Selby into last 16 in China

Fairytale run ends in crushing defeat for Hang

Last year's beaten finalist Mark Selby eased into the last 16 of the China Open with a 5-0 whitewash of local hopeful Li Hang in Beijing on Tuesday.

Li had ousted former world champions Ken Doherty and Graeme Dott in reaching the second round last year but third seed Selby quickly ensured there would be no repeat. The Leicester cueman, beaten by Judd Trump in last year's decider, raced into a 4-0 lead following a clearance of 139 before clinching the most routine of first-round successes. Former champion Stephen Maguire was similarly untroubled as he cast aside Barry Hawkins 5-1.

 Rory McLeod set up a first-round meeting with world champion John Higgins after he breezed to a 5-0 win over Zhou Yuelong as the final two qualifiers were played on Tuesday. Jin Long was the last to clinch his place in the main draw with a 5-4 victory over Fergal O'Brien. Jin had trailed 53-0 in the deciding frame but battled back to book a meeting with three-time winner Mark Williams on Wednesday. 

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White through in China

Robertson and Hendry taken all the way in openers

 

Jimmy White beat Omar Alkojah 5-3 in the wildcard round to book a first round date with Judd Trump at the China Open in Beijing.

'The Whirlwind' is currently ranked 48th in the world but will rise significantly if he can get past the in-form Bristolian later in the week. Another experienced campaigner, Mark King, also progressed through his wildcard match in beating Zhu Yinghui by the same scoreline. Graeme Dott awaits. Nottingham's Michael Holt was unable to make the cut, though, losing 5-3 to Li Hang - the local favourite rewarded with a tie against world number one Mark Selby.

In the morning's first-round match, Neil Robertson edged a tight affair with Jamie Cope 5-4 to move through to the last 16. In this afternoon's wildcard matches, Peter Ebdon beat Lu Haotian 5-2 to set up a first-round meeting with Matthew Stevens. Ben Woollaston's reward for a 5-1 victory over Chen Feilong is a first-round contest against China's Ding Junhui.

Lu Ning negotiated a tricky qualifier against Jamie Jones, prevailing 5-3. He will next take on 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy. Two first round matches also took place on Monday. Australian former world champion Neil Robertson edged a tight affair with Jamie Cope 5-4 to move through to the last 16, where he will take on Stephen Hendry. The seven-time world champion was also taken all the way by Martin Gould, eventually coming through a 5-4 winner. - http://www1.skysports.com

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Pressure now off in-form Lee

World Open finalist Stephen Lee has said he is enjoying his snooker now the pressure is off as he prepares for the Players Tour Championship Grand Finals in Galway.

 

Lee, who has not won a tournament since the Welsh Open in 2006, has made sure of his top-16 place on the tour by reaching the semi-finals of the German Masters, Welsh Open quarter-finals and final on Hainan Island in China.

"I'm playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and I've taken pressure off myself by making sure of my top-16 place [although] I was disappointed to lose 10-1 in the final to Mark Allen in China," he said.

"I didn't sleep well before the match and I just couldn't get to grips with him.

"But when I look back to a couple of years ago when I was falling down the rankings, struggling with my game and felt like I had the world on my shoulders, I feel so much better now and I'm really enjoying the game."

Lee, 37, praised the Irish snooker fans ahead of the PTC Finals from March 14-18 at Bailey Allen Hall.

"I'm really looking forward to it because the fans in Ireland are second to none and they know what the game is all about," said the world No.11. "I remember playing in the old Irish Masters which was like nothing else.

"It's a great line-up of players in Galway next week and the best-of-four-frame format gives really fast flowing action."

World champion John Higgins, crowd favourites Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump, world No.1 Mark Selby and Irishman Fergal O'Brien are among the 24 players chasing the £70,000 first prize in Galway.

Lee faces Martin Gould in his opening match on Wednesday. - http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

 

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Davis follows Dad Steve

Davis junior gets snooker career under way

Steve Davis' son Greg is hoping to follow in his father's footsteps.

