Shanghai Masters 2009 Semi / Final Results

Final Result
Liang Wenbo 5-10 Ronnie O'Sullivan


Semi Final Results
Liang Wenbo 6-5 Shaun Murphy
Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-1 John Higgins

End of season snooker rankings 2008/2009

Here is the official end of season snooker rankings for 2008/2009.

1. Ronnie O'Sullivan
2. Stephen Maguire
3. Shaun Murphy
4. John Higgins MBE
5. Allister Carter
6. Ryan Day
7. Mark Selby
8. Marco Fu
9. Neil Robertson
10. Stephen Hendry MBE
11. Mark Allen
12. Joe Perry
13. Ding Junhui
14. Peter Ebdon
15. Mark Williams MBE
16. Mark King
17. Barry Hawkins
18. Jamie Cope
19. Dave Harold
20. Ricky Walden
21. Stuart Bingham
22. Joe Swail
23. Steve Davis OBE
24. Michael Holt
25. Stephen Lee
26. Matthew Stevens
27. Liang Wenbo
28. Graeme Dott
29. Nigel Bond
30. Judd Trump
31. Fergal O'Brien
32. Gerard Greene
33. Anthony Hamilton
34. Dominic Dale
35. Ian McCulloch
36. Michael Judge
37. Stuart Pettman
38. Mike Dunn
39. Rory McLeod
40. Jamie Burnett
41. Alan McManus
42. Adrian Gunnell
43. Andrew Higginson
44. Ken Doherty
45. Marcus Campbell
46. Martin Gould
47. Mark Davis
48. Jimmy Michie
49. Tom Ford
50. Andy Hicks
51. David Gilbert
52. Barry Pinches
53. John Parrott MBE
54. Paul Davies
55. Robert Milkins
56. Jimmy White MBE
57. Mark Joyce
58. David Morris
59. Liu Song
60. Jin Long
61. Rod Lawler
62. David Roe
63. Joe Delaney
64. Peter Lines

World Championship Higgins wins title

John Higgins 18 - 9 Shaun Murphy.

Well done to John Higgins who won his third World Snooker Championship tonight. He beat Shaun Murphy by a more than comfortable 18 frames to 9. He now becomes only the fourth player to win three or more world titles at the Crucible. The others are Steve Davis (6), Stephen Hendry (7) and Ronnie O’Sullivan (3).

Higgins also won the top prize of a massive £250,000. His other World Championship wins came in 1998 and 2007. He is also the oldest player to lift the trophy since Dennis Taylor in the 1985 epic final.

At the end of the match, even Steve Davis conceded that Higgins was snookers greatest all round player. However, although Higgins was truly brilliant this year and is in the top four players ever, I personally feel that Steve Davis is still the greatest all rounder.

Higgins had many tough matches on his way to his win this year, with two 13-12 wins over Jamie Cope and Mark Selby and Mark Allen marking a final surge against him in the semis.

Higgins is now back up to number four in the world rankings, although I think the two best players over recent years are John and Ronnie.

He can be very proud of this win, as some of his contemporaries have had trouble keeping up, like Matthew Stevens and Mark Williams. This year’s World Championship has shown the next generation coming through with the likes of Neil Robertson and Mark Allen.

The next few years will prove interesting with many new players coming through, with some from China. I hope John can win a fourth world title soon and dominate the game for the next 2 or 3 years.

World Championship Allen & Higgins win

Here are the quarter final results of the World Snooker Championship from the Crucible in Sheffield.

Mark Allen 13-11 Ryan Day

John Higgins 13-12 Mark Selby

Shaun Murphy 13-11 Stephen Hendry

Neil Robertson 13-8 Stephen Maguire

World Championship Higgins & Selby win

Below are the results for the World Snooker Championship from the Crucible in Sheffield for Monday 27th April 2009.

John Higgins 13-12 Jamie Cope

Graeme Dott 10-13 Mark Selby

Allister Carter 8-13 Neil Robertson

Mark King 6-13 Stephen Maguire

World Championship Ronnie O'Sullivan out

Here are the latest results from the World Snooker Championship from the Crucible in Sheffield:

Friday 24 Apr 2009

Ding Junhui 10-13 Stephen Hendry



Saturday 25 Apr 2009

Ronnie O'Sullivan 11-13 Mark Allen

Nigel Bond 5-13 Ryan Day

Shaun Murphy 13-3 Marco Fu

World Championship Day 4, 5 & 6 results

Here are the World Snooker Championship results from the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield for the last few days.

Tuesday 21 Apr 2009

Peter Ebdon 5-10 Nigel Bond

Joe Perry 6-10 Jamie Cope

Ding Junhui 10-8 Liang Wenbo



Wednesday 22 Apr 2009

Ryan Day 10-4 Stephen Lee

Shaun Murphy 10-8 Andrew Higginson

Neil Robertson 10-2 Steve Davis



Thursday 23 Apr 2009

John Higgins 10-5 Michael Holt

Stephen Maguire 10-5 Jamie Burnett

World Championship Allen Selby & Fu win

Here are the results from day three of the World Snooker Championship from the Crucible in Sheffield.

Mark Allen 10-6 Martin Gould

Mark Selby 10-6 Ricky Walden

Marco Fu 10-4 Joe Swail

Marco Fu progressed to the last 16 tonight winning five frames on the bounce to beat Joe Swail by 10-4.

The result was one sided, but after the first session the match looked as though it may go the distance from 5-4.

Fu put his foot down tonight and now plays either Shaun Murphy or Andrew Higginson.

Fu has had a good season this year, by getting to the final of the UK Championship in December and only loosing out in the final frame.

Joe Swail will be disappointed, as he has had some good runs at the Crucible, but sadly not for this year.

World Championship Hendry Dott & Carter win

Graeme Dott 10-8 Barry Hawkins

Stephen Hendry 10-7 Mark Williams

Allister Carter 10-5 Gerard Greene

Mark King 9-5 Rory McLeod

In day two of the World Snooker Championship from the Crucible in Sheffield, there were wins for Graeme Dott, Stephen Hendry and Allister Carter.

In this evenings most anticipated match, Stephen Hendry overcame Mark Williams by the score of 10-7.

Hendry came from 7-5 down to win five frames in a row and book a place in the last 16. This is one of his more important wins in recent times and nearly guarantees his Top 16 place for next season.

The wheels came off for Williams at 7-5 when he had to replace his cue tip and he seemed to loose concentration.

Before the game, Hendry said the winner of his match would reach the final. But after today’s play, I think it’s doubtful, but he must take some confidence from the win.

Williams did have some luck during the middle of the match, but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t convert the match into a win.

The mid session interval came one frame early, as Williams, Hendry and the referee agreed that Williams could change his tip.

Most players agree that it takes time to work in a new tip and having to change it mid match did Williams no favours. In the last few frames, he lost position several times because of it.

Hendry will now play either Ding Junhui or Liang Wenbo in the Last 16.

Highest breaks:

Hendry 72, 46, 61, 51, 65, 51, 83, 53, 53
Williams 75, 57, 44, 66, 45, 42, 40

World Championship order of play

Here is the order of play for the first round of this years World Snooker Championship.

Saturday 18 April
1000
Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Stuart Bingham (Eng)
Mark King (Eng) v Rory McLeod (Eng)

1430
Graeme Dott (Sco) v Barry Hawkins (Eng)
Stephen Hendry (Sco) v Mark Williams (Wal)

1900
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Stuart Bingham (Eng)
Ali Carter (Eng) v Gerard Greene (NI)

Sunday 19 April
1000
Mark Allen (NI) v Martin Gould (Eng)
Mark King (Eng) v Rory McLeod (Eng)

1430
Mark Selby (Eng) v Ricky Walden (Eng)
Ali Carter (Eng) v Gerard Greene (NI)

1900
Graeme Dott (Sco) v Barry Hawkins (Eng)
Stephen Hendry (Sco) v Mark Williams (Wal)

Monday 20 April
1000
Mark Allen (NI) v Martin Gould (Eng)
Marco Fu (HK) v Joe Swail (NI)

1430
Mark Selby (Eng) v Ricky Walden (Eng)
Ding Junhui (Chn) v Liang Wenbo (Chn)

1900
Joe Perry (Eng) v Jamie Cope (Eng)
Marco Fu (HK) v Joe Swail (NI)

Tuesday 21 April
1000
Peter Ebdon (Eng) v Nigel Bond (Eng)
Ding Junhui (Chn) v Liang Wenbo (Chn)

1430
Joe Perry (Eng) v Jamie Cope (Eng)
Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Andrew Higginson (Eng)

1900
Peter Ebdon (Eng) v Nigel Bond (Eng)
Neil Robertson (Aus) v Steve Davis (Eng)

Wednesday 22 April
1000
Ryan Day (Wal) v Stephen Lee (Eng)
Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Andrew Higginson (Eng)

1430
John Higgins (Sco) v Michael Holt (Eng)
Neil Robertson (Aus) v Steve Davis (Eng)

1900
Ryan Day (Wal) v Stephen Lee (Eng)
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Jamie Burnett (Sco)

Thursday 23 April
1400
John Higgins (Sco) v Michael Holt (Eng)
Junhui/Wenbo v Hendry/Williams *

1900
O'Sullivan/Bingham v Allen/Gould *
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Jamie Burnett (Sco)

* second round match.

Sponsors for World Championship

The official sponsor for this years World Snooker Championship will be online bookies Betfred.

Betfred have also signed a four-year deal that will see them sponsor the event until 2012.

A new sponsor was needed following 888 withdrawing last year, two years ahead of schedule.

The Snooker World Championship starts this Saturday 18th April.

Michaela Tabb referees 2009 Crucible final

The referee for the 2009 Snooker World Championship final will be Michaela Tabb.

She is the first woman to referee the World Championship final.

Tabb, a former Pool champion has been on the snooker refereeing circuit since 2001.

She has refereed other finals, including the Welsh Open, The Masters and this seasons China Open.

The final will be held on the 3rd and 4th May 2009.

World snooker rankings after 2009 China Open

Here are the provisional world snooker rankings following the 2009 China Open.

Peter Ebdon moves up to number 12 after winning the event.

