World Championship Qualifying

[LittleMissAlexa]

The Draw

prelims

Round 1
John Parrott Match 1 Patrick Wallace
Joe Delaney Match 2 Stephen Rowlings
Philip Minchin Match 3 Barry Stark
Ali Bassiri Match 4 David Singh
Jamie O'Neill Match 5 David Gray
Les Dodd Match 6 Justin Astley

Round 2
Winner of Match 1 Match 7 Winner of Match 2
Winner of Match 3 Match 8 Winner of Match 4
Stephen Ormerod Match 9 Winner of Match 5
Del Smith Match 10 Winner of Match 6

[LittleMissAlexa]

nice to see John Parrott attempting to qualify

[trains]

Ahh the old arbitrary deprive pro's of survival points rears its cheeks again,hopefully they all get their (_|_)'s handed to them in their first match against proper listed ranking pro's.

[PatBlock]

nice to see John Parrot attempting to qualify

I'm surprised at that one, he sounded deadly serious when he said he'd had enough. Wonder what's inspired him to pick up his cue again?

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[AnthonyMark]

yes this is imagine

[LittleMissAlexa]

Does anyone know where you can see details or live scoring of the prelims? they arent on world snooker live scoring

[LittleMissAlexa]

Patrick Wallace 5-0 John Parrott
Justin Astley 5-0 Les Dodd

[PatBlock]

So John Parrott's come-back is over, almost before it got started. It was a good solid display from Wallace, but JP must be very disappointed with his performance, he had chances, but kept breaking down, running out of position or missing regulation pots.

In the end I thought he did well to come out of it 5 - 0. :p

-

[PatBlock]

Does anyone know where you can see details or live scoring of the prelims? they arent on world snooker live scoring

I've got live scores here:

http://livescores.worldsnookerdata.com/LiveScores.aspx?t=12971

Is that not working for you?

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[LittleMissAlexa]

thanks Pat again i over looked that

[LittleMissAlexa]

David Singh 5-0 Ali Bassiri

[PatBlock]

Jamie O'Neill pulls a few frames back, to take his match with David Gray to a decider.

-

[sigsky]

Why does O'Neill have the patch on his waistcoat obscured? Is that SWSA?

[PatBlock]

O'Neill takes the decider of a very entertaining match then, and goes on to play Stephen Ormerod this evening.

-

[inevermissblue]

Why oh why does this happen every single year? I don't know the in's and out's of it, but i do know that there are significantly better 'amateur' players out there. Much more deserving of a chance to compete in the biggest tournament in the world. Why has this not been addressed??? They could open it right up to all amateurs and let them battle it out right upto the seedings. Then you would be left with far more superior qualifiers than this! It would be just like they do with darts! the opportunity to come all the way through and possibly win! (i did say possibly). Any thoughts? or alternatives?

[PatBlock]

I hadn't realized how quickly and how far David Gray has slipped down the rankings, I remember him being in the top 16 'not so long ago', anyone know if there's a particular reason for his rather swift decline?

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[intothewild]

I agree. I hope that they can come up with a better system in the future which allows the best players who aren't on the tour to have a chance to qualify. The current pre-qualifying round system doesn't work well. I'd like to see a larger pre-qualifying round(s) which involved the best players and gave them the opportunity to compete in the qualifiers.

Can anyone explain to me what's changed over the last few years? I've looked at the qualifying rounds from years ago and there used to be a huge amount of players in the qualifying.

[intothewild]

Sorry, I meant to quote inevermissblue.

[PatBlock]

Jamie O'Neill's good form continues, he's now 4 - 0 up against Stephen Ormerod, who's having a bit of mare, and at the moment, a whitewash seems almost inevitable IMO. I think Ormerod would admit that he's having a bad session, but O'Neill's played really well in all departments, he's lost the white occasionally, but his potting's been good enough for him to recover, his 67 clearance in the 3rd frame was excellent.

I'm just hoping Ormerod manages to up his game in the 2nd half, I'd like to see a bit more than 1 more frame.

-

[FOXMULDER]

They should definitely open up the World qualifiers to everyone, I agree.

Have two "Q School" type events open to all, take 8 qualifiers from both, then send those 16 players to Sheffield to play in the first round of the Qualifying proper. And go from there.

[LittleMissAlexa]

I agree. I hope that they can come up with a better system in the future which allows the best players who aren't on the tour to have a chance to qualify. The current pre-qualifying round system doesn't work well. I'd like to see a larger pre-qualifying round(s) which involved the best players and gave them the opportunity to compete in the qualifiers.

Can anyone explain to me what's changed over the last few years? I've looked at the qualifying rounds from years ago and there used to be a huge amount of players in the qualifying.

i assume just very few signed up i believe any WPBSA member can enter maybe the rest are low on funds

[Fedia147]

I thought Mr Parrot retired

[LittleMissAlexa]

so did Patrick Wallace Parrott actually said he wouldnt play in the international open which was disbanded i dont think he retired fully anyway he made his come back in the seniors

[Rane]

Igor won his first match 10 -5 against Jamie O´Neil. It´s such a shame that Igor couldn´t find the money needed to compete on the tour. He´s a great personality at the table.

[LittleMissAlexa]

Igor won his first match 10 -5 against Jamie O´Neil. It´s such a shame that Igor couldn´t find the money needed to compete on the tour. He´s a great personality at the table.

its such an expensive career option to be a snooker player especially with the strength and depth of the tour i dont know how those outside the 32 fund their careers

[LittleMissAlexa]

its such an expensive career option to be a snooker player especially with the strength and depth of the tour i dont know how those outside the 32 fund their careers

of course the 32 are guaranteed to make money, well i believe they are

[intothewild]

I was looking at the rankings for this season and noticed that six of the players on the tour didn't enter the Crucible qualifiers (Bedford, Hull, Mackenzie, Hogan, Haneveer and Meara). Any reason for that? Sorry if this has been covered before. Looks like they haven't entered the last few tournaments.

[LittleMissAlexa]

i think they are guaranteed to drop off the tour and saving their money for q school

[LittleMissAlexa]

i think they are guaranteed to drop off the tour and saving their money for q school i stoill think it should be called cue school but maybe thats the compulsive pun artist in me

[LittleMissAlexa]

looks like the tour is about to say bye bye to an ex top sixteen player Joe Swail 7-1 down and about to drop off the tour

[Mr Snooker]

World Championship qualifying results

Li Yan 10 (China) Paul Davidson (England) 4
Daniel Wells (Wales) 10 Joe Swail (Nothern Ireland) 5


Joe Swail loses in the 1st qualifying round of the world snooker champions and also his place on the main tour which he as been a member of since 1992, getting as high as N0 10 in the world rankings and also reaching two consective world semi finals in 2000 and 2001 and also the final of the Welsh Open as well in 2009, Joe also did the remarkable thing of dropping out the top 16 in the world rankings, then dropping out of the top 32, only to return to the top 16 in the 2000/2001 season and he nearly did the same thing again in 2008, losing out to Liang Wenbo in the World Championships (Last 16) by 13-12 in a match that ended in controversy.

I am not sure if Joe as entered the Q school if not I think he will retire from snooker unless the WPBSA give him a wild card to next seasons tour.

If not I Wish Joe all the best in the future, he was one of my favourite players to watch and I will miss him on the tour and he seamed like a great person with a great personality as well

[PatBlock]

If not Wish I Joe all the best in the future, he was one of my favourite players to watch and I will miss him on the tour and he seamed like a great person with a great personality as well

Goes for me too. Always enjoyed watching Joe, an entertaining pro and a true gent. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13670412/Smilies/hats%20off.gif

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[gazza147]

Well Done Daniel Wells friend of mine just hope are other good Friends Jamie Jones and Michael White can also go thru, Andrew Pagett was 8-6 up also and Lost 10-8 thought he was Home and hosed! Unlucky Andrew next time m8.


Gaz.

[jarcher]

World Championship qualifying results

Li Yan 10 (China) Paul Davidson (England) 4
Daniel Wells (Wales) 10 Joe Swail (Nothern Ireland) 5


Joe Swail loses in the 1st qualifying round of the world snooker champions and also his place on the main tour which he as been a member of since 1992, getting as high as N0 10 in the world rankings and also reaching two consective world semi finals in 2000 and 2001 and also the final of the Welsh Open as well in 2009, Joe also did the remarkable thing of dropping out the top 16 in the world rankings, then dropping out of the top 32, only to return to the top 16 in the 2000/2001 season and he nearly did the same thing again in 2008, losing out to Liang Wenbo in the World Championships (Last 16) by 13-12 in a match that ended in controversy.

