Snooker Fans

A list of century breaks from the Australian Goldfields Open, won by Stuart Bingham.

2011-07-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Mark Williams, 142 v Dominic Dale (QF)
Mark Williams, 140 v Dominic Dale (QF)
Stuart Bingham, 139 v Mark Williams (final)
Matthew Selt, 137 v Shaun Murphy (QF)
Allister Carter, 134 v Marcus Campbell (last 32)
Ding Junhui, 124 v Stuart Bingham (last 32)
Dominic Dale, 123 v Steve Mifsud (last 32)
Stephen Hendry, 120 v Martin Gould (last 32)
Liang Wenbo, 120 v Matthew Stevens (last 32)
Stuart Bingham, 118 v Mark Allen (QF)
Mark Williams, 118 v Dominic Dale (QF)
Stuart Bingham, 114 v Shaun Murphy (SF)
Stuart Bingham, 112 v Mark Allen (QF)
Neil Robertson, 111 v Dominic Dale (last 16)
Liang Wenbo, 111 v Matthew Stevens (last 32)
Mark Williams, 110 v Ken Doherty (SF)
Stuart Bingham, 107 v Ding Junhui (last 32)
Mark Williams, 106 v Ken Doherty (SF)
Ding Junhui, 104 v Stuart Bingham (last 32)
Jamie Cope, 102 v Tom Ford (last 32)
Mark Allen, 101 v Marcus Campbell (last 16)
Neil Robertson, 101 v Dominic Dale (last 16)
Rory McLeod, 100 v Shaun Murphy (last 16)
Mark Allen, 100 v Marcus Campbell (last 16)
Mark Williams Wins Decider With 142 Total Clearance - 2011 Australian Goldfields Open

Mark Williams moves into the final in Australia

2011-07-25T14:27:00.001-07:00

World number one Mark Williams overcomes Ken Doherty 6-2
Mark Williams continued his good form as he reached the final of the 2011 Australian Snooker Goldfields Open.

Mark Williams Exhibition Snooker To Close Out Match - 2011 Australian Goldfields Open

Williams, who ended last season as world number one and was in the Welsh side that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup last week, hit two centuries in his 6-2 victory over Ken Doherty.

Welshman Williams has now made five century breaks in the tournament - more than any other player - and now meets Stuart Bingham in Sunday's final.

"It was a tough game and Ken didn't miss a lot," said Williams. "It's just nice to see him back playing and getting to the latter stages. This could be the springboard he needs to get back up the rankings.

"After the first match I've played quite well and the tables have been excellent and the crowd excellent. I'm just looking forward to the final.

"It's not easy to get to the final so I'm just going to enjoy it. I probably haven't got many more finals in me left."

Williams made breaks of 110 and 106 but also of 47, 53, 48, 56 and 49 as he remained on course to win his 19th ranking tournament.

Doherty had enjoyed a fine run in this tournament that included victories over top ten ranked players Stephen Maguire and Mark Selby but missed out on a first ranking final for five years.

However, the 41-year-old Irishman was pleased with his performances at the Bendigo Stadium in Bendigo, Victoria.

"Tonight Mark gave me a few chances but I didn't take them and when he's flowing and in the balls he looks fantastic," said Doherty.

"He was very smooth and had the pace of the table perfect.

"I've enjoyed every match I've played here and the atmosphere was enjoyable. I'm just a bit disappointed in my own performance. Mark will be pleased with his but I'm disappointed and I didn't live up to the standard of previous matches but that's the way sport is.

"Every day is difference and you have to push yourself on but I've had a good week and it's been a good way to start the season."

Live coverage is available on FOXSPORTS from 1-5pm and 7.30-11pm daily in Australia. The programmes are also broadcast on Eurosport across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Bingham shows his bottle to win his first title

2011-07-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Stuart Bingham has won his first ever ranking tournament as he clinched a dramatic 9-8 victory over Mark Williams in the final of the 2011 Australian Snooker Goldfields Open.

2011 snooker Australian open final- (flame 15) Mark Williams vs Stuart Bingham

2011 Australian Open final - Mark Williams 16-17 Stuart Bingham

World number one Williams looked set to win the 19th ranking event of his career as he led 7-4 and 8-5 but Bingham made a stunning recovery to win the last four frames and take the title.

"This is without doubt the best week of my life - it's just an unbelievable feeling," said 35-year-old Bingham, a professional player for 16 years who has experienced the lows and now the highs of snooker.

"This proves the depth in the standard of snooker and shows anyone on the tour can win a tournament if they knuckle down and put the hard work in, that's all I've done.

"It will help all professional players and I've always said you only get out of the game what you put into it.

"I've doubted myself before and when I lost ten matches on the trot my confidence was at an all-time low and you hope and wonder where the next win is coming from."

He had only reached the quarter-finals of ranking events before and had received criticism over a perceived lack of 'bottle' in close matches when under pressure.

That boiled over this week in a bitter public spat with Mark Allen before and after their clash in the last eight, which Bingham won.

But the man from Basildon, who was once ranked 76th out of 90 players, believed this victory was the perfect answer to any critics.

"I don't need to say any more. I just have a nice trophy to prove it and $60,000 in the bank," added Bingham. "I don't care what anyone says. I have this for the rest of my life and no one can take this title away from me.

"Now the hard work comes as I have to live up to being a ranking event winner and now I'm the hunted instead of the hunter.

"I've been knocking on the door but now the door is open and I've walked through it and grabbed the trophy with both hands."

Bingham beat Ding Junhui, Tom Ford, Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy to get to the final and made a sensational start with a break of 139 in the opener and a 3-1 lead at the first break.

But Williams made breaks of 89, 85, 57, 84, 52, 52, 71 and 68 as he closed in on victory in front of a capacity crowd at the Bendigo Stadium in Bendigo, Victoria.

The turning point came as Williams led 8-5 but Bingham got fortunate with an escape from a snooker that left the Welshman in trouble.

"I went 3-1 up but something happened and I switched off," said Bingham "My potting percentage went down to 20 per cent but I was getting chances every frame.

"Mark being such a good player cleared up and took the game. My body language was all over the place and I was slumped in my chair just disappointed.

"At 8-5 he had me in all sorts of trouble but the match changed when he snookered me and I got out of it and snookered him - I had hit it and hoped.

"My body language changed and I thought 'this is your chance'.

"At 8-8 coming out to the table and the crowd's reaction gave me goose pimples and I was shaking. I had made a game of it and the momentum was with me. I played a double and if I'd missed that I would've lost 9-8."

Williams admitted he was shocked to have lost the final. He said: "At 8-5 I was cruising and had him in all sorts of trouble. He managed to get out of a snooker and won it from then on.

"Every little flick went his way and there's nothing you can do about that. I had him perfectly at 8-5 but from then on he played well and deserved to win.

"Overall I played quite well and I can't say I didn't play well in the final.

"I've enjoyed it and the crowd has been fantastic. I would like to thank them and everyone to do with the tournament.

"It has been a fantastic success as far as I'm concerned and I think we will be here for many years."

Monday, July 18
1pm - First Round
6. Shaun Murphy 5-3 Andrew Higginson
17. David Gilbert 5-1 James Mifsud

followed by
12. Judd Trump 3-5 Mark Davis
9. Jamie Cope 3-5 Tom Ford

Not before 7.30pm
4. Stephen Hendry 5-3 Martin Gould
5. Peter Ebdon 3-5 Rory McLeod

Tuesday, July 19
1pm - First Round
16. Dominic Dale 5-2 Steve Mifsud

1pm - Last 16
20. Rory McLeod 1-5 Shaun Murphy

followed by - First round
3. John Higgins 4-5 Matthew Selt
7. Ali Carter 3-5 Marcus Campbell

Not before 7.30pm - First round
15. Neil Robertson 5-2 Nigel Bond
8. Mark Allen 5-3 Ryan Day

Wednesday, July 20
1pm - First round
18. Mark Williams 5-2 Barry Pinches
14. Stephen Maguire 2-5 Ken Doherty

followed by - First round
11. Mark Selby 5-3 Joe Perry
13. Matthew Stevens 4-5 Liang Wenbo

Not before 7.30pm - Last 16
19. Matthew Selt 5-1 Stephen Hendry

7.30pm - First round
10. Ding Junhui 2-5 Stuart Bingham

Thursday, July 21
Last 16
1pm
26. David Gilbert 2-5 Mark Williams
21. Marcus Campbell 1-5 Mark Allen

followed by
23. Mark Selby 5-3 Mark Davis
22. Tom Ford 0-5 Stuart Bingham

Not before 7.30pm
25. Neil Robertson 4-5 Dominic Dale
24. Liang Wenbo 4-5 Ken Doherty

Friday, July 22
1pm
QF1 - Matthew Selt 3-5 Shaun Murphy
QF2 - Mark Allen 3-5 Stuart Bingham

7.30pm
QF4 - Dominic Dale 4-5 Mark Williams
QF3 - Mark Selby 3-5 Ken Doherty

Saturday July 23
1pm
SF1 - Shaun Murphy 2-6 Stuart Bingham

7.30pm
SF2 - Ken Doherty 2-6 Mark Williams

Sunday, July 24
2pm and 7.30pm
Final - Stuart Bingham 9-8 Mark Williams

An Australian fan has had a tattoo of Stephen Hendry's autograph after meeting his hero in Bendigo last week.

2011-07-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Among the professional snooker cues and glossy programs for sale at the Australian Goldfields Open, one fan took home a more lasting souvenir.
Pool umpire and snooker lover James Mills was so happy to meet Scottish snooker legend Stephen Hendry that he asked the man to autograph his arm.

Then had it tattooed.

Mr Mills, 47, from Seaford, has spent the last week at the Bendigo Stadium watching his hero play the world’s best snooker players in long, sometimes three-hour matches.

“He’s world class, the best snooker player ever,” he said.

Mr Mills had never seen Hendry play before and had the idea “half planned” before he met him after one of his matches.

“He signed it for me in texta and I got it tattooed the next day.”

Hendry bowed out of the tournament on Wednesday night but Mr Mills said he was still pleased to see “how good he is” in person.

For decades the snooker champ enjoyed fame as one of the most successful players in the world, winning his first professional tournament in Australia in 1987.

For Mr Mills, Hendry’s latest appearance Down Under was equally unforgettable.

Stephen Hendry Wins Against Martin Gould - 2011 Australian Goldfields Open

GOLDEN MOMENT FOR BINGHAM

2011-07-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Stuart Bingham’s dramatic capture of the Australian Goldfields Open title was the fulfilment of years of effort and dedication to the game.

A professional for 16 years, ‘Ballrun’ Bingham has always shown snooker every respect, entering tournaments big and small wherever he can find them.

He has enthusiastically embraced the new opportunities that exist under Barry Hearn and has seen only positives where several others look only for negatives.

He got his reward today and it is well deserved for a well liked professional in every sense of the word.

Level at 4-4 at halfway, Bingham looked edgy at the start of the evening session as Mark Williams began to take control.

At 8-5 down and snookered on the last red, it looked over but Bingham enjoyed a huge slice of luck – fluking a snooker back – and it effectively turned the match.

Reprieved, he produced some brilliant snooker to draw level at 8-8. The decider was full of tension, with chances on both sides until Bingham got over the line.

You could see what it meant to him afterwards. I hope the champagne is flowing freely in Bendigo as I write this.

And Stuart should perhaps send a glass over in the direction of Mark Allen, because there’s no doubt that the Northern Irishman’s ungracious comments had an effect, whether consciously or not, and spurred Bingham on.

He proved that when the pressure was on he isn’t a bottler. How sweet this day must be for him.

It also gives hope to those many professionals who have spent a long time as part of the sport’s supporting cast, dreaming of one day playing a leading role.

Bingham has proved it can be done if you believe in yourself and produce the goods on the day.

Well done to him. He deserves to enjoy his moment in the sun.

The terrific final brought the curtain down on a hugely successful week, supported by large and appreciative crowds.

The Australian Open is another winner: gimmick free, it proved that tournament snooker is still a big draw.

As Williams graciously said afterwards, long may the game return to Australia, where the snooker public in this long neglected outpost played their full part in making it a memorable week.

2011-07-20T22:30:00.001-07:00

Click On Image for SNOOKER TRADING

John Higgins

2011-07-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

“I am delighted World Snooker have recognised our new facility as a venue suitable to host their professional tournaments which will include all 96 Professional players including John Higgins, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and of course our local players Robert Milkins and Jack Lisowski.

“The big names in the game will be playing in the academy’s 360 seat arena and also in the other match rooms where there is also tiered seating for spectators.

