Stephen Hendry snooker blog
Posts tagged Premier League Snooker
Ronnie O’Sullivan ends Mark Williams’ unbeaten run
0466 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Ronnie O’Sullivan finally got his first win in the snooker Premier League after beating Mark Williams convincingly, while Marco Fu stormed to the top of the table.
Joining the players at the Penrith Leisure Centre were a number of flies, and it looked like the games were being played in a heat wave instead of late October.
Heading into his crunch match with Williams, O’Sullivan was at the bottom of the league, having drawn all three of his previous matches. His attitude was spot-on last night and he played exceptionally well to record his first win of the competition with a 4-2 victory.
O’Sullivan began the game in trademark fashion, knocking in a break of 98 but missed out on the £1,000 bonus for a century. Williams didn’t score a point, and that continued in the second frame as O’Sullivan made a breaks of 44 and 78 to go two up.
Williams has played well on his return to the Premier League, and he halved the deficit as a 47 proved enough after O’Sullivan missed a red down the cushion to pinch the frame. A fly appeared to have put O’Sullivan off the shot. The Rocket looked in fine form as he made a 70 in the next frame to guarantee himself a point and maintain his unbeaten run.
If Williams wanted to stay unbeaten like O’Sullivan, he would have to win the last two frames, but efforts of 39 and 50 helped O’Sullivan secure the two points and the much-needed win. Even though he had lost the game, Williams softened the blow by taking the last frame with breaks of 34 and 40 and stay in second place and above O’Sullivan in the table.
“I played alright when I was in the balls and was relaxed and that was good to feel relaxed at the table,” said O’Sullivan, who now stands a good chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Over the past few years, O’Sullivan’s long-potting has declined, and there were several times where he was unable to knock one in. Even he admits this is a problem. “My long game wasn’t good though. I’ve not been able to pot long balls for last six or seven years so I’m relying on nouse around the table and on people not playing well for me to win but a win’s a win,” he said.
Earlier in the evening, Fu went to the top of the table to give him a strong chance of reaching the play-offs by beating Ding Junhui 5-1.
Ding, who has played all of his matches, is now out of the competition after suffering back-to-back defeats.
Last week, reigning world champion Neil Robertson inflicted a 6-0 defeat on Ding, and Fu nearly did the same.
Fu came firing out of the blocks as he knocked in breaks of 39 and 44, playing great positional shots and keeping good control of the cue ball. Like he did against Robertson, Ding was struggling once again to get a break going, and Fu seized his opportunity in the second frame with a 42 and a 39.
In no time at all, Fu ensured he would leave with a point by winning the third frame without Ding scoring a point. The UK champion was out of sorts, missing easy balls and playing poor safety shots. The win was there for the taking for Fu, and he made a 94 to take the maximum two points.
By this point, Fu had potted 100 balls compared to Ding’s 10, but Ding did manage to make his trip worthwhile by clinching the fifth frame and £1,000 with a quick-fire 71. Before the game, Fu was the only player not to have made a century break, but he changed that in the final frame with a beautifully constructed 107 to round off the match.
“Towards the end I was relaxed and made the century but I got the two points which was the most important thing. The 100 [century] was a bonus,” said table-topper Fu, who has one match remaining in the round-robin format.
“I played very well without making any big breaks in the early stages. I made some good pots and put him under pressure and he didn’t pot a ball till the third frame.
“Maybe he’s taking the game too easy but he’s too good a player not to do well. Ding is having a bad run but there are so many tournaments so he won’t be too disappointed,” added Fu.
Certainly there are no flies on Fu.
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 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
Mark Williams makes winning return to Premier League snooker
0508 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
After five years away from the Premier League, Mark Williams came from 2-0 down to defeat Mark Selby 4-2 last night.
Williams won the China Open last season and returned to form after dropping out of the top-16 rankings.
Last night, the two-time world champion found himself a frame behind after he missed a red into the bottom left corner. Selby was able to clear up with a break of 101 and make the first century of the night.
Williams didn’t do much wrong, but found himself 2-0 down, as Selby made a break of 84. Less than 20 minutes had been played, and the first two frames were of the highest standard.
The quality continued, as Williams responded with his own century break, a 113, to halve the deficit. Selby broke down on a break of 22 in the fourth frame when he missed a red into the middle pocket, presenting the chance for Williams. However, when it looked as though he would draw level, he missed the final yellow on a break of 48, but Selby missed two frame-winning pots on the last pink. Williams wasn’t punished for his error and managed to square the tie.