1 Ronnie O´Sullivan (ENG) 49775
2 Stephen Maguire (SCO) 43050
3 Shaun Murphy (ENG) 39175
4 Allister Carter (ENG) 38725
5 John Higgins (SCO) 35825
6 Ryan Day (WAL) 35675
7 Marco Fu (HKG) 33550
8 Mark Selby (ENG) 32975
9 Joe Perry (ENG) 31475
10 Neil Robertson (AUS) 28825
11 Stephen Hendry (SCO) 28125
12 Peter Ebdon (ENG) 28000
13 Mark Williams (WAL) 26519
14 Mark Allen (NIR) 26475
15 Junhui Ding (CHN) 25844
16 Dave Harold (ENG) 25457
17 Mark King (ENG) 24500
18 Barry Hawkins (ENG) 24375
19 Ricky Walden (ENG) 23250
20 Jamie Cope (ENG) 22832
21 Stuart Bingham (ENG) 22619
22 Joe Swail (NIR) 22094
23 Matthew Stevens (WAL) 21982
24 Steve Davis (ENG) 21744
25 Michael Holt (ENG) 20425
26 Stephen Lee (ENG) 20388
27 Wenbo Liang (CHN) 20025
28 Fergal O'Brien (IRL) 19645
29 Judd Trump (ENG) 19601
30 Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 19538
31 Dominic Dale (WAL) 19470
32 Graeme Dott (SCO) 18694
33 Nigel Bond (ENG) 18557
34 Ian McCulloch (ENG) 18113
35 Gerard Greene (NIR) 17951
36 Michael Judge (IRL) 17857
37 Stuart Pettman (ENG) 16970
38 Adrian Gunnell (ENG) 16600
39 Mike Dunn (ENG) 16439
40 Ken Doherty (IRL) 16312
41 Marcus Campbell (SCO) 16963
42 Alan McManus (SCO) 15501
43 Rory McLeod (ENG) 15363
44 Jimmy Michie (ENG) 15100
45 Jamie Burnett (SCO) 15088
46 Barry Pinches (ENG) 14920
47 Mark Davis (ENG) 14788
48 David Gilbert (ENG) 14725
49 Andrew Higginson (ENG) 14638
50 John Parrott (ENG) 14325

China Open 2009 Peter Ebdon wins title

Snooker The China Open Final result

Peter Ebdon 10-8 John Higgins

Peter Ebdon is the 2009 China Open champion. This is Ebdon’s eighth world ranking event win. In the process, he collects a cheque for £52,000.

This is his first win since lifting the 2006 UK Championship.

Ebdon is an unexpected winner of this event as he was provisionally number 17 on the world-ranking list. He now gets back in the top 16 ahead of this years World Championship in Sheffield which starts in a few weeks.

Ebdon secured a slight lead after the afternoon session at 5-4. Higgins may feel a bit disappointed as a few frames could of been his as some went down to the last few colours.

However, both players played well and must take some confidence from the match into the crucible in Sheffield.

That quickly changed to 6-5 when Ebdon took frame one tonight with two breaks over 50.

Higgins then levelled at 6-6.

Ebdon took a 7-6 lead after a scrappy frame. The next few frames were shared and Ebdon won the last frame 17 with a calm break of 71.

Highest breaks:

Ebdon 84, 108, 54, 52, 57, 32, 40, 52, 71
Higgins 60, 56, 140, 62, 43, 51

China Open 2009 Ebdon & Higgins into final

Here are the semi final results for the China Open 2009.

Peter Ebdon 6-1 Stuart Pettman

Ryan Day 4-6 John Higgins

John Higgins made a remarkable comeback again today as he overcame a 3-1 deficit to win by 6-4. He did the same in his first match of the week against Anthony Hamilton. Then he was 4-0 down and came through 5-4.

He now plays today’s other winner Peter Ebdon in tomorrows final. The final will be over 19 frames with the first player to 10 lifting the 2009 China Open trophy.

China Open 2009 Higgins Ebdon & Day win

Here are the quarter final results for snookers China Open 2009.

Peter Ebdon 5-1 Stephen Hendry

Stuart Pettman 5-2 Graeme Dott

Shaun Murphy 0-5 Ryan Day

John Higgins 5-4 Ronnie O'Sullivan

China Open 2009 Ebdon Dott & Day win

Here are the results from the China Open 2nd April.

Dave Harold 4-5 Peter Ebdon

Ricky Walden 4-5 Stephen Hendry

Allister Carter 2-5 Stuart Pettman

Graeme Dott 5-1 Mark Selby

Shaun Murphy 5-1 Neil Robertson

Mark King 2-5 Ryan Day

John Higgins 5-2 Tian Pengfei

Xiao Guodong 3-5 Ronnie O'Sullivan

China Open 2009 Hendry Dott & Selby win

Stephen Hendry 5-3 Robert Milkins

Mark Allen 3-5 Stuart Pettman

Graeme Dott 5-3 Yu Delu

Mark Selby 5-1 Stephen Lee

Shaun Murphy 5-1 Cao Xinlong

Mark King 5-2 Mark Williams

Marco Fu 2-5 Tian Pengfei

Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-3 Fergal O'Brien

Ronnie O’Sullivan came through a tough match against Fergal O’Brien at The China Open 2009 today.

The match drew level at 3-3 with a break of 51 from O’Brien. But as O’Sullivan pulled away as he has done before and took the next two frames with breaks of 55 and 54.

O’Sullivan now goes through to the last 16.

Stephen Hendry booked himself into the last 16 with a 5-3 win over Robert Milkins. Hendry picked up some important ranking points that should help him in the top 16 for the near future.

Hendry won the last four frames of the match with a high break of 108.

Mark King defeated Welshman Mark Williams by 5-2. In a match that could have been closer with great scoring by both players, King nicked several frames by the odd few points.

The China Open 2009 Day Carter & Ebdon win

Here are the results for the second day of snookers The China Open 2009.

Joe Swail 4-5 Robert Milkins

Stephen Maguire 0-5 Dave Harold

Peter Ebdon 5-3 Tang Jun

Joe Perry 2-5 Ricky Walden

Allister Carter 5-0 Nigel Bond

Neil Robertson 5-4 Gerard Greene

Ryan Day 5-2 Jamie Cope

John Higgins 5-4 Anthony Hamilton

Ding Junhui 3-5 Xiao Guodong

In one of the surprises of the day, Ding Junhui lost to unknown wildcard winner Xiao Guodong. Ding made several mistakes throughout the match, maybe due to his countries expectations of him.

This will be a blow for Ding, only a few weeks ahead of this years World Championship in Sheffield. A bad result at the World Snooker Championship in a few weeks may put Dings top 16 place at risk.

The high break of the match was a 127 by Ding in the 3rd frame. This was his only highlight of the match.

After the match, Ding conceded that he didn’t deserve to be in the top 16 if he plays like that.

Ali Carter performed well today, demolishing Nigel Bond by 5-0. His breaks were 84, 75, 69, 69 and 54.

Ryan Day beat Jamie Cope fairly easily by 5-2. Day also twitched on a black in frame 7. He was on for a 147.

Neil Robertson won Gerard Greene by 5-4, but Robertson was far from satisfied with the win. After the match he said his game was “awful”.

The China Open 2009 Milkins & Walden win

Here are the results for the opening day of snookers The China Open 2009.

Liang Wenbo 2-5 Robert Milkins

Tang Jun 5-3 Judd Trump

Cao Kaisheng 0-5 Ricky Walden

Cao Yupeng 2-5 Stuart Pettman

Yu Delu 5-3 Rod Lawler

Cao Xinlong 5-0 John Parrott

Tian Pengfei 5-1 David Gray

Xiao Guodong 5-3 Michael Holt

On the opening day of the China Open 2009, there were surprise victories for five Chinese Players in the wildcard round.

They are Tang Jun, Xiao Guodong, Tian Pengfei, Yu Delu, and Cao Xinlong who got a bye after the withdrawal of John Parrott.

There was disappointment for Judd Trump early in the day as he lost 5-3 to Tang Jun.

Ding Junhui’s appointment tomorrow evening will be Xiao Guodong who had a surprise result over Michael Holt by the score of 5-3.

The match was evenly poised at 3-3. However, Xiao made good breaks of 74 and 108 and took the victory.

After, Holt said he was in good form, but had a run of bad luck through the match.

The China Open 2009 draw

Here is the complete draw for The China Open 2009, which starts this Monday 30th March.

Stephen Maguire v Dave Harold
Peter Ebdon v Tang/Trump
Joe Perry v Cao K/Walden
Stephen Hendry v Swail/Liang/Milkins
Ali Carter v Nigel Bond
Mark Allen v Cao Y/Pettman
Graeme Dott v Yu/Lawler
Mark Selby v Stephen Lee
Shaun Murphy v Cao Xinlong
Neil Robertson v Gerard Greene
Mark King v Mark Williams
Ryan Day v Jamie Cope
John Higgins v Anthony Hamilton
Marco Fu v Tian/Gray
Ding Junhui v Xiao G/Holt
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Fergal O'Brien

Higgins receives MBE and backs Scots pair

John Higgins has now become an MBE. He received the honour from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace a few weeks ago.

When asked about snooker, he backed the Scottish players Jamie Burnett and Stephen Maguire who have drawn each other of the first round of this years World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.

The pair are embroiled in controversy following their match in Decembers UK Championship. Unusual betting was noted on a score of 9-3 for Maguire to win, which was the final result.

Snookers governing body are still investigating the match, but their findings will not be made public until after the World Championship.

Higgins said that the matter was “blown out of all proportion” and that the two players will approach their match, as professionals should at this years World’s.

John Higgins has drawn Michael Holt in the first round of this years World Championship which starts on April 18th at The Crucible in Sheffield.

World Snooker Championship Full Draw 2009

Here is the full draw for the World Snooker Championship, which starts on April 18th 2009.

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Stuart Bingham

Mark Allen v Martin Gould

Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond

Ryan Day v Stephen Lee

John Higgins v Michael Holt

Joe Perry v Jamie Cope

Graeme Dott v Barry Hawkins

Mark Selby v Ricky Walden

Shaun Murphy v Andrew Higginson

Marco Fu v Joe Swail

Ding Junhui v Liang Wenbo

Stephen Hendry v Mark Williams

Ali Carter v Gerard Greene

Neil Robertson v Steve Davis

Mark King v Rory McLeod

Stephen Maguire v Jamie Burnett

World Qualifiers Davis Swail & Hawkins win

World Snooker Championship qualifying results for 10th March 2008.

Joe Swail 10-1 Matthew Couch

Steve Davis 10-8 Lee Spick

Ian McCulloch 7-10 Rory McLeod

Barry Hawkins 10-9 Daniel Wells

Ken Doherty 5-10 Gerard Greene


In today’s qualifiers, there were wins for Steve Davis, Joe Swail and Gerard Greene.

In match 2 of the day, Steve Davis beat Lee Spick by 10-8.

Davis will now make an incredible 28th appearance at the Crucible this year.

All was not well with Davis, as at one stage he was 5-0 down. Many fans turned up to watch Steve and must have wondered if he was in with any chance.

However, frame 6 turned the match when Spick missed a pink and Davis won the frame. He then fought back to 5-5.

The next few frames were shared, until Davis pulled away to go 9-8 up with a possible 2 frames to play. He clinched the last frame and goes into the last 32.

Afterwards, he said he doesn’t try as hard as he used to, but considers himself an ok player. “Losing still hurts” he said.

