International Championship 2015 - Discussion

[j6uk]

9-0 or 9-3 higgins, monies going on

close, but no cigar

[Odrl]

Never in doubt really, well done to John Higgins. He now has a chance to win his third major event of 2015, which seemed unthinkable even a year ago. And he has been quite lucky with his final opponents as well, Woollaston, Gould and now Gilbert. But of course he still needs to do the business. :smile:

[DeanH]

International Championship 2015 - Discussion

it did start at 11.30 UK and is on now on British Eurosport

anyone else with a working stream?

[Skypigeon]

Doesn't seem to work for me....I thought the second session would start att 11.30....maybe I was wrong! I'll try to hook up later! Thanks!

[DeanH]

International Championship 2015 - Discussion

try snookerroom.tv for the live semifinal

[Skypigeon]

thanks but I want a live stream and it seems ony to have old ones?

[DeanH]

where can I find streaming for Higgins's quarter??

assuming you mean the match against Perry and not the live one on now
probably available here

https://www.youtube.com/user/Snookerroomru/videos

[Skypigeon]

where can I find streaming for Higgins's quarter??

[Odrl]

Lovely session of snooker. Great start from Higgins, and that clearance to take a 5-1 lead would have broken most people's resolve, but Selby once again did brilliantly to limit his losses. He is still in the match at only 5-3 down. I am still going for a narrow Higgins win, but it could go either way. Looking forward to the second session. :smile:

[motorhead]

Higgins getting two kicks when he was in for the match in both of the last two frames, and Selby winning yet another decider at the Masters, helped immensely by a superb snooker he played behind the green close to the baulk cushion...

Oh yea I remember that, thanks for reminding me! I was celebrating so much haha.
True John's been impressive, I still give a littlle hedge to Selby but looks like it could be close indeed. Hoping for 9-6/9-7 for Mark

[DeanH]

International Championship 2015 - Discussion

as I have said before I have a soft spot for David Gilbert as he was the first pro player I met live and also he was the player I saw on the first pro match I saw live and have followed his matches online since.
He has a good attitude on and off the table and this week's results show solid background of practice and control.
Definitely time to shine
Whoever he plays on Sunday will be a massive event for him and I'm sure he can continue his current form.
Who wins tomorrow? difficult to call :wink:

[j6uk]

9-0 or 9-3 higgins, monies going on

[Odrl]

So, who do you think is going to win tomorrow?

A best-of-17 between two of the best players in the world, so it should be one of the highlights of the season outside of the WC and the major finals, as was last year's semi between Allen and Williams. Higgins and Selby have met in quite a few memorable matches over the years, my favourite being the quarter-final of the 2009 World Championship, which saw Selby open with three successive centuries, before Higgins got back into the match with some superb snooker of his own. The rest of the match was very close through, and the quality of safety play was some of the best I can remember in the time I've been watching snooker, particularly in the final session. I think the decider was re-racked twice and ultimately won by Higgins in a single visit. The 2007 World final was a cracking match as well, Higgins leading 12-4 after the first day, but Selby came back very strongly on Monday to get within a frame at 14-13. He never got much of a chance after that though, as Higgins played superbly in the last four frames to close out the match. Selby has had the better of their rivalry in the 2007-2010 period, but unfortunately they have only met in one proper match since then, in the Masters two seasons ago. You may remember that match as well, Higgins getting two kicks when he was in for the match in both of the last two frames, and Selby winning yet another decider at the Masters, helped immensely by a superb snooker he played behind the green close to the baulk cushion...

Anyway, the balance of power is a little different these days. Selby is the world number one, while Higgins is recovering after a period of fairly poor results. I say "recovering", but of course he holds two major titles now, having won the Welsh Open last season and the Australian Open at the start of this season, while Selby is the reigning German Masters and China Open champion. Higgins has impressed me slightly more this week. At one point he won 16 frames in a row over the course of three matches, the highlight probably being his performance against Murphy. His potting and scoring form is definitely back, and he seems to be in a very attacking mood, taking on a lot of difficult pots and getting them, such as the crazy pink he got to win the final frame of his match against Perry. On the other hand, Selby's match against Robertson wasn't the classic we were expecting, and Selby kind of lost his composure a little after failing to push on from 4-2 up, which is unlike him. He has a habit of raising his game when it matters most though, so I expect him to be up for it tomorrow.

History shows that whenever Higgins brings his A-game to a match, he generally wins, regardless of how his opponent is playing. I think he is close to his best this week, certainly closer than Selby is. But then again, players of Higgins' age are prone to inconsistency, and sometimes they just struggle for no apparent reason. Higgins' record in major semi-finals is superb though, so I would make him favourite to win tomorrow. I will go for a 9-7, although I would prefer a 9-8 either way. Hoping for a classic... :smile:

[j6uk]

gilberts a very nice player, good temperment, scores heavy always at the table, and you can see he practices hard. you dont look that good in the balls without the work. j robertson, burns, are a few other talents with hard games

[Byrom]

that was poor planning on your part SF :wink-new:

Gilbert has jumped from #41 to 21 and if he wins could squeeze into the top 16!
what a week for him!

Yeah he done well in last few events and I see in interview he credits his new cue - been a pro 10 years and finally gets his reward which is fantastic - he says the money he has earned is life changing for him and his wife - sounds like a really nice bloke and although a big underdog I hope he goes out there and does himself proud.