I am not sure if Joe as entered the Q school if not I think he will retire from snooker unless the WPBSA give him a wild card to next seasons tour.

If not Wish I Joe all the best in the future, he was one of my favourite players to watch and I will miss him on the tour and he seamed like a great person with a great personality as well

Very nice comment. Joes a mate of mine and I'm totally gutted for him. He's been struggling with pains in his neck and had to drop from a previous tournament because of it, mid-match, as he wanted to focus on the worlds. He'd put in so much practice too. Here's hoping he hasn't lost his drive and can make yet another comeback into the top 16 over the coming seasons :)

[Mr Snooker]

World Qualifying results

Friday 6th April (Round 1)

1 Igor Figurideo (Brazil) 10 Jamie O' Neil (England) 5


Saturday 7th April 2012 (Round 2)

1 Adam Wicheard (England) 10 Tiang Pengfei (China) 5
2 Daniel Wells (Wales) 10 Joe Swail (Northern Ireland) 5
3 Liam Highfield (England) 10 Matthew Couch (England) 5
4 Adiytha Metha (India) 10 Andrew Pagett (Wales) 8
5 Li Yan (China) 10 Paul Davison (England) 4
6 Yu De Lu (China) 10 Patrick Wallace (Northern ireland) 9

Centuary Breaks

Adiytha Metha 103
Andrew Pagett 102
Liam Highfield 101

[LittleMissAlexa]

Ian McCulloch is another former top sixteen player under threat (he was the world number 16 who had to qualify due to Shaun Murphys world championship) technically proving its not the top 16 its the world champion and the top 15 who arent

[DandyA]

Very nice comment. Joes a mate of mine and I'm totally gutted for him. He's been struggling with pains in his neck and had to drop from a previous tournament because of it, mid-match, as he wanted to focus on the worlds. He'd put in so much practice too. Here's hoping he hasn't lost his drive and can make yet another comeback into the top 16 over the coming seasons :)

it's always a treat to see Joe play so I'm another one wishing him the very best and hoping he continues on the tour - he's a true gentleman of the game ...

I watched some of the Ian McCulloch vs Luca Brecel match - I hadn't realised how far Ian had slipped down the rankings but, once again, he seems a true gent - he kept smiling (and it looked genuine rather than sarcastic) even when results or Lady Luck weren't going his way ...

[jarcher]

Thanks DandyA, will pass on your kind words. I don't know Ian personally but I know Joe is a good friend of his. The one thing I can say about Joe, is he's a true gent off the table as well as on. A real top notch, down to earth guy who hasn't let his professional career change who he is :)

[intothewild]

Sad to see Joe Swail fall off the tour. Always seemed like a decent guy when I saw him on TV. Good luck to him and I also hope to see him back one day. I don't know if he'll attempt to come back now that he's 42. It seems to have been a pretty sudden decline with him considering he was in the Crucible as recently as 2009. I've been watching the live streams of the qualifying and it's a pity they didn't show that match.

[trains]

I was looking at the rankings for this season and noticed that six of the players on the tour didn't enter the Crucible qualifiers (Bedford, Hull, Mackenzie, Hogan, Haneveer and Meara). Any reason for that? Sorry if this has been covered before. Looks like they haven't entered the last few tournaments.

Don't know about the others but the qualification criteria for next season is players who qualify via the best ptc 8 outside the top 64 get 2 years guaranteed in the pro's instead of just 1 if you're actually ranked much higher in the top 64,it was unlikely to impossible Bedford would miss out on that luxury so these qualifiers weren't essential for him.
The fact that he's coincidentally gave it a miss and seemingly allowed to seems a bit odd though,also Haneveer retired from pro snooker about 6 months ago.

[LittleMissAlexa]

Theres quite a few long time tour players loooking at the trap door and I havent seen whos going through on the order of merit although i know Li Yan (a new tour player) is guaranteed to stay on tour

outside the top 64 include Rod The Plod (hope he retires) Ian McCulloch (ex top 16) James Wattana (ex top 16) Adrian Gunnell i do hope Dave Gilbert stays on hes plaid to well this season to drop off hes hit more than 20 centuries

I dont think Andy Hicks is secure (greatest breakbuilder never to of made the top 16) or Barry Pinches i do hope the chinese players stay on Liu Song it would be unjust to eliminate him as hes had some points taken off due to covering for John Higgins last season

[trains]

Was I on the wrong type of leaves with thinking McCulloch would win! He didn't play that well though,interesting to see if Brecel doesn't enter q school as he'll probably get invited back anyway.

[brusque]

agreed ... i will miss him too ... loved his nickname as well ... "Outlaw"

[DartsMadJohn]

I was looking at the rankings for this season and noticed that six of the players on the tour didn't enter the Crucible qualifiers (Bedford, Hull, Mackenzie, Hogan, Haneveer and Meara). Any reason for that? Sorry if this has been covered before. Looks like they haven't entered the last few tournaments.

Bedford is going to survive via the PTC route, so he is probably saving some money (although why you skip the Worlds is beyond me).

Haneveer quit the Main Tour

Hull retired before through illness, so hopefully that hasn't struck again.

Hogan, Meara and Mackenzie I assume just ran out of funds! Also, they;re all in a position where they would need a ridiculous run, such as last 16 or Quarters, just to have a chance of Tour survival, which isn't going to happen.

[MasterBreak147]

Don't quote me but I'm sure Simon has a back injury and has had it a while already.

[missneworleans]

Such a shame to see Joe and Ian out of the tour, very nice players and lads
David Gilbert is safe, he's through via ptc

[LittleMissAlexa]

and ladies it was me who brought Gilbert up

also we dont know who is through from PTCs yet as we dont fully know whos dropping off if someone higher in the ptc order of merit loses his top 64 place during this qualifying someone on the order of merit will drop off we dont know until the top 64 is mathematically secure

[LittleMissAlexa]

Gilbert has just ssneaksed into the top 64 knocking Liu Song out which means Liu has to win as hes way down on the order of merit Gilbert moving up promotes David Grace to a provisional tour place next season so Grace will be hoping Gilbert does well

[LittleMissAlexa]

how are ties on the order of merit decided? currently Highfield is number 64 and has 3000 David Grace at the moment is the last Order of merit qualifier with 3000

[LittleMissAlexa]

just to clarify i know 64 is enough to qualify but Liam Highfield hasnt secured the 64th spot as the likes of Liu Song are still in the tournament

[jw147]

Wattana 4-0 ahead, now 4-5 down.

[LittleMissAlexa]

As it stands the 8 are 1) Li Yan 2) Adam Duffy 3) Passakorn Suwannawat 4) Simon Bedford 5) Dechawat Poomjaeng 6) Craig Steadman (ex tour) 7) Kurt Maflin 8) David Grace

[LittleMissAlexa]

McGill is Murdering Adam Wicheard here 6-0

[LittleMissAlexa]

McGill is Murdering Adam Wicheard here 6-0

to be fair I think McGuill has the ability to be a future world champion at some point certainly enough to win a ranking event

[LittleMissAlexa]

I think Adam Wicheards being used as a mop at the moment 7-0 McGill

[intothewild]

This might be a stupid question but how are they deciding which matches to stream? Would it be safe to assume that the Stephen Hendry (my main interest) match in the final qualifying round will be streamed?

[Odrl]

This might be a stupid question but how are they deciding which matches to stream? Would it be safe to assume that the Stephen Hendry (my main interest) match in the final qualifying round will be streamed?

Yes, I think you're pretty safe there. :)

[LittleMissAlexa]

with rhyming nicknames ie On Fire Maguire after a few whitewashes anthony could be 10 nil mcgill

[LittleMissAlexa]

you dont normally see two 140s in 1 match this early in quakifying wow Adita Mehta and Xiao Guodong for doinf that each 140 dead

[LittleMissAlexa]

it was 10-0 McGill btw

[intothewild]

Good to see Wattana winning. I like routing for the guys who were at the Crucible when I got into watching snooker as a kid. Hoping for a Drago comeback tomorrow too but it will be a tall order.

[Mr Snooker]

very good win For Wattana against Li Yan winning 10-6 from 6-4 down that win will keep James on the tour for another season, tough match next though he plays Gearard Greene, also both Barry Pinches and Tony Drago need to win to remain on the tour depending on results and Adrian Gunnell needs to beat Adam Duffy to keep his place, btw did anyone for the link to the interview on BBC Look North with Adam Duffy (It was shown on Tuesday 3rd April in the evening programme I Think)

[SnookerFan]

Not been following much, but has Wattana got any realistic chance of qualifying?

