The Snookerbacker Blog

He Couldn't. Could he?

A week into this great championship and it’s beginning to bubble up very nicely. The obvious highlight comes this morning when former King of the Crucible Steve Davis attempts to boot the current champ John Higgins out of the event.

Saturday sees conclusions to Higgins v Davis, Robertson v Gould and Maguire v Dott. It seems strange to say but the potential match of the round O’Sullivan v Williams may not be the main talking point when the action is done today. But it’s unlike Ronnie to be upstaged so might we see something special there? Who knows?

But for anyone totally focused on a Davis win, before the Ginger Magician takes to the stage you might like to step back into a bygone age over a cup of hot tea and a piece of toast and read my first of three Crucible countdowns by clicking here. Or as another option have a look for my Crucible Countdowns until the web host sorts the link out.

10am

John Higgins v Steve Davis (7-9 Final Session)

What can you say about Davis that hasn’t already been said. Friday was hard work for him but from somewhere he managed to win the last frame of the session to keep the lead he has held since the beginning of the match. The nation will be watching and willing him to win. I don’t think he will but I’m not going to let that stop me cheering him on. If he wins, it will be lump in the throat time for eighties snooker devotees across the world and a little slice of happiness in what is a very different world today in so many ways. In the immortal words of Jack Karnehm ‘Good Luck Mate’.

Stephen Maguire v Graeme Dott (1-7 Second Session)

Right, enough of all that nostalgic rubbish and let’s get back to gambling talk. Dotty was absolutely brilliant again in the first session, just as he was against Ebdon and is now very much the dark horse of this tournament, did I mention I’ve backed him at 169/1? Well if I didn’t I’ll probably keep on mentioning it until he loses, if he does. Hopefully some of you followed the advice of the previous thread and backed him in this match. He shouldn’t let a lead this big slip and I’m afraid Maguire’s misery is set to continue.

2.30pm

Neil Robertson v Martin Gould (5-11 Final Session)

Gould is freakish at the moment. A very boring quarter final awaits unfortunately and not the one the fans wanted. It’s been a bad day for Robbo please don’t take a picture. The only chance that Robertson has now is if Gould folds, I can’t see any real sign that he will.

Ronnie marked our card and told us not to back him

Mark Williams v Ronnie O’Sullivan

Head to Heads since 1996 – 5-14

Last relevant meeting: 6-5 O’Sullivan 2010 Masters Semi Finals

It’s quite a statistic that Mark has not beaten Ronnie since 2002 and has lost all of their 9 meetings since then. He seems to be one of those players that Ronnie raises his game against. Despite the Rocket insinuating in his last post-match interview that Williams should be favourite, this is one time he doesn’t get his own way and it is him that starts favourite for the match with all the firms. He seemed to treat Liang Wenbo like a practice partner in the first round and realistically never looked really like losing. Williams looked a little edgy in the first session against Marcus Campbell but was solid enough in closing out the match in the end and this comes after his very strong performance in winning the China Open a couple of weeks ago. The two times that they have met here in the past have both been over this distance and have both been won by O’Sullivan, 13-7 and 13-11. Ronnie needs to at least match the performances of Carter and Robertson in this to be sure of staying at world number 2 next year while Williams has had a great season and is now back into the top eight and a ranking winner again after his years in the wilderness. It looks like it could be a classic and I hope O’Sullivan starts playing with a bit more passion, care and attention. If he does, I think there is only one result here. I am going to recommend two bets on this match.

Recommended Bet: Over 3.5 century breaks (11/10 Skybet)

Recommended Bet: Ronnie O’Sullivan to beat Mark Williams (1/2 Extrabet)

Perry - Coming back to form.

7pm

Allister Carter v Joe Perry

Head to Heads: 4-3. Last Relevant Meeting: China Open last month 5-3 to Carter

A lot of people don’t rate Ali Carter that highly, but he is ultra consistent and could end up this year as World Number 2. He has only won one ranking event but he is now becoming a regular at the business end of tournaments and his ranking is testament to that achievement. He came through the potentially tricky starter against Jamie Cope and now faces his old mate Perry. The two met here two years ago in a tight fought semi-final which the Captain won 17-15, so they do have some right old tussles. There is no doubt who goes into this in the best form, that’s Carter, but Joe has recorded his only two wins of the year recently and beat Michael Holt with a bit to spare in round one, to me he looks back to something resembling form. Amazingly for someone sitting at a provisional number two in the world Ali Carter sits somewhere in the forties when it comes to century break makers this season, with Perry still lower and neither made a century in their first round match. But I get the sense that the tables are playing a little kinder now so I’m going to take a chance that two very capable, grown up players can muster up at least two centuries in a potentially quite close best of 25 between them. In terms of the match itself I’d plump for Carter.

Recommended Bet: Over 1.5 centuries (5/6 Paddy Power)

Stephen Maguire v Graeme Dott (5-12 Final Session)

Taxi for Maguire! For anyone that didn’t see the amusing incident involving Michaela Tabb in this click here

God botherer Shaun clearly believes in fantasy characters.

*Anyone interested in going to the Crucible tomorrow please see the comments on this thread from deco*

Some more players reactions below following yesterday’s games which very nearly saw Shaun Murphy suffer one of the greatest ever Crucible comebacks before falling over the line against Gerard Greene.

Shaun Murphy said:

At no time did I feel that I was going to lose the match, the gremlins in my head were not that bad.

But it would have been so nice to have won the match 10-1, by going out there and just doing the job. But to be fair to Gerard, he did not allow me to do that.

Apart from maybe a couple of half chances and obviously the frame where he got the snookers, I didn’t feel I had a good chance until the last when I won the match. It was only at that stage when the balls said “here we are pot us then” and I did.

Not only does Grade A nutter Shaun believe in gremlins, he also now thinks the balls are talking to him.

The frame I lost when Gerard needed snookers, is just one of those things. I would have loved to be in the dressing room having a coffee but it was not to be.

When he started to come back in the match, at no stage did I question my own ability.

Murphy - Big Headed

He said modestly.

I have practiced very hard since I was eight years old, and I know that in my game, I could rely on it when it matters.

It’s the best prepared I’ve ever been for this championship, I’ve not had the best of seasons results wise and don’t feel I’ve reaped the rewards for the all the work I’ve put in, so I’m due.

He then bigged up his next match against Ding saying:

I think my game against Ding Junhui is the tie of the round, Ding is the best player in the world at the moment, his results prove that. He has been prominent in all the major events this term and will go into our match as the favourite I’m sure. But that doesn’t trouble me because I’ve beat favourites before.

