Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry snooker blog
Ronnie O’Sullivan drawn against Luca Brecel in Power Snooker
0482 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Ronnie O’Sullivan will take on 15-year old wonderkid Luca Brecel in the brand-new format Power Snooker at the end of this month at the Indigo2 Arena.
The three-time world champion has been pitted against the Belgian in a highly-anticipated tournament that has been dubbed the Twenty20 of snooker, and is expected to change the face of the sport.
“I was hoping to get one of the more well-known lads as I don’t think Power Snooker will suit them,” said O’Sullivan. “Luca is a real wildcard and I think he will be waiting to put me on my backside.”
Brecel, the Belgian champion, is excited at the prospect of playing the Rocket. “I was delighted to be one of the eight players to get into Power Snooker, and to go head to head with Ronnie is fantastic.
“This is not traditional snooker, this is a real shoot out and I think I can beat Ronnie. Power Snooker is a young man’s game,” he added.
Games in Power Snooker will last 30 minutes and points will count rather than frames. A diamond rack will replace the triangle set of reds, with only eight reds and a golden ball included. If a player pots the golden ball, it will trigger a two-minute power play which any points that are scored are doubled. There is also a 20-second shot clock.
The draw has also thrown up some exciting matches, with reigning world champion Neil Robertson taking on current Premier League champion Shaun Murphy, the Whirlwind Jimmy White against UK champion Ding Junhui, and current Masters champion Mark Selby against Shanghai Masters champion Ali Carter.
Ronnie O’Sullivan draws again while Ding Junhui gets off the mark
0487 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Ronnie O’Sullivan could only draw with Shaun Murphy in the snooker Premier League last night, while Ding Junhui overcame reigning Masters champion Mark Selby to win his first match of the event.
O’Sullivan versus Murphy always had a great ring to it, and the game was worthy of the audience’s ticket price as both players gave them a special treat.
In the build-up to the match, Murphy criticised O’Sullivan for his antics at the recent World Open – where he refused to pot the black for the 147 maximum break. When both players were asked about whether they had read the papers, both jokingly replied that they did have a quick look.
This game also was a repeat of last year’s Premier League final, with Murphy giving O’Sullivan a 7-3 pasting to be crowned champion. O’Sullivan certainly had two good reasons to get one over Murphy.
It looked as though Murphy was going to take the first frame being 52-0 up, but he missed an easy brown, leaving O’Sullivan to pinch it by five points. The current Premier League champion stormed to the second frame, missing out on the £1,000 bonus for a century as he broke down on 90.
O’Sullivan also missed out on a century bonus as he missed a red on a break of 93. The standard of play was exceptionally high, and Murphy levelled the match at 2-2 with a solid break of 71.
O’Sullivan paid the price in the next frame for using the rest while holding it in the air, allowing Murphy to go 3-2 in front and guarantee himself a point. A superb 110 break in the final frame of the evening ensured O’Sullivan would not lose.
“A needle match? You don’t play snooker with needle – you just play the balls and the table,” said O’Sullivan in response to Murphy’s comments. “I like playing Shaun and he plays a nice game. I find it harder playing the slower, boring players and then I get the needle because I can’t get to the table.
“We all say things. Look at the things I’ve said in the past, but it’s a pleasure to play Shaun. Papers twist and turn things but I take things with a pinch of salt and find it quite funny. Every interview from snooker people is about me.
“Ten years ago it would’ve made me more determined as I was a bit more of a competitive animal but now I’m playing more for enjoyment,” O’Sullivan added.
Murphy was in agreement with O’Sullivan over the comments. “I was pleased to see all the words were spelt correctly,” joked Murphy. “The papers do twist things but I didn’t like what went on at the World Open and was asked my opinion. Last time I checked, it was still ok in this country to voice your opinions.
“I also did say what a great guy Ronnie is and the game is better with him than without him. It was great to play the best player of the game in the last ten years,” he added.
In the first match of the night, UK champion Ding produced a flawless performance to beat Selby 4-2.