Highest breaks:

Steve Davis 74, 92
Lee Spick 55, 61, 65, 66

World Qualifiers Lee Williams & Walden win

World Snooker Championship qualifying results for 9th March 2008.

Stephen Lee 10-8 Judd Trump

Mark Williams 10-5 Tom Ford

Anthony Hamilton 5-10 Ricky Walden

Dave Harold 3-10 Liang Wenbo

Fergal O'Brien 6-10 Jamie Burnett


In today’s qualifiers, there were wins for Stephen Lee, Mark Williams and Ricky Walden.

Mark Williams scored a very important win as he beat Tom Ford by 10-5. He later described the victory as his most important over the last few years.

Williams has had to qualify this year as he is out of the Top 16. He won the World Championship in 2000 and 2003. He is hopeful he can bounce back into the Top 16 now.

Williams later remarked that he played well and that it had been a difficult season. He said he was looking forward to the Crucible and only wanted to avoid playing Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Highest Breaks:

Williams 76, 80, 145, 72, 51, 73
Ford 105, 88, 52

World Qualifiers Cope Bond & Holt win

World Snooker Championship qualifying results for 8th March 2008.

Michael Judge 4-10 Andrew Higginson

Jamie Cope 10-5 Paul Davies

Nigel Bond 10-7 Mike Dunn

Dominic Dale 7-10 Michael Holt

Stuart Bingham 10-6 Alan McManus

Matthew Stevens 4-10 Martin Gould


Nearing the end of the qualifying stages, there were wins today for Andrew Higginson, Jamie Cope and Nigel Bond.

In the biggest upset of the day, Matthew Stevens lost 4-10 to Martin Gould. Stevens will now miss out on the Crucible this year.

This will be the first year that Stevens has not been to the Crucible since 1998.

For Gould though, this is another big win after beating Stephen Hendry last month at The Welsh Open.

After the match, Gould said he would be going to the Crucible to enjoy it and not have too high expectations.

Highest Breaks:

Gould 70, 108, 113, 51, 72, 100
Stevens 55, 69

World Qualifiers McManus Holt and Spick win

World Snooker Championship qualifying results for Wednesday 4th March 2009

John Parrott 3-10 Matthew Couch

Adrian Gunnell 2-10 Lee Spick

Liang Wenbo 10-8 David Morris

Jamie Burnett 10-8 Simon Bedford

Andrew Higginson 10-8 Jamie Jones

Jimmy Michie 6-10 Paul Davies

Mike Dunn 10-7 Jin Long

Michael Holt 10-9 Mark Davis

Alan McManus 10-8 Stuart Pettman

David Gilbert 8-10 Martin Gould

World Qualifiers Greene Trump and Walden win

World Snooker Championship qualifying results for Tuesday 3rd March 2009

Rory McLeod 10-8 Andy Hicks

Marcus Campbell 9-10 Daniel Wells

Gerard Greene 10-6 Liu Song

Judd Trump 10-1 Joe Delaney

Tom Ford 10-8 Patrick Wallace

Ricky Walden 10-1 Rod Lawler

World Qualifiers 1st and 2nd March 2009

World Snooker Championship Qualifying results for Sunday 1st March 2009.

Andrew Norman 4-10 Matthew Couch

Barry Pinches 5-10 Lee Spick

Andy Hicks 10-8 Jimmy White

Ian Preece 9-10 Daniel Wells

Liu Song 10-9 Supoj Saenla

Joe Delaney 10-8 Wayne Cooper


World Snooker Championship Qualifying results for Monday 2nd March 2009.

Mark Joyce 6-10 Patrick Wallace

Rod Lawler 10-4 Matthew Selt

David Morris 10-3 James McBain

David Roe 7-10 Simon Bedford

Robert Milkins 7-10 Jamie Jones

Paul Davies 10-7 Lewis Roberts

David Gray 8-10 Jin Long

Mark Davis 10-6 Peter Lines

Stuart Pettman 10- 3 Andrew Pagett

Martin Gould 10-7 Rodney Goggins

World Qualifiers Wallace Selt and Goggins win

World Snooker Championship Qualifying results for Saturday 28th February 2009.

Patrick Wallace 10-2 Neil Selman

Matthew Selt 10-3 Robert Stephen

James McBain 10-2 Chris McBreen

Simon Bedford 10-6 David Grace

Jamie Jones 10-9 Atthasit Mahitthi

Lewis Roberts 10-8 Aditya Mehta

Kuldesh Johal 8-10 Jin Long

Peter Lines 10-8 Andy Lee

Paul Davison 5-10 Andrew Pagett

Rodney Goggins 10-4 Tony Knowles

World Championship Qualifiers 27th February 2009

Results

Matthew Couch 10-8 Michael Georgiou

Lee Spick 10-5 Stephen Craigie

Jimmy White 10-8 Vincent Muldoon

Daniel Wells 10-9 Li Hang

Supoj Saenla 10-5 Liu Chuang

Scott MacKenzie 9-10 Wayne Cooper

Day 2 of the World Championship qualifiers 2009 saw wins for Jimmy White and Lee Spick.

Throughout Jimmy White’s match, Jimmy had to come back from behind, at one point trailing by 7-4.

White’s highest break was a nice 134; he now plays Andy Hicks on Sunday.

World Championship Qualifiers 26th February

Results

Li Hang 10-2 Colin Mitchell

Declan Hughes 0-0 Neil Selman (Selman goes through)

Chris McBreen 10-8 Del Smith

Stefan Mazrocis 9-10 Tony Knowles

In the first day of qualifying for the Snooker World Championship, Tony Knowles scored an unexpected win against Stefan Mazrocis.

Knowles made the semi final three times at The Crucible in the 1980’s.

He now goes through to the last 96 of the qualifiers where he plays Rodney Goggins.

Provisional Rankings following the Welsh Open

Provisional World Snooker Rankings following the Welsh Open 2009.

1 Ronnie O´Sullivan 47275
2 Stephen Maguire 42350
3 Allister Carter 36825
4 Shaun Murphy 36675
5 Marco Fu 32850
6 Ryan Day 32475
7 John Higgins 31825
8 Mark Selby 31075
9 Joe Perry 30775
10 Neil Robertson 26925
11 Mark Allen 25775
12 Stephen Hendry 25625
13 Junhui Ding 25144
14 Mark Williams 25119
15 Barry Hawkins 23800
16 Dave Harold 23557
17 Peter Ebdon 23000
18 Mark King 22600
19 Stuart Bingham 22044
20 Joe Swail 21519
21 Jamie Cope 21432
22 Matthew Stevens 21407
23 Ricky Walden 21350
24 Steve Davis 21169
25 Wenbo Liang 19575
26 Michael Holt 19025
27 Stephen Lee 18988
28 Dominic Dale 18895
29 Fergal O'Brien 18245
30 Judd Trump 18201
31 Anthony Hamilton 18138
32 Ian McCulloch 17538

Welsh Open Champion Allister Carter

Result

Ali Carter 9-5 Joe Swail

In a sensational comeback, Ali Carter won seven frames on the trot to win from 2-5 down to win 9-5. This is Carters first ranking title victory. He now goes up to number 3 in the provisional world snooker rankings.

During five of the frames he won, Carter outscored Swail by 28 points to every 1 for Swail.

As is usually the case, the interval between afternoon and evening session turned the tide and Carter played some of the snooker of his life.

After the final, Carter said he learnt a lot from losing the world final last year and that Swail made it tough for him in the afternoon.

Carter also thanked his coach Terry Griffiths.

He concluded that he hoped it would be the first of more victories in the future.

Swail said he was disappointed to lose, after having a 5-2 lead disappear. But he said there was not much he could do as Carter played very well.

Swail is now provisionally world number 20 and keep his season going the right way.

The final frame saw Swail knock in a 45 break, but it was not enough as Carter cleared to win the match.

Highest Breaks

Ali Carter 89, 41, 54, 116, 109, 61, 91, 67
Joe Swail 40, 43, 60, 49, 43, 40

Welsh Open 2009 Carter and Swail into final

Results

Anthony Hamilton 5-6 Allister Carter

Joe Swail 6-4 Neil Robertson

Semi finals day at the Welsh Open saw Ali Carter and Joe Swail reach the final.

Congratulations to Joe Swail, who has reached his first ever ranking event final. He had previously only been as far as the semis, which he had done a few times at the crucible some years ago.

Swail managed to command a 4-0 lead at the interval, as Robertson looked out of sorts.

After the interval, Robertson came back strongly to make it 5-4 to Swail. Robertson knocked in breaks of 82, 94 and 93.

The final frame saw Robertson break down on a break of 39 and Swail got back into the frame. A tense finish saw Neil battle for a snooker, but to no avail. Swail put in some superb pots and clinched the win.


In the other semi, Ali Carter left it to the wire and beat Anthony Hamilton by 6-5.

Carter has had a very consistent season and has now reached four semi finals, but has only now reached his first final.

In the early stages, Hamilton took a 3-1 lead into the interval with breaks of 77 and 80.

As is often the case in snooker, the interval helped the player trailing and Carter pulled ahead 3-4.

Hamilton then knocked in a great break of 116 and was on for a maximum 147 to level at 4-4.

The following two frames were shared and the match went to a decider.

In these situations, all a player can hope for is one chance. Carter got his and made a 58 break. Hamilton had a chance, but was let down on position when he tried to split the reds.

Carter will now play Joe Swail in tomorrow’s final.

Welsh Open 2009 Hamilton and Swail win

Results

Mark Selby 3-5 Anthony Hamilton

Allister Carter 5-2 Shaun Murphy

Stephen Maguire 4-5 Joe Swail

Neil Robertson 5-2 Marco Fu

On quarter finals day of the Welsh Open, there were wins for Anthony Hamilton, Ali Carter, Joe Swail and Neil Robertson.

In the grittiest performance of the day, Joe Swail beat one of the favourites Stephen Maguire despite Swail having an injured arm. Swail edged through 5-4.

Congratulations also to Anthony Hamilton as he reached his first semi final for a few years by beating defending champion Mark Selby by 5-3.

Welsh Open 2009 Carter, Murphy and Fu win

Results

Anthony Hamilton 5-2 Michael Judge

Allister Carter 5-4 Graeme Dott

Mark King 2-5 Shaun Murphy

Stephen Maguire 5-4 Ding Junhui

John Higgins 4-5 Neil Robertson

Marco Fu 5-3 Ronnie O'Sullivan

On day 4 of the Welsh Open, there were wins for Stephen Maguire, Neil Robertson and Marco Fu.

Welsh Open 2009 O'Sullivan and Higgins win

Results

Mark King 5-3 Dave Harold

Ding Junhui 5-3 Matthew Stevens

John Higgins 5-2 Dominic Dale

Neil Robertson 5-3 Jamie Burnett

Marco Fu 5-4 Fergal O'Brien

Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-2 Steve Davis

Mark Selby 5-1 David Gilbert

Joe Swail 5-1 Martin Gould

There were wins at The Welsh Open for Ronnie O’Sullivan, Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson on Wednesday.

