Murphy beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in last year’s final, and on his return as reigning champion proved too much for Ding.

Ding was on course to take the opening frame with a break of 51, but Murphy was able to steal it, and then he took a 2-0 lead after Ding broke down on a break of 28.

The UK Champion responded in the third frame by constructing a 65 break, but Murphy opened up a 3-1 lead when he made a superb 124, collecting an extra £1,000 for his efforts to guarantee himself a point.

Ding was given an opportunity to pull another frame back after Murphy missed a red on a break of 55, however, when he missed an easy red to the right-middle pocket on a 31 break, Murphy was able to clinch the frame and the two points. The 2005 world champion ended the night by making his second century in the final frame, a 109.

“Job well done, a good start,” said Murphy. “It’s a long tournament though and it’s not how you start though, it’s about getting in the top four and that was a good start. Winning frames you’re not meant to is like a double whammy as it gives you a boost and it’s also what it does to the other player.

“The scoreline was flattering though as Ding played well in parts, but I’ve got a happy but long drive home,” he added.

Six-time Premier League champion O’Sullivan had to settle for a point against Marco Fu in the second match of the night after drawing 3-3.

The opening frame was more than 20 minutes long, but Fu seized the initiative by knocking in a break of 63. Three-time world champion O’Sullivan hit back immediately with breaks of 76 and 61 to square the tie.

Fu, winner of the Premier League back in 2003, was not to be overhauled by the Rocket, and he edged in front again after making 47. The match was turning into a high-quality affair, as O’Sullivan recorded his first century of the match with a 119 break.

O’Sullivan was playing well, and so was Fu, and it would be the man from Hong Kong who secured a point after making an excellent 87. Playing catch-up all night, O’Sullivan ensured the match would end as a draw as he made his second century break, clearing the table with a 103.

“I played all right and scored when I was in the balls. Marco looked comfortable at the table so I’ve got to be happy with the point,” said O’Sullivan.

“[Finishing] 3-3 is kind of a fair result as we both had chances to win the match. I played better and felt a little more comfortable as we’re playing more matches this year. I feel confident and hopefully can continue like this,” said Fu.

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan has pulled out of the Shanghai Masters – the first ranking event of the season – which starts on Monday. O’Sullivan is the defending champion, and there was confusion surrounding his withdrawal.

He informed World Snooker of the decision last night, but the story breaking the news had been removed from their website, fuelling rumours he hadn’t pulled out. However, it has been confirmed he will miss the tournament, citing personal reasons was behind the decision.

O’Sullivan said in a statement: “This has been a very difficult decision to make, however I have a very young family and at this moment I need to spend more time with them. I’m truly sorry to my fans in China, I love meeting and playing in front of some of the most passionate people in the world. I very much look forward to returning to China soon.”

World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chairman Barry Hearn said: “It’s very disappointing for his fans in China but we understand the personal reasons behind Ronnie’s withdrawal.”

Also, John Higgins will find out next week whether he is found guilty of match-fixing. Higgins, along with his manager Pat Mooney, stand accused by the Sunday newspaper News of the World for agreeing to throw frames in exchange for £261,000. He is expected to be attending a hearing on Tuesday.

Ronnie O’Sullivan is looking to win the Premier League for the seventh time in his career, and who would bet against him?

The Rocket takes off when he’s on the table, and because the Premier League format incorporates a shot-clock, it suits O’Sullivan right down to the wire. He was sent crashing down to earth in last year’s final, when Shaun Murphy denied him making it five triumphs on the spin. However, O’Sullivan enjoys playing in the Premier League, and he’ll want to get his hands back on the trophy once again.

If you take O’Sullivan out of the equation, then any one of the remaining six players can win the Premier League.

Mark Selby is the Masters champion, having won the tournament twice in the last three years. He could be the man to challenge O’Sullivan. They have played each other on many occasions on the biggest stages. Selby has beaten O’Sullivan recently in the last eight of the world championship and in the Masters final, and when they cross paths they always serve up a tremendous feast. Selby as a minimum will reach the semi-finals.

