The Snookerbacker Blog

Nice Action Kid. This is one of the Medieval ‘Fun Days’ that takes place in Newport. They should put Bazza in there next week and we’ll play best of seven tomatoes.

It’s Day 3 in Sheffield as this glorified PTC that is the Welsh Open continues with the frustrating best of seven frame format which I’m sorry to say is making it a bit of a turn off for punters.

I know I go on a bit sometimes when I get a bee in my bonnet but I just can’t understand why these matches aren’t reverted back to the best of nine frames as this makes them far more appealing to the betting public.

However I’m a bit preoccupied, as only today I have had my first hate mail for quite a while from someone who believes that when I put a blog bet up on here they will always win and I am somehow responsible for his (or her – in the interest of equality) lack of humanity and intelligence. Maybe that’s the kind of punter the bookies like these days so perhaps I’m just interested in myself and naively trusting you all to make your own mind up.

At least this time he or she didn’t wish me dead in a house fire, equipped with wheelchair(s) with my benefit book(s), clinging to life. For the record I don’t know what a benefit book is.

Anyway. To the snooker….

I reckon they could still play a roll-on roll-off schedule at the main venue around two tables and just get rid of the mid-session intervals and make that the quirk of this event. I was against the shortening of the format when Bazza introduced it as was everyone except him but it’s still the same. I can’t help thinking that this event’s days are numbered in a time when snooker is attracting coverage from TV channels that haven’t shown an interest for 20 years (click here).

Is this tournament along with its history being hung out to dry? Or is this a cunning plan on World Snooker’s part? I suspect the former.

I knew they shouldn’t have voted for Plaid Cymru.

You’d think with the event being sponsored by a bookie this time around they might have picked up on this apathy towards the betting markets and I would be surprised if the trade on this event will be anything like it would be if this was a good old-fashioned televised best of nine frame format from a UK venue, which is now something of a rarity in the sport. This constant assumption that the snooker viewing public both young and old want this smash and grab style of format is wrong, sometimes however it’s easier to plough ahead without listening than to actually listen and change it.

That said another continuing ridiculous aspect of this event is the holding over of matches to the venue, most notably matches involving Welsh players. I mean, let’s have a look at the players playing in the cubicles this weekend, we have Ali Carter fresh from his German Masters triumph, Neil Robertson who is regarded by most as a top 3 player, Mark Allen one of the sport’s main attractions, Shaun Murphy a player who has a large and growing fanbase, Stuart Bingham the Premier League Champion…..And who’s match is held over? None other than Dominic Dale who isn’t even Welsh.

That’s my way of saying that I probably won’t get involved in this again this week to any great extent. I’ll have a good look at the outrights on Sunday and hopefully claw something out of it when the matches return to a sensible length.

You can view all match prices at Apollobet here if you fancy an interest bet tomorrow which is all I will be having. I’ll give a few head to head and form pointers below and start giving a bit of thought to the outrights as we move into the main event which starts on Monday.

10am

Rod Lawler v Li Yan
Nigel Bond v Joel Walker
Peter Lines v Pankaj Advani
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh v Michael Leslie
Mark Joyce v Tian Pengfei
Anthony Hamilton v Sean O’Sullivan

Rod Lawler is in fine form and beat Li Yan 4-0 in November, he’s one of those players which will be bang on this from the off and in these short matches that is just what you need. Rod is becoming very reliable at this stage of things and I reckon the first day has taught us to go with the more established players more often than not. Nigel Bond is another, he’s won 7 from his last 10 matches and is consistent at this stage of events. Peter Lines is another experienced campaigner and having spoken to him last week in Germany he is clearly relishing playing at the moment, this is a bit of a comedown but he’ll know all about his opponent Pankaj Advani from the Northern Snooker Centre in Leeds, I fancy him to make it a veterans treble in this session. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is a player on the up and you would expect him to account for Michael Leslie who is still struggling at this level and lost to the Thai player 5-1 in December. Tian Pengfei and Mark Joyce are 1-1 on the head to heads and I’d say this one could go all the way, Joyce is on a great run at the moment and has won 10 of his last 12 matches, losing only to Ken Doherty and Ali Carter, so he’ll take some stopping. Finally, the man that World Snooker have told to get a new shirt and pair of shoes Anthony Hamilton takes on Sean O’Sullivan. Sean is beginning to find his feet but The Sheriff remains a tough cookie at this level and I’d expect him to get the better of things here.