I’m sure it will be a fantastic match, no matter who wins. He is playing great and will have millions of people supporting him back home in China. I used to live in Sheffield so I’ll probably have 200,000 people on my side. He said deludedly as a Sheffield resident pushed past him to get the last Ding T-Shirt at the Crucible merchandise stand.

I was obviously expected to win the match from 8-1, but I approached the session in the same vein has when I started. With the standard being as good as it is at the moment, if you win a tournament in a season you are doing well, and I’ve done that already.

You dont get extra points and prize money for playing great snooker all the time, it’s all about getting over that winning line first.

I’m 100% behind Barry Hearn. From what I understand of the changes that are happening, I’m in 100% support.

Somebody asked me the other day, you wouldn’t want to see snooker go like darts would you ? I said do you mean like having more toutnaments to play in and more prize money to play for ? it’s what we have been asking for years.

At least Shaun has one advantage, I’m sure he could pass for a darts player.

World Snooker have been running the same way for thirty years, they have done nothing with it. It’s been running the same way and its failed, he told the World Snooker website……

Plucky Gerard gave it a good go

The plucky Irishman Gerard Greene had this to say:

I suppose the first session I was a bit nervous, I won the first frame then totally collapsed. He played well to be fair.

I played alright this afternoon and got a few frames on the board. I could have been 4-0 up in the first session this afternoon but Shaun nicked a frame. I felt alright in the balls but my long shots weren’t great and when I missed I stuck him up.

Once he’s in the balls he doesn’t miss, he’s got a nice cue action so he doesn’t twitch. He missed a couple but once he’s got his hand on the table he scores heavy.

Another victor in yesterday’s games was Stephen Maguire who after his macho posturing throughout the match with Stephen Lee said:

I am delighted.  I am in the last 16 of the Worlds, if I wasn’t happy there would be a problem.  I played well in patches and I was pretty solid tonight.  I felt I was going to score every time I got in.  I will have to touch up on safety but if you are potting the balls I guess safety isn’t that important.

He said of his supposed rivalry with his opponent:

It seems to be everyone I play these days is a grudge match.  There’s nothing between us at all.  We have played each other a couple of times, but I don’t really know him that well to be honest.  We have just kind of past careers without playing each other without  having really met.  There’s no grudge there.  He is a slow player, I wasn’t trying to be cheeky.

A bit unkind that, Lee isn’t slow at all. His 127 was great to watch. He then moved on to talk about his next match with Dott.

Oh go on John, give us a feel big man.

It will be a very tough match against Graeme.  He is back to the way he was playing a few years ago, and he loves it here. It was a great win he had against Peter Ebdon. It was a really tough match on paper and he made it look quite easy.  I will need to be on my toes tomorrow.  Whoever doesn’t win the match will be wishing the winner the best.  And hopefully one of the Scots can bring it back anyway.

I try every year to win this tournament.  It is only the second round I am in, so I not thinking about the trophy right now.

Most sensible thing he’s said so far that.

I think, in my opinion I have under achieved in my career so far.  I am trying different things to win different tournaments. There has been no problems with me focusing. Snooker is snooker, and I have been practicing every day.  I will just wait to see what happens and wait to see what you guys write in the paper.

He didn’t talk about the future plans for the sport as he is probably more focused on his own future at the moment.

The President of the Stephen Lee Appreciation Society

The man-mountain Lee said:

I played awful in the few first few frames yesterday and he didn’t play much better. I played well in patches during the first session, but you can see that I am just short of match practice.

You can also see that he isn’t missing many meals.

I am not sharp and when you come to play in big games you get caught out. I’m obviously disappointed because I’ve worked very hard preparing for this tournament, but I never really played well enough throughout the match, but that’s how it is in sport.

There are not enough matches to play. I am not missing a ball for hours on the practice table, but when you get out to the matches it’s a different ball game.  I put it down to lack of tournaments, I am either hitting century breaks or can’t pot a ball, it’s mental, it’s very frustrating.

Stevie doesn't like small crowds

I like the idea of what Barry Hearn is proposing but I don’t want to be playing in little tournaments, for example in Germany,and play in front of one man and his dog. I want to be playing at good venues, like the Crucible and other venues of the same standard.

To do that Stevie you’re going to have to stop getting hammered when you get there.

If the tables and conditions are are good I will play at different places, he said generously, but we do want more good quality tournaments that’s for sure.

I’m now going to ring World Snooker again and ask if their chief journalist would like me to proof-read these articles before they put them out.

Will Gould be Thunderstruck?

Day Seven sees a return to normality and a morning, afternoon and evening session.

I had far too much time on my hands on the morning of day six and even ended up doing some housework. Mrs SB was very happy with that as I’ve had to cheer her up since her holiday suffered at the hands of the Icelandic Volcano. We have decided to cross Iceland off our holiday destination list and we will continue not to shop there. I hope no Icelandic snooker players start to rise to the surface as I’ll probably be blinkered in all my previews and take an irrational dislike to them.

We see the conclusion of the match between Mark Allen and Will Self lookalike Mark Davis who play two sessions today, the second session of Higgins against the Nugget and the two opening sessions of my main man Neil Robertson’s match against Herr Flick impersonator and Professor Yaffle wannabe Martin ‘The Pinner Potter’ Gould.

It also sees the other wee man Graeme Dott start his second round match against Stephen ?

Just a quick ‘big-up’ to Gerard Greene who rescued a dead in the water recommended handicap bet against Murphy, now where did I put that betting slip?

Allo, Allo, Martin Gould is a dangerous potter

10am

Neil Robertson v Martin Gould

I’m glad that Robertson had a bit of a test against Fergal O’Brien as this will stand him in good stead for this match, which could well prove tricky against the very good potter Gould. Neil rose to the challenge in round one and showed a great deal of patience and determination in grinding out a result. He will have a different type of match here as Gould is a far more attacking player who takes more chances than Fergal and there are likely to be a lot of chances left for breaks to flow. Though to be fair there are tee-total, non-gambling, vow-of-silence celibate monks that take more chances than Fergal. Gould took advantage of a very poor performance by Marco Fu in round one and grew in confidence as the match went on after a slow start and closed off the match in impressive fashion. He did have a lot of good run of the ball, freakishly so at times and to me he lacks the positional game to progress much further up the ranks, but he is a fine potter. In Gould’s only two matches at the Crucible to date he has started badly and I’d argue that it is essential to his chances in this match to not be worse than 5-3 down after this session, if he is I can see this being a routine win for Robertson. But whatever the outcome, and you all know who I hope wins it should be an open attacking game and for that reason the bet I will recommend is this price at Paddy Power.

