The world rankings are worked out using two seasons’ points. At the halfway stage of what will become the official list for 2010/11 the provisional list is as follows:
1) John Higgins
2) Ali Carter
3) Ronnie O’Sullivan
4) Shaun Murphy
5) Neil Robertson
6) Stephen Maguire
7) Ryan Day
8) Marco Fu
9) Mark Selby
10) Mark Allen
11) Stephen Hendry
12) Ricky Walden
13) Steve Davis
14) Joe Perry
15) Mark King
16) Peter Ebdon
What are your predictions for how the official list will look at the end of the season? Here’s mine:
1) John Higgins
2) Ronnie O’Sullivan
3) Shaun Murphy
4) Ryan Day
5) Ali Carter
6) Stephen Maguire
7) Mark Selby
8) Mark Allen
9) Neil Robertson
10) Ricky Walden
11) Marco Fu
12) Joe Perry
13) Jamie Cope
14) Mark Williams
15) Stephen Hendry
16) Barry Hawkins
As John Higgins has a 6,900 point lead at the head of the current provisional list it will take a poor season to threaten his no.1 position and with just six ranking events it would really need to be a shocking run for him to lose out.
I predict reasonably strong seasons from Marks Selby and Allen and from Ryan Day and Ricky Walden, so I have them all moving up.
There are just 950 points separating Steve Davis in 13th place and Graeme Dott in 22nd so the race for a top 16 place could be very interesting this season.
I’m predicting a good season for Jamie Cope, who I think will breakthrough and possibly win a tournament.
I was also impressed pretty much every time I saw Barry Hawkins play last season and think he’ll get the bits of luck he missed out on last term.
I’d like to be wrong but I think Stephen Hendry will continue his decline – albeit gradual – and slip down a little.
As for the players being relegated: take out the China Open and Peter Ebdon was poor last season. I also don’t think Mark King will hang on to his place in the elite.
And I’m afraid Ding Junhui doesn’t make the cut for me either.
But this is only a bit of fun based on nothing more than guesswork.
Remember, as the satirist Robert Storm Petersen said: it’s tough making predictions, especially about the future.
34 comments:
Interesting one.
I'd not differ too much from yours, my changes would be to swap Day and Maguire, move Selby up a bit and swap Perry and Hendry.
Not sure that Williams will survive either, will be close I think.
I predict Maguire to have a good season, with his new lasered eyes.
Nigel Bond has been playing extremely well of late and it would come as no surprise if he was to feature in the top 16 again.
My List
1 John Higgins
2 Ronnie O'Sullivan
3 Shaun Murphy
4 Mark Selby
5 Neil Robertson
6 Ali Carter
7 Stephen Maguire
8 Ryan Day
9 Marco Fu
10Mark Allen
11Stephen Hendry
12Ricky Walden
13Mark Williams
14Joe Perry
15Barry Hawkins
16Ding Junhui
dave
regarding youre list having cope that high is extreamly optamistic he hasent really shown anything to sugest consistantly he can get from mid 20s in to 13th. if he makes the top 16 itll be by the skin of his teeth.
All looks good, although I think Hendry will do better than predicted, he showed some signs of form at The World Champ's, so I expect him to have a better season than he has in the last few years, which should put him back into the top ten, at least.
3.27
Nigel bond will be strugling to stay in the top 32 from a starting point of 42 top 16 is way out of his range.
dont get over optimistic with his WC Form lol
but i dont think he can play worst than last season losing 50% of his first rounders and not only losing but got out played hands down.
so i think he will show improvemant and stay in the top 16 for another season.
I think Higgins will have a poor season next year and peak only at certain times so I could see Ronnie reclaiming the top spot. In everyones eyes he is number one anyway. I will agree that King and Ebdon will bow out, to be replaced by Cope and Davis. Ding I think will improve next season as Liang coming through will take some of the home pressure off him.
'In everyone's mind he's number one anyway'
If you're a fanboy maybe.
To me, the no.1 player is the player no.1. Simple really.
John Higgins is by far the best player in the world at the moment
Yeah exactly O'Sullivan is number 1 Dave has only listed the provisional it is who is official number 1 that counts.
To clarify: Ronnie O'Sullivan is cuirrently the official no.1; John Higgins is the provisional no.1.
1 thing i know 110% Steve Davis will never ever ever get back in the top 16.