Ding was yet to win a game before his showdown with Selby, drawing with Mark Williams and O’Sullivan and losing to Murphy in week one. Against Selby he took the first frame with breaks of 54 and 69, but Selby levelled with a break of 50 after Ding missed several chances when breaking down on 44.
Knowing he should have been 2-0 up, Ding soon edged in front with a break of 78, and kept the run going in the next frame with a break of 69 to get at least a point. However, he made sure he wasn’t going to draw again by knocking in a fantastic 103 to inflict defeat on Selby. With the match out of his hands, Selby was on a maximum in the final frame, but he missed on 97 after leaving himself an awkward black, as he missed out on becoming the first player in the Premier League to make a 147.
Ding though was clinical and worthy of the win, and could even have whitewashed Selby.
Ronnie O’Sullivan and Shaun Murphy do battle in Premier League
0488 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Premier League snooker returns tonight for week four, and there are two fantastic matches on offer at the Brentwood Leisure Centre in Essex.
Reigning Masters champion Mark Selby takes on current UK champion Ding Junhui, while the clash of the evening is a repeat of last year’s Premier League final between champion Shaun Murphy and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan and Murphy have both won world and UK championships, and have met many times before, but this game will matter to both players. O’Sullivan is looking for revenge after losing 7-3 to Murphy in last year’s final. Unusually, O’Sullivan hasn’t won a match having played twice, while Murphy has a win and a defeat so far.
Murphy has added even more spice to this mouth-watering encounter by coming out this week branding O’Sullivan as “pathetic, unprofessional and disrespectful” following O’Sullivan’s refusal to pot the final black for a 147 maximum at the recent World Open in Glasgow.
O’Sullivan was persuaded to pot the black by referee Jan Verhaas after he staged a protest against no prize-money being made available for the 147, which he knew of before the tournament started.
While O’Sullivan said he was just having some fun, Murphy was not pleased about the Rocket’s actions. “I thought it was pathetic, unprofessional. It was disrespectful to the public who had paid to come and watch him play,” said Murphy. “£4,000 [prize for highest-break] is a lot of money to a lot of people. It was bad taste.”
Murphy could well have fired up O’Sullivan for tonight, and went on to say he is beginning to get annoyed by his antics on the table. “I’m a bit tired of all this ‘Ronnie’s Ronnie’ stuff. I don’t subscribe to it, that he should be allowed to get away with it. There’s no doubt Ronnie is the biggest draw in snooker and he is the person everyone flocks to watch. Snooker is better with Ronnie than without. He creates a buzz and I enjoy playing him.
“We play in the Premier League… as far as the players are concerned he is the benchmark even though he is not no.1. But from a bloke’s perspective, I watched what he did on TV and didn’t like it. Some of my mates thought it was quite funny when I told them but for the people who saw it, it was quite offensive,” said Murphy.
O’Sullivan will no doubt be desperate to get one over Murphy and give the crowd something to get excited about following the latter’s comments.
Selby beat reigning world champion and newly-crowned world No.1 Neil Robertson 4-2 last week, making breaks of 53, 104 and 119. After he lost his first match against Mark Williams, Selby played extremely well and showed why he is the Masters champion, making the big breaks at crucial times during the game.
Ding suffered a 5-1 hammering to Murphy in week one, and then battled for a point against O’Sullivan. Last week, he played out a 3-3 draw against an in-form Williams, making breaks of 68 and 65 after coming from 2-0 down.
Ding is yet to win a game so far in this year’s Premier League, but has played at his best in the draws against O’Sullivan and Williams and was unlucky not to win at least one of those games. A match against the Jester from Lester could go all the way, and Ding might have to settle for another draw.
Predictions: Ronnie O’Sullivan 4 Shaun Murphy 2, Mark Selby 3 Ding Junhui 3
Mark Selby beats world champion Neil Robertson in Premier League
0494 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Reigning world champion and world No.1 Neil Robertson began his Premier League snooker campaign with a 4-2 defeat last night to Mark Selby.
Marco Fu was also victorious, beating current Premier League champion Shaun Murphy 4-2, while Mark Williams and Ding Junhui played out a 3-3 draw.