Also, on the international players front, I wouldn't mind Passakorn Suwannawat getting through.

[Mr Snooker]

What A strange match the James Wattana V Li Yan game was, James won the first 4 frames to go 4-0 up at the interval, Then Li Yan took a 6 frames in a row for a 6-4 lead, then James won the next 6 frames in a row to win the match 10-6 as this ever happened before in a best of 19 match I wonder - next for James is Nothern Ireland's Geard Greene, also Andy Hicks another former cruciable semi finalist in 1995 kept his place on the main tour for another season with a 10-3 win over Liam Highfiled

[intothewild]

Not been following much, but has Wattana got any realistic chance of qualifying?

Also, on the international players front, I wouldn't mind Passakorn Suwannawat getting through.

It would be a big ask for Wattana to qualify. He's not qualified since 2006 and he hasn't reached the final qualifying round since 2007. I think his main aim would have been to keep his place on the tour.

It's not impossible. He did manage to qualify for the Shanghai Masters (beating Joe Perry) and the German Masters (beating Stephen Hendry). I doubt too many people will be predicting him to qualify for this though it would be nice to see him back.

[jw147]

Rod 5-2 ahead of chuang

[FOXMULDER]

Rod 5-2 ahead of chuang
All due respect to Rod, that tells me Chuang is off form - which is good news for Jimmy White.

[jw147]

All due respect to Rod, that tells me Chuang is off form - which is good news for Jimmy White.

Exactly :o

[trains]

I wonder if Drago would go to q school? Can't see the non tour qualifier losing 8 frames here but you never know...

[jw147]

I wonder if Drago would go to q school? Can't see the non tour qualifier losing 8 frames here but you never know...

I wouldnt bet against tony yet, hes capable of reeling off 8 frames in 1 hour!

[Mr Snooker]

Tony Just won 10th frame in about 6 minutes score now 7-3 Justin

[neil taperell]

7-5 .........The comeback is on ......Come on Tony

[jw147]

'mon tony, keep it up

[Mr Snooker]

First four frames of the afternoon to Tony in quick style as well keep going Tony

[coomsey76]

Good win for Luca Brecel..... He dispatched Barry Pinches with relative ease!! 10-3....

[neil taperell]

7-6 .......the Tornado is blowing

[FOXMULDER]

Why are they streaming Dave Harold when Tony's on a comeback?!

Who selects the streaming is doing a useless job.

[Mr Snooker]

Luca Bracel beats Barry Pinches 10-3, Making Barry's place on the tour in Jerody depending on today's results, another player who as been on the tour for over 20 years and once took Stephen Hendry 12-12 in the world championships, losing 13-12

[Mr Snooker]

Not sure who selects them' Tony is a lot more entertainng then Dave Harold and now the Luca Bracel V Barry Pinches match as finshed surley they could go to the Drago match when it resumes.


Why are they streaming Dave Harold when Tony's on a comeback?!

Who selects the streaming is doing a useless job.

[trains]

Why are they streaming Dave Harold when Tony's on a comeback?!

Who selects the streaming is doing a useless job.
Not sure if all the cubicles are designated for streaming either,don't recall them switching any time this season,could be wrong though.

[The Statman]

I believe there are only two tables with streaming.

I don't know whether it is still the case, but last year a referee was assigned to each of the 8 tables, and the matches were scheduled so no player could have the same table (nor therefore the same referee) twice.

If this principle is still applied, they may not have much choice as to which matches are streamed, because you'd only be complaining that Tony's next match is not televised if this one was (for example).

It is certainly not just a case of picking up the recording equipment and plonking it back down at another table.

[jw147]

Was a ridiculously bad decision in the first place putting dave harolds match on the main table and not dragos.

[FOXMULDER]

Considering the amount of money World Snooker spends on other things, I don't think a camera on each table would be too much to ask. That way, if something dramatic happens - such as a nailbiting finish or a 147 - you could cut to it, or show highlights of it.

This is the World championship after all. They should put themselves in a position to show the most entertaining action at all times - it would be a good investment.

[trains]

Are all ranking qualifiers definately here next season?Either install all camera capacity or switch to the swsa,they play ptc's there why not ranking qualifiers too ? :-)

[Mr Snooker]

Tony just won frame 14 on the black 57-53 Drago to level the Match at 7-7, five in a row for Tony now let's hope nerves don't get to him

[missneworleans]

Tony loses 7-10 after such a promisng start..and another good guy goes out of the tour...sad
Lui Song came back to 8-9, if he wins Barry Pinches will also go out

[coomsey76]

Agreed sad to see Tony off the tour..!!

Looks like Song has taken it to a decider with Igor.......

[Mr Snooker]

Yes I agree it is sad to See Tony drop off the tour not sure if he as entered the Q school, but he did drop off a few years ago and got back on to it the following season, let's hope he can get back on via the Q school and gurantee his place for the next two seasons, He is just a wonderful exciting player to watch.

[coomsey76]

So Igor wins 10-9......

and Barry Pinches stays on the tour by the skin of his teeth!!

[Mr Snooker]

Dave Harold V Cao Yu peng match pulled off at 9-7 to make way for the evening matches, wonder if that will effect Dave Harold's concentration when they resume on the first avaiable table I persume, also Igor Figurideo
beats Li Song 10-9 from 9-5 up well done Igor Figurideo, Joe Jogia next for Figurideo

[jw147]

Shame tony lost, only a season or so ago he wasnt too far off top 32, goes to show you, you gota keep on top of things in this game nowadays or you could be in trouble. I hope he bounces back and enters q school and gets his place back.

Good to see Feguerroa get through, hopefully he can get past jogia now, and fu... its a shame he didnt have sponsorship and could afford to enter events all season, i think he would of done well if he had of gave it a go at start of season.

[missneworleans]

Well played Igor, also that means barrying some crazy things Barry Pinches survives.
Now the last place on the tour will be decided in Gunnell-Duffy match
If Adrian wins, he survives, if not-Liam Highfield does

[Rane]

Well played Igor, also that means barrying some crazy things Barry Pinches survives.
Now the last place on the tour will be decided in Gunnell-Duffy match
If Adrian wins, he survives, if not-Liam Highfield does That match will probably also decide if Drago stays on the tour as well.

Cao Yupeng beat Harold 10 - 9 and Liu Chuang finished off in style with a 139 total clearance to send Rod Lawler off the tour. So probably less long matches next year.

[Rane]

And Duffy beat Adrian Gunnel and sent Drago off the tour as well :mad:

[intothewild]

I'm pretty sure that the result between Duffy and Gunnell was irrelevant to Drago. He was off the tour no matter who won because whoever won would have enough points to go ahead of him in the rankings. He's been pretty unlucky. Sitting at 65th in the rankings (top 64 survive) and 69th in the PTC rankings (I think roughly 65th in the PTC rankings would have been enough to save him).

[LittleMissAlexa]

The fastest and slowest both off the tour

[LittleMissAlexa]

sad to see liu song go off the tour again i wonder if he would of been off if he was allowed to keep all of last seasons points as tournys where both einsle and higgins played he wasnt considered main tour

[FOXMULDER]

Great win for Gilbert over Robertson.

Does anyone know if Wattana is safe yet...?

[intothewild]

Great win for Gilbert over Robertson.

Does anyone know if Wattana is safe yet...?

Pretty sure he will be. There's only four players ranked lower than him who are still in it and two of them would need to catch Wattana to push him out of the top 64. They're far behind at the moment: Morris (74th), Yupeng (80th), Brecel (83rd) and Figueiredo (98th).

[LittleMissAlexa]

pinches isnt safe a run for Morris could see him go

no one below Liam Highfield can be saved by order of merit as all 8 are out

[Rane]

Pretty sure he will be. There's only four players ranked lower than him who are still in it and two of them would need to catch Wattana to push him out of the top 64. They're far behind at the moment: Morris (74th), Yupeng (80th), Brecel (83rd) and Figueiredo (98th). They´ll not only need to qualify but also to win several matches at the cruicible to catch him.

[intothewild]

They´ll not only need to qualify but also to win several matches at the cruicible to catch him.

Yeah I thought it was pretty impossible but I wasn't sure how many ranking points you get for each round.

[LittleMissAlexa]

Gunnell has also gone

[missneworleans]

Pretty sure tour is set up, to change anything I think Morris or Yupeng or Brecel will have to get to something like 1/4 or 1/2 at the worlds, what you would think is impossible

[mongorie]

Luca Brecel is on fire... if he manages to make it to the tv stages he could give someone a run for his money...if he doesnt break down
No commentating on the stream is kinda boring almost fell asleep a few times

[peterpackage]

Anyone have a decent live stream ?