“There will be up to 7 sessions a day on 9 tables (63 matches) so there will be plenty of choice of players to watch.

“The SWSA has put Gloucester on the Snooker map and is regarded, worldwide, as one of the finest snooker venues in the World and without doubt the venue where the spectators can get closest to the players and really experience the excitement and tension of professional snooker.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan cues up for Gloucester

2011-07-13T17:05:00.001-07:00

World Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan is eagerly anticipating competing in World Snooker’s PTC Event Two at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester from 8-10 August 2011.

O’Sullivan commented during a recent practice session at the Academy “I can’t wait to play a tournament here. It’s a fabulous place. This season I am only entering events I am committed to playing in and I’ve entered the PTC here.”

The former World Champion started the season in fine style by winning the first PTC event last week, his first tournament victory for nearly two years.

“My game wasn’t too bad”, said O’Sullivan. “Everyone was a bit rusty as it was the first event, but I’m just having a go and doing my best.

“This season is a big season for me. I’m going to see if I can improve. It’s a work in progress but I feel optimistic.”

In the final of the first PTC event O’Sullivan beat Joe Perry, who recently signed with On Q Promotions, based at the South West Snooker Academy.

Perry is also full of praise for the venue and the opportunity to play top class events in front of the enthusiastic Gloucester snooker fans.

“I’m really pleased to have joined On Q Promotions having seen close friends on the circuit being well looked after and happy with them.

“The Academy is superb both to practice at and to play tournaments.

“I feel I am at a turning point in my career at the moment so this move is a brand new start for me in time for the new season.

Ronnie O'Sullivan Wins Decider vs Stephen Maguire - 2005 WSC

Ronnie O'Sullivan-the best of all times

Mark Selby / Calendar 2010-11 of snooker

2011-07-13T16:57:00.001-07:00

Mark Selby gets a 141 break to win snookers 2008 Masters

Mark Selby 104 Snooker Break

Mark Selby 105 Snooker Break

3-6: Rundili 2010 World Snooker Wuxi Classic
(Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China)
25-27 Players Tour Championship, Event One
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
JULY
9-11: Players Tour Championship, Event Two
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
18-25: Six Red Championship
(Thailand)
AUGUST
2-5: Shanghai Masters Qualifiers
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
6-8: Players Tour Championship, Event Three
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
14-16: Players Tour Championship, Event Four
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
21-24: World Open Qualifiers
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
27-29: Euro Players Tour Championship, Event One
(Germany)
SEPTEMBER
2: Premier League
6-12: Shanghai Masters
(Shanghai, China)
16: Premier League
18-26: World Open
(SECC, Glasgow)
30: Premier League
OCTOBER
1-3: Euro Players Tour Championship, Event Two
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
7: Premier League
8-10: Players Tour Championship, Event Five
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
14: Premier League
15-17: Players Tour Championship, Event Six
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
21: Premier League
22-24: Euro Players Tour Championship, Event Three
(Frankfurt, Germany)
28: Premier League
29-31: Euro Players Tour Championship, Event Four
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
NOVEMBER
4: Premier League
5-7: World Seniors Championship
(Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford)
11: Premier League
12-14: Euro Players Tour Championship, Event Five
(Hamm, Germany)
18: Premier League
19-21: Euro Players Tour Championship, Event Six
(Halle, Germany)
24-Dec 1: UK Championship Qualifiers
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
27-28: Premier League Finals
DECEMBER
4-12: UK Championship
(Telford International Centre)
14-17: German Masters Qualifiers
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
2011
JANUARY
3-6: Championship League
9-16: The Masters
(Wembley Arena)
24-27: Championship League
28-30: World Snooker Shoot-Out
FEBRUARY
2-6: German Masters
(Berlin, Germany)
8-11: Welsh Open Qualifiers
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
14-20: Welsh Open
(Wales)
24-27: China Open Qualifiers
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
28-Mar 3: Championship League
MARCH
4-15: Betfred.com World Snooker Championship Qualifiers
(World Snooker Academy, Sheffield)
17-20: Players Tour Championship Finals
21-24: Championship League
28-April 3: China Open
(Beijing, China)
APRIL
16-May 2: Betfred.com World Snooker Championship
(Crucible Theatre, Sheffield)

Mark Selby was snooker's youngest professional when he joined the paid ranks as a 16-year-old in 1999, but it wasn't until the 2007 888.com World Championship that he really began to show the world what he can do.
His amazing run to the final at the Crucible Theatre everyone sit up and notice his talents. He threatened to pull off the biggest comeback in the history of the sport's most prestigious tournament before eventually succumbing 18-13 to John Higgins.
Nevertheless, Mark's heroics on the table - and his antics around the green baize which earned him his 'Jester from Leicester' nickname - endeared him to a whole new legion of fans.
But just as importantly, Mark finally clinched that coveted place in the top 16 which he had been promising to do ever since he burst on to the professional scene.
It also proved the springboard to future success - and that all-important first title win.
And he could not have done it at a more prestigious tournament, winning the 2008 Saga Insurance Masters at Wembley. That came hot on the heels of a string of semi-final appearances in the 2007/08 season, but more was to come.
Mark quickly followed up his Masters triumph with his first ranking event title when he came from behind against Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the Welsh Open in thrilling style.
It also secured him a career-high world ranking of No.4, making him one of the most dangerous and feared players.
Despite reaching the final of the Masters for the second year running in 2009, Mark had a quieter season than the one before, although he still went into the 2009/10 campaign ranked No.7 in the world.
Mark is also a dab hand at pool, having won the EPA World Eight-Ball title in 2006 and playing regular for the Leicestershire County side.
The future certainly is bright for one of snooker's young stars.

Shaun Murphy Full Bio and Latest News latest Pictures and upcoming Events

2011-07-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

Some of you will already know a few facts — maybe more than a few, in some cases — about my career. Here, though, is a few of my own thoughts about me and the game I love, snooker.
Quite simply, it’s my passion. I first picked up a cue as an eight-year-old and it took over my life. Every day I get up and look forward to my next game, whenever that might be, whoever it might be against. I love just about all sports but snooker will always hold an enduring appeal for me. To this day, I still watch as much as I possibly can on the television and You Tube — without quite becoming one-dimensional!
I often get asked what is it like to be on that stage under the lights competing? In short, it’s what we live for. Sure, I love practising on my own to improve. But it's under the lights, on a stage when it matters and where it really counts that the men are sorted from the boys. That is the adrenalin rush, that’s the thrill — especially if you’re involved in a big match in front of a packed crowd.
The head-to-head nature of snooker really appeals to me — for the same reason that I love matchplay golf. I love competing against someone who you know has worked hard like you have. It's just the best type of sporting challenge. You’re not up against a course or the effects of nature but another human being who wants it as bad as you do. That makes for an exciting day-job!
Can anyone reach snooker perfection. I’m not sure. Okay, just about all the top professionals have made 147s but that is a fleeting few minutes of mastery. I think the problem with attaining snooker perfection is that unlike a few other sports, say darts or golf, there is someone else hitting the same balls too. In golf, you always get a chance to correct any mistakes, there and then, but in snooker your next shot could be your last.
Part of the reason why I’ve been keen to have a revamped website is to be able to interact more with snooker followers. For me, fans are the most important people in sport. Without your interest. sportsmen like myself wouldn’t have a job. Nobody would take part in tournaments if there was no one there. It’s you the fans that create the buzz, the excitement. I don’t think I’ll ever lose sight of that.
So what about those things that you may not know about me? Well, I love my golf. I’m off a six-handicap, but I wouldn’t mind polishing up my short game — chipping, especially. I’m a mad Man United fan and get to Old Trafford as often as I can. I live in Cheshire and mornings will often find me walking the dog. I love my music, too. Coldplay are probably my favourite band and I can’t go wrong, either, with a bit of Elton John and Billy Joel. If I’m having an easy day, then a mug of tea and Top Gear re-runs will put a smile on my face. It’s the simple things!
I’m lucky enough that some of the sport’s fans want to talk to me about my career. They like to ask about my toughest opponents, the Crucible and the time that I won the World Championships in 2005. Of course, that one has to be the top of my list in terms of the goals I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve in snooker. I was only 22 at the time and it was my first ever ranking title. In fact, it was the first year that I’d ever won a match at the Crucible. Looking back a few years later and I can tell you, hand-on-heart, for a snooker player it just doesn’t get any better than lifting the World Championship trophy. Here’s hoping it isn’t the only time I’ll get to lay hands on it!

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING
I’ve always been interested in fulfilling my potential in my profession — and as a person. So, I’ve attended plenty of events about high-level performance and winning mindsets. They are areas that I find fascinating and many of the points raised apply just as much to business as they do in sport. Being on the receiving end of keynote speeches has helped shape my own thoughts on what makes for successful and engaging presentation. Now, I enjoy giving talks that hopefully inspire and motivate others. I don’t try and over-complicate things — after all, I’m a snooker player by profession.What I try to do is strike a chord with the people that I speak to, stimulate people into finding their own reasons for connecting with what I’m saying. What I offer are the stories and experience that I’ve been through in my career. But I believe there are key ingredients that have helped me achieve as a snooker player that can do likewise for people in all aspects of life. I don’t know if I have a style, as such. I just try and present myself consistently to every person that I encounter.

EXHIBITIONS
It’s long been a tradition that snooker players have given exhibitions, whether against another professional or competing with celebrities or club members — and I’m happy doing any of the above. I always try and give my best on behalf of whoever has engaged me and to entertain those who are attending. Whether it be a clinic on behalf of a tournament sponsor or an exhibition at a snooker hall or a unique setting — and I’ve done them in some strange places, including a horse auction ring(!) — I give it my best shot, no matter what the situation. I find that each player has his own slightly different style; whatever he feels comfortable with. For me, that means an easy-going, go-with-the-flow approach. I encourage chatting with the audience or discussing topics with sponsors and their guests. I hope that I come across to folk as fun and happy to converse.
OTHER STUFF
I like to think that I have an active mind and lots of things interest me. I find the media world particularly fascinating, not least the rise and rise of social networking through digital means. So, from a business perspective, if you’re reading this wondering if Shaun may want to consider ‘x, y or z’ , drop us an email; you never know, I just might.