Recommended Bet: Neil Robertson to make over 7.5 50 Breaks (4/6 Paddy Power)

Mark Allen v Mark Davis ( 5-3 second session of three)

Mark Allen after narrowly missing knocking in a 147 in Round One, now holds the highest break of the tournament with a 146. Allen is emerging as a real player in this and has a decent enough draw up to the semi-finals. The recommended Allen handicap bet in the previous preview still looks promising, but I have to say the current odds to me look out of kilter, particularly for backers and layers, I mean Allen 1/25? Davis 9/1? Well out, when Allen has played fantastically well and is still only two frames clear. Davis is no mug and can get back into this if Allen has an iffy session, but Allen as I’ve said is a very good front runner and doesn’t often throw away leads, I just think the odds are wrong and to balance the handicap bet I may have a few quid on Davis.

2.30pm

John Higgins v Steve Davis (2-6 Second session of three)

Well, incredible betting opportunities here.

I haven’t had a bet on it.

I’d be amazed if Higgins didn’t win.

Recommended Bet: John Higgins to beat Steve Davis (3/5 Extrabet)

Stephen Maguire v Graeme Dott (Head to Heads 3-2, last relevant meeting 6-5 Maguire 2009 Masters)

Graeme Dott played superbly to beat Peter Ebdon and will enter this match feeling confident that he can cause an upset against his fellow Scotsman Maguire. Stephen played a very tactical mindgame against Stephen Lee, it was the snooker equivalent of bullying at times, but it worked. Lee gifted him some frames but towards the end of the match when Maguire speeded up he played his best snooker of the season. He has clearly blocked out the off-the-table affairs which are conspicuous in their absence from conversation, most players coming out and saying what an all round good egg he is. So to the match, I would not put anyone off backing Dott, he has the pedigree to go very far here and I am very happy with my 169/1 punt on him in the outrights. He has been threatening a return to form for a while now and a win here by my reckoning will put him back into the top 16 at the expense of Jamie Cope. Maguire has fallen from number two to a provisional ranking of six next season, but all that could change if he does well here. I think this one will be close, maybe even a final frame decider and I was going to go all out and recommend a Dott straight win bet, but I’m going to play it safe.

Recommended Bet: Graeme Dott (+2.5 frames, 11/10 Sportingbet)

Will he better him Self? It could be a long day for Mark Davis today.

7pm

Neil Robertson v Martin Gould (2-6 Second session of three)

Robbo arrived this morning looking like death warmed up and was destroyed by a dazzling display from Gould. Quite extraordinary. But Robertson finally awoke from his slumber at 12 noon and won the last two of the session. There is no reason why he can’t win this session by the same scoreline tonight and draw level. I think he’ll play a bit better in front of what could be the whole of the Crucible for the majority of the session.

Mark Allen v Mark Davis (11-5 Final Session)

Allen is just creeping into my calculations again after I threw him off my shortlist after China. He should have no difficulty closing this match off, he doesn’t lose from positions like this. Hopefully he’ll do it early to land the handicap bet too.

Incidentally, anyone that is keen on helping to construct a new World Top 32 Ranking List based on the introduction songs chosen by the players should click here.

We're Just Wild About Barry

Yesterday saw the conclusions of games involving winners Neil Robertson and Graeme Dott and losers Fergal O’Brien and the spent force Peter Ebdon.

Despite both winning their opening matches in the worlds biggest event all they really wanted to do was talk about Barry Hearn, of course, it is no coincidence whatsoever that they were interviewed by World Snooker. I mean that would just be blatant propaganda.

Neil Robertson:

Fergal is such a tough player, he just would not go away. It was like trying to get some chewing gum out of your carpet. I’ve won 10-5, but three of them were won on the black, so it could have been a different story out there.

Indeed, if he had trodden in the gum he might still be standing there now.

I’m obviously relieved to get through and also pleased to be having a day off tomorrow, because after that 70 minute frame I need to.Some of the safety in that frame was quality, it seemed like we were on the yellow forever. I looked over to the other table, and it was like they were zipping through their frames quicker than us trying to pot one ball.

Neil’s memory clearly failing there or worrying signs for fellow Aussie backers as he appears to be going colourblind, they spent nearly 40 minutes on the green.

Robbo's Choc of Choice

I needed that breakaway in the match to go 8-5, and from then on my tempo was good, I probably should have played a little more like I did at the end, at the start of the match.

I didn’t see him eat a chocolate biscuit but I think I know what he means. Each to their own, the Nugget prefers bananas.

Fergal has got endless amounts of experience, and he is not really slow but measured in his approach and rarely plays the wrong shot, so he is tough to beat. He never gifted me chances, I had to work for everything out there.

Last year was a great stepping stone for my career, if I could get to the semi-final this year I feel I would be more at ease. It was a good year for me and I carried that form with me in winning the Grand Prix. So I do feel that I can do well here this time.

I’ve never played Martin Gould, but he played well against Marco Fu to come through, so he will have my  full concentration.

Robbo has wished Australia was nearer Britain since he was a nipper.

The interest has been good back home, after my good run here last year plus my other good reults. The Herald Sun, which is a big newspaper, gave me an excellent double spread. It’s just a pity Australia is so far away,because snooker is popular out there. I suppose at the moment its just not a viable option to stage events out there.

Listen Neil, Barry can do anything, if you want Australia moved closer to the UK, he’ll sort it. He then moved on, totally unprompted to talk about Bazza’s big plans for the sport.

I’m 100% behind the plans put forward from Barry Hearn, I feel there is a lot of players who cannot see the bigger picture. I think it’s fantastic what he is offering. Barry is a clever guy, and knows what he is doing.

The old tanned hand with a Rolex on the wrist handing over a wad of £50 notes as he spoke.

A lot of players are maybe scared that Barry will increase the prize money for the top players, and not at the bottom of the rankings.

No Neil, I think they are just scared of him.

What a lot of players cannot see is that sport needs top players to promote the sport, and thus generate interest. Some players think they can practice for about a couple of hours a day and deserve around £20-£30k, for just being a top 64 player.They need to realise there is money to be won, but it needs hard work which I feel some players don’t put in.

The defeated Fergal O’Brien said:

I am disappointed to lose, I didn’t really get to top form. I lost one or two close frames yesterday, but I dig in well to go from 5-1 to 5-3. He made a good clearance to go 7-5 today, and his reaction showed he was under a bit of pressure.  The next was a bit of a battle as we played for about an hour on the yellow I think! We played both some good safety.

If I had won the re-spot to go 7-6 I would have been in thick of it, but at 8-5 his tail was obviously up again. It was a frustrating season, I would like to have done a bit better.