[nrage]

http://www.sportlemon.tv/c-11.html

[CueInAction]

Milikins just took a great maximum. Run out of position on the penultimate red but made a great recovery shot on the following black.

[cantpotforshíte]

Robert Milkins has just got a maximum against Guodong. It was a nice one too - he wasn't hanging around.

[cantpotforshíte]

Just gone onto Wikipedia to find out if he's made one before and he has: 2006 world championship qualifiers.

I was a bit more surprised to find that the one that he made 15 minutes ago is on there already! No flies on the Wiki people today ..

[SnookerFan]

It would be a big ask for Wattana to qualify. He's not qualified since 2006 and he hasn't reached the final qualifying round since 2007. I think his main aim would have been to keep his place on the tour.

It's not impossible. He did manage to qualify for the Shanghai Masters (beating Joe Perry) and the German Masters (beating Stephen Hendry). I doubt too many people will be predicting him to qualify for this though it would be nice to see him back.

I remember that. He played Shaun Murphy. I saw the first session, the first time I ever went to The Crucible.

[CueInAction]

Looking at that wiki page, theres only been 2 maximums ever made in world championship qualifiers, both by Milkins

[The Statman]

Looking at that wiki page, theres only been 2 maximums ever made in world championship qualifiers, both by MilkinsYes, I was there at Prstatyn but unfortunately I was two tables along!

He fluked the yellow on his previous maximum, rattling in one jaw and going across the baulk rail into the other.

[coomsey76]

Davis pulls one back to make 4-2..... I hope that gives him a bit of a kick start, he doesn't seem to be playing that well!!

Come on Steve...!!

[coomsey76]

And Davis pulls another frame back..... Winning a marathon 50 min frame to make it 4-3!!

[FOXMULDER]

Brecel 3-0 Holt

I feel Holt desperately needs a frame!

[edemrulez]

Does anybody know where can I order the Official WSC 2012 Programme brochure to mainland europe?
thanks in advance!

[FOXMULDER]

Looks like Davis is going into the interval just 6-7 behind. That's good considering how poorly he has played.

I almost make him favourite now...

[coomsey76]

Looks like Davis is going into the interval just 6-7 behind. That's good considering how poorly he has played.

He's played pretty poorly all day, he's done well to hang in there.....

Hopefully Davis can find a bit of form going into the next session!!

[FOXMULDER]

Wattana on the comeback!

[FOXMULDER]

Woolaston takes the frame on the black, absolute sickener for Davis.

Woolaston 9-6 Davis.

[jrc750]

Steve should of put Ben in one more time, he was really struggling to get close to that red, one more foul could of made a big difference

[FOXMULDER]

Davis pulls one back. 7-9

Come on, Nugget!

[FOXMULDER]

Well, Davis is out.

To be honest, he didn't deserve to win anyway. Bad day at the office.

[jrc750]

Both played poor in 4 frames i watched, Ben will need to up his game against Dom Dale

[FOXMULDER]

Epic win this could be for Wattana if he gets it. He was 7-9 down and is currently 34-0 up in the decider

[Rane]

Well, Davis is out.

To be honest, he didn't deserve to win anyway. Bad day at the office. Yes some good shots here and there, followed by horrible misses.

[Rane]

Odrl must be sad that there´s no streaming from Hamilton - McGill tonight. That one can go on till the early morning.

[bonoman1970]

Without being too hard on Wollaston ,that was a shocker for Davis,one of his worst ever days,
on paper should have won 10-3 /10-4 ish
But we know what a sickening game snooker can be some days!

[FOXMULDER]

I think we might get one more season from Davis and then he'll retire (unless he shoots back up the rankings).

[brusque]

Davis was way too bad today ... Come on Wattana and Hicks !!! though

[intothewild]

Wattana out.

[FOXMULDER]

Oh, what a shame for Wattana. SO CLOSE.

Valiant effort.

[Rane]

Wattanas has just lost.

[brusque]

Must be heartbreaking for Wattana :(

[Rane]

Mcgill plays on from 77 down, that will really make it into a long night.

[Odrl]

Odrl must be sad that there´s no streaming from Hamilton - McGill tonight. That one can go on till the early morning.

I would take it! I certainly don't have anything better to do at the moment, I've been sitting here doing nothing for the past two hours... :)

[FOXMULDER]

Looks like Jamie Jones is going to force the decider...

[trains]

Without being too hard on Wollaston ,that was a shocker for Davis,one of his worst ever days,
on paper should have won 10-3 /10-4 ish
But we know what a sickening game snooker can be some days!

Iah (in all honesty) if 2012 Woollaston was in say the 88 world's,(qualifiers or Crucible) Davis would most likely get beat and Woollaston is just a generic top 48 player and I have no agenda v the nugget.

[FOXMULDER]

Iah (in all honesty) if 2012 Woollaston was in say the 88 world's,(qualifiers or Crucible) Davis would most likely get beat and Woollaston is just a generic top 48 player and I have no agenda v the nugget.
Haha. You must be joking.

1980's Davis would have destroyed Woollaston 10-1 or 10-2 today.

[trains]

Haha. You must be joking.

1980's Davis would have destroyed Woollaston 10-1 or 10-2 today.
How old are you

[FOXMULDER]

How old are you
How is my age relevant?

[trains]

How is my age relevant?
There ya go,tut mir leid but thats as lame as bonoman's on paper post a few lines up

[FOXMULDER]

There ya go,tut mir leid but thats as lame as bonoman's on paper post a few lines up
Sorry, that is completely incomprehensible to me.

Let's get back on topic. Jamie Jones looking good in the decider.

[bonoman1970]

Iah (in all honesty) if 2012 Woollaston was in say the 88 world's,(qualifiers or Crucible) Davis would most likely get beat and Woollaston is just a generic top 48 player and I have no agenda v the nugget.


ha ha ha ...thats really funny
Keep those jokes coming ,i know your identity is a secret, but your not Ricky Gervais are you ?

[trains]

ha ha ha ...thats really funny
Keep those jokes coming ,i know your identity is a secret, but your not Ricky Gervais are you ?
Gervais isn't living in the 80's at viewing standards in his profession.
<Waiting for a 'I'm sorry but that's completely incomprehensible to me'...>

[bonoman1970]

Gervais isn't living in the 80's at viewing standards in his profession.
<Waiting for a 'I'm sorry but that's completely incomprehensible to me'...>

? just dont understand ?

a young Davis would have won very very easily against most of todays qualifiers

on the other hand you may be right, maybe a young Joe Davis, Reardon or Alex Higgins would struggle to get in a pub team nowadays?

[FOXMULDER]

Jamie Jones 10-9 Andy Hicks

[trains]

How tough is this boy Jamie Jones,Ricky Walden next wouldn't be surprised if he beat him too

[armstm]

bore off mate
Gervais isn't living in the 80's at viewing standards in his profession.
<Waiting for a 'I'm sorry but that's completely incomprehensible to me'...>

[trains]

bore off mate
Sorry I'm not into conformity,you and your 36 post's,exciting!!

[The Statman]

Perhaps if you would like to have a slanging match, you could have it off-air. There is a perfectly good Private Message facility for such things.

The thread topic is supposed to be World Championship qualifying. Let's keep it that way.

[trains]

Perhaps if you would like to have a slanging match, you could have it off-air. There is a perfectly good Private Message facility for such things.

The thread topic is supposed to be World Championship qualifying. Let's keep it that way.
Well said Statman!!
Why a trio of poster's ragged on someone for posting natural evolution is beyond me!! I suspect you too!!

[The Statman]

Well said Statman!!
Why a trio of poster's ragged on someone for posting natural evolution is beyond me!! I suspect you too!!I think I was talking to more than three people.

Four, perhaps.

[gettingbetter]

Can anyone fill me in with the other games that have started, but haven't finished? I can't seem to find the scores anywhere i.e. Brecel, Wenbo, Bond etc

[gazza147]

Great Win Tonight for good friend of Mine Jamie Jones from Neath in Wales hopefully he can Beat Ricky Walden in Next Round to make it to the World Championship.

C'mon Jamie m8 do the business.


Gaz.

[DandyA]

Can anyone fill me in with the other games that have started, but haven't finished? I can't seem to find the scores anywhere i.e. Brecel, Wenbo, Bond etc

www.snooker.org is always up-to-date in my experience ... try here ...
http://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=95

[intothewild]

How do people rate Jimmy White's chances tomorrow? I'd love to see him have one last appearance at the Crucible even if he did go out in Round 1. It'll also be interesting to see how Alan McManus gets on. He's lost out in the final qualifying round five years in a row. I have to say that, in some ways, I find the qualifying rounds with players like White more interesting than the actual World Championships. Unless, of course, Hendry was to go on an unexpected good run in it.

