Snooker Archives - Page 4 of 9

Powell, 15, wins 39-year generation game to keep pro dream alive

May 24, 2024

Teenage schoolkid Riley Powell completed a 4-3 win over veteran cueman Peter Lines in the second round of Q School on Thursday.

The Welsh potting hopeful – who stunned world champion Kyren Wilson at last year’s Shoot Out – hit back from 3-2 down to win the final two frames against former world No. 42 Lines, who first turned professional in 1991, 17 years before Powell was born.

“It feels amazing, beating such an experienced player in such good conditions,” said Powell, who will next face Alex Clenshaw on Friday afternoon in Leicester chasing four more wins to secure his World Snooker Tour card.

“At 3-3 I felt calm and just played my game. I might be a bit too young to get on tour because I don’t have that much experience.

“If it comes, it comes. If not I still have a few more years to try to make it.”

While Lines saw his hopes dashed, it was a good day for several other evergreen competitors with Gerard Greene defeating Steven Hallworth 4-1, Rory McLeod edging Manuel Ederer 4-3 and 1995 Crucible semi-finalist Andy Hicks enjoying a 4-1 win over Sean Maddocks.

The third round continues on Friday at the Mattioli Arena, host venue for this year’s Q School with the best-of-seven frame encounters running between Tuesday May 21 until Sunday May 26 at qualifying event one.

Four tour cards will be handed out before qualifying event two begins on Monday May 27 and runs until Saturday June 1 in Leicester with the same process providing four more tour cards.

There is also two Asia and Oceania qualifying events in Bangkok (22-27 May and May 28 until June 2) which will see four more tour cards on the line.

Stream top snooker action live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

‘You don’t need it in your life’ – Higgins reveals key regret in golden career

May 23, 2024

John Higgins has revealed the one major change he would make when he reflects upon his golden 32-year professional snooker career has nothing to do with picking up a cue.

The Scotsman is widely regarded as one of the all-time greats having lifted four world titles in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 amid an overall haul of 31 ranking title victories, but wonders if he could have improved that trophy haul with more dedication.

In particular, Higgins – who also lost in four finals at the Crucible in 2001, 2017, 2018 and 2019 – feels that avoiding alcohol would have benefited a more “single-minded” mindset during his rise to the summit of the sport since he turned professional in 1992.

“You win what you win. I’ve never sort of looked back, but if I could start my career again, I would love to do things differently,”

after turning 49 last weekend.

“I mean, I probably wouldn’t touch alcohol now because I’ve never had a drink in about five years. And you think, you just don’t need it now, you don’t need it in your life.

“I think when you’re growing up as a player, I would be honest about it, when I won my world titles, and at the start, I probably went out partying too much and just forgetting about it.

“I never had that single-mindedness to be like a [Steve] Davis or a [Stephen] Hendry to just keep on winning tournaments.

“I was too busy wanting to enjoy myself with my mates. So I was trying to have a balance, and then you are obviously getting married, having kids and that took up the main part of your life too.

“So I was never single-minded, but then you think to yourself, if you ever was that single-minded, all the other things could have fell apart.

“It’s happened with other sports stars that they become too focused on their career, and they let everything else fall by the wayside.

“So I think looking back, I’ve had a great life.”

He is only five centuries short of becoming the second player in history behind Ronnie O’Sullivan to pass the 1,000 mark in his career.

Higgins misses out on 167 in dramatic fashion!

“Over the years, I probably knew that you can’t handle your drinks some of the time, and you think you should have just knocked it on the head sooner,” said Higgins, who start next season as world No. 16.

“I thought to myself: ‘I’m getting to that stage, where you’re thinking the career could be over soon’. Got to knock it on the head, and then just try to give it a go for however long you have left in the career.

“And then that’s what you do when you knock it on the head. You think to yourself: ‘God, you’re not missing much, you’re not missing much at all’.

“And then you think to yourself: ‘If that would have happened earlier on in my career, what would have happened?’

Snooker’s Century Kings

1. Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) 1,264
2. John Higgins (Sco) 995
3. Judd Trump (Eng) 980
4. Neil Robertson (Aus) 939
5. Mark Selby (Eng) 821

Watch top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+

On Yee and Cahill suffer defeats at Q School, but Pinches and Joyce progress

May 23, 2024

Hong Kong’s three-time women’s world champion Ng On Yee suffered a 4-1 loss to Josh Mulholland in the second round of Q School in Leicester on Wednesday night.