Then totally unprompted the chirpy Irishman said

But hopefully, Barry unveils his plans and they pass and we get more tournaments. Whether you have a good season or a bad season you don’t want to be a part-time snooker player. Being in the top 32 and playing only six tournaments a year is not on.

Barry’s arch-nemesis and lone voice in wind when it comes to top players Peter Ebdon was also highly critical of the table after his match.

I lost it yesterday, Graeme played very well and even though we both struggled with the inconsistent bounces off the cushions, he applied himself the better of the two of us.

Even if I’d have won 10-0, I would still be saying the same, (Oh Aye yeah) because it was just so tough to adjust to the reaction of the cushions.The main disappointment for me is that all year, the tables have been playing brilliant and a pleasure to play on.Obviously with this event being an exeption.

Peter isn't getting much support from the other boys

But like I said every credit to Graeme, because his all round game is brilliant, his long potting was fantastic and is safety and tactical play was spot on. To be fair I dont think he got the respect he deserved when winning the world title,because he is one of the best match players about.

Missing the green when I had a chance to go only one behind at 7-6, was a big turning point but we will never know if it would have changed the result.

I’m bitterly disappointed to be out of the top 16, but also very proud of being in that elite bracket for so long.

He then turned his attention to all things Baz.

I would be the first person to congratulate Barry Hearn if he introduced new tournaments and revenue to the game, and then take a healthy commission, I dont think anyone would complain.

But to ask for 51% of the commercial rights is too much. There is going to be a meeting and I’ll be very surprised if the players give up their control of the association.

We all want to play in more tournaments.

Barry Hearn is a successful businessman,he is a very intelligent man and a very shrewd man and I would love him to do a fantastic job for snooker.

The players need to understand, that giving control to Barry is not for one year, this is not for two years, this is not for five years,this is not for ten years, it’s forever gone.

I’ve only got one vote, it’s up to the members at the end of the day.

His conqueror Graeme Dott said

I can't see any obvious problem with the table.

It’s good, it’s nice to be back. I didnt play well tonight. Maybe I had the wrong attitude.I played so well yesterday and basically at 7-2 the job is almost done and I probably relaxed a bit too much.

I played a really careless first frame tonight, and then before you know it I was twitching a bit.  I could not get any rhythmn tonight, I played pretty poor.  It wasn’t like I wasn’t getting any chances tonight, I just couldn’t control the white. The table wasn’t great and I am sure Peter will tell you the same.

Yep, he just has, good call Dotty.

The cushions were bouncing again which was a bit disappointing. Trying to play for snookers was impossible, the balls were coming off at all different angles.

I have changed my technique a little bit since China. I added a few little mannerisms and am playing a bit quicker and just trying to trust it more.  It clearly helped yesterday and I think I can put tonight’s performance down to attitude.

There’s nothing that can happen here that I haven’t seen before so I am obviously experienced enough to deal with
everything.  I need to try and win another couple of games here to get back into the top 16.  I am sure Peter has
got the right attitude and will bounce straight back into the top 16.

No disrespect to Stephen Lee, he continued disrespectfully, but I would rather play Stephen Maguire in the next round.  If we play each other and I don’t happen to beat him, I’d hope Stephen wins it.  Obviously he’s never won it before, Stephen Hendry has won it, John has won it and so have I.  So it would be nice to Stephen win it, but hopefully that won’t happen this year!

Clearly at least one player is rallying round the under pressure Scot and at least Dotty resisted the urge to big up the Baz.

More reactions as they come in, I am now going to call World Snooker and ask them if their reporter has a spell checker, so many mistakes…..

Day 6 morning makes me very depressed

I really don’t like Day Six of the World Championship and I have a very good reason for that.

This is the day when there is no snooker in the morning. Absolutely none, zilch, nada, zero. Who made this decision? Why? Why? Why? There is no need for it, you hear? No need. It makes me mad every year and this year is no exception. I suppose it will give me a chance to update the profits and losses and things like that in the morning to reflect the first 5 days bets and we do seem to be back on the winning road. So that will keep me occupied, either that or watch old videos of past classics involving the likes of Bob Chaperon, Mario Morra, Jim Wych, Dave Martin and Bernard Bennett.

When they do finally get underway there is the one frame ‘re-match’ of the famous final 25 years ago between Dennis Taylor and one of today’s second rounders, Steve Davis. While Dennis has long since moth-balled his cue, the Nugget continues to baffle the snooker world with his age-defying results (CORRECTION AND THANKS TO ROB, IT IS ACTUALLY NEXT WEEK, I’M A WEEK AHEAD OF MYSELF). I’m sure he could do without this trip down memory lane before he comes out later in the day to face the current champion John Higgins. Let’s hope that John shows a bit of charity and goes easy on him. A win for Davis would be a shock of epic proportions, I’m trying to think of an analogy but I can’t, I think this would be the number one sporting shock ever if it were to happen.

Before this we see Murphy and Greene finishing off and Mark Allen face Mark Davis in their second round match, Davis landing both the recommended bet in the preview at 3/1 to beat Day and the handicap bet in the match previews. Robbo also obliged on the handicap recommendation in his match. All Good. The speculative punt on a return to glory for Peter Ebdon was stalled by the impressive Graeme Dott, who to me now looks to have a realistic chance of making the quarter finals, during the match I managed to back him at odds of 169/1 for the tournament so that might be one to keep on the backburner for later on. Meanwhile serial Crucible flop Gerard Greene won the first frame against Shaun Murphy and then lost the next eight, Murphy showing glimpses of a return to form, but his opponent giving him multiple chances, I’ll put that handicap bet call for Greene down to fatigue.

Despite this we are now firmly in profit for the tournament and now let’s see if we can take some more from the bookies shall we?

2pm

Shaun Murphy v Gerard Greene (8-1 Playing to a Conclusion)

You would be very surprised if Greene managed to win the 5 frames he needs to land the handicap bet before Murphy wins 2. This has the look of a very swift session leaving centre stage this afternoon to the first session of the second round match below.

Mark is setting his sights on going further in this event.

Round 2 Mark Allen v Mark Davis

Head to Heads: 0-0

Firstly a big thank you to Mark Davis for justifying my faith in him to beat Ryan Day at very big odds. But betting has no room for sentiment and I will look at this match like any other, in the cold light of a new day. Mark Allen benefited from Tom Ford’s debut ordeal at the Crucible in the first round but still played well enough. He is the sort of player who is very difficult to peg back when he gets his nose in front and he is usually a strong starter, he also very seldom loses to players who like Davis are outside the top 16. There is nothing to suggest that Davis can cause another upset here and I will discount that as a possibility straight away. The tables to me are still not playing kind enough to go back in on the century breaks markets though I was tempted by the over 2.5 at 13/8 at Paddy Power but given that these bets are the ones that have been causing me the most headaches so far I have decided to ignore that one. The bet here then must be the handicap and I think Allen will win this match quite easily so I am going to recommend:

Recommended Bet: Mark Allen (-4.5 frames 5/6 Bet 365)

I have also decided to treble this bet up with straight win bets on Mark Selby to beat Stephen Hendry and Ali Carter to beat Joe Perry pays just on 9/4 at Paddy Power.