Selections: Lawler, Bond, Lines, Un-Nooh, Joyce, Hamilton.

Note: If this was best of 9 I would be advising a big bet on Un-Nooh and a decent bet on Lawler who is very nicely priced.

Recommended Interest Bet: 1 point acca on all 6 pays over 16/1 at Apollobet.   

2.30pm

Liang Wenbo v Tony Drago
Alfie Burden v Scott Donaldson
Jimmy White v Zhang Anda
Alan McManus v Jamie O’Neill
Jimmy Robertson v Robbie Williams
Steve Davis v Kurt Maflin

Anyone who bets on a match between Tony Drago and Liang Wenbo probably either needs to have their head examined or has far too much time and/or money on their hands. Two of the most unpredictable players in the game playing a best of 7 in a cubicle, ne bet pas. Alfie Burden isn’t on a great run lately but he’s another that I think might view this as a chance to have a run in something (but I said that about Jamie Jones). Jimmy is on the slide, of that there is no doubt but his opponent Zhang Anda isn’t exactly a world beater at the moment and Jimmy might just edge that one I reckon. Alan McManus will probably put his experience to good use to progress against Jamie O’Neill who doesn’t win all that often. Jimmy Robertson has has a 2-0 head to head over The Booshman Robbie Williams, but I reckon this one could be close with Williams being a player that can hold his own now in this company. Finally, we end with Steve Davis playing Kurt Maflin and like the match at the top this is one to avoid as there are two possible outcomes. Either Maflin coasts to victory or the heroic Nugget emerges from the cubicle looking much the same as when he went in with a 4 hour 4-3 win under his belt, something is telling me I have just seen the future…

Selections: Wenbo, Burden, White, McManus, Williams, Davis.

No session bet. But have a look at the handicap markets as I reckon we’ll see a few close ones here.  

7pm

Mark King v Aditya Mehta
Marco Fu v Passakorn Suwannawat
Mark Allen v Barry Pinches
Martin Gould v Sam Baird
Robert Milkins v Paul Davison
Jamie Cope v Ian Burns

Mark King has met India’s Aditya Mehta twice already this season and on both occasions he came out the winner. Mehta is one of the most improving players out there but King is hitting some decent form lately and remains an under-rated player by most, he didn’t get into the top 16 by being just a scrapper and I think his experience will tell here. Marco Fu comes here fresh from his runner-up spot in Germany where he played very well until the final session when the winning post was looming, he plays Passakorn who made it 20^th time lucky yesterday breaking a long losing run against Jamie Jones, on paper there should only be one winner there but I thought that about Jones too. Mark Allen faces the gritty competitor that is Barry Pinches, I’m sure Mark won’t be overjoyed to be involved at this stage and he has been one of the most vocal against the flatter structures, Barry is a battler but you’d assume that Mark will only have to keep his emotions under control to win and make the venue. I have a sneaky feeling that Martin Gould might do quite well in this having missed out on Germany following his shootout triumph, he’s been keeping his eye in at Crondon Park and will fancy the job against Sam Baird here, if he makes the venue he could have a decent week next week. Rob Milkins has met Paul Davison only once before and the result was a 4-0 win in a PTC for Davison back in 2011, Milkins blows hot and cold and when he is good he can beat anyone, Davison however is a qualifying specialist and is no stranger to causing a shock or two so Rob will have to be on his mettle from the off or he could find himself missing another venue. Finally Ian Burns who has been something of a phenomenon at this level lately. He faces Jamie Cope who is a long way from the player he was a couple of years ago, but he has won two deciders lately to qualify for China and the World Open so isn’t totally shot at the game, nevertheless, the momentum is with Burns and at the odds he’s worth an interest.

Selections: King, Fu, Allen, Gould, Davison, Burns.

Recommended Bet: 3 point treble on Gould, Davison (+2.5) and Burns (+2.5) pays over 6/4 at Apollobet.