The Snookerbacker Blog

A hectic day awaits at Gloucester and I’ll try and keep the scores updated on this post. Also follow me on Twitter here if you want updates from the venue.

Remember, the match table is live streamed and you can watch that by clicking here.

Round One – All matches Best of 7 frames

Kashif Khan v Andy Neck
Sydney Wilson v Antony Parsons
James Burrett v Martin O’Donnell
Marianne Williams v Gareth Allen
Sean Hopkin v Tom Doggett
Ryan Causton v Jack Morgan
Craig Scotford v Gary Weeks
Ben Fortey v Ben Harrison
Nick Pearce v Ricky Norris
Kyren Wilson v Gavin Lewis
David Gray v Neal Jones
Marc Harman v Paul Mount
Jamie Clarke v Thomas Goldstein
Callum Lloyd v Brandon Winstone
Steve Winstone v Michael Wasley
Matthew Day v Phil O’Kane

It's another non-stop month on the baize.

It’s once again time to look ahead to what is happening on the baize in the coming weeks. It is fair to say that February sees no let up in the action in a key month when it comes to World Championship places.

The action starts next Wednesday when the German Masters gets under way from Berlin. The wildcard round and a few of the first round matches kick things off and I’ll be previewing the event on Tuesday.

This was a great spectacle last season and takes on an added significance this time as it is the penultimate ranking event to decide who will be in the top 16 and qualify automatically for the Crucible in April. It will also mean a welcome return to the blog for the German girls which is always popular.

When that’s finished the Championship League returns from Crondon Park with groups five and six and while all that is going on the lower ranked players will be thrashing it out at the Academy in Sheffield in the Welsh Open qualifiers between 8th-11th. Two days later it’s off to Newport for the event itself and no doubt the dulcet tones of John Evans in the commentary box and Dom Dale in his slippers in the studio to see us through the cold winter afternoons.

The Welsh Open will decide who will and won’t be guaranteed a place at the Crucible so it is crunch time for players hovering around 16th spot, including Ronnie of course.

The seedings will be revised on the 20th before a day later the qualifiers get underway for the China Open. As if that wasn’t enough it’s then off to Haikou Island which is known locally as Coconut City in China to play the Haikou World Open, the qualifiers for which have already been held.

It’s an absolutely hectic month as it will also see the first ever Snookerbacker Classic winner crowned. We have the Dublin qualifier on Saturday 4th, Essex on Friday 10th and the Finals Day over in Gloucester on the 24th.

That’s February in a nutshell.

I think I may need a lie down at the end of the month.

FEBRUARY

1-5
German Masters
Tempodrom, Berlin

4
Snookerbacker Classic Qualifier
Crossguns, Dublin 

6-9
Championship League Groups 5 and 6
Crondon Park

10
Snookerbacker Classic Qualifier
Essex 

8-11
Welsh Open Qualifiers
Academy 

13-19
Welsh Open
Newport Centre 

SEEDING CUT OFF FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 

21-24
China Open Qualifiers
Academy

24
Snookerbacker Classic Grand Finals
SWSA, Gloucester  

27 Feb to March 4
Haikou World Open
Haikou, China

Great news that the Snookerbacker Classic will have a live stream from the match table in Gloucester on Monday. It will be streamed directly on the blog.

A big thank you to the South West Snooker Academy for setting this up.

You can view the live stream feed here when the action begins. Or if you so desire today you can just sit there and stare at the table in the main arena after watching an advert for condoms.

Monday sees Leg 2 of the Snookerbacker Classic where we will discover who joins Jamie Barrett and Allan Taylor at Finals Day on 24th February.  

Seeing as I am rapidly discovering that some snooker players are possibly the most disorganised people on the planet I thought I would post an ‘Idiots Guide’ to how things will work on Monday at the South West Snooker Academy. I will start with the draw followed by the most frequently asked questions about the event.

 Event 2 – Monday 30th January 2012, Gloucester – South West Snooker Academy

Please arrive 15 minutes before your match start time.

Kashif Khan v Andy Neck (9.30am)
Sydney Wilson v Antony Parsons (9.30am)
James Burrett v Martin O’Donnell (not before 11am)
Marianne Williams v Gareth Allen (not before 11am)
Sean Hopkin v Tom Doggett (not before 11am)
Ryan Causton v Jack Morgan (9.30am)
Craig Scotford v Gary Weeks (9.30am)
Ben Fortey v Ben Harrison (not before 11am)
Nick Pearce v Ricky Norris (9.30am)
Kyren Wilson v Gavin Lewis (9.30am)
David Gray v Neal Jones (not before 11am)
Marc Harman v Paul Mount (not before 11am)
Jamie Clarke v Thomas Goldstein (9.30am)
Callum Lloyd v Brandon Winstone (9.30am)
Steve Winstone v Michael Wasley (not before 11am)
Matthew Day v Phil O’Kane (not before 11am)

What is the Dress Code?