Ronnie O’Sullivan came out on top of the battle of the legends as he beat Steve Davis by 5-2.

In a game in which O’Sullivan described his game as “a bit rusty since The Masters”, he knocked in a breaks of 58, 63 and 118.

However, Davis was still in the match at 2-2 after he knocked in a brilliant 132 and 62.

But after the interval, O’Sullivan reeled off 3 , including a 118, quick frames to seal the 5-2 win.

Welsh Open 2009 Selby, Carter and Dott win

Results

Mark Selby 5-0 Paul Davies

Joe Perry 4-5 David Gilbert

Peter Ebdon 2-5 Anthony Hamilton

Ryan Day 3-5 Michael Judge

Allister Carter 5-1 Jimmy White

Graeme Dott 5-3 Mike Dunn

Shaun Murphy 5-3 Barry Pinches

Stephen Hendry 3-5 Martin Gould


In one of the surprise results today, Stephen Hendry lost to world number 63 Martin Gould.

Gould, who is a part time player from London, got to the last 16 for the first time ever.

In what has been a very disappointing season for Hendry, this result only piles on the pressure, with the possibility of him dropping out of the Top 16 over the next 3 to 15 months.

After the match he said was not surprised as he missed more balls than Gould did.

The result for Gould must be his best ever win during his career.

Gould knocked in a superb 135, which is the current tournament high break.

Gould said after the match that he fancied his chances as Hendry has had a string of poor results.

He now plays Joe Swail in the next round.

In the evenings other matches, Graeme Dott and Michael Judge both won their matches.

Graeme Dott beat Mike Dunn. Dotts top break was 105. He fully expects to be in the qualifiers next season as he has had 2 poor seasons and is ranked provisionally number 41.

In the final match tonight, Michael Judge beat home favourite Ryan Day.

Judge won with a high break of 109. He cleared in the last frame after a long safety battle.

Earlier on today, Jimmy White fell to Ali Carter. Over 400 people turned up for the match.

Welsh Open 2009 Results Gilbert and Dale win

Mark Williams 1-5 David Gilbert

Dominic Dale 5-4 Liang Wenbo

In Monday evening’s matches at the Welsh Open 2009, there were wins for David Gilbert and Dominic Dale.

In a performance in which Gilbert described as “the best he ever played”, he beat home favourite Mark Williams 5-1.

Gilbert knocked in breaks of 131, 115, 66 and 58 while Williams had a consolation break of 75 to win his frame.

Gilbert is through to the last 16 for the first time ever. It was also his first win on television. He will now play Joe Perry.

In the nights other match, Dominic Dale came through in a tough match against Liang Wenbo. Dale will now play John Higgins in the first round proper.

Welsh Open 2009 Maguire, Swail and Stevens Win

Results

First round

Stephen Maguire 5-0 Ian Preece
Joe Swail 5-3 Mark Allen

Qualifying

Matthew Stevens 5-4 Andy Hicks

The first afternoons play at the Welsh Open is now complete. Stephen Maguire, Joe Swail and Matthew Stevens all started with wins.

The best result of the afternoon was for Stephen Maguire with a 5-0 victory.

Afterwards, Maguire said he was surprised how well he played, giving his opponent few chances. His highest break was 78.

The victory came in less than 90 minutes.

Full Welsh Open 2009 Draw

Here is the complete draw for the 2009 Welsh Open which starts tomorrow.

Mark Selby v Paul Davies
Joe Perry v Mark Williams or David Gilbert
Peter Ebdon v Anthony Hamilton
Graeme Dott v Mike Dunn
Mark King v Dave Harold
Shaun Murphy v Barry Pinches
Neil Robertson v Jamie Burnett
Marco Fu v Fergal O'Brien
Stephen Maguire v Ian Preece
Ryan Day v Michael Judge
Ali Carter v Jimmy White
Ding Junhui v Matthew Stevens or Andy Hicks
Mark Allen v Joe Swail
Stephen Hendry v Martin Gould
John Higgins v Dominic Dale or Liang Wenbo
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Steve Davis

Welsh Open 2009 BBC schedule

Here is a rundown of the BBC schedule for The Welsh Open 2009, which starts on Monday. I will update this entry later this weekend.

Saturday 21 February
1300-1615, BBC Red Button/online
1900-2200, BBC Red Button/online

Sunday 22 February
1330-1600, BBC Red Button/online
1900-2200, BBC Red Button/online

Championship League Group 3 Final Results

In the latest round of group matches at the Matchroom Sport Championship League, Joe Perry came through after victories over Neil Robertson and Mark Williams.

Perry made a break of 101 in the final against Williams, who he beat 3-0.

This league goes towards qualifying for the lucrative Premier League later this year.

Joe Perry 2-2 Mark Williams
Ding Junhui 2-2 John Higgins
Neil Robertson 4-0 Ding Junhui
Ali Carter 1-3 Neil Robertson
John Higgins 2-2 Joe Perry
Ding Junhui 1-3 Barry Hawkins
Mark Williams 3-1 Barry Hawkins
Joe Perry 3-1 Neil Robertson

Semi Final 1
Joe Perry 3 - 1 Neil Robertson

Semi Final 2
Barry Hawkins 1 - 3 Mark Williams

Final
Joe Perry 3-0 Mark Williams

Snooker Welsh Open Qualifiers 06/02/09

In today’s final qualifying round for the Welsh Open, there were wins for Steve Davis, Jimmy White and Joe Swail.

Jimmy White came through with a surprising whitewash against the now struggling Ken Doherty. He now plays Ali Carter at the event proper at Newport.

Jimmy will be looking for a bit of revenge against Carter who White lost to at the UK Championship before Christmas.

Barry Hawkins 4-5 Paul Davies

Anthony Hamilton 5-3 Michael Holt

Michael Judge 5-2 Stuart Pettman

Ken Doherty 0-5 Jimmy White

Ian McCulloch 4-5 Mike Dunn

Dave Harold 5-1 Gerard Greene

Jamie Cope 3-5 Barry Pinches

Stuart Bingham 3-5 Ian Preece

Nigel Bond 4-5 Martin Gould

Fergal O'Brien 5-1 Ricky Walden

Steve Davis 5-2 Tom Ford

Stephen Lee 3-5 Jamie Burnett

Joe Swail 5-3 Marcus Campbell

Snooker Welsh Open Qualifiers 05/02/09

In the third day of qualifying for the Welsh Open, rising player Judd Trump came unstuck in his match with Barry Pinches. Pinches won the match with a high break of 136.

Jimmy White beat Rory McLeod with a highest break of 67and now plays Ken Doherty in the final round later today.

The last round of qualifiers sees former top 16 players Steve Davis, Mark Williams, Ken Doherty Matthew Stevens, Stephen Lee and Jimmy White in action.

Alan McManus 4-5 Stuart Pettman

Liang Wenbo 5-1 Li Hang

Jamie Burnett 5-0 Mark Joyce

Ricky Walden 5-3 David Morris

David Gilbert 5-3 David Roe

Michael Holt 5-2 Stephen Craigie

Tom Ford 5-2 Daniel Wells

Jimmy Michie 3-5 Paul Davies

Judd Trump 3-5 Barry Pinches

Rory McLeod 2-5 Jimmy White

Mike Dunn 5-4 Robert Milkins

Gerard Greene 5-1 Joe Delaney

Andrew Higginson 4-5 Ian Preece

Adrian Gunnell 2-5 Andy Hicks

Marcus Campbell 5-2 Aditya Mehta

John Parrott 3-5 Martin Gould

Snooker Welsh Open Qualifiers 04/02/09

In the second round of the Welsh Open qualifying at Prestatyn, Jimmy White made an excellent comeback in his match against Rod Lawler.

White came back from 4-0 down to win 5-4. White found some form after the interval. He now plays Rory McLeod.

Afterwards, White said he was trying very hard to qualify for the venue at Newport.

Paul Davies 5-1 Patrick Wallace

David Roe 5-3 Vincent Muldoon

David Gray 2-5 Stephen Craigie

Stuart Pettman 5-0 Stefan Mazrocis

Rod Lawler 4-5 Jimmy White

Robert Milkins 5-3 Wayne Cooper

Joe Delaney 5-3 Lee Spick

Barry Pinches 5-3 Jin Long

Ian Preece 5-4 Peter Lines

Andy Hicks 5-3 Paul Davison

Mark Davis 3-5 Aditya Mehta

Martin Gould 5-3 Matthew Selt

Liu Song 2-5 Li Hang

Mark Joyce 5-1 Lewis Roberts

David Morris 5-1 Rodney Goggins

Andrew Norman 4-5 Daniel Wells

Snooker Welsh Open Qualifiers 3rd February

In today’s top qualifier at Prestatyn, Jimmy White came through after a few scares playing David Grace. He came back after trailing four times to beat Grace 5-4.

In a fairly scrappy match, the top break was made by White with 75.

Patrick Wallace 5-2 Liu Chuang

Kuldesh Johal 3-5 Vincent Muldoon

Matthew Couch 2-5 Stephen Craigie

Scott MacKenzie 4-5 Stefan Mazrocis

Jimmy White 5-4 David Grace

Simon Bedford 3-5 Wayne Cooper

Lee Spick 5-3 Robert Stephen

Supoj Saenla 2-5 Jin Long

Peter Lines 5-4 Andrew Pagett

Paul Davison 5-2 Atthasit Mahitthi

James McBain 4-5 Aditya Mehta

Matthew Selt 5-2 Michael Georgiou

Jamie Jones 4-5 Li Hang

Lewis Roberts 5-0 Declan Hughes

Rodney Goggins 5-2 Andy Lee

Daniel Wells 5-0 Chris McBreen

Play Matthew Stevens And Win Tickets

Former UK snooker champion Matthew Stevens will be on hand tomorrow 31st January at the Newport Indoor Market in the High Street.

Fans have the chance to play the star and a chance to win tickets for the upcoming Welsh Open between 11am to 4pm.

The rules are as follows. You must score 20 or more points in a frame to win a pair of tickets to the event, running from the 16th to the 22nf February at the Newport Centre.

O’Sullivan and White Snooker Exhibition at Trim

Snooker legends Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White will be playing an exhibition of Snooker at the Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim

It will take place on Wednesday 28th January.

Ronnie will also be showing off his new Masters title, which he won a few days ago.

Local players will have a chance to play Jimmy White and see a match between the 2 stars later on.

Both players will be available for autographs throughout the evening.

Tickets are priced at 35 Euros and are available through the Knightsbrook Hotel in Trim on (086) 8211302.

Davis, Doherty and Stevens out of China Open

The qualifying event at Prestatyn for Snookers China Open 2009 is now over.