Early career
Murphy began his career on the UK Tour (renamed the Challenge Tour in 2000), at the time the second-level professional tour. He was runner-up in the fourth event on the UK tour for the 1997/1998 season and, for the 2000/2001 season, won the third and fourth events on the Challenge Tour, topping the Order of Merit rankings .[10] In 2000, he received the World Snooker Newcomer of the Year award[11] and one of six Young Player of Distinction of the Year awards from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.[12] In 2000, he won the English Open Championship.[4]
Murphy won his first professional tournament at the 2000 Benson & Hedges Championship, defeating Mark Davis by six frames to one (6–1) in the semi-final,[13] and Stuart Bingham 9–7 in the final, recovering from 2–5 down.[14] Although he was not yet on the first-level main tour, this victory brought qualification for the Masters[14]—a prestigious non-ranking invitation tournament with places for members of the top 16, the winner of the qualifying tournament, and a limited number of wildcards. In the 2001 tournament, he showed promise in his first televised match, defeating world number 15, Marco Fu,[4] and building a 4–1 lead over seven-time world champion Hendry, before losing the match.[15] He made his only maximum break in the 2001 Benson & Hedges Championship.[16]
[edit]Early ranking results
Murphy first reached the final stages of a ranking event at the 2002 World Championship, hosted at the Crucible Theatre, where he lost 4–10 to Hendry in the first round.[17] In the 2002/2003 season, he reached the final stages of the Scottish Open, where he was defeated 3–5 by Drew Henry in the first round,[18] and the World Championship, where he lost 9–10 against Doherty on the final black in the first round.[19]
For the 2003/2004 season, Murphy was ranked number 64[20] and qualified for the final stages of three ranking tournaments. In the LG Cup, Murphy defeated Steve Davis 5–4 in the second round,[21] before losing 2–5 to John Higgins in third round.[22] After the victory over Davis, Murphy said "This is one of the greatest days in my snooker career."[21] In the British Open, he defeated Dave Harold 5–1 in the first round,[23] before losing to Paul Hunter 2–5 in the second round.[24] In the Players Championship—the new name of the Scottish Open—he lost 3–5 to eventual champion Jimmy White in the second round.[25] He failed to reach the World Championship, losing a qualifying match 7–10 against Stuart Pettman, in which Pettman was docked a frame for arriving late.[26]
For the 2004/2005 season, Murphy was ranked number 48[27] and reached the final stages of four ranking events, including the World Championship victory. In the Grand Prix—the new name of the LG Cup—he lost 2–5 to Stephen Maguire in the first round.[28] This was followed by his first ranking semi-final, at the British Open, where he was whitewashed 0–6 by Higgins.[29][30] In the Malta Cup, he lost 2–5 to Matthew Stevens in the first round.[31]
[edit]2005 World Championship
Main article: 2005 World Snooker Championship
Murphy won two qualifying matches to qualify for the 2005 World Championship. He defeated former world champions Higgins 13–8, Davis 13–4, and Peter Ebdon 17–12 to reach the final to face Stevens, the world number six.[27][32] He trailed Stevens 6–10 at the end of the first day (the World Championship final is played over two days),[33] but made a comeback to bring the score to 16–16. He then made two frame-winning breaks to lift the title.[34] His 11 century breaks were the most in that year's tournament.[35]
Murphy's victory was considered a major surprise. His pre-tournament odds were 150–1, and before his win, he was considered an underachiever.[36] He became only the second qualifier to win the World Championship (or to reach the final) after Terry Griffiths in 1979. At the age of 22, Murphy was the second youngest player to win the World Championship, following Hendry who first lifted the title when he was 21.[30] No previous world champion had played as many matches (seven) to lift the title,[37] and he was the lowest ranked player, at number 48, to win the tournament.[38] No player had won the World Championship as his first ranking event win since Joe Johnson in 1986.[30] His run in the tournament earned him the nickname "Magician" and the tournament doubled his previous career prize money, with which he purchased a Mercedes-Benz and a house.[9] After his win, in July 2005, he married his fiancee Clare.[39][40]
[edit]2005/2006
For the new season, he improved his ranking to number 21,[41] which would not usually guarantee qualification for ranking events. However, as world champion he qualified automatically for every tournament in the season as the number two seed (and number one seed for the 2006 World Championship).[42] He was invited to play in the Premier League Snooker, a non-ranking tournament with a 25-a-second shot clock, but he went out in the round-robin stage.[43]
In the inaugural, non-ranking Northern Ireland Trophy, he reached the quarter-finals before he was defeated 4–5 by Neil Robertson.[44] In the first three ranking events of the season—the Grand Prix, the UK Championship, and the Malta Cup—he reached the last 16, losing final-frame matches to Bingham,[45] Robertson,[46] and Graeme Dott,[47] respectively. After his loss to Bingham, he complained about having to play his match on an outside table, given his world champion status.[45] In the revival of Pot Black, a single-frame knockout tournament not staged since 1991,[48] Murphy was defeated in the final by Stevens.[49] He was awarded Sportsman Of The Year at the BBC East Midlands Sports Awards in December 2005.[50]
In the Masters, Murphy lost 4–6 to Higgins in the quarter-finals,[51] but reached his second ranking final in the Welsh Open, losing 4–9 to Stephen Lee.[52] In the World Championship, he reached the quarter-finals, but fell victim to the "Crucible Curse"—no first-time champion has successfully defended the title at the Crucible Theatre[53]— when he was defeated 7–13 by Ebdon.[54]
[edit]2006/2007
For the next season, Murphy moved to number five in the world rankings,[55] entering the elite top 16 for the first time, and thereby automatically qualifying for the final stages of ranking tournaments and receiving an automatic invitation to the Masters.
In the Northern Ireland Trophy (a ranking event in this season), he lost 4–5 to Lee in the quarter-finals,[56] and in the UK Championship, he lost 3–9 to Alan McManus in the second round.[57] A 3–6 defeat by Stephen Hendry in the quarter-finals of the Masters[58] was followed by his second ranking title, when he defeated Ryan Day 9–4 in the final of the Malta Cup.[59] After the victory, he said it was a relief to get rid of the one-hit wonder label.[60] In his next match, a victory over Jamie Cope in the Welsh Open, he scored centuries in four consecutive frames, becoming only the second player to do this (after Higgins in the 2005 Grand Prix final) and the only person to do so in a best-of-nine match.[61] He went on to lose 3–5 to Maguire in the quarter-finals.[62] In the World Championship, Murphy defeated Stevens 13–12 in the quarter-finals—recovering from 5–11 down and knocking the latter out of the top 16[63][64]—before losing 16–17 against Mark Selby in the semi-finals.[65]
[edit]2007/2008
For the 2007/2008 season, he was ranked number three, his highest ever ranking,[66] and reached at least the semi-finals of five ranking events, without winning any.
In the inaugural Shanghai Masters, he was defeated 2–5 by Ian McCulloch in the first round.[67] He reached the final of the Pot Black, where he was defeated by Doherty.[68] In the Grand Prix, he reached the semi-finals, where he lost 5–6 against Ronnie O'Sullivan, despite leading 5–2.[69][70] Further semi-finals followed at the Northern Ireland Trophy and the UK Championship, where he was defeated on both occasions by Maguire, 5–6[71] and 5–9,[72] respectively, making it three consecutive semi-final losses. Before the UK Championship, he was provisionally ranked number one.[38][73] He successfully defended his Malta Cup title (that year the tournament was not a ranking event) with a 9–3 victory over Doherty in the final.[74] In the China Open, he defeated Selby 6–3 in the semi-final[75]—his sixth semi-final in the past seven ranking events[76]—but lost 9–10 to Maguire in the final.[77] Before the World Championship, he was again provisional number one.[78]
In the World Championship, as one of the favourties, he reached the second round, before losing 4–13 to Ali Carter.[76][79] After his loss, Murphy criticised the state of the tables.[76] Up to this point, on the five occasions Murphy had been defeated at the Crucible Theatre, his conqueror had always gone on to lose the World Championship final.
[edit]2008/2009
Murphy maintained his number three ranking for the 2008/2009 season.[80] He won the non-ranking Paul Hunter Classic, defeating Selby 4–0 in the final,[81] but lost in the first round of the first four ranking tournaments, including a 4–5 defeat by world number 47 Mike Dunn in the Bahrain Championship.[82] In October, Murphy and his wife separated, after three years of marriage, and he did not wear his wedding ring in the Grand Prix.[40]
Despite the four consecutive first-round losses—which had been attributed to the split from his wife[83]—Murphy claimed his third ranking title at the UK Championship, defeating Fu 10–9 in a low-quality final, in which he fluked a pink in the deciding frame that was effectively match ball.[84][85] The victory meant he joined Davis, Alex Higgins, Griffiths, John Parrott, Hendry, O'Sullivan, Williams, John Higgins and Ebdon as the tenth player to have won both the World title and the UK title, cementing his place as one of the elite top players in the world.
In the World Championship, there were concerns that Murphy's estranged wife would serve him divorce papers during play of his first-round match against Andrew Higginson. However, nothing transpired and he defeated Higginson 10–8, although his wife's parents were present in the arena and were asked to leave.[86][87] He went on to defeat Fu 13–3, Hendry 13–11, and Robertson 17–14 to earn a place in his second world final, with two-time world champion Higgins as the opponent.[88] In the final, he trailed 5–11 after the first day, and was beaten 18–9 by Higgins.[89] On the first day of the final, a newspaper published a "kiss and tell" story involving Murphy.[90][91]
[edit]2009/2010
Murphy maintained his number three ranking for a third year in the 2009/2010 season.[92] He successfully defended his Paul Hunter Classic title, defeating White 4–0 in the final.[93] He won the Premier League Snooker with a 7–3 win against O'Sullivan in the final, ending the latter's run of five consecutive wins in the tournament.[94]
He reached the semi-finals of the first ranking tournament, the Shanghai Masters, before losing 5–6 against Liang Wenbo.[95] This would be his only run to the semi-finals or better in a ranking tournament that season. In the UK Championship, as the defending champion, he lost 5–9 to eventual winner Ding Junhui in the second round.[96] After the match, Murphy complained about Ding leaving the arena too often after frames, saying "I can't believe anyone needs to go to the toilet after every single frame."[97] He reached the quarter-finals of the Masters, where he lost 4–6 against Williams.[98] In the Welsh Open and the China Open, he lost his first-round matches to Stevens[99] and Nigel Bond,[100] respectively. In the World Championship, he defeated Gerard Greene and Ding, but lost 12–13 against Carter in the quarter-finals, despite leading 8–4.[101][102] This was the first season in which he did not reach a final or better of a ranking tournament since the 2003/2004 season.
[edit]2010/2011
After three seasons ranked number three, he dropped to number seven for the 2010/2011 season.[103] He won the Wuxi Classic, a non-ranking tournament held in China, defeating Ding 9–8, recovering from 2–8 down.[104] Murphy reached the semi-finals of the Paul Hunter Classic, now part of the Players Tour Championship minor-ranking series, but lost 2–4 against eventual winner Judd Trump.[105] Murphy won the Brugge Open, the second European event of the Players Tour Championship, with defeating Matthew Couch 4–2 in the final.[106] He reached the final of the Ruhr Championship, but lost 2–4 against John Higgins.[107] Murphy finished 1st on the Players Tour Championship Order of Merit.[108] Murphy failed to defend his Premier League Snooker title, as he lost 1–7 against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final.[109] He than reached the semi-finals of the 2010 UK Championship, where he lost to eventuel runner-up Mark Williams 8–9.[110]
Murphy lost in the first round of the Masters 3–6 against Jamie Cope,[111] in the second round of the German Masters 2–5 against Joe Swail[112] and in the first round of the Welsh Open 0–4 against Matthew Stevens.[113] Murphy then won the finals of the Players Tour Championship, by defeating Martin Gould 4–0 in the final.[114] The next week Murphy also reached the final of the Championship League, but lost 1–3 against Matthew Stevens.[115] Murphy reached the semi-final of the China Open, where he lost 1–6 against Judd Trump.[116] Murphy's last tournament of the season was the World Championship, where he lost in the second round 10–13 against O'Sullivan.[117]
[edit]Rivalry

Murphy has clashed with Stephen Maguire, another of the 2000 Young Players of Distinction, on several occasions. During their 2004 Grand Prix match, Murphy was instrumental in Maguire forfeiting a frame.[73] As the match was about to begin and after they had shaken hands, Maguire realised he had forgotten to bring his chalk with him and asked referee Johan Oomen for permission to leave the arena. While Maguire was away, Murphy spoke to the referee; the tournament director Mike Ganley was summoned and he docked Maguire a frame for technically not being ready to start at the scheduled time—an incident which angered and surprised Maguire.[118][119] Maguire won the match 5–2 and later commented: "Rules are rules but I've never heard of anything like that happening before".[120] Further incidents came in subsequent years. During the 2006 World Championship, Maguire said "I don't want to be a fat world champion", a reference to Murphy.[121] After beating Murphy in the 2007 Welsh Open, Maguire said of the chalk incident, "That put the icing on the cake, but we've always had a rivalry. I dislike him and I think he dislikes me. I try hard to beat everyone, but it would have hurt more if I'd lost to him."[119]
Murphy has been outspoken on several other of his rivals, criticising them for having too many toilet breaks and complaining about table conditions, among other things.[97][122] His harshest criticism has been reserved for Ronnie O'Sullivan, highlighting what he perceives to be O'Sullivan's lack of professionalism, and suggesting that his popularity in the game is not deserved.[123][124] Murphy's forthright manner has made him unpopular with some of the other professional players.[125]
[edit]Playing style

Nicknamed "The Magician" and "The Whiston Warrior",[126] Murphy is noted for his straight cue action[9]—which Davis once called "the best cue action I’ve ever seen"[9]—his long potting,[38][127] and his breakbuilding.[38] Phil Yates wrote in 2008 in The Times that Murphy has improved his tactical game since his World Championship victory.[78] He has compiled more than 190 century breaks[128][129] and has made one maximum break. His career earnings amount to £1,052,845 (up to the end of the 2008/2009 season).[130]
[edit]Personal life

Murphy was born in Harlow and grew up in Irthlingborough. He moved to Rotherham during the 2003/2004 season to be with his fiancee,[30] and has lived in Sale since the separation.[131] Homeschooled from age 13 after being bullied at school,[1][9] Murphy's parents split up when he was 14. He lived with his father Tony, a former professional golfer, and did not see his mother again until he was 19.[1][132] During the 2007 World Championship, it was reported that he had developed a rift with his father who was a member of the World Snooker board.[133][134] He said that they had not spoken in over a year, but that he would willingly speak to his father again if he was called.[134]
Murphy has been a devout Christian since the age of 17, after meeting a religious family on holiday.[9][135] He prays in his dressing room before every match,[5] once said "I believe I was put here to play snooker well", and donates one-tenth of his income to the church.[9] He is known for his confidence,[7] dedication,[83] and well-spoken demeanor.
Murphy married fiancee Clare, whom he met on an online Christian chatroom, in July 2005.[39] They spent some of the summer of 2005 doing aid work in Zimbabwe.[136] The pair separated in October 2008.[40][137] In an article in The People newspaper, Abigayle Tadeo, an escort girl and an old friend of Murphy's whom he had met at a religious youth group, claimed that the two had sex in a hotel room in November 2008. Murphy's manager confirmed that Murphy slept with Tadeo.