7pm

Steve has to relive a past nightmare before moving on to a new one - or perhaps not, as I have been corrected above that this particular nightmare comes a week today.

Round 2: John Higgins v Steve Davis

Head to Heads since 1994: 16-2

Last Relevant Meeting: Grand Prix 2005, 5-1 to Higgins.

Steve has only beaten John twice in 16 years, both times in the Welsh Open and both times convincingly. Only the most committed or nostalgic Nugget fan would argue that he’ll do the same here.  John was not at his best in Round One against Hawkins but still came through when asked a question and this should be no more than a warm up for him for the next round when you’d expect it to get a lot tougher. This is in stark contrast to last year when he was basically scraping through in what was a very tough draw and you get the feeling with John that he’d prefer a test at this stage to limber up, but this year he won’t get that. This may be the last time we see Steve at the Crucible, but whose to say he won’t make it again next year? He will after all only need to win one match again to do so as he will remain comfortably in the top 32 next year. I hope John doesn’t go too hard on him, something tells me he won’t. But finding a decent bet in this is nigh on impossible. There will be plenty laying into the 5/6 or thereabouts on Higgins -6.5 frames and that may well be the bet of the century, but I’ll just stick with a couple of correct score bets for a bit of interest. 13-6 or 13-7 are both 7/1 at BWIN I’ll probably have a go on both these scorelines. Good luck Nugget, I think you’ll need it.

Stephen Maguire v Stephen Lee (6-3 Playing to a Conclusion)

A very mixed session for both players yesterday. Stephen Lee’s 127 break was wonderful to watch, that cue action really is something, but the next minute he was jabbing and snatching at everything. Maguire looked out of sorts too and just took what he was given. There may be a bit of snooker left in this one yet if Lee can find some consistency.

Steve wobbled but refused to fall down

Last night the Crucible belonged to one man, Steve Davis. The legend rolling back the years to progress into round two. Becoming the oldest player to win a match there since Eddie Charlton.  

The great man had this to say after the 10-9 epic win over Mark King:

It was such a great reception when I came out, both times. If it wasn’t so serious and I wasn’t on a mission I would have had a lump in my throat. It was a fantastic reception, marvellous but I got off to such a ropey start. The first couple of frames were horrible for me, I just had to hang in there.

To be fair they were horrible for all of us.

I was 5-3 down and all of a sudden I started looking, I only had it two other times in my life, it’s called ocular migraine. Where you get all sparkly lights and you can’t see. Looking at the balls in the last frame and they all started going blurry.

I managed to make a forty odd break but I could only see half the ball. It was the weirdest thing, I had it since about four o’clock, maybe it was the stress or the pressure I don’t know. I had some bananas in the interval tonight and that worked.

He has obviously been taking advice from renowned banana expert Dave Harold recently.

A Yellow-un

Tonight I was very pleased to be in front at the interval, Mark was getting a bit frustrated with things out there. I just played as solid as I could. I just got over the line, what a feeling. The last frame was torture.

I was in prime position and two shots later I’d messed it up. I decided to pot the red and play for no-where. When I didn’t get the snooker, I thought you idiot. I gave him lots of opportunities to get snookers and he was very close, he made some excellent efforts.

What a game, he’s like granite! That’s why I nick-named him the weeble many years ago, he never gives up. The emotion at the end, I knew it wasn’t the end of the game but I knew he needed snookers.

In terms of performances and considering I haven’t had much match play that was like climbing a mountain for me. Other than that I probably only produced one other decent performace this season and that was against Stephen Hendry in the UK when I got back to 6-6 before he played very well to win.

I don’t look at the draw (which is a bit of a lie because then he continued) but to play John Higgins as World Champion will just be fantastic. It will be tough against him, he’s a hard player. I actually practised for this, I worked hard.

Mark King had this to say: 

I suppose 6-4 up then 7-6 down I wasn’t going to be back flipping to the dressing room. I just got a little bit frustrated with myself. I never had a crowd so against me ever. It’s understandable but I let it get to me a couple of times. There was a geezer right in my ear, even if the ball was hanging going ‘Shot Steve’.

I had my chances. I missed a pink in the last frame. I twitched it and my elbow was in the bag before the ball. I’m gutted because I wanted to have a season when I didn’t lose any first round matches.

I had a few texts when the draw came through saying ‘Steve was rubbish’ players like that annoy me. Not in a million years is Steve an easy draw whether’s he’s 52 or 72. He’s a class act. He’s one of those people who’s looked after himself, in the gym and he doesn’t goes clubbing and that’s why he’s still number 20 odd at 52. If I’m that ranking at 52 I’d be over the moon.

To be honest if he is that ranking after next season that’s a start.

People who say those things should grow up, said the big baby.

I think he played solid. His safety is 2nd to none. The Top 16 put together are a mile behind his tactical game. He kept putting me bang in trouble.

Ronnie - always causing mischief

After his win over Liang Ronnie O’Sullivan gave all us snooker punters a little tip, which was nice of him considering he had had a couple of warnings during the match because of his loutish behaviour. 

I had to find something from somewhere, the pressure was getting on me a bit. It was quite nerve-racking out there. The nerves play a big part here unless you settle. Unless to get into your rhythm early it can be tough.
 
You can miss anything out there sometimes and that proved to be the case. But thankfully I just managed to nick a lead after that first session.
 
I just didn’t get going today and he played alright, towards the end he looked quite dangerous. He missed some balls, but sometimes in a first round match you do experience a bit of pressure out there.
 
I think form is important, it’s nice to be playing reasonably well. But I need to find some consistency, that would be nice.
 
It’s a really hard draw, I could have done with an easy match to be honest. It will be a tough game, I don’t think you could get a harder draw than Mark. He’s coming back to form and he’s probably the only other than John Higgins who is a favourite for the title. I think he’s the only player that could beat John if he was playing well. We’ll have to wait and see how I play.

I’ll probably be favourite for the match but anyone who knows anything about snooker will have their money on Mark, if I was a betting man then……

Rishi - A Real Pro

He was then hastily cut off as the camera flashed back to a flustered looking Rishi in the studio. 