It isn’t a strict dress code for the qualifiers and the general rule is not to turn up looking like John Virgo did in the commentary box last week. Polo shirt is fine.

Are matches refereed?

There will be a ‘roaming referee’ system in place up to the final two matches. Should a dispute arise the referee will make a judgement. Both final qualifying matches will be refereed.

Can I practice?

If you are going to Gloucester the day before the event and want to practice at the Academy you MUST book this today with Paul Williams on 01452 223214, the rate will be £8 per hour.

Anyone that is still competing in the event will be able to practice in between matches free of charge (subject to availability of tables). Anyone that has been knocked out of the tournament can still use a table at the £8 per hour rate.

If I lose, can I enter the Essex event?

Yes, I am holding provisional places for a few players who have expressed a wish to enter Essex should they not make Finals Day. Please let me know if you want a place reserving as I will soon be closing the Essex event to new entries.

What about prize money?

All winners prize money will be awarded after the Finals have been completed on 24th February. The two qualifiers will however receive a winners medal on the day.

Is there a highest break prize?

Yes, all qualifying events have a highest break prize of £1 per point courtesy of Amarya.co.uk. There is also a prize for a 147 of £300, should there be more than one, this prize will be split.

I am not playing but I would like to come and watch, can I?

Yes, please feel free to come along and watch the action.

For all terms and conditions please click here.

If you have any further questions, whether serious or humourous, please use the comments section below.

Betting big on this can make a monkey out of you.

Friday night sees the start of the Sky Shootout which last year provided many thrills, spills and other things that rhyme with those words and saw an unlikely winner in the medium paced unassuming Nigel Bond.

Whilst I am probably what Bazza would term as one of those evil traditionalists (a tag of which I am very proud) who don’t want our great sport tampered with I enjoy a bit of fun as much as the next man and thoroughly enjoyed watching this load of old nonsense last year.

It may have a shotclock, it may have rowdy crowds, dolly birds and that strange voiceover man barking instructions, it may be held in a town that I would best describe as the cesspit of humankind but at least it hasn’t got a power zone, a power play and all that kind of stuff. It’s still snooker, albeit a little bit more frenetic than we are used to.

That renowned barrell of laughs Ronnie hasn’t entered which has allowed young Michael White the chance to show off his skills. Joe ‘Goldfinger’ Jogia has also withdrawn of course and has been replaced by Rod Lawler.

The microwave oven was on full throttle when the draw was made as the finalists from last year Bond and Mill Hopkins meet again first up, we also have a repeat of the World Final between Judd and John Higgins. The Nugget is up against MJW which will no doubt heighten the current ‘botox v chins’ discussion/slanging match between the pair on Twitter and there are several other stand out ties including Neil Robertson who aims to keep his winning streak going against Jamie Cope.

Having a serious bet on this is about as advisable as booking Gary Glitter for the kids birthday party entertainment. It’s a random draw after every round so the only way you will win anything on it is if you are extremely lucky. Even if you end up with the winner, you would look pretty stupid saying I told you so at the end.

I’ll go for five against the field and see how I get on, I’ll have a fiver on each of them. I’ll go for Neil Robertson at 20/1, Ricky Walden at 40/1, Marco Fu at 50/1, Jack Lisowski at 80/1 and Tom Ford at 100/1. (If any of them win expect an ‘I told you so’ headline on Monday).

It’s a lottery, but hopefully it will again be fun.

Who are your five for the weekend?        

Friday, 27 January – 18:00

Robert Milkins v Nigel Bond
Mark Williams v Steve Davis
Ali Carter v Matthew Stevens
Stephen Maguire v Anthony McGill
Graeme Dott v Alan McManus
Stuart Bingham v Liu Song
John Higgins v Judd Trump
Gerard Greene v Jamie Burnett
Ken Doherty v Michael Holt
Tom Ford v Jimmy Robertson
Mark Selby v Joe Perry
Mark Allen v Rory McLeod
Martin Gould v Peter Ebdon
Anthony Hamilton v Jimmy White
Mark Davis v Mark Joyce
Stephen Lee v Peter Lines

Saturday, 28 January – 12:00

Tony Drago v Andy Hicks
Ding Junhui v Barry Hawkins
Ben Woollaston v Alfie Burden
Neil Robertson v Jamie Cope
Ricky Walden v Liu Chuang
Andrew Higginson v Liang Wenbo
Shaun Murphy v Fergal O’Brien
Marcus Campbell v Xiao Guodong
Mark King v Dominic Dale
Marco Fu v Barry Pinches
Dave Harold v James Wattana
Matthew Selt v Rod Lawler
Mike Dunn v Michael White
Stephen Hendry v Jack Lisowski
Jamie Jones v Adrian Gunnell
Ryan Day v Joe Swail

Joe has broken his silence

Joe Jogia has finally broken his silence over the alleged betting scandal surrounding his match against Matt Selt in the Shootout, which is now of course not going ahead.

