Stephen Hendry snooker blog
Posts tagged Neil Robertson
Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy up against difficult opponents
0461 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
With only three weeks left in the snooker Premier League group phase, the race is on to decide who will make it to the play-offs.
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson and current Premier League champion Shaun Murphy are both in action tomorrow night. Robertson takes on table-topper Marco Fu, while Murphy has a tough match against the Masters champion Mark Selby.
Robertson and Murphy are the only players to have played just three times and are playing catch-up to the rest of the field. Both players have one win, one draw and a defeat to their name so far. Murphy is bottom of the league, but don’t read too much into that, as he is only three points off top-spot having played two games less than Fu. Ronnie O’Sullivan moved off the foot of the table to third place with a win in his last match, showing how tight this year’s competition is.
Robertson handed out a 6-0 thumping to Ding Junhui in his last outing, but against Fu a score like that is highly unlikely. Fu is the tournament’s biggest surprise. Sitting pretty on top of the pile, he already has one foot in the semi-finals. A point would guarantee that place, and enable him to relax and watch the others fight it out for the final three play-off spots over the next fortnight.
Fu sent Ding packing last week, winning 5-1 and ending the UK champion’s hopes of reaching the last four. Prior to last week’s match, Fu was the only player not to have made a century break and collect the £1,000 bonus, but he changed that in the final frame by grabbing one to round off a fine evening.
Robertson began his Premier League campaign with a defeat, but since then he has shown why he is the world champion and world No.1. He battled hard to get a point against Mark Williams, and got his first win by beating Ding. If Robertson wants to book his place in the semi-finals, he would have to beat Fu, and then remain unbeaten against O’Sullivan and Murphy in his final two games.
Murphy has tricky games left as well. He plays the Jester from Leicester Selby, then Williams, and he finishes his round-robin phase against the world champion.
Selby has won two and lost two in his four games so far. He beat Robertson 4-2 and blew Fu away 5-1. He has made four centuries along the way, and is currently on four points. With Fu at the top of the table, the final three places are going to be contested by Selby, Robertson, Williams, Murphy and O’Sullivan, and neither player can afford to lose a game.
Murphy kicked off the defence of his title with an emphatic 5-1 win over Ding. It has been some time since Murphy played a game, and when he did, he was involved in a high-quality encounter against O’Sullivan in the 3-3 draw.
Prediction: Robertson 3 Fu 3, Murphy 2 Selby 4
Ronnie O’Sullivan crowned Power Snooker champion
0463 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Surprise surprise, Ronnie O’Sullivan became the first winner of Power Snooker, and were we expecting anything less?
Power Snooker launched last Saturday, and the format of the game was only going to suit one man. The 20-second shot clock encourages quick-fire play and becomes all about the player’s potting. It was snooker as you’ve never seen it before, and it certainly delighted O’Sullivan at the end of it.
The Rocket pocketed the first-prize of £35,000 after beating Luca Brecel in his first match, Ali Carter in the semi-final and Ding Junhui in the final. Where points counted instead of frames, O’Sullivan only played 90 minutes. Not bad for a day’s work then.
“Finally snooker has come into the 21st century,” said O’Sullivan. “We’ve been kicking behind for a few years while everyone else has been going forward. Power Snooker is a new format that is definitely here to stay.”
Power Snooker was created in a bid to change the face of snooker, with the crowd getting involved with the game, shouting out on shots and counting down when time elapses. The players walked on with their own choice of music, accompanied with the Power Girls, and looked to be having fun. Think of it like darts, but instead of a dartboard picture a snooker table.
The crowd certainly enjoyed watching the likes of O’Sullivan, the Whirlwind Jimmy White and the reigning world champion Neil Robertson demonstrate their exceptional potting abilities, and moving around the table rapidly to play their shots in time. The potting of the Power Ball – which triggers a two-minute power play where points are doubled – was a treat for the audience and got them fully involved.
But there have to be at least some doubts about the new format.
If Power Snooker makes a return then it must have done something right. Rod Gunner, its creator, is hoping it will revive the sport, but from first impressions it just seemed like a bit of fun. Snooker is always played to crowds who give maximum respect to whoever is playing, and it was quite out of place for someone in the crowd to be calling out just when a player was about to play a shot.
It works for darts, because the players are used to it, and it has to work for football, but trying to encourage this for snooker, a sport that requires full concentration, doesn’t work at all.
Obviously O’Sullivan is glad to see something like this, as he’s been crying out for snooker to be changed for a long time. The traditionalists may not have been impressed, and would think that if snooker needed a facelift, this was not the way to do it.
The rules were just complicated with so many points being accumulated by the players. Even the referees were struggling to keep up and relied on the scoreboard for the majority of the games. A twist on the rules didn’t work, and Power Snooker is just going to be used as a time to put on a show for the punters.
