2013 World Snooker Championship

First topic message reminder :

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND

(Seeded players are in brackets)

(1) Ronnie O'Sullivan v Marcus Campbell

(16) Ali Carter v Ben Woollaston

(9) Stuart Bingham v Sam Baird

(8) John Higgins v Mark Davis

(5) Shaun Murphy v Martin Gould

(12) Graeme Dott v Peter Ebdon

(13) Matthew Stevens v Marco Fu

(4) Judd Trump v Dominic Dale

(3) Neil Robertson v Robert Milkins

(14) Ricky Walden v Michael Holt

(11) Mark Williams v Michael White

(6) Stephen Maguire v Dechawat Poomjaeng

(7) Mark Allen v Mark King

(10) Ding Junhui v Alan McManus

(15) Barry Hawkins v Jack Lisowski

(2) Mark Selby v Matthew Selt

It's all going swimmingly for Carter and Selby

The Special Juan wrote:I think it was because of the big earthquake in China. Fu and Ding had no walk-on music this morning and now they've cancelled the music for the rest of the day.

Ahh ok thanks, thought maybe it was something snooker related you were talking about

If Poomjaeng takes out Mags, young Michael White might fancy his chances of the quarters, although in all honesty I'd back him to beat Maguire on this form.

Why is Mags bad tempered

Just remembered one of my snooker uni friends (out of a course of 40, a high proportion of snooker fans! including 1 female!) doesn't like him, and I think for that reason!

I don't know why he's bad tempered. Maybe it's just his personality and when players grind against him or when he plays badly it really annoys him. I find him interesting because you never really know when he's going to do something stupid through frustration.

Poomjaeng's certainly a character. Poor Mags looks fit to explode. What a nice man!!

Do you think he was happy?

Anyone see Dotts interview regarding slow play ?

I heard about it. I'm about 20% with him but slow play is part of snooker's heritage. Players like Cliff Thorburn and Tel are famous for being slow. I think shot clocks would cheapen the events and, although I'd love to see Rory McLeod chucked out, I don't think shot clocks are needed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIyfLTFrN_U

I think it's a great test of a player's character to triumph over someone who deliberately plays slow. Dott did well to overcome the boredom of watching Ebdon play, it shows he has the right mental attitude for winning big tournaments. I'd rather slow play stayed in the game, because it actually helps the elite to improve, if you follow me.

Not sure I did actually

To be honest I think Dott was more cheesed off with Ebdon going out of the arena between frames and being away for three, four and even five minutes at a time. That is when he was having a moan at the ref as far as I could see.

I am with TSJ in that shot clocks are a bad thing. Deliberate slow play can be eliminated without it by the ref having a word with any player taking excessively long between shots such as a minute or so within reason.

Well he made the comment about Ebdon taking a minute on a shot, something like "he's played the game for 25 years, he knows the shot he's going to play, I know the shot he's going to play, the crowd knows the shot he's going to play, but he still takes a minute to play the shot".

Just ban Peter Ebdon and have done with it.

Yes that is true Azzy he did say that. I do think he was exasperated as well at the time Ebdon was taking out between frames. As for Ebdon I don't feel it is gamesmanship. It is more a case of his lack of confidence/poor form that manifests itself in this way. He will know what shot he wants to play but it may just take him longer to fully commit to the shot and work things out from there. Sort of like not being able to see the wood for the trees.

I know how hard it can be to break-build in your head. When I was a kid I could see 7,8 sometimes even 10 shots down the line. I haven't played since I got married in 2009, but back then I could only see the next 3/4 shots. I imagine it's quite a shock to Ebdon's system that he's not cut out for the elite level of competition any more.

I suppose as well that he finds it tougher now trying to compete at a level when his own form has dipped. The competitor inside him probably is a vast help but the fluency isn't there and neither is the rhythm.

7-4 Trump but Dale with a chance to bring it back to 7-5. I think Dom needs to get a new stylist too, he's not very sleek right now.

And McManus with a chance for 7-4 too

McManus has to win this frame to keep his hopes alive me thinks. He has had enough chances and it will hurt if he loses it. As I type that he gets an enormous fluke and that should be 5-7.