Don’t rule out the reigning world champion Neil Robertson. The Australian comes off the back of a fantastic season, as he kicked it off by winning the Grand Prix and ended it by becoming world champion. Like O’Sullivan, he likes to play at a quick tempo, and the format of the Premier League will see him be a force to be reckoned with.

The Welsh potting machine Mark Williams is another player who flies around the table. His relaxed-style of play along with good speed makes him a player to be aware of, and like Selby expect him to reach the semi-finals. Former world champion Murphy is looking to defend his title, but with O’Sullivan, Selby and Williams around, it will be a hard task for him. The added incentive of being reigning champion might get Murphy to the final, but definitely the semi-finals.

China’s Ding Junhui was the form player last season, winning the UK Championship and losing in two other ranking finals. He’ll be difficult to beat in the round-robin phase, but he might come up short in reaching the semis.

Marco Fu won the Premier League back in 2003. Repeating that feat again won’t happen, and the best Fu can hope for is not to finish bottom of the league.

Bank on O’Sullivan, Selby, Williams and Murphy to reach the last four, and out of the bunch, O’Sullivan is definitely the man to beat.

Now in its 25th year, the Premier League has been won by snooker’s greats, Stephen Hendry (six), O’Sullivan, (six), Steve Davis (four), Jimmy White (one) and John Higgins (one).

This year’s field is made up of seven players who have each won a major event during the 2009/10 season, and the competition is as tough as ever.

Murphy upset the odds in last year’s Premier League, beating Higgins in the semi-finals and defeating O’Sullivan, the man who won this trophy for five years on the spin, 7-3 in the final. The 2005 world champion begins the defence of his title against Ding Junhui, and is anticipating a great battle.

“Ding and I always have great matches,” he said.

“This year at the world championships I edged through and a few weeks ago I played him in a tournament in China and beat him in the final. Maybe I’ve inflicted a bit of mental scarring and it will be good to see how the season opener kicks off,” said Murphy.

Murphy scraped into the semi-finals after starting the tournament badly last year, and this year he knows he cannot repeat the feat as defending champion.“It’s going to be very difficult to win the title again but having said that Ronnie did it for five years so it can be done,” he said.

“I’m hoping to make a better start to the campaign than I did last year but if I finish it like I did last year then I’ll consider it a success. I had a really bad start and was nowhere after a few weeks as I was bottom and propping up the table. I just snuck into the play-offs but it doesn’t matter where you finish as long as you’re in the top four,” added Murphy.

Last season Ding won the UK Championship for the second time in his career and was unfortunate not to win more ranking events as he made it to the final of the Grand Prix and China Open. The 23-year-old came of age last campaign, and has fine-tuned his game and matured into a great competitor.

The other match of the opening night pits O’Sullivan against Marco Fu – who qualified for the Premier League by beating Mark Allen to clinch the Championship League. O’Sullivan is out to avenge last year’s defeat to Murphy, and Fu, who won this event back in 2003, is aware of this.

“Ronnie is the man to beat and probably the favourite to win the tournament,” said Fu. “I had a good record against him but have lost the last four or five times we met so it’s going to be tough but hopefully I can perform well.”

O’Sullivan only won the Shanghai Masters last season, and by his standards had a poor season, but he always entertains gives the crowd their money’s worth when he turns up for the Premier League, and this year should be no different.

The other players in the Premier League are Neil Robertson, Mark Williams and Mark Selby.

Robertson is the reigning world champion after conquering the Crucible back in May. The Australian enjoyed one of his best campaigns last season, winning the Grand Prix for the second time and going on to become the first official world champion from Down Under. He also climbed up to second in the rankings.

Williams returned to form last season by proving to be a hard nut to crack at the majority of tournaments, and won his first ranking title in four years by beating home favourite Ding to win the China Open. The two-time champion of the world and former world No.1 will be a difficult opponent to face in this competition, and the quick-fire format will suit his game.