Former Crucible qualifier James Cahill – the man who stunned Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-8 as a qualifier in the first round of the 2019 World Championship – also suffered a 4-2 loss to Simon Blackwell.

Cahill compiled fine knocks of 71 and 104 in restoring parity at 2-2, but lost the final two rounds to suffer an early exit.

But world No. 87 Allen Taylor enjoyed two 50-plus breaks and a sparkling 120 in a 4-0 win over Ronnie Sullivan, while there was also victories for Liam Highfield against Callum Beresford (4-0) and Mark Joyce against Ian Martin (4-1).

Meanwhile, evergreen Norwich cueman Barry Pinches made a strong start to his qualifying campaign with a 4-1 victory over Vladislav Gradinari with 18-year-old Ukraine talent Iulian Boiko running out a 4-1 winner over James Burrett.

The second round continues on Thursday at the Mattioli Arena, host venue for this year’s Q School with the best-of-seven frame encounters running between Tuesday May 21 until Sunday May 26 at qualifying event one.

Four tour cards will be handed out before qualifying event two begins on Monday May 27 and runs until Saturday June 1 in Leicester with the same process providing four more tour cards.

There is also two Asia and Oceania qualifying events in Bangkok (22-27 May and May 28 until June 2) which will see four more tour cards on the line.

Stream top snooker action live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

‘That was the title’ – Robertson on why O’Sullivan was so close to record Crucible triumph

May 22, 2024

Snooker GOAT Ronnie O’Sullivan was only one win away from claiming a record eighth title triumph at the World Championship earlier this month, according to Neil Robertson, the 2010 Crucible winner.

O’Sullivan refused to pot a red after asking for the black to be re-spotted by referee Desislava Bozhilova – an act of sportsmanship that cost him a 7-5 lead and possibly the match – while he was later embroiled in more words with the match official when he was disturbed by fans entering the arena during a crucial shot with matters finely poised at 10-10.

As it was, 2015 champion Bingham claimed the final three frames, but could not maintain his form against Jak Jones in the semi-finals as he struggled badly among the balls before being defeated 17-12 by the Welshman, who also accounted for Judd Trump 13-9 in the last eight.

“The difference between being able to pot it comfortably and having to play safe was literally a millimetre. I think Desislava did a perfect job in that scenario. Then Ronnie played safe, which was great. Then there was what happened at 10-10 with the door and the crowd. I think that was the title.

“Judd [Trump] went out earlier that day, and I think he felt that realistically if he got through Stuart, then he would have comfortably won it. Maybe it was just that, the eighth title on the line in that mini-session.”

Kyren Wilson progressed to lift his first world title with an 18-14 win over Jones in the final, but Robertson could understand O’Sullivan frustration as he praised Eurosport for getting immediate reaction during his ill-fated encounter with Bingham.

‘Some referees have got it in for me’ – O’Sullivan on black spot incident

“Eurosport stuffed a mic in front of him straight out of the session, and he just went off on one didn’t he?” said Robertson.

“I don’t know why he’s done it. I understand Eurosport, it’s good journalism from them, but I don’t know why he got involved.

“I wasn’t a fan of those post-session interviews either, I wouldn’t have done them, not a chance.

“It was all up for grabs and Kyren was the one that passed the test and lasted the longest, so hats off to him.”

Watch top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+

Knowles suffers defeat on first day of Q School in Leicester as On Yee advances

May 21, 2024

Former world No. 2 Tony Knowles suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat to Scotland’s Jack Borwick on the opening day of snooker’s Q School in Leicester.

But there was better news for three-time women’s world champion Ng On Yee, who completed a 4-2 win over Latvian hopeful Rodion Judin to reach the second round.

Hong Kong player On Yee was boosted by a 60 break in the second frame before claiming the final three frames to secure a meeting with Josh Mulholland on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Borwick made a 51 in the second frame to lead 2-0 before Bolton favourite Knowles reeled off the next three to lead 3-2 only to lose a nervy decider on the final pink.

He needed to win six matches at the city’s Mattioli Arena with the best-of-seven frame encounters running between Tuesday May 21 until Sunday May 26 at qualifying event one, but will get a second crack at qualifying when event two begins on Monday.