Looking at the results, we see that some former Top 16 players will not be heading for China. They include Steve Davis, Ken Doherty and Matthew Stevens.

Steve Davis lost 5-2 to Stuart Pettman. Davis could only manage a high break of 54, while Pettman had highs of 109 and 99.

Ken Doherty got hammered 5-0 by rising star Judd Trump. It seems hard to believe that Doherty was ranked number 1 only a few seasons ago. Trump had high breaks of 62 and 60.

Matthew Stevens lost a close match by 5-4 to Rod Lawler. Lawler’s high breaks were 70, 70 and 62.

Meanwhile, there were good wins for other former Top 16 players. Nigel Bond, Stephen Lee, John Parrott and Mark Williams all go to China.

The China Open will be from 30th March to 5th April 2009.

Snooker China Open 2009 Qualifying Results

Here are the complete Snooker results for the 4 qualifying days for The China Open 2009.

24/01/09

Dave Harold 5-4 Jimmy Michie
Ken Doherty 0-5 Judd Trump
Michael Judge 4-5 Ricky Walden
Nigel Bond 5-1 Jamie Burnett
Steve Davis 2-5 Stuart Pettman
Matthew Stevens 4-5 Rod Lawler
Stephen Lee 5-3 Jin Long
Stuart Bingham 2-5 John Parrott
Dominic Dale 1-5 Gerard Greene
Mark Williams 5-4 James McBain
Jamie Cope 5-3 Mike Dunn
Anthony Hamilton 5-1 Patrick Wallace
Barry Hawkins 0-5 David Gray
Ian McCulloch 3-5 Michael Holt
Fergal O'Brien 5-4 Andrew Higginson


23/01/09

Jimmy Michie 5-4 Andrew Norman
Judd Trump 5-3 Kuldesh Johal
Ricky Walden 5-1 Andy Hicks
Liang Wenbo 0-0 Robert Milkins
Jamie Burnett 5-3 Scott MacKenzie
Alan McManus 3-5 Stuart Pettman
Adrian Gunnell 2-5 Rod Lawler
Tom Ford 4-5 Jin Long
John Parrott 5-3 Robert Stephen
Gerard Greene 5-1 Andy Lee
Dave Gilbert 4-5 James McBain
Mike Dunn 5-1 Atthasit Mahitthi
Rory McLeod 4-5 Patrick Wallace
Marcus Campbell 3-5 David Gray
Michael Holt 5-4 Aditya Mehta
Andrew Higginson 5-4 Martin Gould


22/01/09

Andrew Norman 5-4 Stephen Craigie
Barry Pinches 4-5 Kuldesh Johal
Andy Hicks 5-2 Simon Bedford
Robert Milkins 5-1 Andrew Pagett
Mark Joyce 3-5 Scott MacKenzie
Stuart Pettman 5-2 Peter Lines
Rod Lawler 5-4 Daniel Wells
David Morris 1-5 Jin Long
Liu Song 4-5 Robert Stephen
Paul Davies 2-5 Andy Lee
Mark Davis 2-5 James McBain
Ian Preece 3-5 Atthasit Mahitthi
Joe Delaney 3-5 Patrick Wallace
David Gray 5-3 Lewis Roberts
David Roe 1-5 Aditya Mehta
Martin Gould 5-1 Li Hang


21/01/09

Lee Spick 4-5 Stephen Craigie
Kuldesh Johal 5-0 Michael Georgiou
Simon Bedford 5-4 Liu Chuang
Paul Davison 2-5 Andrew Pagett
Scott MacKenzie 0-0 Declan Hughes
Peter Lines 5-0 Chris McBreen
Daniel Wells 5-2 Wayne Cooper
Jamie Jones 2-5 Jin Long
Supoj Saenla 1-5 Robert Stephen
Matthew Selt 3-5 Andy Lee
James McBain 5-0 Stefan Mazrocis
Matthew Couch 2-5 Atthasit Mahitthi
Patrick Wallace 5-3 David Grace
Lewis Roberts 5-2 Vincent Muldoon
Rodney Goggins 3-5 Aditya Mehta
Jimmy White 3-5 Li Hang

Snooker The Masters 2009 Selby v O’Sullivan

Mark Selby 8 - 10 Ronnie O’Sullivan

In a highly anticipated final, Mark Selby took on Ronnie O‘Sullivan.

After the first four frames, O’Sullivan had a 1 - 3 lead in this mini session. Selby had started slowly and looked a bit nervous. O’Sullivan knocked in a 68 in frame one but Selby soon knocked in an impressive 82.

The next mini session of four frames was a reversal of the first with Selby taking it 3 - 1 to end the afternoon session at 4 - 4. Selby went 4 - 3 up and had a lead for the first time with breaks of 76 and 50. However, O’Sullivan won the eight with a brilliant clearance after Selby stumbled on a break of 53.

The all-important evening session started in frame nine. The frame went back and forth with O’Sullivan winning it on a fluked red that travelled the full length of the table and ended in the yellow pocket.

Later, Selby won three in a row with big breaks of 101, 89 and 114 to take a 7 - 5 lead after being behind.

O’Sullivan fired back with an 110 break which helped him regain the advantage and a 7 - 8 lead before Selby drew back it make it 8 - 8.

By now, a tired looking Selby missed a chance in the next and the score became 8 - 9 to O’Sullivan.

The final frame started unusually with two re-racks before O’Sullivan clinched the title with a break of 55.

All in all, I think this was a great quality tournament, especially from the quarter finals onwards. It was nice to see, after the fairly poor quality of play throughout the UK Championship in December.

We now move on to the Welsh Open, which will be 16 - 22 February.

Highest Breaks:
Selby 82, 76, 50, 53, 41, 101, 89, 114, 55, 69, 49
O’Sullivan 68, 40, 101, 48, 53, 43, 110, 55

Snooker The Masters 2009 Maguire v O’Sullivan

Stephen Maguire 1 - 6 Ronnie O’Sullivan

In the last semi final, Stephen Maguire took on Ronnie O‘Sullivan.

In a quick fire start, O’Sullivan knocked in a break of 102 in the very first frame.

The only other fault was in the third frame when The Rocket conceded 16 points in fouls and misses when attempting to escape from a difficult snooker.

This was Maguire’s only joy in the match, who must be disappointed after a great match with Neil Robertson yesterday. His highest break of the match was 44.

Afterwards, O’Sullivan said he was still getting use to his new cue. Not bad for someone who has only used it for an hour in practice before the tournament started?

O’Sullivan will now play Mark Selby in the final.

Highest Breaks:
Maguire 44
O’Sullivan 102, 84, 66, 136, 70

Snooker The Masters 2009 Selby v Higgins

Mark Selby 6 - 2 John Higgins

In the first semi final, Mark Selby took on John Higgins.

Higgins got in with an early lead of 1 - 2.But that’s where it ended for Higgins. Selby rattled off five frames in a row for the victory.

After the interval, which seems to have favoured Selby, the Leicester potter scored a 102 break to go 3 -2 up.

Selby scored heavily in the second half of the match with four breaks of over 60.

After the match, Selby had confessed to being nervous.

Only three players previously have successfully defended The Masters title.

Selby will now play Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final.

Highest Breaks:
Selby 52, 102, 60, 84, 82
Higgins 100

Snooker The Masters 2009 Carter v O’Sullivan

Ali Carter 2 - 6 Ronnie O'Sullivan

In the last quarter final, current World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan took on Ali Carter.

After a fairly slow start for The Rocket, the interval certainly charged him up. The first four frames were shared between the two players.

Then as Ronnie often does, he won four frames on the trot with four 80+ breaks.

As we know, Ronnie is using a new cue after smashing up his old cue a week ago.

Carter will be disappointed as he did have chances, but couldn’t capitalise on them. It is now Carters 11th loss to O’Sullivan who leads the head to head by 11 - 0.

O’Sullivan will now play Stephen Maguire in the semi final.

Highest Breaks:
O’Sullivan 66, 90, 82, 128, 115, 91
Carter 40

Snooker The Masters 2009 Maguire v Robertson

Stephen Maguire 6 - 3 Neil Robertson

In the third quarter final, Stephen Maguire took on the Neil Robertson.

The Scot Stephen Maguire lost the first two frames in his match, but hit back to take the lead 3 - 2.

Then the Australian Neil Robertson hit back with two great centuries of 122 and 100.

In a high quality and scoring match, Maguire then knocked in 105 and 113 to take the match.

The match ended with an incredible five straight centuries, two from Robertson and three from Maguire.

Having gone back to Scotland between his matches between Dott and Robertson clearly did Maguire the world of good.

Maguire will now play Ronnie O’Sullivan in the semi final.

Highest Breaks:
Maguire 55, 62, 120, 105, 113
Robertson 60, 58, 97, 122, 100

Snooker The Masters 2009 Higgins v Ding

John Higgins 6 - 4 Ding Junhui

In the second quarter final, John Higgins took on Ding Junhui.

Another high standard game with both players scoring well. At the interval, Higgins was 3 - 1 up, but Ding pulled it back to 4 -4.

But from then on, John Higgins showed his experience by knocking in a great 127 to make it 5 - 4.

He then closed out the match in the next to complete a good victory.

Higgins will now play Mark Selby in the semi final.

Highest Breaks:
Higgins 55, 50, 45, 64, 43, 84, 127
Ding 63, 66, 84, 80, 72

Snooker The Masters 2009 Selby v Allen

Mark Selby 6 - 5 Mark Allen

In the first quarter final, current Masters champion Mark Selby took on Mark Allen.

This was the best match of the tournament so far, with both players scoring heavily. Coming from 2- 4 down, Selby put his foot down to level at 5 - 5.

In the final frame decider, Selby fluked a red while escaping from a snooker, but couldn’t take the advantage and let Allen back in. Allen then missed a red, probably due to nerves.

In the last frame, I feel Allen pushed the boat out too far and took on too many long shots. He could of won the match with slightly less aggressive play. But that’s the way most players play the game today.

Selby will now play John Higgins in the semi final.

Highest Breaks:
Selby 81, 57, 92, 120, 104
Allen 47, 74, 88, 48, 57, 104

Snooker The Masters 2009 Carter v Ebdon

Ali Carter 6 - 0 Peter Ebdon

In the last match of day four, Ali Carter took on former World Champion Peter Ebdon.

Carter played very well tonight, knocking in two centuries and easily beating Ebdon.

Carter started off very well was a 130 break in the very first frame. He was then quickly two up with a 57 break.

Being 4 - 0 down after the interval, Ebdon tried to force the issue by taking on a difficult red to the middle pocket and missing.

Carter closed out the match with a 64 break in the sixth frame.