Masters champion Selby is hoping to go one better in the Premier League after he lost the final to O’Sullivan in 2008 on his debut in the tournament. Selby won the Masters at Wembley Arena for the second time in three years, and beat O’Sullivan 10-9 in a thrilling final in January. His Masters triumph was the only highlight of an uneventful campaign for the Jester, despite reaching the world championship semi-finals.

The Premier League will be played in a round-robin format over a 10-week timeline, with the top four qualifying for the semi-finals. Matches will be played over six frames, with players getting two points for a win and one for a 3-3 draw.

One man who will not be appearing in this year’s Premier League is Higgins. The three-time world champion will find out soon whether he is found guilty of match-fixing after Sunday newspaper News of the World caught Higgins and his manager Pat Mooney on tape agreeing to throw frames for £261,000. Although Higgins has denied any wrong-doing, he could be banned for a lengthy period of time should he be found guilty.

Higgins is currently suspended from all World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association tournaments, and sources close to the WPBSA say he will not be appearing at the first two ranking events of the season, the Shanghai Masters and the World Open. Even though the Premier League is not classed as a ranking tournament, Higgins still will not appear because of his current situation.

The three-time champion of the world says he has nothing to prove and is focusing on the future of the game. “I don’t feel like I’ve got anything to prove to anybody, other than the obviously high standards I set myself – which I don’t believe to be high, they’re just standards I believe to be achievable,” he said speaking to Sky Sports.

O’Sullivan had dropped to world No.3 in the official rankings, but after a series of wins in the recent Players Tour Championships, he has now climbed up to second. However, the Rocket says he would rather help the development of youngsters in the sport than concentrate on reclaiming the world No.1 spot from John Higgins.

“Getting to No.1…it would be nice but I’m not going to break my neck. Winning another world title…it would be nice but I’m not going to break my neck. I just enjoy giving back to the sport. I hope there are moments of joy that I can bring to people that watch the game. I hope there are moments I can help other young players achieve their dreams coming into snooker – I hope there’s something I can give back to the sport in that way.

“Not because I want to be seen as a goody two-shoes that wants to be seen as the ambassador of snooker, because it’s not like that at all. But working with young players coming through who want to be the best and who want to win tournaments.

“I would like to, in some way, set up a facility where they can come and practice and play with me and I can show them what worked for me and try and add on a bit of advice,” said O’Sullivan.

He has made nine 147-maximum breaks in his career and is a winner of 22 ranking tournaments. Also, he lies second in the all-time century break list with over 600, behind Stephen Hendry, who has nearly 750. When given the chance, he takes it, and there is no one better than O’Sullivan when he break-builds.

The 34-year old has always contemplated the possibility of walking away from snooker, but since the arrival of new World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chairman Barry Hearn, the ambidextrous entertainer has found a new lease of life, thanks to Hearn’s transformation of the sport.

“As far I’m concerned, I just want to be involved in snooker as long as I can. If it ain’t competing then it’s going to be from the sidelines and still being involved in trying to give back to the sport that I love – but it sometimes doesn’t come across like that,” O’Sullivan added.

He is a genius when he plays, but that genius comes with many flaws. He famously walked out on a match against Stephen Hendry in the UK Championship in 2006, and en route to winning his second world crown in 2004 gave a two-finger gesture to the crowd. He comes across as a player who loses interest very easily, but according to O’Sullivan it is far from that.

“Sometimes people think ‘well why is he doing it if he hates it that much?’ I love it that much I get frustrated with it. But you know what, people are going to have to put up with that and just get used to me because I probably won’t be going away soon,” said O’Sullivan.

So, fans of O’Sullivan, you can be reassured from the man himself that he will not be putting his cue away for good just yet.

Snooker without the Rocket wouldn’t be the same would it?

The man from Norwich defeated O’Sullivan 4-3 in the final of the fourth event of the Players Tour Championship to collect the top prize of £10,000 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield.

O’Sullivan only dropped four frames and was the form player en route to the final, beating the likes of Dominic Dale, Marco Fu, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Ken Doherty and Ryan Day.