Domnishambles. I loved his shirt though; it was phenomenal.

It's a sad day for snooker when one of the world's greatest hairdo/waistcoat combos has to rely on a snazzy shirt for a style pickup. I think that's why he lost

I was a bit disappointed there was no pink waistcoat or stylish haircut. There's always next year!!

Whoa, Ding's English is infinitely better than the last time I heard. Superb

Angles

Matt Selt is a funny looking thing.

Not compared to Dechawat "Not a full shilling" Poomjaeng...

Azzy Mahmood wrote:Not compared to Dechawat "Not a full shilling" Poomjaeng...

i kept thinking of a Charlton Heston film while watching him .

He's not the best looking person ever.....


It's not looking good for Matchu Stevens at all. 8-3 down, should have been 9-3.

Wonderful clearance form Stevens what good it will do him........

That extension of his has seen better days.

Not a lot apparently. Matchu's had that extension for as long as I've seen him play. I don't think they'd sell anything like that these days so maybe he can't replaced the battered old thing.

Yeah all they do now is screw in a smaller bit to the existing cue. Don't even see much of the plastic verson with the blue bit in the middle to extend it further these days.

And as for the fishing tackle.........I'm not even convinced they're at the side of the table for decoration any more. Seem to remember them saying they'd been removed. Have to keep an eye out to see.

Well that's Stevens gone for another year now...

In all honesty he's done absolutely nothing to make me think he ever had a chance of winning the match. I had this "upset" (on paper only) down too

I've got it. Marco Fu is like Wigan Athletic - He can go from the sublime to the ridiculous in a single session.

Maguire makes me laugh. About Poomjaeng: "I've never seen him before". He must have forgotten that Poomjaeng beat him the only other time they've played. Dechawat reminds me a bit of Rune David from the BDO World Championship.

The Special Juan wrote:Maguire makes me laugh. About Poomjaeng: "I've never seen him before". He must have forgotten that Poomjaeng beat him the only other time they've played. Dechawat reminds me a bit of Rune David from the BDO World Championship.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Except Poomy can play.

True!! I hope Rune's back next year though for the sheer madness he brings to the stage. Maybe he'll be good when he turns up?

I'd like to see Dom v Poomjaeng. There would be too much happiness on show.

Wow, there's a lot of Frankie Goes to Hollywood This Year (assuming Dotty still plays "Two Tribes" when he walks out).

Come on Selby (and Bingham)!!

Have I gone back in time or has there been a re-rack?

I must say - Angles was a joy to watch this morning.

Really good safety battles between him and Ding - very unlucky to lose by that much!

Pretty pathetic comments by Maguire - apparently saying the Thai player wasn't a full shilling. Totally classless Steven I am afraid. Lose with god grace please.

The tournaments going ok so far but we've not had something massive like a really close match or a 147 to get it going. However, 3 breaks of over 140 in the first few days isn't too bad. Round 2 begins tomorrow with the rest of the first round matches being finished off.

Fingers crossed for Dotty against cocky Shaun Murphy.

I want Dotty to win but I'm not as anti-Murphy as I used to be; in fact I've warmed to him slightly. He's such a superb player when on form and he does seem like a really nice bloke, if slightly cocky and smug. He does a lot for snooker off the table, I think, plus he ran that half-marathon last year. Still, m'on Dotty!

Yes similarly I am not a Murphy-hater or anything. I would just love to see Dotty win.

I've just had a look at the rankings. At the end of the tournament, although unlikely, it is possible that Higgins, MJW and Ronald could all be out of the Top 16.

Certainly seems to be a changing of the guard. As you posted up last night who you wouldn't mind seeing win the tournie TSJ then here are my choices. Graeme Dott (had a tough few years personally and love his gritty displays), Mark Selby (top notch player and like the humour he instils in his game and also admire him for getting under Ronnie's skin and not afraid to stand up to him), Judd Trump (would be good to see him emerge as a star of the future) and Ding (done a lot to promote the sport in China).

How awkward is it when only one person claps?

Both matches have started tentatively; nothing potted yet.

Could be here a while with this opening frame

Meanwhile Murphy and Dotty sharey the openy twoy frameys.

Milkins takes it, it's 5-5 and I have to go.