Stephen Hendry snooker blog
Posts tagged Barry Hearn
Ronnie O’Sullivan may walk away after 147 madness
0504 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Ronnie O’Sullivan has hit back at his critics over his refusal to complete his 147 maximum break at the snooker World Open yesterday.
On his way to beating Mark King 3-0, he asked referee Jan Verhaas what the prize-money would be for making a 147, to which Verhaas said there would be no extra money on top of the £4,000 highest-break prize. With this is mind, O’Sullivan potted the final pink and refused to pot the 15th and final black. Verhaas persuaded him to do it, and the Rocket fired home the black to complete a record 10th official maximum break.
After the match, it was believed O’Sullivan refused to pot the black in protest of no additional money being made available, but speaking to radio station talkSPORT, he said: “I’m not going to change, I’ll never change. I was talking to Barry Hearn [World Snooker chairman] yesterday and I told him, ‘If you like, that can be my last game of snooker ever. I’m quite happy to walk away’ – and I mean that.
“I’m not going to change. I’m going to carry on doing what I do. I don’t hurt anybody. I love my sport. I’m not a cheat. I’m not into gambling. I play snooker because I love the game and try to play to the best of my ability. I said to Barry that I’m not the most confident person when I’m out there and it’s hard for me to get up for playing. That’s why I’m happy to walk away.
“I sometimes get frustrated with my own performance because I like to play at a high level all the time and, when I don’t do that, my behaviour can reflect that because I do strange things.”
O’Sullivan, who has dropped down to No.6 in the world rankings, will now play Jimmy White in the last 16, and has admitted he was just “having some fun” yesterday.
“I just thought I’d have a bit of fun. The money wasn’t an issue. I just thought I’d ruffle a few feathers to get everyone on their toes. The 147 was on and I fancied it, even though I’m not playing well. I don’t fancy myself to win this tournament because I’m not playing well enough, but I can make a maximum.
“So I thought I’d go for it and I didn’t mean anything malicious by it [the refusal to pot the black]. I really wasn’t going to pot the black but I can’t believe everyone’s getting so crazy about it.
“My biggest buzz in my sport was when I was playing at 16 in front of my hero, Stephen Hendry, and it was the first time he’d seen me play. I was playing James Wattana and I made a 140 break and decided not to pot the black. And Hendry just looked as if to say, ‘You know what, I like that.’ It’s something only other top sportsmen would appreciate.
“I’m a bit disappointed that everyone is finding the negative in it because it’s about entertainment and expressing yourself, and that’s all I was doing.
“It was about proving a point, not about the money. I’ll give the £4,000 to charity because it’s not the money. It would be nice if there was a bigger prize – I think there should be really – but I wasn’t losing any sleep over it. It’s just weird what some people read into it,” said O’Sullivan.
Snooker launches anti-corruption unit
0505 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
World Professional and Billiards Association chairman Barry Hearn has unveiled “zero tolerance” rules on betting.
In a press conference this lunchtime, Hearn said anyone in both snooker and darts – which he is chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation as well- who are involved in any form of betting will be given a lifetime ban.
The announcement comes on the back of snooker’s latest scandal, in which John Higgins was found not guilty of match-fixing after a sting by the News of the World had footage of Higgins and his then manager Pat Mooney of apparently agreeing to throw frames for money at a future event.
Higgins was found guilty of failing to report a would-be corruptor to the sport, and was fined £75,000 and banned until November, while Mooney was deemed solely responsible for the situation and permanently banned from snooker.
Higgins has agreed to take part in a new educational programme which will teach players about the consequences of betting and make them aware of the standards set by the WPBSA.
“Over the next couple of weeks we have a build-up to a board meeting on October 7th, which will approve a while range of new rules which will clearly set down the parameters that we want to see professional sport under and I believe it will take us to the very top of the queue in terms of integrity issues in sport,” Hearn said.
“We will be making sure that all the professional players involved in darts and snooker are aware that it is totally against the rules for anyone to have any financial gain whatsoever from any betting activity in these sports. In other words, no betting on anything. And that would involve not just betting on matches, but betting on parts of matches. This would involve savers, insurance bets on prize money, laying off bets on maximum breaks or high breaks. It’s a total blanket on any form of gambling. Anyone that breaks these rules is an instant lifetime ban from the sport,” he added.
David Douglas – a former Metropolitan police detective chief superintendent- now in charge of disciplinary matters on the WPBSA board, will be joined by Lord Stevens, chairman of Quest, as well.
Hearn went on to say: “Integrity in sport should be zero tolerance. We should always remember the most important people, not just the television companies that televise our sport or the sponsors who sponsor our sport, the most important people is the punter that buys the ticket or the viewer that watches professional sport at home on television.