Neil Robertson 2011 Latest News

2011-07-13T16:29:00.001-07:00

Latest Pictures of neil robertson / Snooker Players

Latest News and Results: Season 2010/2011

03 February 2011: German Masters
Neil was defeated 5-4 by Anthony Hamilton in the first round of the German Masters.

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30 January 2011: World Snooker Shoot-Out - Last 16 / Quarter Final
Neil defeated Ken Doherty 63-13 to reach the Quarter Finals, where he was defeated 57-49 by Marcus Campbell.

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29 January 2011: World Snooker Shoot-Out - Last 64 / Last 32
Neil defeated Barry Pinches 106-15 to advance to the Last 32. He then defeated Alan McManus 50-49 to advance to the Last 16. With just over a minute remaining Neil trailed 13-49, but he managed to close the gap and pot his final black to make a break of 37 and win by 1 point with just 1 second to spare.

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14 January 2011: The Masters
Neil was defeated 6-4 by Mark Allen in the quarter finals of The Masters.

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12 January 2011: The Masters
Neil defeated Stephen Hendry 6-3 to advance to the quarter finals of The Masters where he'll meet Mark Allen.

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09 December 2010: UK Championship
Neil was defeated by Shaun Murphy 9-7 in the quarter finals of the UK Championship.

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06 December 2010: UK Championship
Neil defeated Andrew Higginson 9-5, and will now play either Shaun Murphy or Ryan Day in the quarter finals of the UK Championship.

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05 December 2010: UK Championship
Neil is through to the last 16 in the UK Championship with a 9-1 defeat of Rory McLeod. Neil's next match is against Andrew Higginson.

Frame Scores: (Neil's score first)
0-117(61), 136(125)-0, 81-41, 64(57)-30, 137(137)-0, 89(60)-34, 62(62)-57, 64(61)-49, 110(105)-17, 84(84)-40

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27th November 2010: Premier League
Neil was defeated in the Semi-Finals 5-1 by Ronnie O'Sullivan.

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18th November 2010: Premier League
Neil defeated Shuan Murphy 4-2 to advance to the play-offs in the Premier League. Neil's next match will be against Ronnie O'Sullivan on November 27.

Frame Scores (Neil's score first)
17-56, 67-33, 116(116)-0, 0-108, 124(124)-0, 70-29

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4th November 2010: Premier League
Neil was defeated by Marco Fu 4-2.

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29th October 2010: EPTC4
Neil defeated David Morris 4-1 in Round 1, but was defeated 4-2 by Lui Song in Round 2.

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23rd October 2010: EPTC3
Neil defeated Rod Lawler 4-3 in Round 1, advanced through Round 2 after Matthew Stevens withdrew at 1-0 due to an injury, but was defeated 4-1 in Round 3 by Liang Wenbo.

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21st October 2010: Premier League
Neil defeated Ding Junhui 6-0

Frame Scores (Neil's score first):
120(120)-0, 74-33, 72-44, 97-12, 87(87)-7, 73-25

Read the Match Report

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16th October 2010: PTC6
Neil defeated Rod Lawler 4-1 and Stuart Carrington 4-1 to advance to Round 4 of PTC6, but was defeated 4-1 by Dominic Dale.

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14th October 2010: Premier League
Neil match versus Mark Williams resulted in a draw (3-3).

Frame Scores (Neil's score first):
53-59, 79-39, 0-78(70), 82(55)-25, 7-109(105), 73(65)-1

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10th October 2010: PTC5
Neil defeated Mark King, Andy Hicks, and Graeme Dott to advance to Round 6 of PTC5, but was defeated 4-2 by Andrew Higginson.

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2nd October 2010: EPTC2
Neil defeated Barry Pinches 4-1 in Round 3 of EPTC2 in Belgium, but was defeated 4-2 by Jimmy White in Round 4.

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30th September 2010: Premier League
Neil was defeated 4-2 by Mark Selby.

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26th September 2010: World #1 Ranking
The world rankings update following the World Open has elevated Neil to world #1.

Neil joins an elite group as only 7 other professionals have held this position since world rankings began in 1976: Ray Reardon, Cliff Thorburn, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

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26th September 2010: World Open (Final)
Neil defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-1 to maintain his perfect record of 6 victories from 6 finals appearances, his 6th world ranking title in 5 years, and has now won this event 3 times in 5 years.

World Snooker Interview and Match Report

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26th September 2010: World Open (Semi Final)
Neil came from 2-0 down to defeat Mark Williams 3-2 in their semi final, and now meets Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final.

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25th September 2010: World Open
Neil defeated Ricky Walden 3-1 to reach the semi-finals of the World Open. Neil will now play Mark Williams for a place in the final.

World Snooker interview

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24th September 2010: World Open
Neil defeated Andrew Higginson 3-2 in the Last 16 of the World Open, and will now meet Ricky Walden in the Quarter Final.

World Snooker interview

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22nd September 2010: World Open
Neil defeated David Morris 3-1 in the Last 32 of the World Open, and will now meet either Marco Fu or Andrew Higginson in the Last 16.

World Snooker Interview

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18th September 2010: World Open
Neil defeated Graeme Dott 3-1 in the Last 64 of the World Open.

BBC Sport interview

STV interview

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8th September 2010: Shanghai Masters
Neil was defeated by Peter Ebdon 5-4 in the Last 32.

August 2010: EPTC1
Neil defeated Andy Hicks 4-0 in Round 1, defeated Martin Gould 4-1 in the Last 64, but was defeated by Stuart Bingham 4-0 in the Last 32.

August 2010: PTC4
Neil was defeated by Daniel Wells 4-3 in the Last 128.

August 2010: PTC3
Neil defeated Allan Taylor 4-0 in the Last 128, but was defeated by Dominic Dale 4-2 in the Last 64.

Latest News and Results: Season 2009/2010

24 May 2010: Austrian Snooker Open
Neil finished Runner-Up in the Austrian Snooker Open, defeated 6-4 in the final by Judd Trump.

Quarter Final: 4-2 over Peter Ebdon
Semi Final: 5-3 over Mark King

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23 May 2010: Austrian Snooker Open
Neil progressed through the round robin stage without losing a frame, and also compiled a maximum break (147). Knock-out stage results:

Last 64: 3-0 over Soner Sari
Last 32: 3-1 over Mark Davis
Last 16: 3-1 over Stuart Bingham

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12 May 2010: Special Announcement
Neil and his partner Mille welcome into the world their first child, Alexander. Mille and baby are both doing well.

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03 May 2010: Australia has a new world champion
Neil defeated Graeme Dott 18-13 to claim his first world title, and extend his record to 5 wins from 5 ranking event finals, with 1 victory in each of the last 5 calendar years.

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02 May 2010: World Championship - Final
After their first session Neil trailed Graeme Dott by 5-3, but at the end of the second session Neil leads by 9-7. Play resumes 3pm Monday (UK time).
FOXTEL will broadcast the third and fourth sessions LIVE in Australia, so if you don't have it at home, find yourself a venue and help us cheer Neil across the line to become Australia's first snooker world champion.

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01 May 2010: World Championship - Semi Final
Neil defeated Ali Carter 17-12 to advance to his first world title final.
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30 April 2010: World Championship - Semi Final
Neil leads Ali Carter 15-9 at the end of their third session. Their fourth and final session starts at 2.30pm Saturday (UK time).

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30 April 2010: World Championship - Semi Final
Neil leads Ali Carter 10-6 at the end of their second session. Match resumes 7pm Friday (UK time).

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29 April 2010: World Championship - Semi Final
Neil leads Ali Carter 6-2 at the end of their first of four sessions. Match resumes 10am Friday (UK time).

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28 April 2010: World Championship - Quarter Final
Neil defeated Steve Davis 13-5 to reach his second world championship semi-final in a row.

Semi-final session times (UK time):
2pm Thursday 29th
10am & 7pm Friday 30th
2.30pm Saturday 1st
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27 April 2010: World Championship - Quarter Final
At the end of the first session of his Quarter Final, Neil led Steve Davis 7-1, and at the end of the second session Neil leads 12-4.

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24 April 2010: World Championship - Last 16
Neil defeated Martin Gould 13-12 to advance to a Quarter Final encounter with Steve Davis.

Martin won the first 6 frames of their match and the first session ended with Neil trailing 2-6.

Martin extended his lead through the second session, which ended with Neil trailing 5-11.

Neil won the first 5 frames of the third session to close the gap to 10-11, before Martin won the 22nd frame to achieve 10-12, just one frame from victory. But Neil won the next 3 frames to complete a stunning comeback, winning a total of 8 of the 9 frames played in the final session.

Neil's Quarter Final against Steve Davis commences 10am Tuesday 27th (UK time). 21 April 2010: World Championship - Last 32
Neil defeated Fergal O'Brien 10-5 to advance to the Last 16.

At 69 minutes, the 13th frame was the joint third longest in Crucible history.

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20 April 2010: World Championship - Last 32
Neil leads Fergal O'Brien 6-3 at the conclusion of their first session. Play resumes 2.30pm Wednesday 21st (UK time).

The third frame featured a deep screw blue described by the commentators as the shot of the tournament.

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30 March 2010: China Open - Last 16
Neil was defeated 5-1 by Peter Ebdon in the Last 16 of the China Open, however he did achieve a personal milestone by compiling his first maximum break (147) in a professional tournament.

Neil becomes the first Australian to join the exclusive "147 Club".

Video of Neil's 147: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and post-match interview.

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30 March 2010: China Open - Last 32
Neil defeated Mike Dunn 5-2, with breaks of 112, 88 and 102, to advance to the Last 16 where he will face either Peter Ebdon or Judd Trump.
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28 January 2010: Welsh Open - Last 16
Neil was defeated 5-2 by current title-holder Ali Carter.
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26 January 2010: Welsh Open - Last 32
Neil defeated Liu Song 5-2 to advance to the Last 16.
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12 January 2010: The Masters
Neil was defeated 6-4 by Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Frame Scores:
Neil Robertson 4-6 Ronnie O'Sullivan
78(65)-1, 102(101)-0, 74(34,34)-68(63), 3-114(114), 36-70(57), 0-87(87),
19-79(49), 140(140)-0, 14-106(106), 8-80(76)
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09 December 2009: UK Championship
Neil overcame his first session deficit to level the match at 8-8, but was ultimately defeated by John Higgins 9-8. Read Match Report [worldsnooker.com]
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08 December 2009: UK Championship
Neil trails reigning world champion John Higgins 5 frames to 3, at the end of their first session in the Last 16.
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06 December 2009: UK Championship
Neil won all 4 frames of his second session with breaks of 64, 53, 87, and 119 to defeat Tom Ford 9-3 and advance to the Last 16.
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05 December 2009: UK Championship
Neil concluded the first session of his 5th round match against Tom Ford ahead 5-3, including breaks of 100 and 137.
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12 November 2009: Premier League
Neil was defeated 2-4 by Shaun Murphy.
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05 November 2009: Premier League
Neil defeated Marco Fu 4-2.
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30 October 2009: Premier League
Neil was defeated by John Higgins 4-2.
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11 October 2009: Grand Prix
Neil defeated Ding Junhui 9-4 to claim his second Grand Prix title and his 4th professional ranking title from 4 finals appearances.

In the final he also passed another milestone, compiling his 100th century in ranking events. 10 October 2009: Grand Prix
Neil compiled 3 centuries on his way to a 6-5 semi final victory against John Higgins, which was decided on the black and featured extremely high quality snooker from both players.
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09 October 2009: Grand Prix
Neil defeated Joe Perry 5-1 to advance to the Semi Finals of the Grand Prix.
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07 October 2009: Grand Prix
Neil wins his Last 16 encounter with Ken Doherty 5-2, to advance to the Quarter Finals of the Grand Prix.
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05 October 2009: Grand Prix
Neil has won his first round match against Gerard Greene 5-3. Neil's next match will be on Wednesday 7th October (random draw).

Frame Scores (Neil's Score First):
32(32)-95(79), 13-74, 74(56)-27, 0-97(97), 79(78)-5, 66-28, 85(61)-0, 77-41
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01 October 2009: Premier League
Neil draws his match with Ronnie O'Sullivan 3-3.