Having beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan in last week’s World Open final 5-1, Robertson was unable to play at his usual best, with Selby stamping his authority to secure a good win. The first frame was slow to take off, as both players missed simple chances. Selby, the current Masters champion, managed to take it with a fine break of 53.
A re-rack was required in the second frame with Robertson and Selby jokingly agreeing to it, and it would be the world champion who would level the match with a great break of 69, using the baulk colours with pink and black out of play to score the points.
Selby picked up a £1,000 bonus for making a century in the third frame. His break of 104 put him 2-1 in front, and it was Selby’s second century of the competition. The next frame was the longest frame of the match, with safety play coming out on top. A break of 36 was not enough for Robertson, with Selby taking the frame and guaranteeing himself a point for his efforts.
The final two frames were extremely quick, and Robertson was unlucky not to pocket a £1,000 for a century after breaking down on 78. The Australian made the score 3-2 and has his eyes set on a point, but Selby stepped up and made his second century of the night, this time a 119 to take a good win and get off the mark in this year’s Premier League.
In the first match of the evening, Fu beat Murphy 4-2. Fu won the Championship League to reach the Premier League and drew his first match with Ronnie O’Sullivan in this event. Murphy began the competition in emphatic fashion, beating Ding 5-1 on the opening night.
Murphy took off in the opening frame last night and looked to have secured it, but when he ran out of position on a break of 55, Fu was able to take his chance with a reply of 76 to edge into the lead.
The 2005 world champion was soon level, with efforts of 32 and 33 enough to make the score one each. Murphy then took a 2-1 lead and was looking like he would run away with the game as he made a break of 77.
Both players had opportunities in the fourth frame, and Murphy would have been scratching his head thinking how he wasn’t 3-1 in front. He made 48 early on, but was not able to find position on the pink. Fu came back with a break of 40, and then a long safety battle took place. When Murphy missed the green with the rest, Fu was able to make it 2-2 much to his delight.
Fu went 3-2 in front with a decent break of 67, and was the likely player to take all two points when it looked as though he was going to lose. When Murphy missed frame ball on a break of 55, Fu held his nerve to clear up with 43 and take a valuable win.
“I’m really happy,” said Fu. “I won the first frame but Shaun played really well after that and looked like he was going to win 4-2 or 5-1. He was a bit unlucky and I managed to steal a few frames.
“Anything can happen in this game and it’s difficult to predict what’s going to happen. When Shaun missed the pink I felt I could clean up and I felt comfortable as I already had a point on the board,” Fu added.
UK champion Ding recovered from 2-0 down to take a point against the Welsh potting machine Williams.
Having reached the semi-finals of the World Open last week by beating Ding 3-2 from 2-0 down, Williams went in front after Ding misjudged a safety shot and then doubled his advantage with a break of 73.
Ding however managed to compose himself and contributed with a 68 to halve the deficit after it was looking like Williams would go 3-0 in front. Instead of being 3-0 down, Ding found himself level at 2-2 with an effort of 65.
Williams was playing the better snooker, and after an unbelievable fluke, where the red was meant to go into the bottom right pocket but when into the bottom left, he went 3-2 in front with a 49. Two breaks of 36 in the final frame ensured Ding would drew the match.
“The score of 3-3 was a fair result as we both played poorly and neither of us deserved to win,” said Williams. “In this league it doesn’t matter who you play as you know it’s going to be tough and even with a 2-0 lead it’s still hard to win the match.
“It was a nice lead but not one where you think you’ve thrown it away. But I’m certainly enjoying being back in the Premier League and I’m happy with 3-3,” Williams added.
Premier League snooker preview
0496 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Tomorrow night is week three of the Premier League, and reigning world champion Neil Robertson plays his first game in one of three matches at the Guild Hall in Preston.
The Premier League returns after taking a brief break because of the World Open, with Robertson taking on current Masters champion Mark Selby, Marco Fu playing reigning Premier League champion Shaun Murphy and Mark Williams taking on Ding Junhui.