Knowles reached the last 32 of Q School in 2021 before losing 4-2 to Mark Lloyd.

A number of other players will bid to regain their tour cards at Q School this week, including 1995 world semi-finalist Andy Hicks, former Crucible qualifiers James Cahill and Mark Joyce, and two-time ranking event quarter-finalist Liam Highfield.

Four tour cards will be handed out before qualifying event two begins on Monday May 27 and runs until Saturday June 1 in Leicester with the same process providing four more tour cards.

There is also two Asia and Oceania qualifying events in Bangkok (22-27 May and May 28 until June 2) which will see four more tour cards on the line.

Stream top snooker action live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Higgins celebrates birthday with O’Sullivan win as Wilson enjoys Chelsea trophy parade

May 20, 2024

John Higgins enjoyed a 5-3 win over fellow ‘Class of ’92’ icon Ronnie O’Sullivan in a lucrative exhibition match in the Chinese city of Chengdu over the weekend.

The four-time world champion also completed a 5-4 win over Judd Trump, entertaining the crowd with a series of century breaks at the Sichuan Provincial Stadium to show he has lost none of his class after turning 49 on Saturday.

Former Masters and UK champion Ding Junhui and International champion Zhang Anda were also competing on home soil with Ding completing a 5-1 win over O’Sullivan.

It came a few days after O’Sullivan produced a 134 break in a 5-2 win over Ding in a rare outdoor match on Wednesday at the Longmen Grottos in Luoyang before easing to a 5-1 win on the second night of their exhibition.

O’Sullivan is due to continue his pre-season tour of China with further challenge matches involving Zhang, Jack Lisowski, Si Jiahui and Marco Fu in Kunshan this week (May 21-22) and Shanghai next weekend (May 25-26).

Wilson pays emotional tribute to family after World Championship glory

He is also due to travel to Tampere in Finland (June 3-5) and Bulgaria (June 7-8) where he will again face Higgins firstly in Plovdiv, and then in Sofia.

The seven-time world champion will return to Shanghai in July where he will chase a fifth-straight title victory and sixth overall at the Shanghai Masters (July 15-21).

Meanwhile, new world champion Kyren Wilson will travel to Finland next weekend for his first competitive action since his 18-14 win over Jak Jones in the 48th Crucible final earlier this month.

The Kettering player faces Ryan Day at the Helsinki International Snooker Cup on Saturday with Trump, Lisowski, Luca Brecel, Stuart Bingham, Robert Milkins and Jimmy White also set to compete in the Finnish capital.

Chelsea fan Wilson was a guest of the London club on Sunday as he paraded the World Championship trophy at Stamford Bridge before watching Mauricio Pochettino’s side defeat Bournemouth 2-1 on the final day of the Premier League season.

Stream top snooker action live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Snooker prodigy hailed by O’Sullivan as future star bids to return to professional circuit

May 17, 2024

Thai snooker player Sunny Akani will bid to end his two-year absence from the World Snooker Tour circuit when he competes in Q School in Bangkok next week.

Akani famously pushed snooker GOAT Ronnie O’Sullivan all the way when he was edged out 6-5 in the last 16 of the 2017 UK Championship in York with O’Sullivan progressing to claim the sixth of his eight UK title victories.

O’Sullivan but recovered from trailing 4-2 and 5-4 to scramble over the line before heaping praise on his opponent, who impressed the seven-time world champion with his long potting.

“If I could pot long balls like you, I’d take them on as well,” said O’Sullivan, who felt the world No. 84 did enough to progress.

“I felt sorry for him. He deserved to win, and I felt like I robbed him of victory.”

The 28-year-old Akani was as high as 44 in the world rankings in 2021 amid a seven-year spell on the main tour that saw him reach quarter-finals at the Shoot Out and Indian Open.

But he lost his tour card in 2022 and could not regain his spot on the circuit at Q School two years ago, but has the chance to bounce back.

The Asia and Oceania Q School begins at Rajamangala National Stadium on Wednesday, May 22 and runs until Sunday, June 2 with two tournaments producing four places on the circuit for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.

Stream top snooker action, including the World Snooker Championship, live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

'All or nothing' – Snooker Q School begins with Holt and Maflin chasing tour survival

May 15, 2022

The final action of the 2021/22 season begins on Monday when a number of prominent potters attempt to secure their professional future in Sheffield.