[gettingbetter]

Thanks mate. Hoping that the Chinese players and Brecel make it to the final 32.

[jw147]

How do people rate Jimmy White's chances tomorrow? I'd love to see him have one last appearance at the Crucible even if he did go out in Round 1. It'll also be interesting to see how Alan McManus gets on. He's lost out in the final qualifying round five years in a row. I have to say that, in some ways, I find the qualifying rounds with players like White more interesting than the actual World Championships. Unless, of course, Hendry was to go on an unexpected good run in it.

Tough match, he was beat last year 10-9 by chuang, lets hope he gets revenge today.

[LittleMissAlexa]

Tough match, he was beat last year 10-9 by chuang, lets hope he gets revenge today.

liu Chuang is an excellent young player btw chinese peoples family/surnames are their first chuang is his given names ie john, paul, peter

[spike]

White showed some of his old form against Judd Trump just recently at the China Open, so hopefully for him he can continue in the same vein for today's match, and against Cope if he gets that far. Maybe the 'Alex Higgins cufflinks' he's wearing will give him inspiration as well..

[Theodor Cepraga]

Some days ago, I saw that Anthony McGill whitewashed Adam Wicheard by 10-0.:snooker: Are there any other 10-0 results in the Crucible qualifying history?:confused:

[LittleMissAlexa]

poor break off by liu followed by a poor safety from white followed by a good lpong red

[LittleMissAlexa]

two very poor attempts at pots equivelent to missing a straight blue with no position needed

[LittleMissAlexa]

eyesight goes at the age of fifty aye jimmy

[missneworleans]

Some days ago, I saw that Anthony McGill whitewashed Adam Wicheard by 10-0.:snooker: Are there any other 10-0 results in the Crucible qualifying history?:confused:

Carter whitewashed Wattana in the final qualifying round..thats I remember for sure, but I think there were a few more

[Theodor Cepraga]

Many thanks for your answer.

[trains]

I have to say that, in some ways, I find the qualifying rounds with players like White more interesting than the actual World Championships.
Yep I was thinking the same after the tues night matches,you feel the tension more here so in that sense its better,these streams are great for the sport imo.

[trains]

I can't see odds for the Lines and Gilbert matches today,anyone know any site offering them? thanks

[attilahun]

WTF is Jimmy doing out there....he is unable to make a winning break atm.....Lets hope things will get better, but as i know Jimmy he will get anxious and things will probably go worse

[missneworleans]

Apart from Burden-Lisowski its all really slooooooooow

[LittleMissAlexa]

I can't see odds for the Lines and Gilbert matches today,anyone know any site offering them? thanks

i actually would make gilbert favourite in my opinion hes the better snooker player

[attilahun]

Chuang is playing quite poorly but Jimmy is even worse....ohhhhhh

[The Statman]

Some days ago, I saw that Anthony McGill whitewashed Adam Wicheard by 10-0.:snooker: Are there any other 10-0 results in the Crucible qualifying history?:confused:Quite a few, actually.

1980 (best of 17) Steve Davis over Paddy Morgan
1982 (best of 17) Silvino Francisco over Chris Ross
1983 Rex Williams over Mike Darrington
1983 Joe Johnson over Paul Watchorn
1983 Tony Meo over Vic Harris
1984 John Parrott over Perrie Mans
1984 Ray Edmonds over David Greaves

Goodness me, there's more than I'd thought, I'm not typing all those up! You'll have to check them out for yourself on my Full World Championship Results (http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board/forumdisplay.php/118-Complete-World-Championship-Results) pages!

[Mr Snooker]

Peter Ebdon beat the late Cliff Wilson 10-0 in the final qualifying round in 1992, in fact the score was 9-0, because Cliff never showed up for the final session, also Dave Harold beat John Burns 10-0 in 1994 I think and went on to make his debut at the Cruciible, and Danny Fowler beat Karl Broughton (whatever happened to them two players) 10-0 in the final qualifying round in 1993, then went on to play Stephen Hendry at Sheffiled losing the first session 9-0, and eventually lost 10-1. I am sure they are plenty more whitewashes in the World qualifying History.


Some days ago, I saw that Anthony McGill whitewashed Adam Wicheard by 10-0.:snooker: Are there any other 10-0 results in the Crucible qualifying history?:confused:

[LittleMissAlexa]

the mcleod/lines match is a great advert for shot clocks

[jw147]

If jimmy loses another frame on the pink/black, ill throw this pc in the bin

[gazza147]

Jimmy White 4-4 Now!! C'mon Jimmy get thru the Qualifier and Win this for your 1st Time would be special at the age of 80...lol


Gaz.

[jw147]

age of 80! lol

[Stormwatch]

I sometimes think of what will happen if Jimmy wins it at last - What a moment this would be...

[LittleMissAlexa]

if we support the oldies over the youth wouldnt that hamper the younger guys

[LittleMissAlexa]

great scheduling by world snooker having a free table for the abominable slowman the speed he plays im surprised there will be a second session of his match

[Guy3103]

Is there somewhere I can watch this??? I tried the eurosport player but they don't show the qualifiers...

[neilcounter]

There is a link earlier in the thread.

[LittleMissAlexa]

http://www.worldsnooker.livesport.tv/liveevent/event/719749 theres places with live streaming too

[Guy3103]

do they show all tables on livesport.tv?

[Theodor Cepraga]

Thank you for clearing up this problem for me.:D

[LittleMissAlexa]

no guy just the liang and holt matches atm

[LittleMissAlexa]

phil yates may not be on Rory Mcleods christmas list and not only due to mcleods faith phil is slaughtering his slow play

[Guy3103]

Thanks... I wanted to watch the Brecel match and found it here in case someone's interested;

http://www.sportlemon.tv/c-11.html

[pottr]

Brecel now one frame away from a match with Mark King for the Crucible.

I hope he comes through, Holt's attitude is disgusting.

[nrage]

Brecel's in a spot of bother and having trouble with the escape..

[lk8]

the referee is definately dreaming, the red passes to pot to the bottom left corner and there was at least 3-4 inches of room under the black

[CueInAction]

Brecel should never have been in this position. Not sure why he decided to go up and move the green off the penultimate red, when the more obvious play would be to take red to middle, leave an angle on pink to get down to red just below black. He only needed up to the green so if he had dropped directly on it from the yellow, the game would have been as good as over.

Anyone else think twice across with left hand side would be the best option here?

[nrage]

Anyone else think twice across with left hand side would be the best option here?

The resulting escape was pretty damn good, but left an easy reply/snooker. If he can forget this frame he still has a good chance to take the last frame.. I'm backing him, go Brecel!

[Mr Snooker]

Luca Bracel just given 34 points away in fouls, during which he was going to take a ball out the pocket to see if he could get out of the snooker, but Peter Williamson (The referee) said u are not allowed to do that, surley that is a foul 7 pointasto Michael Holt. but it was an awful snooker and Phil Yates as just said all those misse should not have been called.

[jonplayer]

Once again the miss rule has come under question. That snooker was almost impossible to get out of! and the balls were put back tougher each time. COME ON LUCA!!!!

[CueInAction]

Luca Bracel just given 34 points away in fouls, during which he was going to take a ball out the pocket to see if he could get out of the snooker, but Peter Williamson (The referee) said u are not allowed to do that, surley that is a foul 7 pointasto Michael Holt. but it was an awful snooker and Phil Yates as just said all those misse should not have been called.

I was a bit confused by this too. I made a similar mistake in a league final where the ref was replacing the white after a miss call but couldn't get it right despite me and my opponent both explaining to him, not sure what I was thinking but I moved the white about a half inch to where it was meant to be placed and obviously got penalised for it. Unsure if Brecels situation would be considered the same though as the ball was not in play at the time.

[lk8]

either way the ref is pretty confused, luca's first and second escape to go off the left cushion to hit the red, that shows there must have been enough room, also the white was on top of the black slightly to the left, but the ref replaced it almost as a straight line with the black too close to the bottom cushion, what is he thinking?

[spike]

Who is the referee out of curiosity? I am unable to watch the match, hence why i'm asking..

[FOXMULDER]

Brecel wins!

What a match.

[montoya10]

Never saw this coming. Could anyone tell me how he played if they got to see the match?