Robertson claimed the sixth ranking title of his career by beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in last week’s World Open final. His 5-1 demolition of the Rocket confirmed him as the new world No.1, and the player to beat for the rest of the season. The Thunder from Down Under is not short on confidence at the moment and will be raring to begin his campaign in the league format.
Selby will have to be on top of his game as Robertson is in fine form. The last time Selby played in the league, he surrendered a 2-0 lead to Williams, who ran out a superb 4-2 winner on his return to the competition after five years. If there were any positives for Selby to take from the defeat, the fact he made breaks of 101 and 84 in around 20 minutes would have pleased him. As the reigning Masters champion, the Jester from Leicester suffered a shock exit from the World Open, losing 3-2 to Barry Hawkins. Selby has a lot to prove, and he always produces his best when there are questions asked of him.
Fu began the Premier League with a high-quality encounter against O’Sullivan. Although he drew 3-3, he played great snooker and was unfortunate not to win the game. A match against Murphy is a repeat of the 2008 UK Championship final, where Murphy was victorious in the deciding frame. Fu is considered the weakest opponent in this year’s competition, but he showed against O’Sullivan that he will be no pushover.
Murphy began the defence of his Premier League title in dominant fashion, winning 5-1 over Ding in week one. Like Selby, Murphy also suffered a shock early exit at the World Open last week, losing 3-0 to Dave Harold. Murphy will be keen to get back to winning ways, and Fu will have to play like he did against O’Sullivan to keep him at bay.
Williams enjoyed a great run in the World Open, reaching the semi-finals, but lost to Robertson 3-2 after having been 2-0 in front. Before playing Robertson, Williams beat Ding 3-2 after coming back from 2-0 down, and once again, they will do battle. In his second game in the Premier League, UK champion Ding shared the spoils with O’Sullivan in a 3-3 draw and put behind him the 5-1 drumming by Murphy.
If Williams and Ding play at their best, this could be the closest game of the night.
Predictions: Fu 2 Murphy 4, Ding 3 Williams 3, Robertson 4 Selby 2
Neil Robertson sets sights on the Masters
0497 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson has his eyes on snooker’s most prestigious tournament, the Masters, after his emphatic win over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the World Open final.
The Thunder from Down Under stormed to a 5-1 win over the Rocket to add the World Open to his world championship, and ended the tournament as the world No.1 as well.
O’Sullivan had no answer to Robertson’s game in the final last Sunday, as he made it six wins out of six in ranking event finals.
The Masters, which is set to begin in January 2011, is only open to the top-16 players in the world, and although it is not a ranking event, it remains one of the favourites for both the crowd and the players.
Robertson is continuing to build on his most successful year, and wants to add the Masters to his two Grand Prix wins, world championship, Welsh Open, Bahrain Championship and World Open. “The Masters is our biggest invitation tournament so it would be fantastic to follow up the world title by winning it,” he said.
“The players all look forward to it because it doesn’t have the pressure of ranking points but there’s a lot of money and prestige. The crowds are always big and rowdy and I love that atmosphere,” Robertson added.
Robertson lost 6-4 to O’Sullivan in last season’s Masters having been 3-0 in front. He made his Masters debut back in 2004, where he was defeated 6-2 by Wembley hero Jimmy White. “It was great to play Jimmy at his home venue, that was an amazing experience,” Robertson said reflecting on the match.
“It was my first televised match and after that I felt comfortable playing on TV because it couldn’t get more nerve-racking than that. I still watch that match on DVD sometimes and think about how far I have come since then.
“I don’t have a great record at the Masters. I’ve never even got to the semi-finals. I’ve proved that I can play my best at the biggest tournaments now so I want to perform at Wembley this time,” added the Australian.
Expect Robertson to improve on his record in the Masters come next year.
Neil Robertson trounces Ronnie O’Sullivan in World Open final
0498 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson hammered Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-1 in the snooker World Open final last night in Glasgow.
It is the sixth ranking title of the Australian’s career, and he continues to stun audiences with his attacking style of play and composure around the table. He also kept up his incredible 100% record in ranking event finals.