For those who are worried about this kind of format taking over from regular snooker, worry not, as it won’t catch on.
Power Snooker ready for switch on
0467 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Snooker has been undergoing a major transformation over the past few months, and the arrival of Power Snooker is the latest attempt to change the face of the game.
Since Barry Hearn gained control of World Snooker by becoming chairman last year, he has introduced more ranking tournaments and more prize money, and the players are much happier than they have been in recent years.
Viewing figures however have dropped over the last 20 years, and the creators of Power Snooker, Rod Gunner and Ed Simmons, believe their idea can be a success. Not since the epic 1985 world championship final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis that was decided on the black has snooker enjoyed such high viewing figures, that final pulling in 18.5million viewers.
Power Snooker is hoped to do to snooker what Twenty20 has done for cricket, and the rules of the game are a change from the norm. Games will last 30 minutes and points will count rather than frames. There will be nine reds, rather than the usual 15, and they will be arranged in a diamond, not a rack.
The middle red will be the Power Ball, and when potted this will trigger a two-minute power play with any balls potted counting as double points. The players will also play against a 20-second shot clock.
The event will be full of glitz and glamour, and the players will also have a microphone attached to them so the audience can hear every word they say.
The format may not be to the liking of the traditionalists, but the quick-fire play that will be on show will suit one man. The Rocket, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The three-time world champion is one of eight players to be playing at London’s Indigo2 Arena on Saturday. O’Sullivan has a match against 15-year old Belgian champion Luca Brecel. The inclusion of the wonder-kid is what Gunner wants the competition to be all about. “Luca is a young precocious talent and the young generation adapts to new rules very quickly,” said Gunner. “I firmly believe that sport is entertainment. Snooker has been stagnating and young people today want energy and instant gratification.”
O’Sullivan is the favourite to land the £35,000 first prize, and he is looking forward to playing in it. “Hopefully, it suits my game better than the others,” he said. “It’s difficult to make predictions but it’s going to be an exciting event to watch. It will show snooker in a different light and the sport desperately needs that.”
In the other games, reigning world champion Neil Robertson takes on current Premier League champion Shaun Murphy. Masters champion Mark Selby takes on Shanghai Masters winner Ali Carter, and the Whirlwind Jimmy White is up against UK champion Ding Junhui.
Whether Power Snooker is a success or not, all eyes will be on O’Sullivan to deliver.
World champion Neil Robertson thumps Ding Junhui in Premier League
0473 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson whitewashed Ding Junhui 6-0 in the snooker Premier League to gain his first win, while Mark Williams and Marco Fu could only draw.
Robertson found himself at the bottom of the league after only playing two games, losing one and drawing the other. The Australian knew he couldn’t lose another game, and he came out all guns blazing to blow the UK champion away.
Robertson seized the initiative in the first frame after potting a red and opting to smash into the pack, opening them up and going on to make a break of 120, immediately pocketing the £1,000 bonus for a century break. Both players made mistakes in the second frame, but it was Robertson who managed to double his lead.
Ding hardly had any table time and was unable to capitalise, missing a red on a run of 43 in the third. Robertson replied with a break of 46 but ran out of position. However, Ding’s poor safety shot enabled Robertson to take a 3-0 lead.
Ding has a history of looking fed up when he’s not playing well, and once again he sat in his chair and was desperate to get out of the arena as Robertson made a break of 42 to race into a 4-0 lead and secure the win.
The world No.1 was not holding back, and he knocked in a fluid break of 87, refusing to let Ding have an opening. Robertson completed the rout by making another half-century break, this time a 51, and climbed up to fourth in the table.
Ding clearly wasn’t at his best and had no answer to what Robertson threw at him. Robertson was delighted with his performance. “I think the very first shot I played went into the pack and I knocked in a great blue and made a 120. It was a great start and probably the best I’ve played in the Premier League,” he said.
“I got here nice and early and practiced. Normally I just rock up and play so that’s something I may be doing more of.
“When I made the 120 though, I thought I was playing quite well and if I got chances I would score. When you’re 2-0 up, you think the worst result could be a draw and at 3-0 you know all you need is to win another frame for the two points,” Robertson added.
In the other match of the evening, two-time world champion Williams maintained his unbeaten record and went to the top of the Premier League table after sharing the points with Fu.
Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan are the only two players still unbeaten in the competition, but Williams’ record was under threat as Fu played well in a tight encounter.
Knowing that a win for either player would take them to first spot, it was Fu who got off the mark first, despite Williams making a break of 43. Both players had a difficult time in the second frame, with pink and black out of commission. Fu managed to get some points, but when he missed a red, Williams was able to level the tie.
The third frame was more like the Williams of old, as the Welshman knocked in a 104 to grab an extra £1,000 and go 2-1 in front. The next frame followed the pattern of the first two, but it was the man from Hong-Kong who made a 51 and make the score 2-2.