[brusque]

well done Luca ... I am impressed with the (run of the) balls he has been having.

and Holt did need that little bit of rubbing it in after his antics .... way to go!!! I hope Luca qualifies for the crucible .. Kind is generally painful to watch anyway

[lk8]

Never saw this coming. Could anyone tell me how he played if they got to see the match?

pretty much went for anything and potted most, but not much break building, all scrapy stuff... still got much to learn...

any body have any ideas what is the minimum number of matches Luca have to win so that he doesn't drop off the tour? I guess it's the difference in ranking points between him and #64 and the amount of ranking points that he can gain depending on the where he gets to in the world championships?

[montoya10]

pretty much went for anything and potted most, but not much break building, all scrapy stuff... still got much to learn...

any body have any ideas what is the minimum number of matches Luca have to win so that he doesn't drop off the tour? I guess it's the difference in ranking points between him and #64 and the amount of ranking points that he can gain depending on the where he gets to in the world championships?

Thanks for your response (=

Considering his age, he still has a long way to go before settling down as a consistent player on the tour, but it's still promising to see him winning best-of-19s.

[FOXMULDER]

any body have any ideas what is the minimum number of matches Luca have to win so that he doesn't drop off the tour? I guess it's the difference in ranking points between him and #64 and the amount of ranking points that he can gain depending on the where he gets to in the world championships?
I think he'd need to get to the Quarter Final at least.

[FOXMULDER]

What matches are being streamed tonight, anyone know?

[lk8]

Thanks for your response (=

Considering his age, he still has a long way to go before settling down as a consistent player on the tour, but it's still promising to see him winning best-of-19s.


yes, he doesn't seemed too bothered about pressure yet, never became negative when behind or under pressure, kept potting the long ones, also potted a very hard half ball black off the side cushion on frame ball with 2 opens reds left in the decider, looks to have great temperament, if he keeps improving and learning, he should become a pretty good top 16 player ...


FOXMULDER: yeah I just checked he's about 4000 odd points behind the #64 provisionally and the point schedule says that you get 5000 points for reaching the quarters... so you're spot on... it will be a very very big ask, but even if he drops off he'll probably get a wildcard somewhere or should be good enough in q school or win some national / regional championships to get back in..

Jimmy White is on now...

[FOXMULDER]

Great, Jimmy's on. That's my evening sorted :)

COME ON JIMMY!

[FOXMULDER]

Jimmy lays a magnificent snooker on the final red, Liu misses, and Jimmy makes a pressure clearance.

5-5

[attilahun]

Chuang fluked a snooker and won the frame...this chinese lad has an incredible run of the balls today....AHHHHHHHHHH

[Rane]

Quote of the evening: "Ohhh......sometimes they call it the cruel game" after Jimmy White potted the black and the white came off two cushion to end in the middle pocket.

[Rane]

In the end it also cost him the frame.

[LittleMissAlexa]

yes, he doesn't seemed too bothered about pressure yet, never became negative when behind or under pressure, kept potting the long ones, also potted a very hard half ball black off the side cushion on frame ball with 2 opens reds left in the decider, looks to have great temperament, if he keeps improving and learning, he should become a pretty good top 16 player

FOXMULDER: yeah I just checked he's about 4000 odd points behind the #64 provisionally and the point schedule says that you get 5000 points for reaching the quarters... so you're spot on... it will be a very very big ask, but even if he drops off he'll probably get a wildcard somewhere or should be good enough in q school or win some national / regional championships to get back in..

Jimmy White is on now...

...
Thanawat wasnt given a wildcard after dropping off the tour last season and he hiot a 147

[LittleMissAlexa]

i mean that as in he was the same age as brecel now

[Rane]

Whatabout Sam Baird and Cao Yupeng then should they have wild cards as well ? Basicly I don´t really like the idea of wild card, and I don´t see it justified that Luca Brecel is in first position for one. Maybe if he goes on to lose in a quarterfinal.

[Rane]

Sad to see White out, but it was one of these matches where I didn´t want to see a loser. But what a long pot Chuang started his matchwinning break from.

[FOXMULDER]

Another crushing disappointment for Jimmy White.

I can't see Davis or White ever making the Top 32 again. They should both retire and play each other in exhibitions up and down the country - I'd go and watch!

[beechy1212]

Another crushing disappointment for Jimmy White.

I can't see Davis or White ever making the Top 32 again. They should both retire and play each other in exhibitions up and down the country - I'd go and watch!

Disagree with that. They are both top 48 or thereabouts. There are a lot of players of similar levels from 20-64. There isn't a lot in it at all. I think its something to be admired the way they both battle on. If they were getting crushed every week, i'd agree but they don't. They both chip away and if they enjoy it, they should carry on playing. A few years ago, White was getting beat every single game and within 1 frame of dropping off the tour. So credit there for bouncing back a bit.

[Mr Snooker]

Well the Final Qualifying for takes place this weekend (14 & 15 April)

This is the line with head to head meetings between the players (Including PTC Head To Heads), not sure if any one is doing a prediction contest for the final round if not feel free to make your predictions


1 Ken Doherty (4) V Anothony Hamilton (5)
2 Dominic Dale (0) V Ben Woollaston (1)
3 Ricky Walden (1) V Jamie Jones (2)
4 Mark Davis (1) V Robert Milkins (2)
5 Ryan Day (0) V Gerard Greene (3)
6 Stephen Hendry (1) V Yu De Lu (0)
7 Tom Ford (0) V Cao Yu Peng (0)
8 Marco Fu (2) V Joe Jogia (0)
9 Mark King (0) V Luca Bracel (0)
10 Marcus Campbell (3) V Liang Wenbo (0)
11 Fergal O' Brien (0) V David Gilbert (0)
12 Jamie Cope (0) V Liu Chaung (0)
13 Barry Hawkins (0) V David Morris (1)
14 Andrew Higginson (0) Peter Lines (3)
15 Pete Ebdon (0) V Alfie Burden (0)
16 Joe Perry (2) V Jamie Burnett (1)

Please let me Know if any head to heads are wrong please

Thanks Phil :snooker:

[Dubliner]

Never saw this coming. Could anyone tell me how he played if they got to see the match?

Last time i seen brecel on live stream he didnt look like he could do much damage, today was a different story (and yesterday) .
He has plenty of talent, but it wasnt only raw potting that won him that match, he seems to have matured a little ,he is no john higgins in safety dept but played a few clever safetys and played the right shot most of the time.

must say he did seem to get the run of the ball throughout the match, having said that ,in the end he didnt struggle gettting over the line whereas i think the pressure got to holt in the last couple of frames...i'd say holt was surprised what was thrown at him, especially as brecel didnt do much all season.

mark 'hard as nuts' king tho will be a different kettle of fish for brecel. will be interesting how brecel handles king's playin style. king will stay there till next tuesday no bother.

good to see davy morris get thru to play hawkins. hawkins is one of the toughest seeds to play in last 48 in my opinion. very consistant and scores heavy. davy obvioulsy needs to up his game a bit i think to win, but now is as good as time as any, he is a talented player and can score with ease when he gets on a run.

[Dubliner]

on the brecel/holt match again...it was a great match to watch plenty of drama.

holt stole a massive fram to go 7-6 behind instead of 8-5 behind. he snookered brecel, brecel hit the ball and went in off. holt dished the last 2 reds and colours, was a sickner for brecel to lose that frame.

it went 7-7 and there was another frame where holt needed the snooker, got it and was on to dish the colours, made a canon on pink/black and unluckly to snooker himself on pink and lost that frame.

then later there was the miss from brecel giving holt 30 points, which was writtent about on twitter...there were some injust acusations about holt regarding the snooker and miss. holt was in massive trouble in a snooker, played a great shot and ended up snookering brecel. in mu opinion holt played the game in good spirits, he knew he could have been out if he got the snooker wrong, but still managed to smile (or grimace!) when he was snookered.....

anyways..it was just one of them unfortunate situations where it was a very difficult snooker to hit, eventually he seen the correct way to hit it and did....but anyone who says holt shouldnt have out the ball back doesnt know what they are on about...

so holt won that frame (after brecel missed a long range brown after needing a snooker himself) and it was down to the decider.

brecel held his nerve better that holt in the last frame and in my opinion deserved the win.

[FerruleFox]

I didn't see the match......why are people criticizing Holt's attitude? Did he have a meltdown or something?