“These people have got to enjoy their sport in the knowledge that the sport is cleaner than clean, that everyone is giving a hundred per cent all the time and that no-one is involved in any financial benefit whatsoever other than the prize money they are playing for. In terms of gambling, it needs to be completely and totally outlawed.
“We will be setting up, under Lord Stevens’ guidance, private confidential emails and phone numbers so that anyone who has anything to report has the obligation to report that. Failure to report, once again comes back to a lifetime ban.
“It’s time for all sport to take a very strong grip and a look at itself. We live in a different world, we live in a world of temptation, a world that requires education on the pitfalls that can be there by trusting other people, by being gullible and naive. We need to make sure we have systems in place to help these people, we don’t want a problem we want to guarantee that we will never have a problem.
“Setting up the Integrity Unit is a process we started several months ago – before the John Higgins case came about – by bringing Douglas on to the board. Snooker is a sport associated with honesty and sportsmanship, we’ve all seen countless occasions where players have owned up to fouls not spotted by the referee.
“Unfortunately in recent months we’ve had some high-profile cases which have tarnished the image of the game, and it’s vital for the future of snooker that we stamp out corruption and make sure we are clean, and perceived as clean by the viewing public. We have made massive strides forward commercially this year with new and successful events with exciting formats. But that progress must not be hindered by any form of corruption.”
Snooker legend Alex Higgins passes away
0552 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Two-time world champion Alex Higgins passed away on Saturday at the age of 61 after 12 hard-fought years battling against throat cancer.
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.
Hearn sets sights on Berlin rankings event
0749 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
New snooker chief Barry Hearn has already made a big impact since taking charge of the sport: introducing entrance music to revitalise its appeal to the masses just one of his early marks on the game.
The 61-year-old, who also chairs the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), has now revealed that his next big plan is to introduce a rankings event to Berlin by February 2011 – moving a step closer to cracking the European market.
Although German promoters Dragonstars have insisted that suggestions a deal has been signed are premature, they have confirmed that negotiations have begun.
Before any deal is signed, though, there are rumours that the venue could even be changed to Munich. The popularity of the sport in Germany is the key factor why Hearn is determined to introduce a ranking event to the country, and the snooker chief is keen to select the most appropriate destination.
Currently there are no German players on the pro tour, but the non-ranking Paul Hunter Classic held in Furth, is always a big hit with the Germans, attracting large crowds as well as the sport’s top players.
“The basis of the game is good,” Hearn told the BBC after Sunday’s Masters final.
“It just needs a few simple things to freshen it up. Europe is right up there at the forefront of my plans.”
This year’s Masters has captured the imagination of the public – both those inside Wembley Arena and those watching on television. And although a few snooker purists may have been sceptical of Hearn’s initial impact with regards to the entrance music, it’s hard to deny that it didn’t raise a lot more smiles, while letting the players’ personalities shine through a little more in the process.
The surge in popularity with the darts over recent years is largely down to Hearn’s influence, and the likes of world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan are now expecting snooker to follow suit and to subsequently flourish under his management.
Hearn only became chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association last month, but has already lightened up the sport during his first major tournament in charge. And the Masters final between O’Sullivan and Selby was evidence that the added entrance music takes nothing away from the quality of the matches.
While a deal is struck out to introduce a rankings event to Germany, another more unconventional plan for an intriguing single-frame tournament has also been drawn-up.
The idea is that the sport’s top 64 players will all compete in a one-frame shoot-out, and the winner will receive a cheque for £32,000. With 12 minutes per frame and a 20-second shot clock, it’s an entirely different premise to every other snooker tournament around at the moment, although snooker fans will remember the hugely popular Pot Black which ran throughout the 1970s and 80s.
The equivalent of a penalty shoot-out in football, there would be no margin for error and a true test of a players resolve in unfamiliar circumstances.
Despite concerns of the sport gradually moving away from its traditional roots, the sport needs to evolve to ensure it doesn’t die – and this is why Hearn has been appointed. In less than two months, the snooker chief has revitalised elements of the game, and in general the supporters have responded very positively.
Expanding the sport’s profile across Europe can only be a good thing for the game, too, and snooker fans appear to have every reason to be optimistic for the near future.
Rob Swan
Snooker looks to Hearns to provide big break
0777 days
by Elisabeth
in Uncategorized
The year began, as always, with the prestigious Masters tournament at the Wembley Arena in London. Defending champion was Mark Selby who went all the way to the final only to be defeated by Ronnie O’Sullivan, thereby taking his fourth Masters title.