The 20-year-old is to compete in Q School in Sheffield, just a few miles from the Crucible, where Steve won the World Championship trophy six times during the 1980s.

Greg has inherited the snooker gift - his top break in a match is 114 - and now hopes to put that to good use.

"I recently left university and I was speaking to my dad about my future, and we agreed I should give snooker a real go," said Greg. "I've treated it like a hobby in the past but now I will take it more seriously."

Q School is an opportunity to qualify for the professional circuit, with the 12 players who come through to be given a two-year tour card.

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 1/10

Haikou to host World Open

Snooker's World Open will be staged in the city of Haikou on Hainan Island in China for the next five years.

The world ranking tournament will now be known as the Haikou World Open and take place from February 27 to March 4.

The world's top 16 players are automatically seeded into the event - with a further 16 players coming through the qualifying rounds, which run from January 11 to 14. There will also be eight wild cards at the final venue.

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said: "We are delighted to announce the staging of the World Open in Haikou for the next five years.

"The popularity of snooker in China continues to grow at a phenomenal rate and we have capitalised on that by establishing a third full ranking event, alongside the China Open and Shanghai Masters.

"We expect to make more announcements about events in China in the coming weeks.

"Hainan Island is one of the most beautiful places on earth and an ideal place to stage one of our world ranking tournaments. The players competing in the event are in for a wonderful time and it's fantastic to be taking snooker to a new part of China.

"I have no doubt that the fans there will show the same passion and enthusiasm for our sport that we have seen at our other tournaments in China." - http://www1.skysports.com

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 1/06

Stevens delighted by Masters return

Welshman fights his way back into the world's top 16

Matthew Stevens is thrilled to be back at The Masters later this month after a five year absence.

Welshman Stevens won the tournament back in 2000, beating Ken Doherty 10-8 in the final. But he dropped out of the world's top 16 in 2007, therefore missing out on the Masters, which is an exclusive invitational tournament for the sport's elite players.

But Stevens has now regained his top 16 berth and can't wait to take to the stage again against John Higgins and compete for the £150,000 top prize, with the event starting at Alexandra Palace on January 15.

"It's one of the tournaments all the top players want to be in," he said. "I've not been involved in it for a few years so it's great to be back. The event gets such a massive audience on TV and in the arena so it just feels really special.

"I'm sure Alexandra Palace will be completely different to Wembley so it's a fresh start for all the players. I've watched the darts at Ally Pally on TV - it looks like a really good venue with a great atmosphere.

"Being back in the top 16 has made a massive difference for me. With all the new tournaments the calendar is very busy, so if I had to go to the qualifiers as well it would be a lot tougher.

"I'm winning matches that I was losing before, just the odd 5-4 here and there, but when you add those up it makes a big difference."

Stevens will turn 35 this year and it's seven years since he reached the second of his two World Championship finals. But he believes he has plenty of time to add to his haul of trophies.

"I still feel as if I've got a lot of good years ahead of me in the game," he said. "My eyes aren't going and I'm in decent nick. Hopefully I'll still be playing at a high level when I'm 40 and beyond." -http://www1.skysports.com/

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 1/04

PTC12 Final Stages Preview

The final stages of PTC12 get under way in Germany on Friday morning and this of course sees the finale to the qualifying events ahead of the grand finals in Galway in March.

The main talking point will be the progress that Ricky Walden can make as only a tournament win will mean Ronnie is out of the top 16 and heading for the World Open qualifiers just a couple of days after this finishes.

I would tentatively suggest that there might be some merit in getting involved in this from a betting angle. With all matches being in front of the cameras and presumably decent crowds present it may have more of a feel of a ‘proper tournament about it and this may bring the bigger names out on top early on.