Pinches though enjoyed a fine win over Mark Williams in his semi-final clash and had a fairly easier passage to the final, overcoming Liu Song, Matthew Selt, Jak Jones and Chan Ze.

Three-time world champion O’Sullivan took the opening frame with a break of 60, but Pinches hit back immediately with a knock of 50 to level the match. O’Sullivan then took a 3-1 lead with contributions of 83 and 58, but Pinches claimed frames five and six to go only one behind.

Looking like he would take the victory, O’Sullivan broke down on a break of 47 when 26 points ahead, and Pinches held his nerve to clear the table and take the match to a deciding frame. Momentum fully with the 40-year-old, Pinches took the title with a match-winning clearance of 64 to upset the odds.

“I’m not usually very good in deciding frames so I was delighted to make a good break,” said the player, officially ranked 57 in the world.

“I’ve made a couple of technical changes this season, but the main reason my results have been good is that I’m enjoying the game, and practising hard because I’ve always got something to work towards. To come to these PTC events and play in terrific conditions against top-class opponents is just fantastic, I can’t praise these tournaments enough.”

Pinches earned less than £20,000 on the circuit last year, but already in these four events he has clocked up a total of over £17,000. “The money is very significant for me, and so are the ranking points,” he said.

The man who has never been beyond the quarter-final stages of a ranking event heaped praise on his opponent as well.

“I’m also really pleased to beat Ronnie as I’d lost all three matches we’d played before. It’s great to see him supporting these events, he doesn’t need the ranking points but he just gets a buzz from playing the game.”

On May 2nd, the scandal was revealed on the day of the world championship final at the Crucible. The footage shows Higgins and his manager in a Ukrainian hotel in Kiev talking about the best way to cover up the money he receives and how easy it would be to decide the outcome of a frame. It reveals Higgins with his manager Mooney agreeing on a price of £261,000, to throw frames in four separate matches in the World Series later this year.

The matter was thoroughly investigated by David Douglas, a former Metropolitan police chief superintendent, now in charge of disciplinary matters on the board of the World Professional Snooker and Billiards Association (WPBSA). The case has now been passed on to an independent dispute resolution service Sport Resolutions (UK), with an outcome set to be decided in early September. Higgins is currently suspended from all WPBSA tournaments, but a decision should be made before the first ranking tournament in Shanghai on September 6th.

Reports suggested the News of the World were reluctant to hand over all of the filming fearing that Higgins and Mooney could take legal action, but the publication had denied any such occurrence. Higgins and Mooney face charges of match-fixing, bringing the game into disrepute and accepting or pretending to accept a proposition related to gambling on frames.

Both Higgins and Mooney have denied any wrong-doing, and a spokesman for Higgins said: “Throughout this process we have avoided being drawn on speculation or conjecture. Given there is a quasi-judicial procedure ongoing, it would be wrong for us to comment. We are completely focused on clearing John’s name in relation to the accusations of match fixing.”

Born in Belfast, “Hurricane” Higgins burst onto the professional circuit at the age of 22, and won his first world championship at his first attempt in 1972, beating John Spencer 37-31 in the final. His quick style of play accompanied with flair and flamboyancy around the table caught the eye of the public, who were seeing someone different to the traditional snooker player.
With an unorthodox technique, Higgins revolutionised snooker throughout the 1980s, packing out audiences whenever he played and making the sport extremely popular. In 1982, he would beat Ray Reardon 18-15 in the world championship final at the Crucible, lifting his second world title.

His life was plagued with controversy both on and off the snooker table. He once punched a World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) official, head-butted a tournament director and threatened to have fellow Northern Irishman Dennis Taylor shot. As well as a heavy drinker and smoker, and an excessive gambler, he had divorces from two women, Lynn and Cara, and was stopped from seeing his two children Lauren and Jordan.

Towards the end, Higgins’ health rapidly deteriorated. He only weighed around six stone, and resorted to eating baby food because he had no teeth. Money had been raised so he could have teeth implants, but that will now be used to pay for Higgins’ funeral.

WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn said: “He was one of snooker’s great champions and one of its great characters. He did so much to make snooker popular and drag it out of the doldrums in the early 1970s. He didn’t always see eye-to-eye with the authorities, but there is no doubt that the sport owes him for where it is today. He will be sadly missed by the players who knew him and of course his friends and family.”

Higgins beat Jimmy White in the semi-finals 16-15 en route to his second world crown, and produced one of the greatest breaks in snooker history, a 69 clearance when he was 15-14 down and the score at 59-0. The passing of a snooker great has saddened White. “I was crying all yesterday [on Saturday]. I’m absolutely devastated. I was in awe of him. I didn’t always agree with what he did but I loved him. I have lost a friend and I will remember him forever. Alex took snooker in the 1970s to the heights which it reached in the 1980s – that was all down to him.”

Even though Taylor felt the full force of one of Higgins’ diatribes, he insists all is in the past. “The argument between us is history now. We had a lot of good times together as well. Alex and I go back many years. We are virtually the same age so we came up through the snooker ranks together. Alex was a complete one-off, a special talent. There will never be another Alex Higgins.”

Three-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan revealed the reason why he picked up a snooker cue was because of the Hurricane. “Alex Higgins was one of the real inspirations behind me getting into snooker. He is a true legend and should be forever remembered as being the finest ever snooker player.”

Steve Davis felt Higgins was “a breath of fresh air” which brought the public to watch snooker. “To people in the game he was a constant source of argument, he was a rebel. He was an inspiration to my generation to take the game up. I do not think his contribution to snooker can be underestimated. He was quite a fierce competitor – he lived and breathed the game, very much a fighter on the table.”

The original “People’s champion” , Hurricane Higgins has left his mark on the green baize.

O’Sullivan hasn’t won a world crown since 2008, but is now the favourite to win the tournament following the exit of defending champion John Higgins. The Rocket brushed aside the challenge of Mark Williams 13-10 in a high-quality encounter, with both players playing to their very best. A return to form for Williams was not enough to stop O’Sullivan from surging into the next round, and he sealed the win in great style with back to back centuries.

“It was nice to get through that game and come through against a top quality player. I’ve played too many up-and-down games over the years to get excited about it.

“It would be nice to keep applying the pressure to the opponent because that makes your job a bit easier. To be fair the last three or four years I’ve played better than I have in the previous twelve years, so it’s not all doom and gloom.  It’s a big tournament and we all want to do well. There are a lot of nerves so it’s probably difficult to enjoy yourself,” said O’Sullivan.

Selby came through his last match unscathed against seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry 13-5. The Jester from Leicester won a couple of frames that proved to be turning points in the match. One of them he won after needing two snookers, and the other from 60-odd points behind. The first session was tied at 4-4, but Selby blitzed his way through the second session wining seven of the eight frames and lead 11-5, and only needed two frames in the evening to wrap up the win.

“In the second session I did most of the damage. I scored at every opportunity I had. I seemed a bit flat going out there in the evening session because I knew if I mind my work I’d get over the line so it was difficult but I got over the line,” Selby said.

Matches between O’Sullivan and Selby always produce great spectacles. The Masters final in 2010 went all the way, with Selby coming from the brink at 9-6 down to pip O’Sullivan 10-9 and win The Masters for the second time in three years.  In the previous year at that tournament Selby lost to O’Sullivan in the final 10-8. In 2008, Selby won his first ranking event from 8-5 behind to win 9-8 at the Welsh Open. They also met at the 2007 UK championship semi-final, where The Rocket fired in one of the best 147 maximums in the final frame to win 9-8.

“If I approach a game differently and change my plan that will affect me as well. Ronnie hasn’t got many weaknesses so it would be hard to pick any out. I’d rather not play him at all, more often than not you expect to find Ronnie at the latter end of tournaments so if he’s in your half you expect to have to play him at some point,” Selby said.

Ali Carter v Shaun Murphy

Carter booked his place in the last eight with a 13-11 win over Joe Perry. The Captain is playing in his third quarter-final in the last four years. Carter was in a commanding lead over Perry, leading 10-6 overnight, but Perry managed to win five frames in a row to snatch the lead. However, the 2008 runner-up at Sheffield was not going to let the match slip away, and he took the next three frames to win.