Runs of 43 and 78 in the next frame ensured Fu would get a point and favourite to take the maximum points, but when he broke off in the final frame, it was to be his last shot as Williams potted a fantastic opening red and went on to make his second century of the evening, a 122, to take a point and go top of the table.
While Williams finds himself at the top of the table, O’Sullivan surprisingly finds himself at the bottom, and when the Rocket plays next week, he has a cracking match against Williams awaiting him.
Neil Robertson with work to do in the Premier League
0475 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Reigning world champion Neil Robertson has a lot of catching up to do in the snooker Premier League as he looks to get off the bottom of the table in week six against Ding Junhui.
Having only played two games so far in the round-robin phase, Robertson has yet to win a match, losing to Mark Selby in his first game and drawing last week with Mark Williams.
Just days after his World Open triumph against Ronnie O’Sullivan, Robertson looked to be feeling the effects against Selby, but he returned to his normal self against Williams, trailing throughout but showing the qualities of a world champion to grab a point.
Tomorrow night, Robertson plays the current UK champion Ding, who is second in the table at the moment having played four times, winning once, drawing twice and losing once. Ding’s last Premier League outing was a 4-2 win over Selby, which could easily have been a 6-0 whitewash. Ding was too hot to handle for Selby, as he knocked in breaks of 54, 69, 78, 69 and 103. Another win for Ding will almost guarantee his place in the semi-finals, as he is tied on four points with table-topper Selby and Williams and will only have one game left to play.
As he has only played twice, Robertson will be in action in four of the last five weeks. The Australian cannot afford to lose and he has tough encounters lying ahead, with matches against Marco Fu, O’Sullivan and Premier League champion Shaun Murphy still to come.
The second game of the night pits the China Open champion Williams against Fu, who has been the dark horse in the competition so far. Fu has played three times and has filled all the columns, with one win, one defeat and one draw. He rattled Murphy in his 4-2 win and played a high-quality draw against O’Sullivan, but he was powerless against Selby last week, losing 5-1 and for the first time in the group phase being out-played.
Williams is one of two players still unbeaten in the Premier League, the other being O’Sullivan. The Welshman has one win and two draws, but both of his draws could and should have been wins. He led three times against Robertson last week, and surrendered a 2-0 and 3-2 lead to Ding in the third week.
Williams is making his return to the Premier League after a five-year absence, and is playing close to the form that propelled him to two world championships and 17-ranking titles. His return to form has also moved him to fifth in the world rankings, and he is no doubt a serious threat to winning this year’s Premier League.
Predictions: Robertson 4 Ding 2, Williams 4 Fu 2
World champion Neil Robertson in action in Premier League
0482 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Week five of the snooker Premier League sees reigning world champion and world No.1 Neil Robertson taking on Mark Williams, while Mark Selby plays Marco Fu.
Robertson didn’t get off to the best of starts in his first match in the Premier League, losing 4-2 to Selby in a tough encounter. Having just beaten Ronnie O’Sullivan in the World Open final, Robertson was unable to keep up the high standard against Selby, despite making decent breaks of 69 and 78.
The Australian will be hoping as world champion he can get off the mark, but it doesn’t get any easier for him from here. A match tomorrow against Williams is followed by games against Ding Junhui, Marco Fu, Shaun Murphy and the Rocket O’Sullivan.
Williams is in form at the moment. The current China Open champion beat Selby on his return to the Premier League for the first time in five years, and played extremely well in the draw with Ding, knocking in breaks of 54, 73 and 49. The quick-fire format suits the Welshman’s game, and Robertson will need to adapt to the 25-second shot clock fast if he wants to take points from this game, and move away from the bottom of the table.
The last time Williams and Robertson played one another, it was in the semi-final of the World Open, where Robertson came from 2-0 down to win in the final frame. Williams was unlucky not to reach the final, and will be on the lookout for revenge against the Thunder from Down Under.
In the night’s other match, surprise package Fu plays reigning Masters champion Selby. Both players are experiencing different Premier League campaigns at the moment. Fu is unbeaten in the two games he has played, winning against reigning Premier League champion Murphy 4-2 and drawing to O’Sullivan in a high-quality battle.
Selby has lost two out of his first three games. He got hammered 4-2 by Ding last week, and was fortunate to even win a frame as it could well have been a whitewash. The Jester from Leicester will draw confidence from the fact he almost made a 147 maximum break in the final frame. The loss to Ding was also disappointing as he beat Robertson the week before. With only two points on the board, he needs to win more games if he is to stand a chance of reaching the play-offs.
Fu and Williams have the chance to overtake Ding at the top of the table if they win their games, and at the halfway point of the Premier League round-robin matches, it is critical at this stage to secure a top-four finish.
Predictions: Robertson 3 Williams 3, Fu 2 Selby 4
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.
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.