The Pint-Sized Potter from Leicester has denied any wrongdoing and claims that the bets placed on his opponent were simply down to the fact that the entire population of the UK saw him hobbling around after falling over in the rain last Friday night.

Sadly, you don’t know who you can trust these days as this must also include his friends, who, rather than sympathising with poor old Joe, must have sensed an opportunity to make some cash out of it and launched on Selt to beat him.

He has told The Sun that he twisted his knee very badly following his midnight rain dance and that he has barely been able to walk since. That’s a shame as diddyman Joe has a very distinctive walk, it kind of resembles what you might look like if you were trying to chew a toffee with your arse cheeks.

But quite rightly Jogs is absolutely livid at all this talk, I mean, it was obviously the match of the round and was bound to attract interest. The match had traded a mere £3015 on Betfair before it was taken down, with £2580 of that riding on Selt, some at very short odds indeed. The fact that only £9 had been traded on matches involving Ali Carter, Ding Junhui and Tony Drago is a trifling matter and entirely irrelevant.

No, Joe has come out fighting and has reminded us all about his unblemished reputation claiming that ‘My name is like gold in snooker’, by that I am sure he doesn’t mean that he can put it in a brown envelope and receive some cash in return.

So, it’s clearly all been one big mistake. We can all move on, Joe is crocked up in his bed in Leicester and all his mates will get a refund.

It’s clear that there is no pointing the goldfinger at JJ.

Following this story yesterday about unusual betting patterns on the Sky Shootout match between Joe Jogia and Matt Selt, specifically, bets on Jogia to lose, Joe has withdrawn from the event on medical grounds. 

He has been replaced by my fellow scouser and childhood sparring partner Rod Lawler, who now faces Selt in the first round on Saturday. 

Neil Robertson continued his winning streak last night by qualifying to the Winners Group of the Championship League. He is clearly in the form of his life at the moment. Group 4 commences today from Crondon Park before they all head to Blackpool for the Shootout which begins on Friday night.

Anyone that is keeping track of this event will know how to access their stream, whether it be at the bookies or through World Snooker’s coverage. The official Championship/Premier League website is here. 

Group Four (Wednesday, January 25 and Thursday, January 26)
Mark Selby (1), Martin Gould (12), Matthew Stevens (13), Jamie Cope (21), Mark Allen (10), Stephen Lee (15) and Peter Ebdon (29).

DAY ONE FIXTURES – WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 (all times are approximate)
TABLE ONE
11am – Mark Selby v Matthew Stevens
12.15pm – Mark Allen v Stephen Lee
Not before 2pm – Matthew Stevens v Mark Davis
3.15pm – Stephen Lee v Peter Ebdon
Not before 6pm – Matthew Stevens v Jamie Cope
7.15pm – Mark Davis v Peter Ebdon

TABLE TWO
11am – Mark Davis v Jamie Cope
12.15pm – Peter Ebdon v Mark Selby
Not before 2pm – Jamie Cope v Mark Allen
3.15pm – Mark Selby v Mark Davis
6pm – Mark Allen v Peter Ebdon
7.15pm – Stephen Lee v Jamie Cope

DAY TWO FIXTURES – THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 (all times are approximate)
TABLE ONE
11am – Mark Selby v Stephen Lee
12.15pm – Jamie Cope v Peter Ebdon
Not before 2pm – Matthew Stevens v Peter Ebdon
3.15pm – Mark Davis v Mark Allen
Not before 6pm – Play-off – First v fourth
7.15pm – Final

TABLE TWO
11am – Matthew Stevens v Mark Allen
12.15pm – Mark Davis v Stephen Lee
Not before 2pm – Mark Selby v Mark Allen
3.15pm – Matthew Stevens v Stephen Lee
4.30pm – Mark Selby v Jamie Cope
Not before 6pm – Play-off – Second v third

There have been some suspicious betting patterns reported on the forthcoming Sky Shootout match between Joe Jogia and Matt Selt. This has been referred to the WPBSA.