[JP1]

I assume everyone here knows what and why the miss rule was brought in? XXXXXXXXX Pete Williamson should not be refereeing a match in an important tournament such as this.
For a start the snooker laid was on the LAST red and there was no easy option for Luca Brecel to hit the red, in fact it was darn near impossible to hit the red, how XXXXX Williamson can call a deliberate miss in this situation is beyond me, IBSF referee watching the match with me, commented also that Wiliamson should have been asked to leave right there and then, surely this is not the intention of the rule to allow cheats to make use of it, not enough Williamson then re sets the balls in an entirely different location at the urging of that nauseous and totally unacceptable Holt, it appeared to all that these two had made up their mind to screw Brecel by hook or by crook. Michael Holt deserves to be thrown out of the tournament - this guys behaviour is a disgrace and damaging to snookers future prospects. Luca Brecel should simply have refused to play the balls from where XXXXX Williamson placed them. There were many more incidences attesting to XXXXXXX unsuitability and bias as referee, awarding Hold a free ball when clearly there was plenty of room for him to hit the object ball on both sides??? Holt needed three snookers at that time the free "gift" from Williamson allowed him to win that frame with the aid of the free ball. I see that other snooker Associations have taken a very serious view of such refereeing disasters as well and have made their displeasure known to WS and Barry Hearn. All credit to Luca Brecel for coming through and winning in spite of having to beat his opponent AND the referee. Let's hope that Luca will get a competent referee against Mark King because on natural ability Luca should have little trouble with King - Go Luca you are an asset to snooker world - wide, it's cheats like Holt and Williamson that leave a bad taste in every snooker enthusiasts mouth. Ask former world snooker champion Mark Williams what HIS opinion of Michael Holt is?? :mad:



on the brecel/holt match again...it was a great match to watch plenty of drama.

holt stole a massive fram to go 7-6 behind instead of 8-5 behind. he snookered brecel, brecel hit the ball and went in off. holt dished the last 2 reds and colours, was a sickner for brecel to lose that frame.

it went 7-7 and there was another frame where holt needed the snooker, got it and was on to dish the colours, made a canon on pink/black and unluckly to snooker himself on pink and lost that frame.

then later there was the miss from brecel giving holt 30 points, which was writtent about on twitter...there were some injust acusations about holt regarding the snooker and miss. holt was in massive trouble in a snooker, played a great shot and ended up snookering brecel. in mu opinion holt played the game in good spirits, he knew he could have been out if he got the snooker wrong, but still managed to smile (or grimace!) when he was snookered.....

anyways..it was just one of them unfortunate situations where it was a very difficult snooker to hit, eventually he seen the correct way to hit it and did....but anyone who says holt shouldnt have out the ball back doesnt know what they are on about...

so holt won that frame (after brecel missed a long range brown after needing a snooker himself) and it was down to the decider.

brecel held his nerve better that holt in the last frame and in my opinion deserved the win.

[Dubliner]

Can someone get a still of video of the original snooker?

It didnt look like brecel could make the shot he 1st tried, and if it was on there was barely enough room for the ball to squeeze thru.

When he did hit it, i missed him playing the shot, but i know the white came down the table and hit the red fullish, so it looked like he hit the top cush with side ,now at 1st it didnt look like this was on but obviously it was...

holts view is brecel played the wrong shot each time and thats why he put it back...regardless of that, even in some cases where the miss rule seems alittle unfair, its not really the players fault is it? I mean any player could be on the wrong side of one of these decisions so if it happens to be in your favour then you got to take it.

i dont agree with you jp1 that holt was unsporting....maby just used his expericence giving his opinion of where he thought the black was? i mean if the referee is incompetant then he could have put the black back in favour of brecel or holt...

i dont know holt or the ref personally, maby he is not the best ref going , i dont know, but jp why dont you back your arguement up with examples of the ref's incompetance instead of making references to how big he is?

[Dubliner]

I didn't see the match......why are people criticizing Holt's attitude? Did he have a meltdown or something?

Brecel was in a very tough snooker, when replacing the black holt had a word with the ref of where he thought the black was...some people thought he was trying to get an advantage..

in my opinion i dont think he was trying to get an advantage...i suppose he is more experience than brecel, maby brecel should have insisted on black being slight different, its very hard to say just from watching the stream of it..

bottom line was ...holt got a lucky snooker that was sh*t hard to get out of...he put it back as he was entitled to and like i believe all other pro's woudl have done as well

holt attitude seemed to be ok overall throughout the match..he defo let the pressure get to him in the last 2 frames..

all credit to the young man tho...after all that went on he kept his cool and wasnt afraid to win the game...and after all the drama in the match fair play to him...i hope it makes it thru now, i really enjoyed watching that match and he will be good for the game.

[FerruleFox]

Brecel was in a very tough snooker, when replacing the black holt had a word with the ref of where he thought the black was...some people thought he was trying to get an advantage..

in my opinion i dont think he was trying to get an advantage...i suppose he is more experience than brecel, maby brecel should have insisted on black being slight different, its very hard to say just from watching the stream of it..

bottom line was ...holt got a lucky snooker that was sh*t hard to get out of...he put it back as he was entitled to and like i believe all other pro's woudl have done as well

holt attitude seemed to be ok overall throughout the match..he defo let the pressure get to him in the last 2 frames..

all credit to the young man tho...after all that went on he kept his cool and wasnt afraid to win the game...and after all the drama in the match fair play to him...i hope it makes it thru now, i really enjoyed watching that match and he will be good for the game.

Thanks for the summary. Holt's always struggled with fulfilling his potential but I've never heard of him being unsportsmanlike. I was surprised to hear all the criticism.

It's nice to see Luca doing well. He's a very exciting young talent who could do well on the main tour.

[coomsey76]

It's good to see Luca get through and keep his head after a bit of controversy.......

I've watched him play a couple of times this week and I'm really impressed how much he has come on since I last saw him, he's a great talent!!

I wish him luck against King cause it would be ace to see him play at the crucible!!

[JP1]

That is not the point, it does not matter what Holt thinks, HE IS NOT THE REFEREE if you watched the match live you would have seen that Holt insisted/influenced the referee to come to a decision that benefited him by having the balls incorrectly replaced to make it more difficult for Luca Brecel, this shows either total gutlessness or bias on the referees part, in the situation with one red left and the frame and match at a knifes edge, no referee in the world would call a foul and a miss on a snooker such as this, what the rule requires is for the referee to be satisfied that player B did not make a serious attempt at striking the ball on, the snooker which was obtained by playing a push shot and was as you correctly point out a fluke, was in the bracket of "un-hitable" and hence should only have been called a foul, Holt could then have chosen to play the ball from where it finished or request Brecel to play the shot again.
Alan Chamberlain has a very similar situation in a match he refereed only a few weeks earlier, also only one red left with the frame delicately poised, Alan correctly called a foul but NO MISS This debacle with Pete Williamson who even struggles to get the balls back in position and to post the correct scores must not be allowed to be repeated, retire him he is obviously not up to it. And that really is the best anyone can say about him.


Can someone get a still of video of the original snooker?

It didnt look like brecel could make the shot he 1st tried, and if it was on there was barely enough room for the ball to squeeze thru.

When he did hit it, i missed him playing the shot, but i know the white came down the table and hit the red fullish, so it looked like he hit the top cush with side ,now at 1st it didnt look like this was on but obviously it was...

holts view is brecel played the wrong shot each time and thats why he put it back...regardless of that, even in some cases where the miss rule seems alittle unfair, its not really the players fault is it? I mean any player could be on the wrong side of one of these decisions so if it happens to be in your favour then you got to take it.

i dont agree with you jp1 that holt was unsporting....maby just used his expericence giving his opinion of where he thought the black was? i mean if the referee is incompetant then he could have put the black back in favour of brecel or holt...

i dont know holt or the ref personally, maby he is not the best ref going , i dont know, but jp why dont you back your arguement up with examples of the ref's incompetance instead of making references to how big he is?

[SnookerFan]

Wouldn't it be immense of Luca Brecel qualified for The Crucible? Partly because he's young, talented and Belgian. Also, because Mark King is a bit of a tit.

[JP1]

I agree, let's hope Luca Brecel get's a decent referee this time, hard enough to beat your opponent without having to beat the referee as well.
Justice prevailed this time, but that doe snot make it right what Pete Williamson did and Barry Heran will need tolook into this.
For those that have not seen the match here are two pictures, A - shows the situation Brecel found himself in, as you can see the red is impossible to hit even with the long stuff and tons of side, far to close to the black, the only shot left was the one he played raising the cue and attempting to get between black and cushion to reach the red, the distance of black from cushion was 1-1/2 balls width or about 75mm

Picture B - shows where Hold demanded that Pete Williamson places the balls, again it requires little to see that this completely closed the door to the shot Luca attempted, his subsequent round the table attempt hit first blue then green, both balls also totally incorrectly replaced by Williamson, which underlines his incompetence as he obviously had no idea where any of the balls where even seconds after they had been struck?? which is unbelievable.
Lucas eventual escape was only made possible by Williamson having replaced the green incorrectly to open the path to the red vis the bottom rail with check side, a freak shot really, and after 30+ penalty points awarded to Holt.