Liang Wenbo seems to have a new interpreter, he looks strangely familiar. Anyway, he had this to say: 

Obviously trailing by such a big margin after the fisrt session, I was relaxed because you feel deep down that the match is maybe out of your reach. So I just wanted to go out there play my game, and hopefully to produce my best game for all the fans to see. This is the World championship, it’s the most important tournament and you always want to play your best in this one.

After fighting back from 7-2 down to only 9-7 down, Ronnie must have been feeling some pressure, but in the last he proved why is the world number one. He looked very calm producing that winning break.

I think Ronnie will play better next round, I hope he does well, but now I have to learn from that match to help me for next season.

He then wandered off, blissfully unaware that he is precariously close to not being in the top 16 next year if the likes of Dott, Perry, Lee or Ebdon have a good tournament.

Lee has had the weight of the world on his shoulders lately

Wednesday sees the conclusion of four matches and the start of the final two first round matches involving seeds Stephen Maguire and Shaun Murphy who face Stephen Lee and Gerard Greene respectively.

Bettingwise, I get the feeling that things are beginning to turn in our favour again after a couple of early dodgy calls in the centuries markets early on. Mark Davis has started well against Ryan Day, Davis and King is close, Ding is running away with his match and thanks to Liang Wenbo the 6/4 bet at Skybet on the centuries in that match was landed. On top of this Robertson is firmly in command in his match. All good. I think we’ve turned the corner.

10am

Ding Junhui v Stuart Pettman (8-1 played to a conclusion)

As expected this is heavily one sided and the bet at under 15.5 frames now looks very likely. Ding looks sharp in the balls and is a player in this, there is no doubt about that.

I will confidently predict a Pettman comeback here, no, only kidding.

Ryan Day v Mark Davis (4-5 played to a conclusion)

A good start for Mark here against a seemingly uneasy Ryan Day. There is still plenty of snooker left in this one but on the evidence of the first session it is Davis that is looking more like the 1/3 shot. I’m very happy with the handicap bet and only need Mark to win two more to oblige and I even managed to get 6/1 on Davis on Betfair when he was 0-2 down. All to play for, could end up very very close this one.

2.30pm

Neil Robertson v Fergal O’Brien (6-3 played to a conclusion)

Again, happy with the recommended bet on this one. Neil has bigger fish to fry this week and remains on course for a date with John Higgins in the Quarter-Finals. I should think this one will be over sooner rather than later.

Maguire - Under Fire

Stephen Maguire v Stephen Lee

The penultimate first round match gets under way with two players that have attracted headlines for other reasons over the last few weeks. Maguire in particular may find it difficult to put his off-table issues to the back of his mind given last weeks announcements, while Stephen Lee, I’d assume has heard the last of his dealings with the police and can probably concentrate on the task in hand. A very informed person still thinks that this is the ideal draw for Lee, who beat Maguire 6-0 in their last encounter 5 years ago. A week ago I’d have disagreed with him but now I’m not so sure. Lee qualified with ease beating Mike Dunn 10-2 and will come into this match with his tail up. I’ll stop short of predicting an upset as I think Maguire will cope better with the playing conditions as Lee has been out of the limelight now for a while, but at the price the handicap bet on Stevie L may be worth a punt. So I’ll tentatively go with Stephen Lee (+3.5 frames 5/6 Sportingbet)

7pm

Shaun Murphy v Gerard Greene

Gerard Greene got to this stage by virtue of a gritty fightback against blog favourite Rory McLeod, who is a tough proposition in the qualifiers. The last time these two met was in 2009 when Murphy came through in the UK 9-5. But Murphy, by his own high standards has had a very bad season. On the one-year ranking list he is currently world number 20, an incredible fall from grace much like that suffered by his fellow shock world champion from the last decade Graeme Dott. His opponent Greene lies just one place below him at 21, so this might be a more evenly matched game than the bookies prices suggest. You used to be able to rely on Murphy in first round matches, he was one of the first names you would put on your accumulator, regardless of his opponent, but this year he has lost three first round matches to Barry Pinches, Matthew Stevens and Nigel Bond, all of whom it could be argued are not as good as Greene. Gerard has been here before, four times and has never won a match so that might take some getting over. I’m marginally siding with Murphy for this but if the first session finishes any worse than 6-3 in his favour I think he’ll get edgy. So the recommended bet is:

Recommended Bet: Gerard Greene (+4.5 frames 3/4 Sportingbet)

Peter Ebdon v Graeme Dott (2-7 played to a conclusion)

A fantastic session of snooker last night from Dott means the one blot on the copybook at the moment is my slightly ambitious punt on Ebdon, but at 1-4 in this I plumped for an ambitious about turn and backed Dott in the outrights at 169/1 as I’ve always thought the winner of this match would be a contender. It looks like he will now be outside the top 16 next year and that Graeme may well be back in there. But this is Ebdon, you just never know.

Mark's musical taste has to be questioned

More reactions from yesterday’s winners and losers. With Mark Williams revealing that he is having some problems away from the table and Jamie Cope wanting to seek professional help.

Ali Carter came through against the ‘potential banana skin’ (spot the FA Cup football cliche) Cope, who I think it’s fair to say underperformed somewhat.

The petulant Cope said:

I’m disappointed but I beat myself again really. That’s my main problem really, I’m not really mentally strong enough in these sorts of matches really.  I think it is the only problem that I have got but it is the main one really.

Really?

It is something I have got work on over the summer because it is costing me too many matches now.

I got going for a couple of frames today but the gap was too big really.  I think I am going to see a sports psychologist, because I do honestly think it is my only problem stopping me from challenging for titles.  I am just not strong enough mentally for some reason, some matches I am and some I am not and it is not good enough really.

Jamie, you’ve got to start behaving like an adult first. You have the ability, but perhaps watching videos of Michael Holt might help, you could sit there saying to yourself ‘I won’t end up like that’. Other than that, a sports psychologist might be the way forward. Get in touch, I know a very good one.

The victorious Ali Carter said:

It’s never easy to win here but Jamie gave me a lot of chances and I kept the pressure on him.  I didn’t really expect anything going into the match, I just tried to worry about myself. I was prepared for him to have his spell of frames where he threw his arm at everything and got everything but that didn’t really happen.

I am just going to turn up and play snooker and see what happens.  I have no expectations, no hope of winning, I am just playing snooker and seeing what happens. You can’t control winning, all I can control is how I play and if I play well the rest will take care of itself.

He then looked ahead to his next match against his pal Joe Perry

Joe is a very good player and has probably got a bit of confidence after winning his first match as he has had a pretty hard season. It is going to be a tough match, there is no such thing as an easy match here.  Stephen Hendry proved that last night, playing someone no one had ever heard of and all of a sudden he is 9-7 down which shows how hard it is.  Everyone can play these days.

