gripping stuff as big breaks shared centre stage with hard matchplay snooker.
O’Sullivan’s patience and ability to handle the pressure was key to his 10-8 victory, which he unsurprisingly regards as one of his greatest ever.
AMATEUR OF THE SEASON – Luca Brecel
Brecel is a bona fide boy wonder. At 14, he became the youngest ever winner of the European Under 19 Championship and defeated Jimmy White and Ken Doherty at the World Series grand finals in Portugal.
A great future beckons if he can handle the pressure of expectation that will inevitably be placed on his shoulders.
QUOTE OF THE SEASON – Ronnie O’Sullivan
“The people who are running snooker seem to be going backwards. Nothing seems to be happening and it just feels boring and the sport is dying” – rarely has a single quote from a snooker player sparked such a debate as O’Sullivan’s heartfelt rant about the state of the game during the Masters.
World Snooker immediately went on the defensive by denying it all but have since accepted O’Sullivan had a point and engaged Tim Darby – Barry Hearn’s former right hand man at the PDC darts – to look at ways of injecting life and enthusiasm into the sport.
11.5.09
WATTANA'S RETURN
Congratulations to James Wattana, the former world no.3 from Thailand, who has won the Asian Championship and will thus be returning to the professional circuit as from next season.
Wattana is now 39 and had pretty much retired after being relegated last year.
Good luck to him as he obviously still enjoys competing, although he will find it hard coming into the qualifiers from the very first round.
He was a very good player in his day and his influence in popularising snooker in Thailand and Asia in general can't be underestimated.
He'll be back in action for the qualifying rounds of the Shanghai Masters, which start on August 3.
Wattana is now 39 and had pretty much retired after being relegated last year.
Good luck to him as he obviously still enjoys competing, although he will find it hard coming into the qualifiers from the very first round.
He was a very good player in his day and his influence in popularising snooker in Thailand and Asia in general can't be underestimated.
He'll be back in action for the qualifying rounds of the Shanghai Masters, which start on August 3.
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