The main ones that stand out for me are Mark Allen, Stephen Maguire, Andrew Higginson and Martin Gould. Allen, presuming he hasn’t just stopped practicing since his UK escapades is bang in form and with Mike Dunn proclaiming that the match might be a bit one-sided after a snookerless Xmas you would imagine that Allen will win this one quite easily. Dunny of course also says he doesn’t enjoy playing on TV that much. Maguire, who I flagged as a possible winner of this before the qualifying stage faces David Gray in a repeat of their UK Championship Final of 2004, in terms of frames played between the two the current score is Maguire 20 Gray 1. The in-form Higginson faces Kurt Maflin who to me in another that struggles with the bigger stage despite possessing a fine attacking game off camera and Gould faces Leeds giant David Grace who has done very well to get this far but again I think might suffer from a bit of inexperience against the attacking Pinner Potter in an event like this one. - http://www.snookerbacker.com/

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 1/1

World Snooker Q School Returns Next May Featured

World Snooker will once again be staging Q School in May, with a TWO YEAR TOUR CARD available for all players who qualify.

Q School will be open to everyone (subject to terms and conditions) and there will be 12 places available on the World Snooker Tour. All players who come through Q School will be given a TWO YEAR TOUR CARD which guarantees their place on the pro circuit for a minimum of 2012/13 and 2013/14.

It will be played at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, starting on May 13, 2012, and there will be three separate events, with the semi-finalists from each to be given a Tour Card.

Entry into all three events is just £1,000, with those who qualify earning the chance to compete for millions of pounds in prize money on the main circuit, and take on the world's best players. Prize money for the tour has gone up from £3.5million to over £6million within the past two years and is expected to go past £8million in the next year.

A new Q School ranking list will also be introduced, with players earning one point for every frame won. During the main tour season, should any of the tournament draws fall below a total entry of 96 (or 128 in 2013/14) then the field will be topped up to 96 or 128 with the highest ranked players from the Q-School list.

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: "Q School was staged for the first time last year and we consider it the best and fairest way to give all players the chance to qualify for the tour. Rookies such as Sheffield's Adam Duffy and China's Li Yan came through the system, and both have since climbed quickly up the world rankings, so that shows what players can do if they have the talent and the dedication.

"Snooker is rapidly becoming a global sport, with more tournaments, more prize money and more players. We are increasing the tour from 96 to 128 players in season 2013-14, so the opportunities to qualify for the main tour have increased dramatically. With the two-year exemption and increase in numbers on the tour, Q School could not give players a better chance to get on to the circuit and climb the rankings.

"For anyone out there who believes they can be part of it and wants to give it their best shot - that's what Q School is all about. It's opportunity for all – which is what all sports should be about."

ONLINE ENTRY WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY. Make sure you have log-in details for the online entry system. Just go to www.worldsnooker.com, look under New This Month on the home page and click 'Online Entries'.

The closing date for entries is March 23, 2012. All players are strongly advised to get their entry in as soon as possible to guarantee their place in Q School. - http://www.snookerwiki.org

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 12/28

Controversy of the Year: Mark Allen's rants

Off the baize, Allen was just as entertaining as he was on it, with him seemingly intent on taking on O'Sullivan for the most column inches outside of the actual snooker matches themselves.

News firstly grew of the rising tension between Allen and Stuart Bingham, who he accused of having no bottle after losing at the Crucible and revealing a serious rivalry between the pair. It backfired on Allen, though, as a fired-up Bingham beat him in a grudge match at the Australian Goldfields Open before going on to claim his first ranking event.

Allen then aimed his fury at Barry Hearn at the UK Championships. After the snooker chief had slightly shortened the early-round matches, a furious Allen called for him to resign for breaking a promise not to tinker with snooker's biggest events.

Some ill-placed swearing got Allen in trouble, and he later appeared at a press conference with tape over his mouth, but he refused to go back on his statement that: "The players don't really matter, so **** the players."

Allen faces a disrepute charge for swearing and his comments against Hearn. - htp://www.sportinglife.com

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 12/27

Year to Remember: John Higgins

It was a year of redemption for Higgins after his six-month ban in 2010 during the notorious match-fixing betting sting.