Carter will now play Ronnie O’Sullivan in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
Carter 130, 57, 6, 124, 64
Ebdon 42

Snooker The Masters 2009 Hendry v Robertson

Stephen Hendry 4 - 6 Neil Robertson

In the first match of day four, Stephen Hendry took on the Shanghai Masters champion Neil Robertson.

Both players weren’t on top form and missed easy chances. Neither player managed to pull free of the other.

Finally, Robertson won the final three frames of the match.

Earlier, Robertson was on for a 147 maximum, but fell badly on a black and broke down on 97.

After the match, Robertson said he was pleased with his safety play, while Hendry conceded he made too many unforced errors and had lost his confidence.

Robertson will now play Stephen Maguire in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
Hendry 80, 61, 60, 42
Robertson 85, 97, 52, 47, 92

Snooker The Masters 2009 Day v Allen

Ryan Day 1 - 6 Mark Allen

In the last match of day three, Ryan Day took on Mark Allen.

A comprehensive win for Mark Allen as he clobbered Ryan day by 1-6. The victory came in just over 1 1/2 hours.

After Day took the opener, Allen never looked back with breaks including 119. He must take some confidence with this victory into his next round.

Allen will now play Mark Selby in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
Day 62, 45
Allen 53, 45, 61, 119, 54, 61

Snooker The Masters 2009 Higgins v Fu

John Higgins 6 - 4 Marco Fu

In the first match of day three, current Grand Prix champion John Higgins took on the UK Championship runner up Marco Fu.

Higgins made a good comeback by winning four frames on the trot to come from 2-4 down to win 6-4. John also knocked in the highest break of the tournament so far, with a brilliant 140 in frame two.

However, there was never more than one frame in it until the end and the match could have been won by either player.

The match ended with a fluke from John who knocked the black from the jaws of one corner pocket that rolled across the rail into the opposite corner pocket.

Higgins will now play Ding Junhui in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
Higgins 140, 67, 59, 69
Fu 41, 65, 77

Snooker The Masters 2009 Selby v Walden

Mark Selby 6 - 5 Ricky Walden

In the final match of day two, current Masters champion Mark Selby took on the wildcard for this tournament Ricky Walden. Selby had to fight hard to get through in a match that went through the midnight hour.

There was plenty of long safety exchanges in the match, along with some errors by both players, which explains the late finish. However, Selby did knock in a nice 100 in frame 6.

Selby has lost a few deciders this season and must be happy to go through.

Selby will mow play Ryan Day or Mark Allen in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
Selby 40, 62, 71, 40, 100, 79
Walden 44, 90, 59

Snooker The Masters 2009 Murphy v Ding

Shaun Murphy 4 - 6 Ding Junhui

In the second match of day two, UK champion Shaun Murphy took on Ding Junhui. In a good match, the current UK champ and one of the favourites to win this week is out.

Ding found a bit of form and made consistent breaks throughout. Ding knocked in a composed break of 46 in the last, which could have been more, but he missed a simple red.

Ding will play John Higgins or Marco Fu in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
Murphy 52, 53, 45, 62, 93
Ding 74, 77, 51, 41, 75, 83, 46

Snooker The Masters 2009 Allen v Trump

Mark Allen 6 - 4 Judd Trump

In the first match of the second day, wildcard entry Judd Trump took on Mark Allen. The level of play in this match was pretty poor from both players. I think Allen would be happy to get through on this performance. Both players missed easy balls.

However, there was a ray of sunshine from Trump as he scored a nice 123 in frame 9.

Mark Allen will now play Ryan Day in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
Trump 40, 55, 96, 55, 123
Allen 80, 70

David Vine passes away at 73

Just started watching the Snooker on the BBC to hear the sad news that David Vine has passed away.

He presented many sports programs over the years and most notably Snooker. He had a heart attack yesterday and died at the age of 73.

All Snooker fans will fondly remember him.

Snooker The Masters 2009 King v Walden

Result

Mark King 2 - 6 Ricky Walden

In the final match of the day, Shanghai Masters champion and wildcard entry Ricky Walden took on Mark King. After this decisive win, Walden will be looking for a good run in this tournament. This is Walden’s first time at The Wembley Masters.

Walden will be up against it when he plays Mark Selby in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
King 57, 115
Walden 65, 94, 86, 57

Snooker The Masters 2009 O’Sullivan v Perry

Result

Ronnie O’Sullivan 6 - 5 Joe Perry

In the most anticipated match of the day, in front of a capacity crowd, The Rocket Ronnie O’Sullivan took on Gentleman Joe Perry (I wonder if Joe likes that nickname). The match was a high standard with frames being won in one visit. Joe Perry I feel is the most improved player over the last few years and seems to have O’Sullivan’s number whenever he plays him.

Perry will be disappointed with this loss, as he was 4 - 5 up and in the balls in the tenth frame. In the last, he missed a pink off the spot and let O’Sullivan back in. Joe seems a bit nervy on match balls. Still, it is all experience and I’m sure Joe will come back better for it.

O’Sullivan will now face Ali Carter or Peter Ebdon in the next round.

Highest Breaks:
O’Sullivan 43, 100, 68, 118
Perry 63, 85, 63, 105

Closing stages of the Ronnie O'Sullivan Joe Perry match.

Snooker The Masters 2009 Maguire v Dott

Result

Stephen Maguire 6 - 5 Graeme Dott

In the first match of The Masters 2009, Stephen Maguire came back from a 2 - 5 deficit to win by 6 frames to 5. In a match where Dott showed good form and in which I thought he would win, Maguire rattled off 4 frames to win. Maguire knocked in a nice 68 break in the deciding frame.

Dott is now outside the provisional Top 32 and his poor form over the last few years continues. It is understandable though with his problems away from the table.

Maguire will now play either Stephen Hendry or Neil Robertson in the Quarter Finals.

Highest Breaks:
Maguire 47, 114, 49, 63, 68
Dott 106, 51

Stephen Maguire interview after beating Graeme Dott

Snooker The Masters 2009 BBC schedule

Here is a rundown of the BBC schedule for The Masters 2009, which starts later today.

Sunday 11 January
1100-2300, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website
1330-1700, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
0020-0310, BBC Two

Monday 12 January
1100-2300, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website
1330-1715, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
1900-2000, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
2320-0200, BBC Two

Tuesday 13 January
1100-2300, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website
1330-1715, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
1900-2000, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
2320-0200, BBC Two

Wednesday 14 January
1100-2300, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website
1400-1715, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
1900-2000, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
2320-0200, BBC Two

Thursday 15 January
1100-2300, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website
1330-1715, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
1900-2000, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
2320-0200, BBC Two

Friday 16 January
1100-2300, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website
1330-1715, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
1900-2000, BBC Two and BBC Sport website
0020-0310, BBC Two

Saturday 17 January
TBC

Sunday 18 January
TBC

Jimmy White opens Cuedos Snooker Centre in Bradford

The Whirlwind Jimmy White opened the newly refurbished Cuedos Snooker Centre in Bradford just before Christmas.

The picture shows Jimmy unveiling the plaque at the ceremony.

Famous players have played at the club in Bradford over the decades, including the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson.

As always, Jimmy when asked said he was playing well in practice. He said he was also hoping to take his form into the qualifiers at Prestatyn in Wales.

Jimmy played several local players, including the clubs new owner who Jimmy beat with a break of 94.

For the full story, read here.

Clive Everton looses BBC commentary position

Well, it looks as if the rumours are true regarding the demotion of Clive Everton in the commentary box. The rumours started before the UK Championship in December. After a long illustrious career with the BBC, he has now been sidelined in what is described as "the way the corporation covers the sport". Other sports covered at the BBC have also made similar changes.

Personally, I would prefer 1 or 2 other changes in the box before Clive, but that's another story.

I wish Clive well for the future. You can read the full story here.

Championship League 2009 Allen through

Mark Allen won Group Two of Championship League Snooker at Crondon Park Golf Club in Essex to make it through to the winners' group in March.

The man from County Antrim lost just one match in the league stage without being at his best - then beat Ali Carter 3-1 in the semi-final.

And he showed plenty of bottle to beat last year's outright winner Joe Perry 3-2 in the final after the man from Cambridge had gone 2-0 in front with two centuries.

Perry had earlier beaten Ding Junhui 3-1 in the other play-off after the Chinese star had again topped the group after the league stage.

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The Masters 2009 Snooker preview

The biggest names in snooker will be fighting it out in the superb surroundings of Wembley Arena as the most prestigious invitational event on the calendar gets underway on Sunday - The Masters.

Mark Selby made his major breakthrough by winning the tournament on his debut 12 months ago, and he is back to defend his title against the best players in the game, all of which are desperate to get their hands on the famous trophy.

The top 16 in the world will be taking part, along with two wild card winners, in a unique event in snooker held in one of the best venues possible to stage a tournament.

All of the game's great names have won the Masters during its 33-year history - including Ray Reardon, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Paul Hunter and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The old Wembley Conference Centre was one of the most revered venues in the game, and the short trip to Wembley Arena has not affected the atmosphere one bit as crowds still flock to the special event.

"It's great to have Masters Snooker back at Wembley Arena for 2009, continuing the relationship between Wembley and this most prestigious of tournaments," said Wembley Arena manager John Drury.

Defending champion Selby will face either Mark King or wild card entry Ricky Walden in the first round proper, the 'Jester from Leicester' hopes to continue his good form this season with a repeat of his career highlight last year.

The mercurial O'Sullivan faces Joe Perry - who himself has been in impressive touch, especially in the Premier League, while Ali Carter players Peter Ebdon.

Last year's beaten finalist Stephen Lee has not made the cut this time around, such is the competition for places at the Masters.

As usual, every match is one of real quality - a point illustrated perfectly with Stephen Hendry playing Neil Robertson in the opening round, along with Stephen Maguire facing fellow Scotsman Graeme Dott.

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Mark Selby Masters 2008 Trophy Presentation.

Win The Masters 2009 Final Tickets

Snooker's biggest invitation tournament starts this Sunday, and here's your chance to win a pair of tickets to the final on January 18.

The world's top 16 players, including Ronnie O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, John Higgins, Stephen Hendry and defending champion Mark Selby, as well as wild cards Judd Trump and Ricky Walden, will be battling for the Masters trophy at Wembley Arena.

For the chance to win two tickets to both sessions of the final, name the five players who have won the Masters on three (or more) occasions.

Send your answer by email to competitions@worldsnooker.com or send a postcard to Masters Competition, World Snooker, 4th Floor, 14-16 Great Portland Street, London W1W 8QW.

Make sure you include your name and address, and send your answer by Tuesday January 13.

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Selby advances in Championship League

Mark Selby has booked his spot in the winners' group of the Championship League at Crondon Park, but Shaun Murphy and Ryan Day are out of the competition.

Selby was overshadowed by Ding Junhui in the round-robin phase of the tournament, with the Chinese player proceeding unbeaten through all of his six matches - winning five and drawing one - to go into the group one play-off.