The Welshman had all the momentum as Selby went off the boil, and he made breaks of 35 and 47 to lead the reigning Masters champion for the first time in the match. After a long safety exchange in the final frame of the evening, Williams’ effort of 42 gave him the two points.
“I can’t remember the last time I played in front of this many people,” said Williams.
“The more people watching, the more you enjoy it and you play better. Apart from two or three ranking tournaments, the Premier League is the best event in snooker. Selby started off really well, knocked in a century and I thought I would be three or 4-0 down within 45 minutes.
“That’s how good a player he is – I was two down before I had a shot but that’s what happens. I then got my chances and started making some good breaks,” he added.
In the night’s other match, Ding Junhui and Ronnie O’Sullivan played out a 3-3 draw. Both players have yet to win a game, and for O’Sullivan it is two games and two draws.
Ding came charging out of the blocks by knocking in a 122 to take the opening frame. The second frame saw both players involved in a good safety battle, and O’Sullivan took the frame to level. Another century of the night came, this time from O’Sullivan, as he compiled a delightful 119 to go 2-1 up.
Ding – who lost 5-1 to reigning Premier League champion Shaun Murphy on the first night – replied with a break of 89 to level at 2-2. O’Sullivan then went 3-2 in front to guarantee himself a point, as his break of 67 saw him recover from difficult shots from every position. The final frame should have been the Rocket’s, but he missed the last pink to give Ding a share of the spoils.
“I should’ve potted the pink but I missed it and you don’t deserve to win if you miss balls like that,” said O’Sullivan.
Premier League snooker preview
0510 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
The second week of Premier League snooker takes place tomorrow night with two cracking matches in prospect.
Mark Selby takes on Mark Williams, while Ronnie O’Sullivan plays Ding Junhui.
Selby and Williams are making their first appearances in the Premier League for this season, and it should be a great match. Selby is the reigning Masters champion after winning the prestigious tournament for the second time in three years at Wembley in January.
Selby reached the final in his debut appearance in the Premier League back in 2008, and was thumped 7-2 by O’Sullivan. He failed to make it in last year’s competition, but he is back this year. Last week, he reached the Shanghai Masters semi-finals, where he lost to eventual champion Ali Carter in the first ranking event of the season.
Williams is first up for the Jester from Leicester, and he comes off the back of a decent season after winning the China Open, his first ranking title for four years. The two-time world champion will relish the challenge of playing a feisty opponent and playing against the 25-second shot-clock. The Welsh potting machine has returned to form and the match could go the distance.
Williams dropped out of the top 16 rankings a few seasons ago and was on the brink of quitting the game. After more than five years since his last appearance in the Premier League, Williams thought he’d never be playing in the competition again. “It feels very good to be back in the Premier League,” he said.
“I wasn’t confident of getting back in the Premier League and I thought it was far away and the chance had gone. I was too far down the rankings and was never going to get a wildcard as you have be in the top six or seven to have a chance. For 12 to 18 months it looked like there was no way on earth that I would get up there but somehow I’ve managed to do so.
“I dropped down the rankings like a stone and at one stage I was at 47 and couldn’t see a way back to the top. But with a lot of hard work and practise I started to climb the rankings the right way. It’s a lot easier to fall down the rankings than to climb back up,” Williams added.
In the other match of the evening, O’Sullivan and Ding failed to win their opening matches. Ding was all at sea as he lost 5-1 to reigning Premier League champion Shaun Murphy, while O’Sullivan had to take a point against former winner Marco Fu in a 3-3 draw.
Murphy was in imperious form and began the defence of his title in dominating fashion. Ding had no answer, and if he thinks it doesn’t get tougher, well it does.
A match against O’Sullivan is always one to watch, and as the six-time champion of the Premier League, O’Sullivan is looking to avenge for last year’s defeat in the final to Murphy. He began this year’s Premier League campaign on the opening night against Fu, and it was a high-quality affair. O’Sullivan trailed all the time as Fu played exceptionally well. Despite knocking in two century breaks, the Rocket was unable to disrupt the rhythm of Fu, who took his chances when they were presented to him.
O’Sullivan didn’t play badly, and neither did Fu, so a draw at the end of the night was a fair result. O’Sullivan was unable to play at the Shanghai Masters last week as he pulled out due to personal reasons, but he will be back and might cause Ding a lot of problems.
Predictions: Mark Selby 3 Mark Williams 3, Ronnie O’Sullivan 4 Ding Junhui 2
Defending champion Shaun Murphy makes winning start in Premier League snooker
0522 days
by Ismail Vedat
in Uncategorized
Shaun Murphy began the defence of his PartyCasino.com Premier League title with a 5-1 over Ding Junhui last night.
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.