Frame Scores (Neil's Score First):
48-70, 84-6, 14-113, 42-86, 117-0, 72-4
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24 September 2009: Premier League
Neil was defeated 5-1 by Stephen Hendry in their week 3 Premier League match.
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08 September 2009: Roewe Shanghai Masters
Neil has lost to Ken Doherty 4-5 in a close first round match of the Roewe Shangahi Masters.
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03 September 2009: Premier League
Neil wins his first match in the Premier League 4-2 against Judd Trump.

Main Tour Results: Season 2010/2011

Tournament Result
Shanghai Masters Last 32
World Open Winner
UK Championship Quarter Finals
The Masters Quarter Finals
German Masters Last 32
Welsh Open Last 16
China Open Last 16
World Championship Last 32

Main Tour Results: Season 2009/2010

Tournament Result
Shanghai Masters Last 32
Grand Prix Winner
UK Championship Last 16
The Masters Last 16
Welsh Open Last 16
China Open Last 16
World Championship Winner

Main Tour Results: Season 2008/2009

Tournament Result
Northern Ireland Trophy Last 32
Shanghai Masters Last 16
Grand Prix Last 32
Bahrain Championship Winner
UK Championship Last 16
The Masters Quarter Final
Welsh Open Semi Final
China Open Last 16
World Championship Semi Final

Main Tour Results: Season 2007/2008

Tournament Result
World Championship Last 16
China Open Last 32
Malta Cup Final Group Stage
The Masters Last 16
UK Championship Last 32
Northern Ireland Trophy Quarter Final
Royal London Watches Grand Prix Final Group Stage
Shanghai Masters Last 32

Best Results (Main Tour)

Tournament Result
The Masters 2011 Quarter Final
UK Championship 2010 Quarter Final
World Open 2010 Winner
World Championship 2010 Winner
Grand Prix 2009 Winner
World Championship 2009 Semi Final
Welsh Open 2009 Semi Final
The Masters 2009 Quarter Final
Bahrain Championship 2008 Winner
Northern Ireland Trophy 2007 Quarter Final
Welsh Open 2007 Winner
The Masters 2007 Quarter Final
Grand Prix 2006 Winner
World Championship 2006 Quarter Final
UK Championship 2005 Quarter Final
Malta Cup 2005 Quarter Final
Welsh Open 2005 Quarter Final
European Open 2004 Quarter Final

Masters 2009 Neil Robertson 147 Challenge

Neil Robertson 136 Total Clearance Break vs Andrew Higginson - Part 1/2 (2010 UK Championship)

Neil Robertson 136 Total Clearance Break vs Andrew Higginson - Part 2/2 (2010 UK Championship)

Neil Robertson Australian Professional Snooker player

2011-07-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Neil Robertson's Recent Titles
Recent Titles

2010 World Championship (Main Tour)
World Open (Main Tour)
2009 Grand Prix (Main Tour)
City of Melbourne Championship
2008 Bahrain Championship (Main Tour)
City of Melbourne Championship
Kings Australia Snooker Cup
2007 Welsh Open (Main Tour)
Central Coast Leagues Classic
West Coast International
2006 Grand Prix (Main Tour)
Central Coast Leagues Classic
West Coast International
Kings Australia Snooker Cup
2005 West Coast International
2004 The Masters Qualifying Tournament
Fred Osbourne Memorial
Lance Pannell Classic
Central Coast Leagues Classic
West Coast International
2003 IBSF World U-21 Snooker Championship
Central Coast Leagues Classic
Australian U-21 Championship
2002 Australian Open Snooker Championship
Victorian Open Snooker Championship
Fred Osbourne Memorial
Lance Pannell Classic
2001 Victorian Open Snooker Championship
South Australian Open Snooker Championship
2000 Oceania Snooker Championship
Australian U-21 Snooker Championship

Date of Birth 11 February 1982
Lives Melbourne (Australia)
Cambridge (England)
Turned Pro 1998
Highest Break
(Tournament) 147, 5 times (4 Amateur, 1 Professional)
Highest Break
(Main Tour) 147 (2010 China Open)
Best Result 2010 World Champion
Plays . . . Left-handed

Neil Robertson - Snooker Professional
In 1996 at just 14 years of age, Neil Robertson became the youngest player ever to make a century break in an Australian ranking event. At 14 he also won the Under-18s Australian Snooker title. This was a sign of things to come.

By the age of 16, Neil had turned professional, and reached the Last 16 of the IBSF World Snooker Championship. Those who knew the game, started to take notice.

Unable to accumulate sufficient ranking points, and finding living abroad difficult, Neil dropped off the professional circuit and returned home to contemplate his future. He dominated the Australian snooker scene for several years with an unrivalled string of tournament victories and high breaks. But his desire to prove his talent against the world's best professionals continued to burn.

Neil re-qualified for the international Main Tour professional series in 2003 by winning his first world title: the WPBSA World Under-21 Snooker Championship in New Zealand. It was during the subsequent 2003-2004 Main Tour season, that Neil truly made his mark on the world stage. After some promising results, including his first Quarter Finals appearance at a world ranking event, Neil finished the season ranked 68th in the world (provisionally 48th).

By the end of the 2004-2005 Main Tour season, a further 2 Quarter Final appearances, and victories against some of the world's best players, Neil had climbed to 28th in the world (provisionally 13th).

By the end of the 2005-2006 Main Tour season, and another 2 Quarter Final appearances, Neil had broken into the prestigious world Top 16, finishing with a world ranking of 13th (provisionally 12th).

During the 2006-2007 Main Tour season, Neil became the first Australian to win a professional ranking snooker event, claiming the Grand Prix in October. He then became the only professional to win two titles in that season, by claiming the Welsh Open early in 2007. Neil finished the season ranked 7th in the world (provisionally 4th).

Despite a difficult 2007-2008 Main Tour, Neil consolidated his position within the sport's elite by reaching the final group stages of the Malta Cup and Grand Prix, and the Quarter Finals of the Northern Ireland Trophy. Neil ended the season ranked 10th in the world.

Neil returned to form close to his best during the 2008-2009 season, reaching the Quarter Finals of the Masters, the Semi Finals of the Welsh Open and the World Title, and claiming his third professional title, the inaugural Bahrain Championship, to finish the season ranked 9th in the world (provisionally 5th).

Neil carried this form into the 2009-2010 season, winning his fourth professional ranking title, the 2009 Grand Prix, joining a small elite of professionals to have won 4 events, and also becoming snooker's most successful "international" competitor (a player originating from outside the UK).

Regarded today as one of the world's best long potters and one of snooker's fastest rising stars, Neil is gifted with a well-rounded game, calm temperament and steely determination.

68, 28, 13, 7, 10, 9. Neil has steadiliy climbed the world rankings over the past 6 seasons, but the best is yet to come, and as always Neil sets the bar high.

Up Close and Personal with Neil Robertson
I can't leave home without ...
... my beanie (especially in the UK winter)
My friends ...
... can always count on me being two hours late
When I have to cook my own food I make ...
... spaghetti bolognaise or honey soy chicken
My earliest memory is ...
... when my younger brother Marc and I broke some eggs and flour onto the carpet to make a cake before our mother woke up (I was about 3 years old)
At school my teachers told me ...
... I was really artistic
My favourite sports (other than snooker) are ...
... Aussie Rules Football, Cricket, Soccer and Basketball
If I couldn't play snooker I would ...
... be a graphic artist for an online game developer
My favourite possession is ...
... the gold watch I won for the Royal London Watches Grand Prix 2006
I'm happiest when ...
... I'm always happy
If I had a pet it would be ...
... a dog (probably a pug)
I wish I could ...
... do what I do for a living, but in Australia
The hardest thing I've ever done is ...
... move away from family and friends to the other side of the world, to play snooker
I laugh ...
... at Seinfeld because it's about funny things happening to other people
I listen to ...
... Timbaland, Metallica and Guns & Roses
I'm currently reading ...
... Alex Higgins' autobiography
My ideal dinner guests would be ...
... Nathan Buckley, Walter Lindrum, Michael Jordan, Daniel Negreanu and Gordon Ramsay (not just for his cooking)
The best movie I've ever seen is ...
... The Shawshank Redemption
I'd stay home if ...
... I knew flesh eating zombies were outside

Ronnie O'sullivan Number one snooker player in the world full all time history game records