Former Shoot Out winner Michael Holt, 2020 Crucible quarter-finalist Kurt Maflin and 1999 British Open champion Fergal O’Brien are three of the names bidding to recapture their respective playing rights on the main World Snooker Tour circuit for the next two years.

Holt needed to finish inside the top 64 to extend his 24-year stay on the tour, but finished the season in 65th spot after a 6-3 loss to Tom Ford in the third round of World Championship qualifying last month at the English Institute of Sport.

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Maflin finished his campaign at 66th in the rankings with O’Brien at 79th.

“I was disappointed, but I can’t put it on that match,” said Holt on WST.

I shouldn’t have been in that position going into the World Championship. It is my own fault and it is heartbreaking to have dropped off. I am where I am.

“I now have to go to Q School and get through. My game is still there. What can I do? I just have to prepare for it and see how I go.

“The situation completely took away any thoughts about the Crucible. All I wanted to do was to win my next match and be safe. If I’d got to Judgement Day, then I’d have thought about it. All I wanted was to save my tour spot and it was all or nothing.

“You have to win your matches and I didn’t. It happens every year to players and this time it happened to me. I tried and I failed.”

12 tour cards are available in Sheffield. Three events are staged at Ponds Forge between 16th May until 2nd June with four semi-finalists from each tournament earning a tour card.

Holt begins his campaign on Tuesday needing to win six matches to secure his future. If he falls shorts in event one, he will move onto event two of Q School.

An Asia-Oceania Q School will also take place in Bangkok for the first time starting on 1st June with another four tour cards on the line.

Two events are to be hosted Thailand’s capital city with the finalists from both earning a two-year card to the elite circuit.

19-year-old Julien Leclercq of Belgium clinched a two-year tour card last week with victory at the Q Tour play-offs.

‘Magnificent seven’ – O’Sullivan lifts Crucible trophy

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Blackwell handed 18-month suspension from snooker

May 14, 2022

Simon Blackwell has been hit with an 18-month suspension from snooker after being found guilty of an attempt to fix the outcome of a match, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) said.

The 29-year-old, who was playing under amateur status, was competing in the EPSB Open Series – where the carrot for a top-four finish would have been a place at Q School – when he approached another player and offered £200 to ensure he won the two frames he required to guarantee a spot in the top four.

The player approached by Blackwell did not take up the offer and reported it to WPBSA officials.

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Blackwell was handed an immediate suspension by WPBSA chief Jason Ferguson, pending a disciplinary hearing.

At the hearing, Blackwell was found in breach of three WPBSA rules:

2.1.2.1 to fix or contrive, or to be a party to any effort to fix or contrive, the result, score, progress, conduct or any other aspect of the Tour and/or any Tournament or Match;
2.1.2.2 to seek or accept or offer or agree to accept any bribe or other reward to fix or to contrive in any way or otherwise to influence improperly the result, score, progress, conduct or any other aspect of the Tour and/or any Tournament or Match;
2.1.2.4 to solicit, induce, entice, persuade, encourage or facilitate any Member to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this paragraph 2.1.2.

The panel handed down an 18-month suspension “from playing or being involved in all snooker events for a period of 18 months effective from 14 April 2022 (the date of his suspension by the chairman of the WPBSA) until 23.59 on 15 October 2023.”

Blackwell was also ordered to pay costs of £1,400.

WST confirmed Blackwell has until May 27 to lodge an appeal.

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Blackwell handed 18-month suspension from snooker

May 14, 2022

The player approached by Blackwell did not take up the offer and reported it to WPBSA officials.

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Blackwell was handed an immediate suspension by WPBSA chief Jason Ferguson, pending a disciplinary hearing.

At the hearing, Blackwell was found in breach of three WPBSA rules:

2.1.2.1 to fix or contrive, or to be a party to any effort to fix or contrive, the result, score, progress, conduct or any other aspect of the Tour and/or any Tournament or Match;
2.1.2.2 to seek or accept or offer or agree to accept any bribe or other reward to fix or to contrive in any way or otherwise to influence improperly the result, score, progress, conduct or any other aspect of the Tour and/or any Tournament or Match;
2.1.2.4 to solicit, induce, entice, persuade, encourage or facilitate any Member to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this paragraph 2.1.2.

Blackwell was also ordered to pay costs of £1,400.

WST confirmed Blackwell has until May 27 to lodge an appeal.

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