The official statement reads:

‘The WPBSA have been made aware, by bookmakers of unusual betting patterns on the match due to take place at the Snooker Shootout in Blackpool on Saturday 28th January 2012 between Joe Jogia and Matthew Selt. An unusually high number of bets have been placed on Selt to win the match. The matter has been referred to Nigel Mawer, Head of the WPBSA’s Integrity Unit.’

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said  “Maintaining the integrity of snooker is essential to protect the sport. Working with our partners we will take all necessary steps to establish what has taken place and take appropriate action.

...not strictly true.

The Championship League is continuing today but I’m not really that into it at the moment and with the Sky Shootout at the weekend followed by the Gloucester Leg of the SB Classic on Monday and then off to Berlin for the Gerrman Masters I’m going to have a snooker-free few days and instead look back on an eventful week last week at the Masters.

Every event has highs and lows, heroes and villains, winners and losers, call them what you will. Here are my top dogs and flea-riddled cats of last week. 

Winners:

Neil Robertson: Fairly obviously. The man in form prevailed and now firmly has his sights set on a second world crown in just over 12 weeks time. 

The Blog: Just did a tot up of the bets recommended on the Masters last week and discovered that the total profit for the event is actually a record since the blog began. This is in stark contrast to last year’s event which saw an all time biggest loss on any one tournament. I have therefore decided that I whole-heartedly approve of the move to Alexandra Palace.

Alexandra Palace: For the reasons given above. Also because it automatically felt a bit more alive than Wembley.

Patsy Fagan: Patsy’s profile was given an unlikely boost by his lifelong friend Dennis, who failed to spot the difference between him and some random bloke off the street that looked nothing like him. Maybe he should stay away from events more often, it is clearly the way to increase his fame and consequently his after-dinner speaker fee.

The V-Neck Sweater Industry: The Nugget, JP, JV, Ken and Rishi all did their bit last week for knitwear. But the V-Necks were the clear leader in the sweater stakes.

Stephen Hendry, Ace Commentator: The King of the Crucible may be losing a few more on the table but off it he is a natural. Doesn’t talk too much, has yet to fall into the cliche trap, a soothing velvet-like voice which barely raises above a whisper. Some people are just good at bloody everything aren’t they?

The Paul Hunter Foundation: Plenty of publicity for them with Smurf, the Nuggett and co doing a half-marathon for the cause. If you are not doing so already you can follow Paul’s Foundation on Twitter here.

‘Flog it’ and the ‘Hairy Bikers’: Snooker fans turning on to watch the end of the afternoon matches on BBC2 were greeted instead by that mincey bloke with the gap between his teeth holding a vase that had been bought for £18 and sold for £14.50 at auction or two great big hairy northerners cooking up a stew ‘like mee mam used to make’. TV fodder for the ignorant masses.

London Drug Pushers: Whether it was wired up Robbo or fellow finalist Shaun Murphy offering to buy his fans a large coke with some straws, this was surely a great week for dealers.

Virgin Trains: After I was forced to cancel my trip to London at the last minute due to an unforseen and rather unscheduled death, they kept my fare and the associated administration charges. Nice.

Willie was busy doing research last week

Losers:

Willie Thorne: Shelved for this event in favour of Hendry though rumoured to be back for the Welsh Open for BBC Wales. Not even sporadic mentions of ‘The Great WT’ by Dennis or shots being ‘Top Drawer’ by JV could cheer up their old pal who appears to be the first since Clive to be sidelined.

Certain members of the Judd Trump Posse: #nuffsaid   

Children who like snooker and snooker fans in Europe: The next generation of baizers were again disregarded as the final session of the final began at 8pm, this is bad enough for UK viewers but viewers in Central Europe are even worse off. There is no rhyme or reason for this scheduling to accommodate absolute toss on BBC2 between 7-8pm. 

Mark Selby: It is back to the drawing board for the World Number One who looked a shadow of his former self in this event. He wasn’t the only one to throw in a bad performance but is the pressure of being at the top of the game when nobody actually believes that he is the best player getting to him? Perhaps his walk-on song says it all.

Final Frame Deciders: We all love a final frame decider but out of the fifteen matches that took place between the best players in the world who can all beat each other on any given day we had precisely, ermm, none.

The BBC: They seem content to let snooker die a slow death and despite fairly consistent afternoon coverage and the final session on Sunday live, the red button is now well and truly where they see snooker living. Ironic, given the feelgood factor that is currently pervading the sport.

Jimmy White: I love you Jimbo, I really do. But the big announcement wasn’t really something us normal folk could get too excited about. Auctioning off your career cue is all well and good but in a world crippled by global recession and debt you might as well just tell Ronnie Wood what you want for it as he’s one of the few that will be able to afford it. 

So who or what were your winners and losers last week?