Having come from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the semi-final to an in-form Mark Williams earlier in the day, Robertson showed his true class to destroy the most-naturally gifted player to in the game. O’Sullivan wasn’t at his best, and Robertson was clinical when he was presented with the chances.
The Thunder from Down Under went 2-0 up against O’Sullivan by making breaks of 43 and 107, leaving O’Sullivan with plenty of work to do. However, he responded in typical O’Sullivan fashion by knocking in a fantastic break of 72, which was better than the 147 maximum he made earlier in the week, as the balls were in difficult positions and required perfect positional play.
O’Sullivan might have been thinking he was going to square the match at the mid-session interval, but he missed a simple pink, and those thoughts vanished rapidly, as Robertson made a break of 59 to lead 3-1.
The next frame was crucial for O’Sullivan, and he was under huge pressure to deliver, and when he missed a red into the centre pocket, Robertson once again took his chance and swept into a 4-1 lead, making a break of 66.
Three down with four frames left to play, O’Sullivan now had his back to the wall. When it looked like Robertson would cross the finishing line, he missed a difficult blue on a run of 30. O’Sullivan made 44 in response but missed the second-to-last red, and when he played a terrible safety shot, going in-off with the cueball, the balls were at Robertson’s mercy, and he didn’t disappoint, clearing to finish O’Sullivan off and collect the winners’ cheque for £100,000.
“Ronnie’s still my idol, whenever I get knocked out of a tournament I hope he wins it,” said Robertson. “I put him under pressure tonight and made some good breaks out of nothing, particularly the century in the second frame. There were some texts flying around before the final saying that this would be the one I would lose, and that fired me up.
“I’d only had a week and a half of really good practice before this because I’ve been so busy. I didn’t expect to play well until the UK Championship. I’ve won four BBC tournaments now, so my goals are to win the UK and the Masters and to do better in China. Having a title under my belt early in the season gives me the confidence to go on and win more,” Robertson added.
O’Sullivan will have the 147 he made, or nearly didn’t make, against Mark King to take away from the event, as well as the £40,000 runners-up prize. He knew there was no prize-money for the maximum when he asked referee Jan Verhaas at the time, but he will be happy to take the money and use it wisely.
“I’m always critical of myself but I have to give Neil credit, I take my hat off to him,” said the Rocket. “He’s playing like a world champion and world No 1. He’s a consistently great cueist, he’s confident and good under pressure. When John Higgins comes back they will have a good rivalry.
“I knew someone playing half as well as that would beat me. I was there for the taking and I shouldn’t have got to the final. I hit so many bad shots and my good breaks are few and far between,” said O’Sullivan.
Robertson is now the official world No.1 thanks to the new rankings system, which now works as a two-year rolling list. “It means the list is much more up to date and rewards players who are winning tournaments and doing well,” said Robertson in approval of the structure.
“To be world champion and world No 1 at the same time is a dream come true,” added the Australian.
World champion, world No.1 and now the World Open champion. A fine year for Robertson continues.
Ronnie O’Sullivan wins to set up Stephen Hendry clash
0502 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Three-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Jimmy White 3-1 to reach the last 16 of the snooker World Open in Glasgow.
After the madness of his refusal to pot the black for the 147 maximum on Monday, O’Sullivan missed easy balls in the opening frame today, presenting chances to White. However, the six-time world finalist looked nervous and couldn’t capitalise, allowing O’Sullivan took the lead.
The Rocket punished a miss from White to double his lead, rapidly clearing the table. White responded in the third frame in great style, knocking in a break of 88 to make the score 2-1.
White was playing some fantastic stuff, and he should have taken the match to a deciding frame, but after he missed a red into the right-middle pocket while on a break of 56, O’Sullivan took control and in typical fashion he cleared the table to set up a clash with Stephen Hendry in the next round.
“It’s great to play against Jimmy because he’s good to watch,” said O’Sullivan to BBC Sport. “But it’s unfortunate for him that he’s good to watch – it means you concentrate throughout rather than switching off. He started nervously but that’s only to be expected when you haven’t reached the latter stages of a tournament for a while. When I missed I got away with it.