We then turn to Mark Williams who gave his analysis of his match against Campbell, which he ended up winning quite easily after an early scare.

Mark's favourite piece of vinyl

It was a bit of a struggle, it certainly wasn’t a 10-5 victory to me, (it was last time I checked Mark, check the papers) more like a match that could have been 10-8 or 10-9 either way really.  I am just over the moon with the result more than the performance.

It was a struggle really the whole match, the ball kept going safe, which meant neither of us could get any fluency. It looks like I will be playing Ronnie O’Sullivan, but on that performance all day today I wish I was playing Gilbert O’Sullivan!

A reference to one of Mark’s favourite recording artists there, clearly a man with a musical ear. Those free concert tickets are in the post, you name-dropper you.

All season I have been consistent. In China I played well all through the competition, but you can’t keep playing well all the time so hopefully that is my bad performance out of the way.  Everyone can win when they are playing well, but it is about winning those matches when you are not playing as well as the day before. Dropping out of the top 16 is no good for anyone.

There are certain reasons off the table why my form has dipped. I haven’t sorted them all out yet, but I am getting there.

He wasn’t any more specific on what those reasons are but if he has started listening to Gilbert O’Sullivan records he is clearly not in the right place mentally. But given that he played tremendously in China, the problems he alludes to may not have a great effect on him here.

Campbell preparing for his match yesterday

His, frankly scruffy opponent Marcus Campbell said:

It was a bit of a battle out there today because Mark has been playing well recently, obviously fresh from his success in winning the China Open in Shanghai (ermm I think you’ll find that’s Beijing, Marcus). Looking back on the match, I did well today. It was scrappy early on but then I settled into the match, and I was disappointed to be 5-4 down this morning.

I started well this evening making that 74 break, but never got a shot for the next two frames.His safety was good, always putting me in trouble. I left a couple of reds out from my safety shots and he made two good breaks.

He is clearly bigging up that he made a 74, beating his highest break in the two previous qualifying matches by 1 point.

The big frame was the black ball game to go 7-6, unfortunately I lost that and went 8-5 down, which made my job a lot tougher.He didn’t miss much tonight at all, so it was always going to be tough to beat him.

It was nice to be back at the Crucible and this year, I really enjoyed it unlike last year which was a bit of a disaster, mainly due to being nervous.

I felt great out there today, it’s just such a nice environment to play in. Even the crowd get involved, I know the majority wanted Mark to win but that doesn’t matter, it’s such a lovely place to play at.

They only wanted him to win because they couldn’t be seen to be supporting someone who turns up looking like they have been sleeping rough for a month. Hadn’t shaved, shirt hanging out, builders arse. Show some respect big man.

More reactions tomorrow.

Gould made a mess of my accumulator

Day 4 on Tuesday sees four new starters and two matches played to a finish including Ronnie O’Sullivan’s match against Liang Wenbo.

It’s been a mixed bag bettingwise so far and a couple of my more adventurous accumulators bit the dust after Martin Gould’s (pictured right) 10-9 success over Marco Fu.

I didn’t see that coming and a mixture of Fu playing terribly and Gould just well, potting balls with only a fleeting thought about position, with a dash of good fortune thrown in helped him over the line. But credit to him, he took them very well in the last frame and deserved to win overall.

It should  however, all being well pave the way for my main pick Neil Robertson assuming he makes it past Fergal O’Brien, so every cloud has a silver lining.

But let’s be honest, we need a good winner to kick things off for us today, so let’s see what we can find from the very cautious bookmakers to really get this championship working for us.

10.00am

Stuart Pettman - Hair Flick

Ding Junhui v Stuart Pettman

Stuart Pettman gave his fellow Stuart, Bingham a really good hiding to get here when a lot expected the reverse result. It is the first venue that he has made this year having been knocked out in the qualifiers in all other events. This follows his unlikely run in the 2009 China Open when he made the semi-finals with victories over the likes of Ali Carter and Mark Allen, it clearly has taken him a year to get over that experience and the shock. As well as having a rather dodgy haircut, he apparently is also writing a book about being a professional snooker player. Amazon must be wondering if their website can cope with demand and the internet itself may well go into meltdown when that epic comes out. Ding comes fresh from the China Open final and cuts a far more relaxed figure these days, he seems to be maturing and despite his tendency to have a little nap in the middle of matches when he thinks he’s already won. He is world number one provisionally on the one year list and is now firmly establishing himself as a big player in this event. Needless to say I don’t think there will be any shocks here but finding any value anywhere is really difficult. I suppose the only one that may be worth a look is the 4/5 generally available on there being less than 15.5 frames in this match, as it may be onee-way traffic  but there is precious little else to get excited about unless you fancy a shock.

Ryan Day v Mark Davis

Ryan Day as I’ve said in a previous preview is a seed that I think might be vulnerable here. He is ranked one place behind his opponent on the one year list outside of the top 16 and comes here after being well and truly beaten 5-0 by Hendry in China. By his standards he has had a poor season on the table with only a decent performance in the Welsh Open to speak of before losing in the Quarter Finals to Carter and he has had some distractions off the table that will have been taking his attention away from the day job. Of Mark Davis’ last 16 competitive matches he has lost just 5, so he is used to winning.  While the standard of opponent ranking wise hasn’t been in Ryan’s league the confidence he will take from these wins may help him up his game a bit here and he won’t go into it fearing Day. I would not put people off backing him to win the match but the bet for me has to be:

Recommended Bet: Mark Davis (+3.5 frames 4/5 generally available)

Me? Improving? You Must Be Joking.

2.30pm

Neil Robertson v Fergal O’Brien

When I was watching the China Open on Eurosport a few weeks ago one of the commentators, I think it was Joe Johnson said something very odd (not like JJ I hear you cry). He said that a lot of the players regard Fergal O’Brien as ‘the most improved player of the season’, now I feel I must take issue. He has beaten three players this season, school paperboy Sam Baird, Li Hang and the fading light that refuses to ditch that crap two-piece cue he uses Alan ‘Angles’ McManus. In the meantime he has lost in 5 out of 6 qualifying events this year, this being from a former British Open Champion and Masters Runner-Up. Improving? I think not. Neil Robertson is top of my shortlist of winners for this event and it will come as no surprise that I would not expect him to struggle here. He has got the potting and the safety game to cope with Fearless Fergal so I will recommend:

Recommended Bet: Neil Robertson -3.5 frames (4/5 Paddy Power)

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Liang Wenbo (7-2)

Ronnie was basically handed this lead by Liang and showed why he enjoys playing him. I would enjoy playing people who just did whatever you wanted them to and were probably just completely in awe of you. This is like a practice match for Ronnie, but I am a bit concerned that he only needs 3 more when the century count stands at two. To land the 6/4 at Skybet I need another one in this session. Fingers crossed.