“At 11-10, I was looking adversity in the face but I pulled it out of the bag. I felt flat going out in the last session, which doesn’t make a lot of sense but being behind kick started me. Wanting to win so badly makes you lose. You get in your own way. It’s only when you get older that you realise that,” Carter said.

Murphy, who battled past Ding Junhui 13-10, is next for Carter. Murphy was 5-3, 8-6 and 10-9 behind, but he began to find his form, and he powered in a winning break of 128 to go through.

“I’m very pleased and over the moon to win. There was a time in my career a few seasons ago when I played Ding and I came out on top. That changed and the last few times he’s won but here at the biggest tournament I’m glad to have won.

“This is where the rubber hits the road. The eight players that are left are probably the best eight in the game at the minute and I’m very excited to be among those eight. Last time Ali played me here he came out on top so I’ll be looking to turn the tables,” Murphy said.

Both quarter-finals begin at 2.30pm today.

If you had offered Steve Davis the chance of playing in the quarter-finals of the snooker world championship before it began this year, what would he have done? He probably would have laughed and said “no chance.”

All joking aside, it is really happening, and on his 30^th appearance at The Crucible, Davis is now the oldest player to compete at this stage for 27 years since the late Eddie Charlton, who was 53-years-old.

Going into the tournament as a 500-1 outsider, Davis’ odds have now been slashed following his magnificent triumph over defending world champion John Higgins to as near as 40-1. He completed a remarkable 13-11 win, and was playing snooker that was close to his very best.

“In the build up to the worlds all I thought about was to practice and get better and better. I thought all I’ve got to do is come to the Crucible and keep my head still. It’s a simple thought.

“Relief does come first and then the dawning realisation that I’ve knocked John out. Then he came over and wished me the best, he’s such a great champion and sportsman. You couldn’t beat a nicer bloke,” Davis said.

The 52-year-old doesn’t play the game with the same intensity as he used to when he dominated the 1980s. “This is a hobby to me now. There was a time it was my bread and butter and I didn’t look forward to it even if I knew I was going to win,” Davis said.

When he was at the peak of his game and winning almost everything, The Nugget had to deal with the boos from the crowd. Now, it is the complete opposite. Not as good as he used to be, he receives standing ovations and great applause from the fans, and he goes into the games now as a firm fans’ favourite. “I hated the process of having to prove I was going to win. Nobody thinks that now and people will be just pleased if I go through. There was a time when everybody booed.” said Davis.

A six-time champion of the world, Davis last won a ranking event 15 years ago at the Welsh Open, and it is 21 years since he won his last world championship. Despite being in the quarter-finals, he is not thinking about adding number seven to the list.

“I am not looking there. It is one round at a time, one frame at a time, one ball at a time. It’s just another match, that is the only way I can look at it. In one respect it is fantastic, but on the other hand, it is only the second round and there is a long way to go in the tournament. But for the time being, I will savour it,” said Davis.

Introduced as “he used to be called Nugget, now he is simply legend”, Davis is the ultimate ambassador for snooker, and is proving that he can still play at the highest level. “I’m probably the best player of the 1980s and it’s natural I’ve lasted the longest coming into another era. I should have outstayed my era and the fact I’m still turning up makes me delighted.”

Usually at this point of a tournament Davis would be on the sofa with the BBC team, but now, the sofa will have to wait for a little bit longer, as he prepares for his last eight match with Neil Robertson. Davis in the quarter-finals.

Could it be another golden oldie moment for The Nugget?

The Welshman, though, valiantly battled back from 5-3 down to beat Ding 10-6 to secure his first title for four years.

The 35-year-old former world champion had been stuck in a rut during those four long years, struggling to make his presence felt on the snooker circuit.

However, this long-overdue win netted the “over the moon” Williams a winners’ cheque for £55,000 and provided the Welshman with a clear indicator that his snooker career is not over just yet.