2011-07-13T16:08:00.001-07:00

Ronnie O’Sullivan
Age: 35 – D.O.B: 5th Dec 1975
Turned professional: 1992
Hometown: Chigwell, Essex, England
World ranking: 9 th
Record 1992/1993 season:
Nescafe Extra Challenge: Winner (Round Robin)
(February 1993) Humo European Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-4 to Andy Hicks
Humo Masters: S/Finalist -
Strachan Challenge: S/Finalist -
Grand Prix 1992: Last 64 – lost G. Wilkinson to 5-3
UK Championship 1992: Last 32 – lost Cliff Wilson to 9-8
Welsh Open 1993: Last 32 – Lost to Neal Foulds 5-0
International Open 1993: Last 32 – lost Drew Henry to 5-4
Asian Open 1993: Last 32 – lost Joe Swail to 5-2
Embassy World Championship: Last 32 – lost 10-7 to Alan McManus
Record 1993/1994 season:
Dubai Duty Free Classic: S/Finalist – lost 6-2 to Stephen Hendry
Royal Liver Assurance UK Open: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 10-6
(December 1993) Humo European Open: Runner-up – lost 9-5 to Stephen Hendry
Castella Classic British Open: Winner – beat James Wattana 9-4
Benson & Hedges Championship / Masters Qualifying Event: Winner – beat John Lardner 9-6
Benson & Hedges Masters: Last 18: Ronnie 1-5 Dennis Taylor
Grand Prix: Last 64 – lost John Parrott to 5-1
Thailand Open 1994: Last 32 – lost James Wattana to 5-0
Embassy World Championship: Last 16 – lost 13-3 to John Parrott
Record 1994/1995 season:
Dubai Duty Free Classic: S/Finalist – lost 6-4 to Peter Ebdon
New Škoda Grand Prix: Q/Finalist – lost 5-0 to John Higgins
Royal Liver Assurance UK Open: Q/Finalist – lost 9-7 to Ken Doherty
Humo European Open: S/Finalist – lost 6-5 to Stephen Hendry
Regal Welsh Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-4 to John Higgins
Kloster Thailand Open: Runner-up – lost 9-6 to James Wattana
Castella Classic British Open: Runner-up – lost 9-6 to John Higgins
Benson & Hedges Masters: Winner – beat John Higgins 9-3
1995 Sweater Shop International Open (Feb 13-19): Last 16 – lost Mark Johnston-Allen to 5-2
1995 Benson & Hedges Irish Masters (Mar 21 26): Last 16 – lost John Parrott to 5-2
Embassy World Championship: Q/Finalist – lost 13-8 to Stephen Hendry
Record 1995/1996 season:
Royal Liver Assurance UK Open: Q/Finalist – lost 9-7 to Andy Hicks
Castella Classic British Open: S/Finalist – lost 6-4 to John Higgins
Benson & Hedges Masters: Runner-up – lost to Stephen Hendry 10-5
Charity Challenge: Winner – beat John Higgins 9-6
Regal Masters (Sep 19-24): S/Finalist – lost 6-1 to Peter Ebdon
Singha Thailand Classic (Sep 30 – Oct 7): Last 32 – lost Mark Johnston-Allen to 5-4
Skoda Grand Prix (Oct 16-29): Last 64 – lost Michael Duffy to 5-2
German Open (Dec 3-10): Last 32 – lost Mark King to 5-3
Regal Welsh Open (Jan 27-Feb 3) Last 32 – lost Billy Snaddon to 5-4
Sweater Shop International Open (Feb 17-24): Last 64 – lost Fergal O’Brien to 5-3
European Open (Feb 25 – Mar 3): Last 32 – lost Dave Finbow to 5-4
Singha Thailand Open (Mar 11-17): Last 16 – lost John Higgins to 5-3
Benson & Hedges Irish Masters (Mar 26-31): Q/Finalist: lost 6-5 to Joe Swail
Embassy World Championship: S/Finalist – lost 16-14 to Peter Ebdon
Record 1996/1997 season:
Suntory Asian Classic: Winner – beat Brian Morgan 9-8
German Open: Winner – beat Alain Robidoux 9-7
International Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-1 to Peter Ebdon
Singha/Eagle Cement Thailand Open: S/Finalist – lost 5-1 to Peter Ebdon
Benson & Hedges Masters: Runner-up – lost to Steve Davis 10-8
Charity Challenge: Runner-up – lost to Stephen Hendry 9-8
Regal Masters 1996 (Sep 24-29): Q/Finalist – lost 6-2 to Peter Ebdon
Grand Prix 1996 (Oct 16-27): Last 32 – lost 5-1 to Nick Pearce
UK Championship 1996 (Nov 15 – Dec 1): Last 64 – lost 9-7 to Terry Murphy
Regal Welsh 1997 (Jan 24 – Feb 1): Last 32 – lost 5-4 to Terry Murphy
European Open 1997 (Feb 23 – Mar 2): Last 32 – lost 5-1 to Chris Small
Benson & Hedges Irish Masters 1997 (Mar 18-23, 1997): S/Finalist: lost 6-2 to Stephen Hendry
British Open 1997 (Mar 27 – Apr 5): Last 64 – lost 5-4 to Gerard Greene
Embassy World Championship: Last 16 – lost 13-12 to Darren Morgan
Premier League 1997: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 10-8
Record 1997/1998 season:
Liverpool Victoria UK Open: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 10-6
German Open: S/Finalist – lost 6-4 to John Higgins
Regal Scottish Open: Winner – beat John Higgins 9-5
British Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-4 to Mark J. Williams
Benson & Hedges Irish Masters: disqualified (although he dad won the Final 9-3 beating Ken Doherty)
Riley Super Stars International: Winner – beat Jimmy White 5-3
Charity Challenge: Runner-up – lost to John Higgins 9-8
Regal Scottish Masters (Sep 30 – Oct 5): Q/Finalist – lost 6-2 to John Higgins
Grand Prix (Oct 14-26): Last 32 – lost 5-2 to John Read
Regal Welsh Open (Jan 16-25): Last 16 – lost 5-4 to Anthony Hamilton
Benson & Hedges Masters (Feb 1-: Q/Finalist – lost 6-3 to Steve Davis
Beer Chang Thailand Masters (Mar 7-15): Last 16 – lost 5-1 to Alan McManus
Embassy World Championship: S/Finalist – lost 17-9 to John Higgins
Record 1998/1999 season:
Regal Welsh Open: S/Finalist – lost 6-1 to Mark J. Williams
Charity Challenge: Runner-up – lost to Jonh Higgins 9-4
Scottish Masters: Winner – beat John Higgins 9-7
Grand Prix (Oct 14-25): Last 16 – lost 5-2 to Marco Fu
Liverpool Victoria UK Championship (Nov 16-29): Last 32 – John Read w/o Ronnie O’Sullivan
Irish Open (Dec 15-20): Last 32 – lost 5-4 to Jimmy Michie
Benson & Hedges Masters (Feb 7-14): Q/Finalist – lost 6-2 to Ken Doherty
Regal Scottish Open 1999 (Feb 15-21): Last 32 – lost 5-3 to Paul Hunter
Thailand Masters (Mar 1-7): Last 32 – lost 5-4 to Darren Morgan
China International (Mar 8-14): Last 16 – lost 5-3 to Billy Snaddon
Benson & Hedges Irish Masters (Mar 23-2: Q/Finalist – lost 6-4 to Jimmy White
British Open 1999 (Apr 4-11): Last 16 – lost 5-3 to Jimmy Michie
Embassy World Championship: S/Finalist – lost 17-13 to Stephen Hendry
Record 1999/2000 season:
Hong Kong Millennium Classic: Runner-up – lost 7-2 to Stephen Lee
Liv Vic Champions Cup: S/Finalist – lost 5-4 to Mark Williams
British Open: S/Finalist – lost 6-5 to Stephen Hendry
Regal Scottish Masters: Q/Finalist – lost 6-4 to Matthew Stevens
Grand Prix: Q/Finalist – lost 5-3 to John Higgins
UK Championship: Q/Finalist – lost 9-3 to Matthew Stevens
China Open: Winner – beat Stephen Lee 9-2
Regal Welsh Open: Last 16 – lost 5-2 to Jimmy White
Benson and Hedges Masters: Q/Finalist – lost 6-3 to John Parrott
Rothmans Malta Grand Prix: Q/Finalist – lost 5-2 to Ken Doherty
Thailand Masters: Last 16 – lost 5-2 to Mark King
Benson and Hedges Irish Masters: Semi-finalist – lost 6-3 to John Higgins
Regal Scottish Open: Winner – beat Mark Williams 9-1
Embassy World Championship: Last 32 – lost 10-9 to David Gray
Premier League: S/Finalist – lost to Stephen Hendry
Record 2000/2001 season:
Champions Cup: Winner – beat Mark Williams 7-5
British Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-3 to Peter Ebdon
Grand Prix: Runner-up – lost 9-5 to Mark Williams
Regal Scottish Masters: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 9-6
UK Championship: S/Finalist – lost 9-4 to Mark Williams
China Open: Winner – beat Mark Williams 9-3
Benson and Hedges Masters: Last 16 – lost 6-2 to Jimmy White
Thailand Masters: Last 16 – lost 5-4 to Shokat Ali
Irish Masters: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 9-8
Regal Scottish Open: Last 32 – lost 5-1 to Mark Davis
Embassy World Championship: Winner – beat John Higgins 18-14
Sportingbet.co.uk Premier League: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 9-7
Record 2001/2002 season:
Champions Cup: round robin phase -
beat Jimmy White 5-3; lost 5-4 to Ken Doherty; lost 5-1 to Peter Ebdon
Regal Masters: Runner-up – lost 9-6 to John Higgins
British Open: S/Finalist – lost 6-4 to Graeme Dott
LG Cup: Q/Finalist – lost 5-4 to Peter Ebdon
European Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-4 to Stephen Hendry
UK Championship: Winner – beat Ken Doherty 10-1
Regal Welsh Open: Last 16 – lost 5-4 to Paul Hunter
Benson and Hedges Masters: Q/Finalist – lost 6-5 to Jimmy White
China Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-3 to Mark Selby
Thailand Masters: S/Finalist – lost 5-2 to Mark Williams
Irish Masters: Q/Finalist – lost 6-2 to Matthew Stevens
Regal Scottish Open: Last 32 – lost 5-3 to Barry Hawkins
Embassy World Championship: S/Finalist – lost 17-13 to Stephen Hendry
Daily Star Premier League: Winner – beat John Higgins 9-4
Record 2002/2003 season:
Regal Masters: Winner – beat John Higgins 9-4
LG Cup: Q/Finalist – lost 5-1 to Chris Small
British Open: Last 16 – lost 5-4 to Paul Hunter
UK Championship: Q/Finalist – lost 9-6 to Drew Henry
Regal Welsh Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-3 to Marco Fu
Benson and Hedges Masters: Q/Finalist – lost 6-5 to Ken Doherty
European Open: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 9-6
Irish Masters: Winner – beat John Higgins 10-9
Regal Scottish Open: Last 16 – lost 5-1 to Alan McManus
Embassy World Championship: Last 32 – lost 10-6 to Marco Fu
Premier League: S/Finalist – lost 6-4 to Marco Fu
Record 2003/2004:
LG Cup – Last 16 – lost 5-0 to Matthew Stevens
British Open – Runner-up: lost 9-6 to Stephen Hendry
UK Championship: Semi-finalist – lost 9-4 to Stephen Hendry
Welsh Open: Winner – beat Steve Davis 9-8
The Masters: Runner-up – lost 10-9 to Paul Hunter
European Open: Q/Finalist – lost 5-4 to Stephen Lee
Irish Masters: Q/Finalist – lost 6-2 to Peter Ebdon
Players Championship: Q/Finalist – lost 5-2 to Paul Hunter
Embassy World Championship: Winner – beat Graeme Dott 18-8
Record 2004/2005:
Totesport Grand Prix: Winner – beat Ian McCulloch 9-5
British Open: Semi-finalist – lost 6-1 to Stephen Maguire
UK Championship: Last 32 – lost 9-6 to Stephen Maguire
Welsh Open: Winner – beat Stephen Hendry 9-8
Malta Cup: Last 16 – lost 5-0 to Graeme Dott
The Masters: Winner – beat John Higgins 10-3
Irish Masters: Winner – beat Matthew Stevens 10-8
China Open: withdrew ill
Embassy World Championship – Q/Finalist – lost 13-11 to Peter Ebdon
Premier League: Winner – beat Mark Williams 6-0
Record 2005/2006:
Northern Ireland Trophy: Last 16 lost 4-2 to Joe Swail
Grand Prix: Final lost 9-2 to John Higgins
UK Championship: Last 32 lost 9-8 to Mark King
The Masters – Final – Lost to John Higgins 10-9
China Open: Last 32 lost 5-0 to James Wattana
Welsh Open: Last 32 lost 5-1 to Ian McCulloch
Malta Cup: Did not enter
Pot Black: QF lost 1-0 to Paul Hunter
Premier League: Final winner – beat Stephen Hendry 6-0
888.com World Championships: Semi Final lost 17-11 to Graeme Dott
Record 2006/2007:
Northern Ireland Trophy – Final – Lost to Ding Junhiu 9-6
Grand Prix: QF – Lost to Neil Robertson 5-1
Premier League: Winner – Beat Jimmy White 7-0
UK Championships – QF conceeded to Stephen Hendry 9-1
The Masters – Winner – Beat Ding Junhui 10-3
Malta Cup: Last 32 – Lost to Michael Holt 5-3
Welsh Open: Q Final – Lost to Neil Robertson 5-4
Kilkenny Irish Masters – Beat Barry Hawkins 9-1
China Open – Semi-final – Lost to Graeme Dott 6-2
888.com World Championships – Q Final – Lost to John Higgins 13-9
Record 2007/2008:
Shanghai Masters – Withdrew
Grand Prix – Final – Lost to Marco Fu 9-6
Northern Ireland Trophy – Q/Final – Lost to Fergal O’Brien 5-2
Premier League – Winner – Beat John Higgins 7-4
UK Championship – Winner – beat Stephen Maguire 10-2
Masters – Last 16 .- Lost to Stephen Maguire 6-5
Welsh Open – Final – Lost to Mark Selby 9-8
China Open – Last 32 – Lost to Marco Fu 5-4
888.com World Championship – Winner – beat Ali Carter 18-8
Record 2008/2009:
Northern Ireland Trophy – Winner – beat Dave Harold 9-3
Roewe Shanghai Masters – Final – lost to Ricky Walden 10-8
Grand Prix – Q/Final – Lost to Judd Trump 5-4
Bahrain Snooker Championship – did not compete due to illness
Premier League – Winner – Beat Mark Selby 7-2
UK Championship – Last 16 – Lost to Joe Perry 9-5
Masters -Winner – Beat Mark Selby 10-8
Welsh Open – Last 16 – Lost to Marco Fu 5-3
China Open – Q/Final – Lost to John Higgins 5-4
Betfred World Championship – Last 16 – Lost to Mark Allen 13-11
Record 2009/2010:
Roewe Shanghai Masters – Winner – beat Liang Wenbo 10-5
Grand Prix – 2nd round – Lost to John Higgins 5-4
Premier League – Finalist – Lost to Shaun Murphy 7-3
UK Championship – Semi Final – Lost to John Higgins 9-8
Masters -Finalist – Lost to Mark Selby 10-9
Welsh Open – Semi Final – Lost 4-6 to John Higgins
China Open – Round 1 – Lost 3-5 to Tian Pengfei
World Championship – Quarter Final – Lost 11-13 to Mark Selby
Record 2010/2011:
PTC1 – Quarter Final – lost 0-4 to Jamie Cope
PTC4 – Final – Runner-up – lost 3-4 to Barry Pinches
Shanghai Masters – Last 32 – withdrew due to personal reasons
World Open – Final – lost 1-5 to Neil Robertson
Premier League Snooker – Winner – beat Shaun Murphy 7-1
UK Championship – Last 32 – lost 6-9 to Stuart Bingham
Masters – Last 16 – lost 4-6 to Mark Allen
Sky Shoot-out – Semi Finals – lost 0-1 to Robert Milkins
German Masters – last 32- withdrew due to illness
Welsh Open – last 32 – lost 2-4 to Ryan Day
China Open – last 32 – lost 2-5 to Ryan Day
World Championship – Quarter Finals – lost 10-13 to John Higgins
Record 2011/2012
PTC1 – Winner – beat Joe Perry 4-0
MISCELLANEOUS
Became the youngest player to win a ranking event (17 years, 51 weeks) at the 1993 UK Championship.
Quickest player to reach one hundred century breaks and £1million in prize money; then 200 century breaks and £2 million in prize money. Went over £3 million three seasons ago, £4 million two seasons ago – and over 300 centuries during 02/03.
Compiler of fastest 147 in history at five minutes, 20 seconds – 1997 world championship in the first round against Mick Price.
Holds record with 38 consecutive ranking event match wins – in fact his first 38 matches as a professional.
Won world under 21 championship as a 15 year-old, compiled first century at 10, won his first pro-am at 12.
Finally claimed world title his natural talent so richly deserves when he beat John Higgins 18-14 in 2001 final. In all, he captured six titles that season.
Joined Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott and John Higgins as only the fifth player to complete the World and UK Championship double in the same year when he won his third UK Championship at York in December 2001.
Played superbly to beat Stephen Hendry 9-6 in the final of the European Open in March 2003. He compiled the three highest breaks of the event, 142, 140 and 139. Then, in an equally high quality final he beat John Higgins 10-9 to become the Irish Masters champion and only the ninth player in the sport’s history to win back-to-back ranking events.
In April 2003, during his first round defeat by Marco Fu in the Embassy, O’Sullivan became the first player to compile two 147’s at the Crucible. He also became the first player to make a maximum there and lose the match in question.
In January 2004 rallied from 8-5 down to beat Steve Davis 9-8 in a gripping final of the Welsh Open in Cardiff then finished off the season in fine style by winning the Embassy World Championship.
Ronnie has earned more prize money and made more century breaks in 2003/2004 & 2004/2005 seasons than anyone else.
In October 2004 completed a clean sweep of ranking titles by winning the Totesport Grand Prix at Preston Guild Hall. He has now won every one of the eight world ranking tournaments currently on the calendar at least once.
Won 2005 Masters ten years after capturing his first title at Wembley, finishing off with a 134 total clearance, then beat Matthew Stevens 10-8 in the final of the Irish Masters, clinching victory with a memorable 69 clearance to steal the closing frame on the black from 68 adrift.
During the 2005 Irish Masters became only the second player, after Stephen Hendry, to construct 400 centuries in professional competition.
During the Northern Ireland Trophy 2007 became the first player to win a best of 9 frame ranking match with 5 centuries including a 147.
In the semi final of the UK Championships 2007 beat Mark Selby 9-8 with a 147 in the deciding frame.
In his 2008 World Championship last 16 match against Mark Williams Ronnie compiled his record 9th 147.
At the end of the 2007/8 season Ronnie became the first player to regain the World Number 1 spot for a third time
In December 2008 Ronnie won the Premier League title for the 5th consecutive time, and the 8th in total, beating Mark Selby in the final 7-2.
In January 2009 Ronnie broke Hendry’s record number of 41 centuries made in the Masters while playing Maguire in the Semi Final. He now holds the new record with 49 centuries in the competition against 43 to Hendry.
In September 2010, during his World Open last 64 match against Mark King, Ronnie completed the tenth competitive 147 in his career, setting a new all time record.
Ronnie O’Sullivan won the inaugural Power Snooker Tournament held at Indigo, the O2 Arena, London on 30 October 2010, beating Ding Junhui in the Final with a score of 572-258.
In November 2010 Ronnie won the Premier League Snooker and set a new record: he became the only player to win a professional event 9 times, beating Steve Davis’s 8 Irish Masters wins.