But Ding then lost his play-off match 3-2 to Ali Carter while Selby - who was second out of the group of seven players after the opening games - waltzed past Joe Perry in the other play-off match.

Selby then produced a break of 133 - the best of the event so far - as he beat Carter 3-1 in the play-off final to win himself a spot in the Championship League winners' group.

Carter, Ding, Perry and Stephen Hendry will all go on to play in the group two round-robin matches which begin on Wednesday, where they will be joined by Mark Williams, Peter Ebdon and Mark Allen.

But UK Championship winner Shaun Murphy is out of the competition, as is Welshman Ryan Day. The pair each won just one of their six matches to finish sixth and seventh respectively in the group and heading out of the competition.

The Championship League consists of eight groups. Seven regular groups and then a winners group featuring the seven previous successful players.

In groups one to six, the winner of the final will advance to the winners' group. Players finish 2-5 advance into the next group where they are then joined by three new players for the next group.

All matches in the league phase are played over four frames. The play-offs and final are the first to three.

The winner of the event gets an automatic berth into the lucrative Premier League while there is also prize money on offer of £100 a frame in the regular group stage - with each semi and final being worth £300 per frame.

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Ding & Selby perform in Championship League

Ding Junhui and Mark Selby were the star performers on the opening day of the Championship League at Crondon Park in Essex.

Both players played four matches during the day with Ding winning three and drawing one while Selby enjoyed two wins and two draws.

They are now both on the brink of qualifying for the group one semi-finals with their 2-2 draw closing out the day's play.

Of the players in action - Ali Carter drew all four of his matches; Shaun Murphy, Ryan Day and Stephen Hendry all had two draws and a defeat from three matches; and defending champion Joe Perry is in trouble after two defeats and just one victory.

The group will be concluded in full on Tuesday.

It was a particular special day for Selby as a 122 in his 3-1 win over Perry represented the 100th century break of his career.

"I knew after the UK Championship I was in the late 90s but I wasn't thinking about getting my 100th century and didn't even know I had achieved the feat until I was told afterwards," he wrote in his latest Eurosport blog to be published on Tuesday.

The Championship League consists of eight groups. Seven regular groups and then a winners group featuring the seven previous successful players.

In groups one to six, the winner of the final will advance to the winners' group. Players finish 2-5 advance into the next group where they are then joined by three new players for the next group.

All matches in the league phase are played over four frames. The play-offs and final are the first to three.

The winner of the event gets an automatic berth into the lucrative Premier League while there is also prize money on offer of £100 a frame in the regular group stage - with each semi and final being worth £300 per frame.

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Fifth Premier League Title For Rocket

Ronnie O'Sullivan won the Premier League title for a fifth straight year with a 7-2 victory over Mark Selby in Norfolk.

The world champion got off to a flyer with a break of 93 to go one up and despite a missed red with the rest, a run of 70 put the Chigwell cueman 2-0 ahead.

The third frame was a scrappier affair but a break of 39 sufficed for O'Sullivan.

He quickly won the fourth as well and despite a break of 40 from Selby in the next, O'Sullivan's 61 was enough to give him a 5-0 lead.

O'Sullivan could also have won a tight sixth frame, but he missed a difficult cross-double on the pink which was game ball.

That left Selby a long pot, which he dropped in nervelessly and the black from its spot gave the 'Jester from Leicester' his first frame.

But it was back to business as usual in the next as O'Sullivan rolled in a 105 break after a Selby error. That earned him a £1,000 bonus for the century but more importantly put him five up with six to play.

Selby - who beat Stephen Hendry 5-0 in Saturday's semi-finals - hit back immediately with a run of 84 to make it 6-2.

Selby was first in the balls in the next but ran out of position and after O'Sullivan won the subsequent safety exchange, a break of 74 wrapped up the win and the £50,000 first prize for the Essex star.

Overall, O'Sullivan won £75,000 in prize money from the tournament.

O'Sullivan told Sky Sports: "It is just good to win... every time I play I feel I have to win. To beat someone of Mark's quality and calibre is fantastic for me, because he is coming after me and they are all coming after me, so I just want to keep them at bay as long as I can.

"I was happy with my form. I was scoring amongst the balls. I'm just happy because it was a final and that's where you want to produce your snooker where it matters and I was able to do that. I knew I had to do it so it's even more pleasing.

"I hadn't played great this season but hopefully this is going to turn it around and I can find a bit of consistency."

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Ronnie O'Sullivan trophy presentation for the 2008 Premier League.

Steve Davis backs World Series of Snooker

Snooker legend Steve Davis believes the World Series will help spread the sport's word across Europe.

Davis, 51 who has 28 ranking titles to his name, including six World Championships in his 30 year career, makes his World Series debut in Warsaw, Poland this weekend.

In the 1980s, Davis and his manager, Barry Hearn, promoted invitation events in countries new to snooker which went on to stage fully fledged ranking tournaments - including China and Thailand.

And Davis believes the game can only benefit by taking tournaments to countries where snooker has grown in popularity in recent years thanks to Eurosport's extensive coverage of the professional circuit.

"What the World Series does is to take top flight snooker to countries who have not had a great deal of exposure," he said.

"The last leg in Berlin was a huge success and, hopefully, Warsaw will be the same.

"Snooker has become a little bit stale in the UK and the aim is for Europe to become a catalyst to kick-start the game again. It's all about making the world sit up and take notice.

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John Higgins takes Grand Prix crown

John Higgins held off a superb comeback from Ryan Day to win his first ranking event for 18 months at the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Glasgow.

The Scot opened up a 5-2 lead in an impressive opening session and extended it to 7-2 before Day found his form.

The Welshman, seeking his first ranking title in his third final, won five of the next six frames to get back to 8-7.

But Higgins held his nerve to win 9-7. securing his fourth Grand Prix crown and his first success on home soil.

It was the first title for the "Wizard of Wishaw" since his second World Championship victory in May 2007, and his 19th ranking title in all.

The opening session gave little sign of the drama to come as Higgins compiled four breaks of more than 50, the best an 85 in the second frame, to open up a three-frame advantage over the world number eight, who replied with breaks of 64 and 82.

That became five frames when Higgins had further runs of 62 and 52 on the resumption to make it 7-2.

"I was 7-2 up but I was feeding off Ryan because he didn't play nearly as well as he has all week - he has definitely been the player of the tournament," Higgins said.

"I knew once he got his cue arm going he would come back at me really strongly. I was just relieved to get over the line and really proud I have won."

Day rattled in a break of 69 to kick-start his revival and then won a topsy-turvy 11th frame on the black to go in at the interval only 7-4 down.

An 89 further reduced the deficit before the Welshman won a tight 13th frame on the pink to cut the gap to one.

The two-time world champion responded to the pressure to move within one of victory, only for Day to maintain the tension with an 83 to make it 8-7.

But Higgins potted a superb penultimate red to finally shake off his doughty opponent, whose search for an elusive first ranking title goes on.

Day, who also lost his previous two ranking finals, in Malta in 2007 and Shanghai last season, refused to use fatigue as an excuse after his nailbiting, final-frame semi-final win over Ali Carter on Saturday.

"I was slow out of the blocks and I could have been a bit jaded after last night but that was no excuse," he said. "I should have been better than I was today.

"I am disappointed with the result. I dug in and gave a little of my best but it wasn't quite there. John deserved to win. He was the better player on the day."

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Higgins through to Grand Prix final

John Higgins fought off a spirited fightback from young gun Judd Trump to book his place in Sunday's Royal London Watches Grand Prix final in Glasgow.

The three-time Grand Prix champion clinched a fine 6-4 semi-final victory at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.

But having established a commanding 4-1 lead, Higgins saw Trump level the match by winning three frames in quick succession.

However, Higgins dug deep at the £502,100 tournament to pull away again to make sure of a place in his seventh Grand Prix final.

"I felt a little bit under pressure at the start of the match because he had nothing to lose, but I knew that if I could hang in there and get to five frames before him I could hopefully put some pressure in the next frame.

""Luckily I had a chance and played well in the last two frames to win the match," reflected Higgins.

"It's really hard to play these young players because they all go for their shots, so it's really pleasing to get through to the final.

"I'll be the favourite now to win the tournament but, whoever I play, it's going to be a tough match."

Higgins has won 18 ranking titles during a glittering career, but surprisingly not in Scotland.

The world number five wants to change that unwanted statistic, especially in front of his family and friends.

"I'll be the favourite now to win the tournament but, whoever I play, it's going to be a tough match," added Higgins, who will face either Ali Carter, last season's World Championship beaten finalist, or Welshman Ryan Day, a two-time ranking event runner-up, in the best-of-frame 19 final.

This year's winner will pocket £75,000, while the runner-up will win £35,000.

"I do think my game is there," Higgins continued. "At the start of the match I couldn't pot eight, but I was really pleased with the way I finished the match. I'm feeling confident.

"I've lost a couple of finals up here to Ronnie [O'Sullivan], which is pretty hard to take because you've got all your friends and family here to watch you. I would dearly love to win it here.

"It's really hard to play these young players because they all go for their shots, so it's really pleasing to get through to the final.

"At 4-1 I thought he was struggling a little bit and I thought I'd probably go on to win quite comfortably.

"But he's a great talent, he pots them off the lampshades. He's going to be a great player in the future, there's no doubt about that.

"He'll just need to get used to the TV conditions, but we've all gone through that. He pots balls for fun, but if he learns the tactical side he's got a great future ahead of him."

Breaks of 79 and 80 saw Trump, the world number 41, level proceedings, but Higgins responded in style, winning the next two frames with breaks of 61 and 83 to deservedly progress.

"At 4-4 I thought I had a good chance to win it, but John made his experience count in those last two frames," said Trump.

"I didn't feel nervous, but it would have been nice to get into the final. I felt I could win this tournament.

"I needed a few chances to get going. He [John] missed a few balls and I had a good couple of breaks. I thought he would be under a bit of pressure at 4-4, but I only missed two balls in the last two frames.

"He stepped up. He's been there before [in finals], but I thought I was unlucky to miss those two shots. Maybe I'll change my shot selection next time, but I felt I played the right shots."

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O'Sullivan crashes out at Grand Prix

World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan crashed out of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix after losing 5-4 to teenager Judd Trump in a tense quarter-final.

Trump, 19, won the first two frames but O'Sullivan took a 3-2 lead, going in front with a break of 104 in the fifth.

Trump, who will now play John Higgins, levelled on the final pink and while the next two frames were shared, the youngster edged through.

Ali Carter beat Steve Davis 5-3 to progress, while Ryan Day also advanced.

Higgins beat Ding Junhui 5-3 to claim a semi-final against Judd.

Ding took a 2-1 lead but two-time former world champion Higgins levelled with a break of 71.

A frame apiece made it 3-3 but Higgins edged ahead once more before claiming the final frame with a break of 71.