7pm

Mark King v Steve Davis (5-4 played to a conclusion)

A noble effort by anyone that sat through the whole session last night as I did. A comical beginning ended up being not that bad a match. No world beating stuff but nice and close and set up for a potentially tight finish tonight. The recommended bet looks promising in terms of the number of frames and perhaps the Legend might just give this match his all again tonight and emerge victorious who knows? At odds of 3/1 in what essentially could come down to a decider if the old head-worker can start off well, I have seen worse bets.

Peter Ebdon v Graeme Dott

Check out the head to head record on these two by clicking here . Graeme’s sole success being on the best snooker day of his life, when he lifted the title here. I’ve come out and said that I think Ebdon might be the dark horse in this event. He is focused, coming into form, determined and I don’t think the draw has been too unkind to him. I strongly fancy him to win this match for all the reasons stated in my original preview so will therefore recommend.

Recommended Bet: Peter Ebdon to beat Graeme Dott (-1.5 frames EVENS Stan James)

Some of the players are deeper than others

I’ll post up the thoughts of the players during the tournament, it can sometimes give a clue to their frame of mind going into the next round.

Obviously you have to balance that with the ones that just throw in the old cliches every time someone asks them something, but sometimes you’ll get their innermost angst spilling out, as in the case of Michael Holt.

Nookie Bear lookalike Joe Perry said after beating Holt:

I’m really pleased to win, it’s never nice playing a friend but I had to put that out of me head and try and get the job done.  I played well yesterday but I was absolutely flattered by the score line.  I made some really good clearances under pressure which got me the 7-2 up but it could have been different. If I hadn’t been playing Michael I would have felt sorry for him because yesterday was unfortunate.

I won’t shy away from it Michael has been fool to himself with some of the matches he has lost over the years due to his loose temperament.  He didn’t crack today so credit to him.  He has been working hard on his temperament and I think he held himself together really well.  He had a lot of bad things in the match that would have cracked him up in the past.

One wonders whether Joe was actually paying any attention to him, he looked in typical balloon-head mood to me.

I will go home tomorrow as I don’t play until Saturday and go back and see my little girl. Ahhhh.

Holt - a bit bonkers

Serial nutter Holt had this to say:

I had chances tonight, I lost couple of frames I could have won. I missed a pink clearing up and that was the story of the match for me to be honest. I missed about five big balls that I don’t miss in the qualifiers, that’s why I win all the time there. Slight stretching of the truth there from Holty he’s actually lost in the qualifiers in 4 out of 6 ranking events this season and also in the Masters qualifying.

It’s not because I can’t play out there, I know that I can.  When I can get in the balls I can score, I feel good out there and I really enjoy it. I’d hate to see him when he isn’t.

I am just trying to break through. I am trying so hard to break through.  I have been here five or six years on the verge of things but I am just trying so hard. I just need a few wins to give me that belief.

I think at 7-2 down, I have had a 100 break, two 60 breaks, a fifty break and maybe a forty and a thirty. If I was told before the match begun I would have those breaks I would said it would definitely been at least 6-3. It’s frustrating because I know I can play, what do I need to do? Ermm, getting your head down and winning frames would be a start Micky

Joe is a great mate and I wish him well and I hope he goes on to do well here. I just play the game and focus on myself. It’s frustrating because I love it out there.  I thought in the last frame when he was potting, I’m going to miss playing out there. It’s so frustrating because I am better than that, so much better than that that it is scary.  But I need to prove that and hopefully I will one day.

I might need to twitch up a few times to win and get away with it and get on that roll, but I don’t, I keep getting beaten. But I do win pressure games with good clearances all the time, that’s why I win so much in qualifying. The standard of snooker in Prestatyn is the same, just full of players that don’t play very well at venues. It is just frustrating.

And there we have the thoughts of grade A looney tune Mr Holt, clearly a lad that struggles to come to terms with life in the big time.

As for Mark Selby, he is a very different kettle of onions when it comes to temperament and played as good as he has all year in giving Ken Doherty a firm beating, he said afterwards:

Never trust a cheap tent

Ken’s a former winner so he’s been there and done it so I knew he wasn’t going to come out and freeze and I would have to be on top of my game otherwise I’d be going home.

There are no easy draws nowadays I suppose there are harder, playing Ken I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It would have been if I hadn’t fallen over, once I’d potted frame ball and started thinking about it I collapsed like a cheap tent (referring to his maximum attempt). Good old jester with his strange quirky lines, always guaranteed to have the journalists rolling in the aisles he is.

The history, the roll of honour and knowing that you’ve made one would have been a massive honour.

I’ve proved it in the past that I’ve got the game to win it but it’s very difficult to do over a two week period, it’s a matter of trying to stay fresh and put in as much hard work as you can.

I did an interview back home before I came away and I could possibly play a former World Champion in every single round if I went on to win it, so quite an easy draw really. He just can’t resist these one-liners, he’s such a hoot.

His beaten opponent Ken was characteristically noble in defeat.

Pope Benny - Loves Kissing Stuff

Obviously I’m disappointed to have got beat, but I’m also pleased to have qualified for the final stages and with the form that I’ve shown in the last couple of months.

I played ok out there, but I have got to put my hands up and say that I got beat by a player who is at the top of his game. Mark played great throughout the match. He scored heavy and consistantly, his safety was strong and tactically he is up there with the best.

It was tough for me out there over the two sessions because I was punished for every single error that I made, no matter how small the error was I got punished. I didnt miss many balls (to be fair, he did), but I was comprensively beaten by Mark, who has got a very good chance of winning the title this year. For me he is up there with the likes of O’Sullivan, Higgins, Ding and Williams.

Shaun Murphy and Stephen Maguire then came in and said to Ken ‘What about us?’ but Ken simply continued.

The reception I received when I was introduced yesterday was fantastic. This is the place of my greatest achievement, and I was so pleased to return here that I kissed the carpet as if to say, “it’s good to be back”.

A bit too ‘Pope-ish for me that but never mind’

I have so many good memories from the Crucible, that I will cherish, he went on.

I’m looking forward to next season and hopefully more tournaments to play in, it will be nice not to be a part-time professional. Obviously the players have got a lot to think about this month, with the proposal that Barry Hearn has put forward. We need to get answers to all our questions. So we will have to see what the outcome is.

More reactions from the players will come throughout the championship. I will also continue to spend half an hour every morning correcting spelling mistakes from various reporters that are paid to do this, unlike myself.