The Snooker Thread

[steds]

Bloody skiing now has a thread, so why not snooker get a proper one.

The Masters started yesterday, and earlier today Neil Robertson, who became the first Australian to win a ranking tournament at the Grand Prix in October, demolished two time world champion Mark Williams 6-0.

The draw and results so far look like:

Wildcard round:

Ali Carter beat Stuart Bingham 6-5
Ding Junhui beat Anthony Hamilton 6-3
Matthew Stevens beat Jimmy White 6-1

Round 1:

Neil Robertson beat Mark Williams 6-0
John Higgins v Stephen Maguire
Ken Doherty v Barry Hawkins
Graeme Dott v Stephen Lee
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ali Carter
Peter Ebdon v Ding Junhui
Stephen Hendry v Matthew Stevens
Shaun Murphy v Steve Davis

 

[Magrat Garlick]

John Higgins lost to Stephen Maguire 5-6

Snooze-fest.

Ali Carter having a bye?

 

[steds]

Ali Carter having a bye?

Doesn't look like it.

In other news, Graeme Dott's pregnant wife has cancer scare.

 

[Chubb]

Ding to win the final- but it should be a cracker.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Hopefully giving better fight than Maguire today. I don't know how he won four frames, I lost count of the easy shots he missed...

 

[Scaly piscine]

I watched the Maguire-Ronnie match from 2-3, was a pretty abysmal standard. I'm expecting Ding to win it fairly comfortably, it'll probably be fairly even early on then Ding will get going and Ronnie will sulk as usual.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Looking worse for Ronnie than I thought, he's started off crap (stupid shot selection in the first frame where he went for a pot when he was virtually guaranteed an easier pot if he just played the snooker) and he's the sort of player who rarely does or suffers comebacks. Ding also tends to steamroller players once he gets going also.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Bah, 3-2 to the muppet.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Hmmm complete opposite to what I expected, in terms of temperament and scoreline...

 

[Magrat Garlick]

The Malta Cup began yesterday - good game between a Maltese dragon and an English (live) parrot. However, Drago can't concentrate on anything, thus lost 4-5, and Parrott will now face Michael Holt.

Peter Ebdon managed to sneak through (boo hissssss...) against David Roe, winning 5-4 after trailing 4-1, while Ken Doherty beat Nigel Bond 5-3, Andrew Higginson beat Steve Davis (boo hiss again) 5-4 after making a break of 67 in the final frame, and Ding Junhui seems to have hit some kind of a wall - went down 2-5 to Maguire.

Other first round results: Dott 5-3 Bingham, Lee 5-2 Judge, Hamilton 4-5 Ford.

 

[cover drive man]

Snooze-fest.

Ali Carter having a bye?

No it's not.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

No it's not.

Hey, I'm the greatest snooker fan you'll find on this side of the Norwegian trench. But that Higgins v Maguire match was dire. (At least the bits I kept awake for.)

Welsh Open started Monday, too. Matthew Stevens, Stephen Lee and John Higgins all knocked out - looks like Andrew Higginson has found some form (beaten Fu and Higgins in successive games now)

 

[steds]

Shaun Murphy - on fire yesterday.

 

[cover drive man]

Hey, I'm the greatest snooker fan you'll find on this side of the Norwegian trench. But that Higgins v Maguire match was dire. (At least the bits I kept awake for.)

Welsh Open started Monday, too. Matthew Stevens, Stephen Lee and John Higgins all knocked out - looks like Andrew Higginson has found some form (beaten Fu and Higgins in successive games now)

Oh I thought you mean't snooker in general.

 

[steds]

Dig dig dig. World Championship starts on Saturday.
Defending champion Graeme Dott goes into the tournament at the top of the the provisional rankings after winning the China Open earlier this month, whilst Australian Neil Robertson enters as holder of the most ranking titles, having triumphed in the Grand Prix and the Welsh Open this season. The bookies favourite is once again is two time World champion Ronnie O' Sullivan. Watch out for the prodigiously talented Ding Junhui, who has something to prove after being knocked out of first rounds of the Malta Cup, Welsh Open and China Open, and 2005 champion Shaun Murphy, rejuvinated after a poor 05/06 season.

First round draw:

Graeme Dott (Sco) v Ian McCulloch (Eng)
Anthony Hamilton (Eng) v Marco Fu (HK)
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Joe Perry (Eng)
Mark Williams (Wal) v Joe Swail (NI)
John Higgins (Sco) v Michael Holt (Eng)
Barry Hawkins (Eng) v Fergal O'Brien (Ire)
Neil Robertson (Aus) v Ryan Day (Wal)
Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Ding Junhui (Chn)
Ken Doherty (Ire) v Mark Allen (NI)
Matthew Stevens (Wal) v Joe Delaney (Ire)
Steve Davis (Eng) v John Parrott (Eng)
Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Judd Trump (Eng)
Peter Ebdon (Eng) v Nigel Bond (Eng)
Stephen Lee (Eng) v Mark Selby (Eng)
Ali Carter (Eng) v Andy Hicks (Eng)
Stephen Hendry (Sco) v David Gilbert (Eng)

Robertson - Day and O'Sullivan - Ding are monster ties. Oh, I'm excited.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Where's Biglands?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

O'Sullivan - Ding to end 9-0.

Not quite sure who will win though.

 

[marc71178]

Seeing as it's first to 10, which will walk out in a huff?!

 

[steds]

Dott's been dire today. Better 16th frame though. Needs to win the next 3...

 

[steds]

Bugger.