 2011 was a sad year for Higgins as his father passed away after a long battle with cancer, and it made for an emotional return to winning ways as the Scotsman won the Welsh Open soon after and dedicated that victory to his late father. After his much-publicised troubles 12 months earlier, Higgins was determined to show what he can do as he returned to the Crucible, but fans remained divided and he was heckled during the semi-finals by an angry spectator. Higgins did not lose focus though, and beat Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and eventually Judd Trump in the final to stand fourth on the list of all-time winners behind Stephen Hendry, Ray Reardon and Steve Davis. - http://www.sportinglife.com

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Snooker news 12BET update 12/26

Year to Forget: Ronnie O'Sullivan

'The Rocket' seems to have run out of steam this year - he is now without a ranking event title since 2009 and is in serious danger of slipping out of the top 16 in the world rankings.

The three-time world champion may have continued his dominance of the Premier League, but there are no ranking points available for that event and results elsewhere have not been enough to keep up with the rest of the world's best.

O'Sullivan has again threatened to walk away from snooker, once at the start of the year and again after losing to Trump at the UK Championship in December, whilst also voicing his angry opinion of the smaller PTC events that carry ranking points.

With little interest in playing in those smaller events, O'Sullivan would certainly not fancy a return to the qualifying scene for the major events and should he slip out of the top 16 he may well carry out his threat to hang up his cue.

A row about him being paid appearance money also soured the year, with 'The Rocket' insisting he deserved extra for being the only crowd puller in the sport, but with Trump and Allen leading a new breed of exciting young potters O'Sullivan may soon find himself just among the also-rans. - http://www.sportinglife.com

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 12/25

Player of the Year: Judd Trump

Finally, Judd Trump made the huge breakthrough into snooker that everyone thought he would ever since his days of dominating the youth game. We say finally, but the Bristol left-hander is still only 22 and could be the dominant force of the future.

Trump has had a few good results over the last few years, but 2011 was a huge step in terms of consistency, and from making his first ranking final to winning his first event and making the Crucible final, Trump ends the year fifth in the world rankings.

It all kicked off for Trump at the China Open when he reached his first ranking event final, and duly disposed of Mark Selby in a thrilling 10-8 victory to claim his first ranking event trophy, showing the flamboyant potting and nerveless composure that could make him a huge star for years to come.

Off next to the Crucible, where Trump produced a wonderful performance to dump defending world champion Neil Robertson out of the tournament in the first round, before storming all the way to the final.

Higgins proved just too good for him, but Trump responded by claiming the second-biggest title, the UK Championship, in December, beating O'Sullivan along the way, to end a magnificent year in a style befitting a man leading the new generation in snooker. - http://www.sportinglife.com

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SNOOKER news 12BET update 12/21

Ford beats Gould in PTC 11 final

Tom Ford continued his dream run to win the PTC 11 in Sheffield with a 4-3 final victory over Martin Gould.

The 44th-ranked Ford, who stunned UK champion and rising star Judd Trump 4-1 in the quarter-finals earlier on Monday, had moved into the final with a clean-sweep 4-0 win over world number six Graeme Dott.

And he continued his form with a thrilling win over world number 25 Gould - who hit a break of 127 to take a 3-2 lead at one point.

It is Ford's second career professional title, adding to the PTC 3 he won last year.

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12BET Tip Snooker - Premier League 2011 (Winner)

The 2011 PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker is a cue sport tournament played under a variation of the standard rules of snooker, that is played from 18 August to 27 November 2011.Ronnie O'Sullivan is the defending champion.

All evenings in the league stage feature three matches: two semi-finals and a final. All matches are best of 5 frames, with no dead frames played, points are awarded for every frame won. Meaning that the maximum number of points a player can obtain is 24 and the minium is 0. All frames are subjected to a 20 second shot clock and the miss rule is changed; meaning that a player has three attempts to make legal contact with a ball or otherwise ball in hand is given to the incoming player anywhere on the table. The final frame of any match is played under shoot out rules. Each player appears on 4 nights and are seeded to determine who they face. The play-offs will be played to the rules used in previous editions

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