“Then he got his rhythm and didn’t look like he wouldn’t miss. When he plays like that he’s still a top eight player. It was nice to play in front of a packed audience but I lost my rhythm a bit and it was tough. At one stage I struggled to even pot a red and black.
“I don’t like seeing Jimmy lose even if it me that is beating him but you have to go out to try to win the match. You need to treat jimmy like any opponent but he was my role-model and I love him,” added O’Sullivan.
Snooker World Open draw produces some cracking showdowns
0502 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
The draw for the last 16 of the snooker World Open in Glasgow was made last night, and the stand-out tie will be Stephen Hendry taking on either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Jimmy White.
The seven-time world champion will find out who his opponent will be today as O’Sullivan and White do battle.
All eyes will be on O’Sullivan after his 147 maximum break madness on Monday, where he refused to pot the final black after being told there was no extra prize-money available. The talk off the table has been about O’Sullivan wanting to have a bit of fun rather than protest about the money. Once again, the Rocket has spoken about quitting the game after speaking with World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn.
O’Sullivan’s focus must be on the table today, as White will be up for the battle as he is enjoying playing in front of the television cameras once again thanks to strong performances. A world finalist six times, White has found his love for snooker again, partly due to competing in the TV hit series I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here last year.
Even though it is the first to three frames, a match which sees the Rocket against the Whirlwind will produce fireworks, and the reward for one of these players is a match against the most successful player of all time.
Stephen Maguire’s win over Judd Trump enabled him to set up an all-Scottish affair with Alan McManus in the last 16. Maguire edged out Trump 3-2 last night, while McManus also won 3-2 against Matthew Stevens.
Another Scottish player Marcus Campbell beat Mike Dunn 3-1 in the previous round, but he will have a tough match on his hands against the reigning UK champion Ding Junhui, who has looked impressive so far in this event, dispatching Jimmy Michie comfortably 3-1.
Barry Hawkins has been the surprise package of the World Open. He stunned the current Masters champion Mark Selby in the first round, and continued his good form by beating 1997 world champion Ken Doherty yesterday. He is full of confidence, but so is his next opponent, Mark Williams.
The Welshman has been in scintillating form in the last few weeks. He beat Selby in the Premier league, and defeated recently-crowned Shanghai Masters champion Ali Carter 3-1 here in the last round. Many didn’t expect Hawkins to get this far, but it could be the end for him as Williams is playing extremely well at the moment.
Peter Ebdon has been quietly going about his business, and he will take on Liu Song in the last 16. Ebdon lost his place in the top-16 rankings last season for the first time in 16 years, but wins over Steve Davis and Fergal O’Brien are exactly what he needed to try and get the place back.
Jamie Cope will play Ricky Walden, while Stephen Lee takes on Martin Gould, who was a 3-0 winner over Matthew Couch last night.
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson has yet to play at his best, but he is doing enough, and a match against either Marco Fu or Andrew Higginson awaits the Australian.
Stephen Maguire beats Judd Trump in thrilling contest
0502 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Scotland’s Stephen Maguire beat Judd Trump 3-2 to reach the last 16 of the snooker World Open last night in Glasgow.
Four-time ranking event winner Maguire took the opening frame after making a break of 40, but Trump hit back immediately after knocking in a break of 51.
Maguire edged in front once again after making a 132 and had chances to wrap up the match, but when he jumped the final brown off the table, he conceded the frame despite trailing by 15 points with 22 on. Referee Jan Verhaas warned the Scotsman for the early concession of the frame.
Trump was presented with a chance in the deciding frame, but he missed a difficult blue to the centre pocket when the score was 24-31. Maguire sealed the win by adding 33 points to his total and book his place in the next round.
“I played well, I just missed a couple,” said Maguire. “The worst was that brown in the fourth frame, although I didn’t think I’d hit it hard it enough for it to jump off the table. I get warned in nearly every match but I’m not going to do it twice. Judd had a chance at 2-2 so lucky for me he didn’t take it.”
In the night’s other match, Martin Gould beat Matthew Couch 3-0, making a break of 89 along the way to advance to the last 16. “I played very well and felt at ease,” Gould said.