The World Grand Prix Mar 16-22, 2015

[Byrom]

Well i go

Davis vs Bingham
Dott vs O'Sullivan
Gould vs Ebdon
Williams vs Trump

Just to be difficult

[Neil Taperell]

You could retire if you placed a bet on that happening !

[Odrl]

Oh, are we making predictions? Count me in. :smile:

Davis vs Bingham: Tough one to call. Bingham has won most of their more important matches, including a major ranking semi-final and a 2nd round match at the Crucible, but Davis did win in Australia this season. Bingham's first two matches here weren't televised, so it's tough to judge his form really, and we didn't see Davis' strong performance against Fu either. We did see him against Robertson though, and while he was a little lucky with Robertson's tentative play towards the end, he still showed a lot of heart and bottle to come from 3-1 down and win in the end. This match has 4-3 written all over it, but I think Bingham starts as a very slight favourite.

Dott vs O'Sullivan: Two days ago Phil Yates was going on about how O'Sullivan doesn't enjoy playing Dott, but if you look at their head-to-head over the course of their career, O'Sullivan is comfortably ahead. Dott did beat him in the semi-finals of both major events he's won though, the 2006 World Championship and the 2007 China Open, both very strong performances. They've only met in one major match since, O'Sullivan winning 5-0, and that was more than five years ago now. I don't think O'Sullivan will particularly struggle with Dott's style today. In fact, I would say Dott probably plays a little too fast for his own good these days. He doesn't really get scared of opponents though, so he will fully believe he can win, and I would expect him to take his chances when he gets them, like he did with that lovely little break in the decider against Higgins. I liked O'Sullivan's win over Lawler at the start of the week, he quickly realized his opponent was up for it and responded with some good snooker, which is a good sign, compared to his performance in Wales. His win over Milkins was guaranteed, so I don't think he will take much from it, and he knows today will be a good test. I expect O'Sullivan to prevail, 4-2 perhaps.

Gould vs Ebdon: This is the one I am struggling with the most. I thought Ebdon played quite well against Murphy, but it certainly helped that Murphy was completely unable to get in with long pots, so Ebdon got away with more than he would have normally. He lost the first frame on the black after a good clearance from Murphy, but responded very well, and again when he lost a tight 6th frame he went on to make a total clearance in the decider. We didn't see his 4-1 win over Maguire, but we know Maguire has been playing well, so that must have been a good win. Gould played fairly well against Selby, he also made a nice response after a good break from his opponent in the opening frame. A lot of players would have faltered after Selby started coming back, but Gould held his nerve, somewhat surprisingly perhaps, and he certainly has the game to win today. Their head-to-head is mostly PTCs and short format crap, with Gould having the edge, and Gould also won their biggest match to date, 4-2 in the Welsh Open three years ago. A 4-3 either way would be nice here, but I will go for Ebdon to win.

Williams vs Trump: Match of the round, surely. Williams had two pretty strong opponents, so I was surprised neither of his matches were televised. He overcame Day with a help of a massive fluke in the decider, then won another 4-3, this time finishing with two big breaks in the last two frames. He has had a series of semi-finals recently, so it looks like he has got used to winning again, which is a great sign for him. He played Trump in the last two tournament as well, both in the best-of-7 format, and he won both times, 4-1 in Wales and 4-3 in India. Is Trump due a win against him now? Certainly the most impressive player this week for me, particularly in terms of scoring, with a series of big breaks in his matches against Dale and Perry. If he starts getting in with long pots today, I would expect him to prevail. Trump to win 4-2.

I would have preferred best-of-9s at this stage, but it should still be a decent day. :smile:

[neuronic]

Hm, that LiveAll stream is awfully delayed again or is it just me? Only one on, though...

[jrc750]

Terrible standard so far, makes me feel better about my game tho

[billabong]

Terrible standard so far, makes me feel better about my game tho

LOL, I know the feeling.

I thought of hiring myself out to companies who regularly include a round of golf into the negotiation of business deals. .

My normal round of 148 would always leave them feeling about 10 shots better than their handicap. .

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[bigandyg]

LOL, I know the feeling.

I thought of hiring myself out to companies who regularly include a round of golf into the negotiation of business deals. .

My normal round of 148 would always leave them feeling about 10 shots better than their handicap. .

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I take it you have been practising at the golf Bill.

[jrc750]

I'm gonna go wash the car instead, painful to watch this

[daffie]

Well what a hell of a match that was Anyway, onwards to the next it is then...

[billabong]

I take it you have been practising at the golf Bill.

Only played 5 times. . Last time I was out in 76 & in, in 78 .

The weather was nice though, so the walk did me good.

[robertmac]

Nice breaks by both Ebdon and then Gould to
make it 1-1. Interesting match.

I didnt get to see the 1st match but I see it
was Bingham 4-0.

[Billy]

Arrgh! Ebdon frustrates me. Not for the usual reason, but because he's his own worst enemy.

If he'd just lighten up and stop being so intense and serious, and play at a more natural, flowing pace, he'd be twice the player he is.

[crocodile]

Arrgh! Ebdon frustrates me. Not for the usual reason, but because he's his own worst enemy.

If he'd just lighten up and stop being so intense and serious, and play at a more natural, flowing pace, he'd be twice the player he is.

That's one of the things that's bugged him over the years and prevented him from achieving better results. Basically he's an excellent player, but unfortunately he blows it too often.

[Billy]

That's one of the things that's bugged him over the years and prevented him from achieving better results. Basically he's an excellent player, but unfortunately he blows it too often.

Well if he knows what the problem is, why doesn't he just lighten up and play his natural game like I suggest?

[robertmac]

Great to see Gould advance as he doesnt usually
make it this far.
I am wondering how Dott will do against O'Sullivan.
Dott seems to just go out and play his game regardless
of who he is playing. I hope its a close match.
Maybe this is Trump's turn to advance. Time will tell.