I'm awful but it still doesn't stop me trying

Ronnie O'Sullivan on his present form

Day lost the first frame against Jamie Cope, but took the next five against his out-of-sorts opponent to progress.

The Welshman, who has yet to win a ranking event, fired in breaks of 129, 112, 85 and 74 to take the last four frames, Cope scoring just 56 points in reply.

Earlier, Trump, who comes from Bristol, put on a fabulous show considering the qualifier was competing in his first quarter-final in a ranking event.

"It feels brilliant to have beaten (O'Sullivan), it's the biggest win of my career by a mile," said Trump, ranked 41 in the world.

"We both struggled, but I went out there to win and I got the job done. I had chances to win 5-3 and I didn't take them, so I was glad I got another chance to win the match."

O'Sullivan, who has complained about his poor form all week, added: "I've not seen a lot of him, but he's obviously dangerous.

"He's young and he's hungry for success, but I don't want to say he's great because he's only young, he's not been on the snooker scene that long."

On his own showing O'Sullivan said: "I can't pot a ball over six foot at the moment, I have to really struggle. I'm awful, but it still doesn't stop me trying."

Having clawed his way back into the contest, Trump blew several chances to claim victory in the eighth frame and his nerves looked likely to hinder his progress.

However, it was the world champion who struggled in the final stages and a missed red to the middle pocket decided the match.

In the other afternoon's quarter-final, Davis and Carter were close to the day's second final frame decider, but Carter's early fluke in the eighth set him up for a match-winning 99.

Davis had started brightly with breaks of 43 and 42 to take the opener, but Carter bounced back to take the next three frames.

Former world champion Davis exhibited his phenomenal safety play in the fifth but Carter just edged it to get within one frame of the finishing line.

Despite a great fightback for Davis to make it 4-3, the Glasgow crowd was denied a dramatic final frame thanks to Carter's lucky red and break to ensure his impressive victory.

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Cope beats Ebdon at Grand Prix

Jamie Cope knocked Peter Ebdon out of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in a match that ended in bizarre fashion.

Ebdon needed two snookers in the final frame but after getting them he was snookered himself and dropped to the ground in despair in Glasgow.

Cope managed to finally close out a 5-4 victory in a game which had already seen Ebdon react angrily after missing the final green as he went for a 147.

Ronnie O'Sullivan cruised to a 5-1 win over defending champion Marco Fu.

O'Sullivan, who had not been happy with his form in his first-round win, said after the victory: "I'm happier with that performance but surprised I won."

Fu hit a 116 to level at 1-1 but that was as good as it got as breaks of 57, 67 and 76 helped O'Sullivan to victory.

The second of Thursday's games was a scrappy affair, with Cope and Ebdon frequently undone by simple pots.

The most blatant example came in the second frame when Ebdon, on 122, missed a very pot-able green to end his bid for a maximum 147.

He swung his cue in a wide arc at head height to leave no-one in doubt about angry he was but that was not the most extreme reaction he was to produce.

In the final frame Cope looked set to wrap up victory as he cruised to a break of 68 before missing a fairly simple red, which left Ebdon needing two snookers.

He managed to lay a first snooker and when Cope missed a simple escape it was game on once more.

Cope then managed to get out of a far trickier snooker but handed the advantage to Ebdon by missing the yellow once more when snookered for a third time.

After a miss was called he finally escaped at the third time of asking and promptly fluked a snooker himself.

Ebdon reacted in total disbelief, dropping his cue and then chucking his chalk in the air before collapsing to the ground in melodramatic fashion.

He duly failed to escape and left the table open for Cope to finally wrap up a victory which should have been his 15 minutes before.

Ali Carter needed just 74 minutes to whitewash veteran Parrott 5-0, while Ryan Day clinched a battling 5-4 victory to dump out the current Masters and Welsh Open champion Mark Selby.

The Welsh professional pocketed breaks of 67, 62 and 55 to progress - and will now play Stoke's Jamie Cope in the quarter-finals, while Carter will meet Steve Davis.

"Steve Davis is unbelievable, to be playing top flight snooker at 51 is a great achievement," said Carter looking ahead to Friday's match.

"I'm 29, so it's going be another 22 years for me to catch him up. I can't see myself still playing snooker then. It's no mean feat for Steve."

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Hendry out to Higgins at Grand Prix

Stephen Hendry was knocked out of the Grand Prix after losing 5-2 to John Higgins in Glasgow.

The clash between the two Scotsmen - with nine world championships between them - began in close, tense fashion, with neither man hitting their stride.

Hendry often found himself coming to the table with a shot on due to Higgins's loose safety play but could not take the opening frame.

The trend continued through the next two frames. Hendry produced some impressive long pots but, after levelling at 1-1, could not prevent Higgins regaining the lead.

The match finally opened up for Higgins in the fourth frame. With the Lanarkshire-born player's 51 the highest break up until that point, he went on to score a 127, chalking up his 379th career century break and going into the mid-session interval 3-1 up.

Hendry's killer instinct looked to have deserted him, and following the break he again failed to take advantage as Higgins missed a simple pot using the cue and rest extensions. Higgins returned to the table to take the frame 112-14.

Hendry kept his hopes of survival alive by taking the next frame, but Higgins sealed his place in the quarter-final draw in the following frame.

In the afternoon's other match, China's Ding Juhui beat Michael Holt 5-2.

In the sixth frame with Holt 3-2 down, the Englishman found himself 14 points behind with just the pink and black left on the table. However, he could not force the required snookers from Ding and the Chinese went on the take that frame and the next to progress.

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O'Sullivan comesback to beat Liang

World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan recovered from a shaky start to beat Liang Wenbo 5-2 in the first round of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix.

After losing the opening two frames O'Sullivan won the next five and finished in style with a century break.

But the 32-year-old was not happy with his display in Glasgow.

"At 1-0 and 2-0 everyone must be thinking I wanted to go home. It was embarrassing, my shots were amazingly off target," said the Englishman.

"It got a little bit better, I hate losing, I'm stubborn. It still bothers me when I play like that - the thing that keeps me going is that I can play well occasionally."

Liang made the most of it as he raced into a 2-0 lead, but the world champion regained his composure and, after clawing one frame back, a 52 break in the fourth saw him draw level.

From there O'Sullivan never looked back and after the interval he edged into the lead with the help of another half-century.

After winning the sixth to lead 4-2 O'Sullivan signed off in style with a 103 to set up a last-16 meeting with Marco Fu in a repeat of last year's final, which Fu won 9-6.

In the afternoon's other match Ali Carter saw off the challenge of Dave Harold to win a close encounter 5-4.

In the next round, Carter will play John Parrott, who beat Mark King 5-3 in the evening session, while former world champion Shaun Murphy was beaten by Adrian Gunnell by the same scoreline.

Gunnell will face another ex-world champion, the legendary Steve Davis, in round two on Wednesday.

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Hendry endorses Snooker Players Union

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry believes the formation of a snooker players' union is long overdue.

He was referring to the Association of Snooker Professionals (ASP) set up by two-time world champion John Higgins and his manager Pat Mooney.

"I don't know why we didn't have something like this sooner," Hendry.

"There have been issues down the years with players not trusting each other. Hopefully this will help us voice our concerns about how the sport is run."

Six-time world champion Steve Davis and promoter Barry Hearn have also given their backing to the ASP.

"I had a meal with Steve in Shanghai and it all sounds pretty much common sense, to be honest," said Hendry.

"There are a lot of issues which need to be dealt with. It's about time the players had more control, because there are always issues which never seem to get resolved."

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Cope knocks out Maguire at Grand Prix

Jamie Cope caused the first major upset of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix when he dumped out world number two Stephen Maguire in Glasgow.

The Stoke player cruised to a 5-1 first-round win at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre to make sure of his place in the last-16 draw.

A Grand Prix runner-up in 2007, Cope had a top break of 79 but other than that failed to make another run over 50.

The world number 20 was, however, understandably delighted with his victory over Maguire, one of the home favourites.

"I played quite solidly. I still made a couple of mistakes, but Stephen made more," said Cope.

"The 5-1 scoreline was a surprise. If he had played like he can it would have been a lot closer. Hopefully I can improve as the tournament progresses.

"I got to the final here a couple of years ago, so it would be great if I could do the same and even go one step better. I've love to have another crack at a final."

Cope won the opening frame with his composed break of 79 but neither player produced their best form in the next three scrappy frames.

It was Cope who claimed them all though for a healthy 4-0 interval lead.

Maguire rallied briefly with a break of 66 - his highest of the match - but Cope won the seventh to seal the victory.

"I did feel a little bit of extra pressure before the match, I was nervous, but I can't have any excuses," said Maguire.

"I never got going from start to finish. If you play six frames and you don't get going, then there's only one result.

"Apart from the first frame I had chances in every frame, but I gifted him two frames. I couldn't have made it any easier for him.

"I've not played as bad as that for a couple of years. I felt the match was over after the second frame, I just wanted to get out of the arena.

"There's been a lot of hype about this tournament, I really wanted to do well here in Glasgow.

"For some reason, when I got out there, I was really flat. It's the worst feeling in the world.

"But it's not the end of the world, I've only lost a snooker match at the end of the day."

China's Ding Junhui, a three-time ranking event winner, is also through to the last 16.

Junhui, who is based in Sheffield, impressed with a 5-0 whitewash of Jamie Burnett, another Glaswegian looking to make his mark in front of the home supporters.

Breaks of 75, 62, 64 and 85 did the trick for the world number 11, while Burnett's top break was only 15.

In the evening session, Mark Selby wasted little time in booking his place in the last 16.

The world number four and defending Masters and Welsh Open champion sparkled in a 5-0 whitewash of Widnes qualifier Andrew Higginson.

Three century breaks in five frames did the damage - and there was also a 68 break from Selby as he powered into the next phase.

The 'Jester from Leicester' admitted the match could have easily swung in his opponent's favour.

"I played really well, but as stupid as it sounds it could have gone against me tonight," said Selby.

"If Andrew wins the first frame, it could be a different game and I don't go on to make those three centuries."

He joked: "I was bit gutted I didn't make centuries in the other two frames!

"I played him (Andrew) in my first match of the season at the Northern Ireland. He dominated the first few frames over there, I knew he was a dangerous opponent."

Higginson, the world number 38, said: "He didn't miss a ball. I had a half chance to win the first frame, but I didn't do anything wrong after that.

"It's very disappointing, but there's not a lot you can do when someone plays that well against you."

Higginson made a break of 48 in the first frame, but lost it on the final black and Selby took control. The underdog scored just 77 points in the entire match.

Peter Ebdon, the former world and UK champion, eased into the last 16 with a 5-1 victory over Simon Bedford, a qualifier from Bradford.

Ebdon had breaks of 100, 48 and 53 to win secure his first win of the new season.

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