Maguires freshly lasered eyes won't help his bottle will it?
For my money the best 4 players in the world are Higgins, O'Sullivan, Selby and Murphy therefore I expect them to occupy the top 4 positions. I would like to see Jamie Cope take up his rightful place in the top 16 too, maybe even top 10 by this time next year.
Ding will be well inside the top 16 come the end of next season, I reckon. He showed definite signs of improvement/recapturing his old form in the last half of last season.
I also think Nigel Bond can make the top 16 again.
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
Bond is one of the best exponents of the safety game there is and can grind out frames that others simply can't.
This, "slap...bang....wallop" style of play is all well and good when you're playing well, but have an off-moment, for a few frames, as most do, and Nigel is right "in your face".
Great character, Nigel, too.
Loves a game of billiards and the odd wee "half lager" ;)
nigel had a awfull season he needs to improve drasticly or he is in free fall.
This time last year I would have said that Bond making the top 16 again would have just about been possible. Not now though, he is well down the provisional list as has been said and he will do well to remain in the top 32 for 2010/11.
I still have (perhaps misplaced) faith in a Ding resurgence.
The way Ding polished off Liang at the Crucible suggests the best is yet to come. We all know he's got the talent and he's still very young. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that he can win another 20 or so ranking events in the next 10 years.
I also fancy N.Bond to re-capture his top 16 place, although he may need a good UK and Worlds where his masterful tactical play can see off these all-out attack minded youngsters. Only 6 ranking events makes it more difficult so maybe we'll have to wait until 2010/11.
he is 20ish with 3 Ranking wins under his belt.
he will be back he has to much talent not to.
with respect to Wenbo he wont be winning tournaments at best he will be a semi finalist in Ranking Tournaments there will always be someone that will out play him.
O'sullivan will continue to decline. I will be surprised if he remains in the top four. Maguire will be the player to beat and only really threatened by Shaun Murphy and Lee.
Davis and Stephen Lee will retake there places in the top 16 and Wenbo will join them
The only predictions that I will make is that Joe Perry, Mark King, Mark Williams and alas, the Nuggett will all fall out of the top 16. Cope will get in, Dott will get back in - the other two places, anyone's guess. Higgins should remain top but I'd have Murphy hot on his heels and ready to assume Number 1 spot the following year. Ronnie will continue to tumble steadily down. I hope Selby can find his winning form again, for me he needs a good start to the season to have a chance of getting into the top 5. I'd predict Carter, Fu and Robertson to have mediocre seasons, and Maguire to remain high in the rankings by virtue of several semi final appearances.
Oh hang on that's quite a few predictions.
Mystic Meg
Ding has not won a match against a top 16 player in a ranking tournament since he lost to Ronnie in the Masters. That's two and a half year!
I believe that it will only take one breakthrough and he will rediscover his old form.
Reckon Judd Trump might sneak in aswell as Liang Wenbo. They are both quite well up and both are capable of a good run in events if they have a good draw
Thats what I meant Dave Ronnie is official number 1 I thought thats what I had said. He is not in decline, he won three tournaments more than anyone else last season.
hes still in decline though jamie
O'Sullivan is certainly NOT in decline!
He is in decline, no doubt about that. I've said for the last two seasons that his long game is just not as good as it was. His short game is still the best in the world, but if he wants to stay at the top his long potting has to improve markedly. The Ronnie of 3 seasons ago would never have lost some of the matches he's lost this year. You also have to question his commitment to the sport, which is a shame as it has given him so much.
With only 6 tournaments it is very hard to predict.
Dave,
Can I ask how you think Jimmy White will do next season? I saw him a few times last season and he still looked almost as good in and around the balls, but his safety play was shocking.
Do you think he can break the top 48 or even 32?
Like many snooker fans, I hope against my better judgement that Jimmy can turn things round.
But it'll be tough. He had a pretty good season last time but only went up nine places, despite winning more matches than some members of the top 16.
It's tough for him in the anonymity of Prestatyn - but then it's tough for everyone.
I'd be surprised if he got back in the top 32 but wouldn't rule out a return to the top 48.
Thanks Dave.
That was my thinking, he played well against people ranked 40+, but when he played the likes of Hawkins he lost.
I'm hoping to see a few matches of Jimmy v Wattana/Drago.
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