The mere fact that Williamson was unable to locate the original position is bad enough, but knowing this, how then can he justify calling a foul and a miss???

You are really only left with two possibilities, cheating or incompetence, and I ask you is either acceptable in the biggest tournament in snooker in the world? I don't99449945 think so.

[Capelito]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wABwCT2MyQ

Part of the Holt-Brecel incident, shame the whole thing isn't there..
I think it's quite bad descition to call a miss, but don't really think Holt is acting incorrect. And what about Brecel picking up a ball from pocket and using it to see how big gap there is? What does the rules say about that?

[Guy3103]

It was very ugly and I was sure this is going to have a bad impact on Luca going into the last and deciding frame... Holt definitely didn't deserve winning this and I'm very glad Luca ended up in the final qualifying round. The referee was a disaster that's for sure!!!!

[coomsey76]

The referee was a disaster that's for sure!!!!

It definitely wasn't the best refereeing in the world, I can't believe when the blue was hit and Holt asked for the balls to be replaced he then put back on its spot no were near it original position......Oops!!

[nrage]

You are really only left with two possibilities, cheating or incompetence, and I ask you is either acceptable in the biggest tournament in snooker in the world? I don't thinks [s]o.

Where did you get those images? From the live stream or.. (I'm just curious).

I too thought the balls were replaced incorrectly, with much less space below the black. It should have been obvious from Brecel's first choice of escape, which is reasonable (if hard) given situation A and a bit crazy given situation B. Once he was in situation B the only option was likely the one he eventually chose - which actually gave a better result than I believe he would have gotten, had his first attempt "worked". If he managed his first escape he was actually fairly likely to leave a pot on to the right corner.

It was obvious that the ref was having a hard time remembering where the balls needed to go back, just look at the blue later in that series of escapes - it was nowhere near where it needed to be.

Given that, he had to rely on the players and as it's not Holt's job to remember where the balls are, he could be forgiven for getting it wrong. I would not leap to accuse him of intentionally "cheating". As he is older and more experienced and likely has a more forceful personality than Luca (who by all accounts is fairly shy/quiet) it's no wonder the referee deferred to him. So, I don't think there was any cheating or corruption involved, but I do think Luca got the rough end of the stick in that situation.

Given that, it's a credit to Luca for the way he played the rest of the match. He didn't let his misfortune get the better of him, he just played his game and took the match.

So, I would be taking a hard look at the referee in terms of competence, but not corruption. Maybe he is no longer up to the job at hand, maybe it was a long day and he was tired, we are after all only human. As an aside, it's not like there are am surfeit of qualified referees just waiting to have a go.. so perhaps he is the best there is on offer.

[scapps42]

Just a quick question , will Luca Brecel be off the main tour next season as he is sure to finish outside the top 64 , or has he got a two year ticket?

[Capelito]

Where did you get those images? From the live stream or.. (I'm just curious).

Not really for me to answer, but by watching the youtube clip, wich not shows the first attempt, it is pretty obvious that the balls are not placed as in any of those pictures in the later attempts...

[tomw]

Just a quick question , will Luca Brecel be off the main tour next season as he is sure to finish outside the top 64 , or has he got a two year ticket?

No one has a two year ticket for the moment (yet).
If Luca finishes outside the top 64, he'll have to give Q School a go. I don't think he'll receive a wild card two years in a row...

But hey, he's still in the Worlds, he can still make the top 64! (although I don't know exactly how far he has to come...)

[eWil]

I think Brecel will need at least 5,000 points - which equals reaching the final... - to stand a chance of getting into the top 64.

However, if Brecel were to qualify for the Crucible as the youngest player ever this weekend, I see no reason why World Snooker would not offer him another wild card for next season.

[tomw]

Let's hope so, that would be good (to use an understatement) for snooker in Belgium!

[nrage]

Not really for me to answer, but by watching the youtube clip, wich not shows the first attempt, it is pretty obvious that the balls are not placed as in any of those pictures in the later attempts...

I don't think that youtube clip shows the first attempt, but I can't be sure. My recollection, and the commentary make me think this is the 2nd attempt..

[Dubliner]

I don't think that youtube clip shows the first attempt, but I can't be sure. My recollection, and the commentary make me think this is the 2nd attempt..

yes ,i dont thinkn its the 1st attempt as there was less points difference between them on the 1st attempt.

[Dubliner]

I agree, let's hope Luca Brecel get's a decent referee this time, hard enough to beat your opponent without having to beat the referee as well.
Justice prevailed this time, but that doe snot make it right what Pete Williamson did and Barry Heran will need tolook into this.
For those that have not seen the match here are two pictures, A - shows the situation Brecel found himself in, as you can see the red is impossible to hit even with the long stuff and tons of side, far to close to the black, the only shot left was the one he played raising the cue and attempting to get between black and cushion to reach the red, the distance of black from cushion was 1-1/2 balls width or about 75mm

Picture B - shows where Hold demanded that Pete Williamson places the balls, again it requires little to see that this completely closed the door to the shot Luca attempted, his subsequent round the table attempt hit first blue then green, both balls also totally incorrectly replaced by Williamson, which underlines his incompetence as he obviously had no idea where any of the balls where even seconds after they had been struck?? which is unbelievable.
Lucas eventual escape was only made possible by Williamson having replaced the green incorrectly to open the path to the red vis the bottom rail with check side, a freak shot really, and after 30+ penalty points awarded to Holt.

The mere fact that Williamson was unable to locate the original position is bad enough, but knowing this, how then can he justify calling a foul and a miss???

You are really only left with two possibilities, cheating or incompetence, and I ask you is either acceptable in the biggest tournament in snooker in the world? I don't99449945 thinks o.

Where you there watching the match live? The pictures you posted are of a club table so obviously you set the balls like this for an example.

If we could get a still from the video of the 1st attempt ,then we could make a better judgment on how the balls were to begin with, and i'm sure some player posters or even some pro's mights comment on if there was an actual route to get out of the snooker.

I know what your saying about the ref, he did make some mistakes with replacing the balls...

as another poster said, if brecel had escaped the 1st way he tried he would have left the red on...

possible escape (long shot still) play the white into the angle of left middle pocket to bring white into right side cussion and over to hit the red.

i suppose would be interesting to hear what the other pro ref's would have done here..?

[pottr]

I watched the game live.

There was enough room for the young lad to play the shot he attempted, but he made a mess of it on the first try.

The ref made an error in replacing the balls following the miss meaning the shot he'd settled on originally wasn't on. A human error, simple. Forgivable since Luca won though.

It should have been called a miss because he hit it within a few attempts of playing around the angles, which I was screaming at my laptop for him to do from the start.

Glad he won, Michael Holt was very disrespectful. Luca may have been fortunate with where he left his missed shots but you're not forced to leave your opponent anything. I think if Holt didn't act like such a colossal twat and maintained his composure, he would have won the tie comfortably,

I'd like to see Luca beat King but on that form he's got his work cut out for sure and will struggle to get 5 frames on the board. Hopefully he moves up the gears.

[nrage]

yes ,i dont thinkn its the 1st attempt as there was less points difference between them on the 1st attempt.

Dead right (why didn't I think to check the scores) IIRC the commentator said at one stage that Luca was in fact ahead before the first escape, but he might have been wrong about that. I think Holt was 1 point ahead, and if you take 7 points off Holt's score (1 foul on the black) that would make sense.

[Odrl]

I watched the game live.

Did you hear what was being said as they were replacing the balls? Did Holt oppose Brecel's suggestion to put the black further away from the cushion?

[pottr]

Yes, the ref was stuck in the middle.

Even the commentator alluded to the fact that he thought Luca was being hard done by.

[FOXMULDER]

I think Brecel will need at least 5,000 points - which equals reaching the final... - to stand a chance of getting into the top 64.

No, he would get the 5000 points he needs by reaching the Quarter Final.

Anyway, he will get the wildcard.

[jonplayer]

What struck me was that in the next frame when Luca fluked a snooker that was really easy to get out of Holt spent about 30 seconds smiling and shaking his head like he couldn't believe his bad luck!! He was only still in the match because of a fluke snooker!
In contrast the whole time Luca was trying to escape from that horrible snooker (and battling with the balls being miss-placed) he was calm and relaxed. He didn't bemoan the situation but simply tried to escape from it. Full respect to Luca, If I was his age in that position I would have smeared the balls all over the table and told the ref to "sort that lot out". Tragic that once again Holt has let his attitude get in the way.