England and Wales close in on quarters / England continue winning start to their snooker World Cup campaign

2011-07-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

England moved a step closer to the quarter-finals as they recorded a 3-2 win over Belgium on day three of the PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup.

Mark Selby held the team together with two individual singles victories, while England also won the doubles, but Ali Carter, who was suffering with health problems, lost twice in singles action.

Belgium's Luca Brecel and Bjorn Haneveer have now lost three matches 3-2, but, with each frame equalling one point, still have a chance of advancing.

"I didn't perform well at all, but I didn't get a chance in my first match," admitted Carter.

"But all credit to Mark and he played really well. Hopefully if he doesn't have a good match then I will step up myself.

"I haven't felt that well all day and my guts have been bad and my Crohn's Disease has me feeling lethargic.

"I've played lots of matches feeling lethargic and still playing well.

"It's frustrating and it's been bad for three or four days with my stomach just feeling bloated and it's uncomfortable bending over the table.

"Today I wasn't in my best form and I scored about eight but one positive is I can't get any worse."

Selby refused to take the personal credit for the victory insisting it was a team game.

With two victories out of two, England are aiming to qualify for the last eight with a big win in their next match.

"At the end of the day we won and that's the important thing," said Selby. "It could've been a better score but the important thing is to get the win.

"It's a team game and I played ok myself and there will be another time when I don't play well and Ali will do.

"With one frame you can lose at any time and they made a 50 break in their first chance against Ali.

"Every frame is massive but I don't think the doubles frames are more important than the singles.

"From the start we looked at the table and were confident of qualifying. We've played two games and won two games. If we win one more game with a big scoreline we will be in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.

"Northern Ireland (who England play last) our the toughest game but we played Brazil yesterday and they played some good snooker. In one-frame matches it's hard to pick a winner."

Wales also gained their second victory as Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens sealed a 3-2 success over Germany's Lasse Munstermann and Patrick Einsle.

"It's another win and that's all we need," said Williams. "I've been told ten frames gets us into the next round and this is another three and we're now on eight."

Stevens added: "We would've taken three at the start of the game and I think Mark is the only unbeaten player in the tournament."

In other matches, China recovered from a poor start to beat United Arab Emirates 3-2, while Hong Kong beat the Thailand second team by 4-1.

There are 20 two-man teams from 19 different nations taking part playing in four groups of five with the top two in each advancing to the quarter-finals.

The play continues at the Bangkok Convention Centre in Thailand tomorrow with the fourth round of group matches with the final taking place on Sunday where $200,000 will go to the winning pair.

Higgins stumbles but Scotland win again / Higgins and Maguire don't get it all their own way in Bangkok

2011-07-13T15:58:00.001-07:00

Scotland claimed their second victory at the PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup but admit they had under-estimated the abilities of opponents Afghanistan.

The Scottish pair of Stephen Maguire and John Higgins beat the Afghanistan duo of Mohammad Saleh and Mohammad Rais 4-1 at the Bangkok Convention Centre in Thailand.

Maguire won both his singles victories, Scotland triumphed in the doubles and Higgins won one and lost one of his singles matches, with the defeat coming against Saleh.

"We didn't play great and they were actually better than we had prepared for," admitted Maguire.

"When I heard we were playing Afghanistan I didn't know they had any tables there but they certainly knew their way around the snooker table - you could see that straight away.

"I know Saleh as he used to play World Amateurs and he played under Pakistan so I was surprised to see him. He's a good player and came to Scotland to practice there for three months.

"As soon as I saw him we knew we had walked into a match. Anyone watching back home could tell they could play a bit.

John Higgins laughed off his defeat against Saleh as it was only a one-frame match and added: "We're delighted to win 4-1 and at one point we were 3-0 in front, I was in the balls and we could've had a 5-0 win.

"Stephen made a great clearance in the last to steal that frame (on the black) and we would've been really disappointed if it had finished 3-2.

"Our aim was to qualify first of all and we're one match away from doing that.

"The good thing is that Afghanistan can take a few frames off of the other teams and I don't think they will lose every match they play.

"The more frames you play the better you will come but it's very nerve-racking playing for your team. We've not done it for years."

There was drama in the other match of the afternoon session as Thailand 1 won the last frame of the day on the black against Malta, although the Europeans triumphed 3-2.
However, the result left both sides fearing for their future in the competition.

"It was a 3-2 victory but I'm disappointed it wasn't at least 4-1 but I lost two frames I never should've done," said Tony Drago, who missed a shot at the black that would have given Malta a 4-1 success.

"The two frames I lost have killed me. Today probably cost us qualification and I'm very disappointed, but we will fight to the last ball."

Thailand national hero James Wattana also thought his side would struggle to advance as well.

"We probably have a one or two per cent chance now," said Wattana. "We have to beat China 5-0 or 4-1 and it will be very difficult as they're very strong. I'm so disappointed as we missed so many shots.

"Malta played very well today but if we had won the second game we would've had a great chance."

Allen: We're dark horses to win the snooker World Cup / Northern Ireland record their second convincing victory of the tournament

2011-07-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

Northern Ireland are closing in on becoming the first side to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2011 PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup.

The pairing of Mark

Allen and Gerard Greene recorded their second easy win as they thrashed the Brazilian team of Fabio Luersen and Noel Rodrigues 4-1.

This victory comes only two days after Northern Ireland comfortably defeated India by the same score at the Bangkok Convention Centre in Thailand.

Allen, who made a break of 63 to win his first singles match against Luersen, believed his team had a good chance of winning the competition.

"I saw John Higgins in his press conference say all the pressure is on Scotland as they're the top ranked team and everyone is out to beat them.

"But we're one of the dark horses coming through. We're here to win the tournament and not make up the numbers.

"It doesn't feel easy out there and we struggled a bit today and were fortunate the Brazilians didn't play as well as they had in their earlier matches.

"But you can only beat what's in front of you but we're disappointed we didn't make it 5-0.

"Brazil beat Belgium in one of their other matches and we play Belgium next so we have to fancy our chances. But Luca (Brecel) and Bjorn (Haneveer) are more than good enough to beat us and the same for (Ali) Carter and (Mark) Selby.

Greene added: "It's not about raising our game. If you play well then it doesn't matter who you're against. Two 4-1 wins is a good way to start the tournament."

Mifsud Brothers Handed Wild Cards / Steve Mifsud and James Mifsud have been awarded wild cards for the Australian Goldfields Open next month.

2011-07-12T17:14:00.001-07:00

Pic - Brothers in arms: Steve (right) and James with Neil Robertson.

Steve is Australia's top amateur and won the World Amateur Championship in 2002. James won the recent City of Melbourne tournament, beating Shawn Budd 4-1 in the final.

They will play the two lowest-seeded qualifiers in the first full ranking event of the season - and the first one ever in Australia - which runs from July 18-24 at the Bendigo Stadium.

Click here for the draw for the last 32, which raises the possibility of some fantastic last 16 matches including John Higgins v Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson v Ronnie O'Sullivan.

And click here for the players letter which includes the draw and format for the qualifying rounds, at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield from June 27 to 30.

Robin Good / Robin Hull's first match in a full ranking event for over three years ended in a superb 5-1 win over Thailand's Dechewat Poomjaeng.

2011-07-12T17:11:00.003-07:00

Finland's Hull retired from professional snooker in 2008 but decided to return this year and successfully qualified for the tour via Q School.

And the former top 32 player showed that he remains a class act as he knocked in breaks of 136, 53 and 91 in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open qualifiers.

Norway's Kurt Maflin, another Q School qualifier, saw off Cao Yupeng 5-1 with a top run of 67.

Sam Craigie, the World Under-21 Champion from Newcastle, saw off David Grace 5-1 with a top break of 77.

Earlier, Belgian prodigy Luca Brecel lost his first match in a full ranking event, 5-1 to Devon's Sam Baird. Breaks of 74, 97, 73 and 68 helped Baird through.

Andrew Pagett, who played at the Crucible last season, saw a 3-1 lead reduced to 3-3 by Adam Wicheard, but eventually came through 5-4 thanks to a run of 46 in the decider.

China's Yu Delu, who was handed a wild card to the pro tour, went from 3-0 up to 4-3 down against Michael White but recovered to win the last two frames for a 5-4 success. Ireland's Davy Morris beat Joe Meara 5-3, closing with a run of 70.

Today's winners need three more wins to get to the final stages down under next month.

Wattana Sinks Wells / James Wattana continued his fine start to the season with a 5-2 win over Daniel Wells in the Australian Goldfields Open qualifiers.

2011-07-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

The Thai veteran won three matches in the first Players Tour Championship event last week, losing to Joe Perry in the last 16. And the former World No 3 was back to winning ways with a convincing win over European amateur champion Wells, highlighted by breaks of 76, 95, 59 and 61.

A battle between two players making their debut in a full ranking event saw China's Li Yan beat Poland's Kacper Filipiak 5-0 with a top run of 44. Recently married Ben Woollaston saw off Adam Duffy 5-2 with best breaks of 84 and 110.

The other three matches in the evening session all went to a deciding frame. Scott MacKenzie beat Stuart Carrington, David Gilbert beat Passakorn Suwannawat and Liam Highfield beat Simon Bedford, all by a 5-4 scoreline.

Fine Start For Whirlwind / Jimmy White took the first step towards a trip Down Under by beating Paul Davison 5-2 in the Australian Goldfields Open qualifiers.

2011-07-12T17:07:00.001-07:00

Jimmy White took the first step towards a trip Down Under by beating Paul Davison 5-2 in the Australian Goldfields Open qualifiers.
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The Whirlwind needs two more wins in Sheffield to get to the final stages in Bendigo next month and will be encouraged by his performance today which featured a top break of 60. He now faces Rory McLeod.