O’Sullivan did have a great tournament, making eight century breaks despite having smashed his cue a few days before the tournament began.
The next tournament was the Welsh Open where, again, the defending champion was Selby. The tournament was however won by Ali Carter who took his first ranking title, and then the players travelled to Beijing for the China Open brought a final between John Higgins and Peter Ebdon that ended 10-8 in favour of Ebdon.
The World Championship was a dramatic one even before the main event got underway. First of all Ken Doherty and Matthew Stevens failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time in 16 and 11 years, respectively. Doherty was so disappointed he actually considered retirement. Instead we saw four debutants at the Crucible Theatre – Rory McLeod, Andrew Higginson, Ricky Walden and Martin Gould. Young Mark Allen stunned the snooker world when he beat O’Sullivan in the second round and went all the way to the semi-finals.
Stephen Hendry made the ninth maximum break of his career in his quarter-final against Shaun Murphy, but lost the match. The final was then played between Murphy and John Higgins, both former world champions. Something remarkable about the final was the fact that it was refereed by a woman, Michaela Tabb, for the first time in the history of the tournament. Higgins became world champion for the second time and on top of everything celebrated his 1000th frame at the Crucible.
When the next season started in September, the time had come for the players to go to China yet again to play in the Shanghai Masters. Local player Liang Wenbo surprised everyone when he reached the final, beating Ebdon, Carter, Ricky Walden and Murphy on the way. But the local hero found O’Sullivan too much to handle in the final.
There was a lot of talk about Chinese players yet again in the next tournament, the Grand Prix. For the first time in the history of the tournament the final was played between two non-British players, Chinese Ding Junhui and Australian Neil Robertson. This was also the second final in a ranking tournament between two players outside of the UK, which Robertson won 9-4 .
In the Premier League, Murphy put an end to O’Sullivan’s five-year winning streak, defeating him 7-3 in the final.
Away from the table 2009 was also the year when WPBSA chairman Sir Rodney Walker was forced to resign in favour of Barry Hearn, who showed interest in the position right before the AGM was held. This was most likely the reason why Walker wasn’t re-elected. The snooker world is quite anxious to see what Hearn can do for the sport next year.
In December the second biggest tournament, the UK Championship was held as usual, this year in Telford. British pie brand Pukka Pies sponsored the event for the first time. Veteran Jimmy White gave up his spot to participate in the television reality show, I’m a Celebrity… Get me out of here! and had to relocate to the jungle for a couple of weeks. The final was played between Higgins and Ding and was quite a tough one. Ding eventually took his second UK title and besides the £100,000 in prize money he received his weight in pies.
The snooker year of 2009 was a quite eventful one and we are of course already looking forward to next year, starting off with the Masters tournament.
Cue a new era for snooker
0796 days
by Elisabeth
in Uncategorized
Today a new era of snooker has begun. Sir Rodney Walker, chairman of the WPBSA for five years has been eliminated from the board. This year, 32 players to 24 voted against a re-election of Walker. Compare that result to last year when only 23 players voted and 21 of them in favour of Walker. Board members Mike Dunn and Jim McMahon were also eliminated from the board.
It is speculated that the reason for this outcome might be chairman of Matchroom Sport Barry Hearn’s application for the post. Most players agree snooker is in desperate need of a change, the number of ranking tournaments being a particularly big issue. Hearn has allegedly claimed that nine more will be added to the existing six, something that some players doubt will actually happen. Another motive for Walker’s removal might have been the big commissions that he negotiated when becoming chairman.
Lee Doyle and Hamish McInnes are still on the board but could be ousted if the members decide so. One of the professional players also has to be elected according to the constitution of WPBSA. If Doyle and McInness stay, which of the players become the new representative remains to be seen.
The snooker world seems positive overall and is looking into the future with excitement.
Hearn applies for WPBSA role
0805 days
by Elisabeth
in Uncategorized
The snooker world might be looking at a power shift. Barry Hearn, chairman of English football league club Leyton Orient and former chairman of the Professional Darts Council, has stated that he’s available to take the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association chair from Sir Rodney Walker.
Hearn hasn’t been very active in snooker in recent years, however he used to be the manager and business partner of snooker legend Steve Davis and chairman of Matchroom Sport, the promotions company that organises the Premier League.
He now wants to return to the sport. Hearn sees a great future for snooker, if managed the right way, and has many ideas on how to expand and grow the sport on a global basis.
The Snooker Players Association is positive about Hearn’s potential return to snooker, mainly because the current WPBSA management refuses to recognise them. The SPA has tried to make themselves heard but are feeling ignored by the WPBSA.
If it’s time for Walker to step down after five years of service at the association then it is up to the players to decide.