China's Yu Delu continued his impressive start to the season by thrashing Joe Swail 5-1, thanks to runs of 65, 66 and 73. Another Chinese player, Liu Chuang, made a 137 against Andrew Norman but it was Bristol's Norman who went through 5-3.

Adrian Gunnell came from 4-3 down to beat Sam Baird 5-4, making a 122 to force the decider then winning it 88-30.

Rod Lawler made 76, 57, 53 and 96 in beating David Morris 5-3 while a battle between last season's Crucible debutants saw Jimmy Robertson beat Andrew Pagett 5-2.

Ronnie O'sullivan

2011-07-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ronnie O'Sullivan is eagerly anticipating competing in World Snooker's PTC Event Two at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester from 8-10 August 2011.

O'Sullivan commented during a recent practice session at the Academy "I can't wait to play a tournament here. It's a fabulous place. This season I am only entering events I am committed to playing in and I've entered the PTC here."

The former World Champion started the season in fine style by winning the first PTC event last week, his first victory for nearly two years in a tournament carrying ranking points.

In the final of the first PTC event O'Sullivan beat Joe Perry, who recently signed with On Q Promotions, based at the South West Snooker Academy.

Perry is also full of praise for the venue and the opportunity to play top class events in front of the enthusiastic Gloucester snooker fans.

"I'm really pleased to have joined On Q Promotions having seen close friends on the circuit being well looked after and happy with them.

"The Academy is superb both to practice at and to play tournaments.

"I feel I am at a turning point in my career at the moment so this move is a brand new start for me in time for the new season."

For the first time all 96 of the World's Leading Professionals have entered a PTC event and for snooker fans it is a guaranteed feast of snooker crammed into three days.

There will be nine tables in play at the South West Snooker Academy at all times, including the Match Arena. Spectator tickets enable access to all tables, subject to seating availability.

With more than 120 matches, all featuring the leading professionals to be fitted into the three day schedule, play commences at 9am on the first two days and there are two-hourly sessions thereafter until 9pm in the evening.

Thus spectators could enjoy more than 15 hours snooker for their £15 day ticket. Season tickets costs just £35 and cover all three days, including the final day which will embrace the Last 16, Quarter Finals, Semis Finals and Final.

Tickets can be purchased in person by calling into the South West Snooker Academy in Quedgeley 9-5pm Monday-Saturday, or by ringing 01452 223214. Alternatively visit the website at www.southwestsnookeracademy.com to book online.

There are also more than 100 keen amateurs competing in the qualifying rounds for the chance to play alongside the professionals. Those matches take place 6-7 August and it is Free to come along and watch.

Dominic Dale, who won a PTC event last season, has recently moved to live in Gloucestershire and the popular Welshman said "Now I'm based in Gloucester and this is now my home, I will be doing my very best and look forward to meeting the local fans too."

Paul Mount, owner of the South West Snooker Academy said "This is the first of three major World Snooker events to be held at the South West Snooker Academy this season.

"I am delighted World Snooker have recognised our new facility as a venue suitable to host their professional tournaments which will include all 96 Professional players including John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and of course our local players Robert Milkins and Jack Lisowski.

"The big names in the game will be playing in the academy's 360 seat arena and also in the other match rooms where there is also tiered seating for spectators. There will be up to 7 sessions a day on 9 tables (63 matches) so there will be plenty of choice of players to watch.

"The SWSA has put Gloucester on the Snooker map and is regarded, worldwide, as one of the finest snooker venues in the World and without doubt the venue where the spectators can get closest to the players and really experience the excitement and tension of professional snooker.

McLeod Blocks Whirlwind's Path / Rory McLeod ended Jimmy White's hopes of making it to the Australian Goldfields Open with a 5-3 success in the third qualifying round.

2011-07-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

McLeod, who reached the last 16 at the Crucible last season, trailed 3-2 but hit back to win the last three frames with top breaks of 91 and 60.

China's pro tour debutant Yu Delu continued to impress as he beat Joe Jogia 5-2 with best efforts of 94, 86 and 51

12BET.com UK Championship quarter-finalist Mark Joyce came from 2-0 down to beat Jimmy Robertson 5-3 with top runs of 53 and 56.

Matthew Selt closed with an even 100 in beating Adrian Gunnell 5-1 while Roewe Shanghai Masters finalist Jamie Burnett saw off Andrew Norman 5-3, and Mike Dunn beat Rod Lawler 5-3.

Steve Davis has pulled out of the event for personal reasons.

Gilbert Comes Through Harold Marathon / Just a few months ago David Gilbert was contemplating a life away from professional snooker - now he's one match away from qualifying for the Australian Goldfields Open.

2011-07-12T16:59:00.001-07:00

Tamworth's Gilbert dropped off the main tour at the end of last season but battled back via Q School, winning a place from the third of three events.

And he has carried his confidence into the new season, winning three matches this week including a gritty 5-4 victory over Dave Harold which lasted three hours 52 minutes.

A high quality contest saw two centuries and five other breaks of 50 or more in the first six frames. Gilbert knocked in 53, 63, 113, 50 and 122 while Harold made 67 and 79.

The next two were shared to leave the score at 4-4, then Gilbert won the 49-minute decider 56-19. He now plays Mark King with the winner to go through to the final stages in Bendigo next month.

Ben Woollaston trailed Jamie Jones four times, but got back to level every time then won the decider with a break of 57 for a 5-4 success.

Nigel Bond ended the run of China's Li Yan, taking the last three frames to win 5-3.

Scotland's Scott MacKenzie thrashed Tony Drago 5-1 while Barry Pinches made a 125 in beating Matt Couch 5-3.

Michael Holt played superbly to beat Kurt Maflin 5-1, knocking in breaks of 115, 79, 97 and 83, while Fergal O'Brien saw off Sam Craigie 5-1.

Jack Lisowski led Tom Ford 2-0 after a break of 117, but Ford hit back to win 5-3 thanks to runs of 81, 79, 76 and 83.

Results and reports from Australian qualifying

2011-07-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

Reports:

Robin Good

Wattana Sinks Wells

Fine Start For Whirlwind

Li Shows Potential

McLeod Blocks Whirlwind's Path

Gilbert Comes Through Harold Marathon

Bingham Aims For Ding Revenge

Sunday June 26
7pm
1. Lucky Vatnani scr Kurt Maflin w/o

Monday June 27
10am
3. Sam Baird 5 - 1 Luca Brecel
4. Andrew Pagett 5 - 4 Adam Wicheard
5. Paul Davison 5 - 3 David Hogan
6. Bjorn Haneveer 3 - 5 Andrew Norman
7. Joe Meara 3 - 5 David Morris
8. Michael White 4 - 5 Yu Delu
2.30pm
9. Dechawat Poomjaeng 1 - 5 Robin Hull
10. Cao Yupeng 1 - 5 Kurt Malin
11. Sam Craigie 5 - 1 David Grace
12. Aditya Mehta 1 - 5 Tian Pengfei
7pm
13. Ben Woollaston 5 v 2 Adam Duffy
14. Scott MacKenzie 5 v 4 Stuart Carrington
15. Kacper Filipiak 0 v 5 Li Yan
16. Liam Highfield 5 v 4 Simon Bedford
17. Passakorn Suwannawat 4 v 5 David Gilbert
18. Daniel Wells 2 v 5 James Wattana
Tuesday June 28
10am
19. Adrian Gunnell 5-4 Sam Baird
20. Jimmy Robertson 5-2 Andrew Pagett
21. Jimmy White 5-2 Paul Davison
22. Liu Chuang 3-5 Andrew Norman
23. Rod Lawler 5-3 David Morris
24. Joe Swail 1-5 Yu Delu

2.30pm
25. Jack Lisowski 5 - 2 Robin Hull
26. Peter Lines 3 - 5 Kurt Maflin
27. Liu Song 3 - 5 Sam Craigie
28. Anthony McGill 1 - 5 Tian Penfei

7pm
29. Ian McCulloch 3 - 5 Ben Woollaston
30. Andy Hicks 1 - 5 Scott MacKenzie
31. Alan McManus 1 - 5 Li Yan
32. Xiao Guodong 4 - 5 Liam Highfield
33. Alfie Burden 2 - 5 Dave Gilbert
34. Matt Couch 5 - 4 James Wattana
Wednesday June 29
10am
35. Matthew Selt 5 - 1 Adrian Gunnell
36. Mark Joyce 5 - 3 Jimmy Robertson
37. Rory McLeod 5 - 3 Jimmy White
38. Jamie Burnett 5 - 3 Andrew Norman
39. Mike Dunn 5 - 3 Rod Lawler
40. Joe Jogia 2 - 5 Yu Delu
2.30pm
41. Tom Ford 5 - 3 Jack Lisowski
42. Michael Holt 5 - 1 Kurt Maflin
43. Fergal O'Brien 5 v 1 Sam Craigie
44. Anthony Hamilton w/d v w/o Tian Pengfei
7pm
45. Jamie Jones 4 v 5 Ben Woollaston
46. Tony Drago 1 v 5 Scott MacKenzie
47. Nigel Bond 5 v 3 Li Yan
48. Steve Davis w/d v w/o Liam Highfield
49. Dave Harold 4 v 5 David Gilbert
50. Barry Pinches 5 v 3 Matt Couch

Thursday June 30
10am
51. Ricky Walden 0 v 5 Matthew Selt (Winner to play John Higgins at venue*)
52. Martin Gould 5 v 3 Mark Joyce (Winner to play Stephen Hendry at venue*)
53. Robert Milkins 2 v 5 Rory McLeod (Winner to play Peter Ebdon at venue*)
54. Andrew Higginson 5 v 4 Jamie Burnett (Winner to play Shaun Murphy at venue*)
55. Marcus Campbell 5 v 4 Mike Dunn (Winner to play Ali Carter at venue*)
56. Ryan Day 5 v 0 Yu Delu (Winner to play Mark Allen at venue*)
2.30pm
57. Gerard Greene 2 v 5 Tom Ford (Winner to play Jamie Cope at venue*)
58. Stuart Bingham 5 v 2 Michael Holt (Winner to play Ding Junhui at venue*)
59. Joe Perry 5 v 2 Fergal O'Brien (Winner to play Mark Selby at venue*)
60. Mark Davis 5 v 4 Tian Pengfei (Winner to play Judd Trump at venue*)
7pm
61. Liang Wenbo 5 v 3 Ben Woolaston (Winner to play Matthew Stevens at venue*)
62. Ken Doherty 5 v 2 Scott MacKenzie (Winner to play Stephen Maguire at venue*)
63. Barry Hawkins 4 v 5 Nigel Bond (Winner to play Neil Robertson at venue*)
64. Dominic Dale 5 v 2 Liam Highfield (Winner to play Ronnie O'Sullivan at venue*)
65. Mark King 0 v 5 Dave Gilbert (Winner to play Graeme Dott at venue*)
66. Stephen Lee 3 v 5 Barry Pinches (Winner to play Mark Williams at venue*)
* The two lowest seeded qualifiers will have to play a wild card.
All matches will be best of nine frames.

Carter - Snooker World Cup Is Wide Open / England's Ali Carter believes that the unique format of next week's PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup increases the chance of a shock winner.

2011-07-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

The new tournament, which runs from July 11-17 in Bangkok and will be televised by Eurosport, will see 20 two-man teams battling for a bumper top prize of $200,000. Matches in the initial group phase will be over five frames, including a doubles frame with alternate shots. The top two teams in each of four groups of five teams will then progress to the quarter-finals.

"It's a new format for all of us. I've never played doubles with alternate shots before and it will take some getting used to," said World No 6 Carter, who will carry England's hopes alongside Mark Selby. "You might see some surprise results.

"England, Scotland, Wales and China are going to be the favourites but there are a lot of other teams with a chance. Mark Allen and Gerard Greene for Northern Ireland is a strong team because they are both great potters and that's what you need in short matches. And the two Thai teams will be dangerous because they will have the home support and they're used to the conditions there.

"It's exciting to be playing in a team event as it's something I've never done before. You don't want to let your opponent down. I've got a very strong partner in Mark Selby and we both know the other will be giving everything to win.

"I had a poor record in Asia until last season when I won the Shanghai Masters. I've got more confidence playing out there now and I know I can win tournaments."

For 2008 World Championship finalist Carter, the World Cup will be sandwiched in between this week's Wuxi Classic in China and the Australian Goldfields Open, in a busy start to the season.

"It's going to be a long trip, but you've got to take the opportunities that are coming up now, and I just hope I can come home at the end of it with some good results and maybe a trophy," added the 31-year-old from Essex.

"We've not had much of a summer break and I've struggled to get enough practice so far to be sharp but with these three events back-to-back it's a chance to get straight into the action."