World Snooker Championships - The Draw

The draw for the World Championships is as follows:-

Mark Selby (Eng) v Kurt Maflin (Nor)
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Anthony McGill (Sco)
Joe Perry (Eng) v Zhang Anda (Chn)
Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Robin Hull (Fin)
Barry Hawkins (Eng) v Matthew Selt (Eng)
Mark Allen (NI) v Ryan Day (Wal)
Ali Carter (Eng) v Alan McManus (Sco)
Neil Robertson (Aus) v Jamie Jones (Wal)
Ding Junhui (Chn) v Mark Davis (Eng)
John Higgins (Sco) v Robert Milkins (Eng)
Marco Fu (HK) v Jimmy Robertson (Eng)
Judd Trump (Eng) v Stuart Carrington (Eng)
Ricky Walden (Eng) v Graeme Dott (Sco)
Stuart Bingham (Eng) v Robbie Williams (Eng)
Mark Williams (Wal) v Matthew Stevens (Wal)
Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Craig Steadman (Eng)

A real snoozefest of a draw I'm afraid. Hawkins/Selt, Carter/McManus, Walden/Dott, Fu/Robertson and Perry/anyone ( it just happens to be Anda ) all have 'stinker' written all over them.
Hopefully Milkins gets off to the good start he needs to give Higgins an argument. Good to see Robin Hull back. I honestly thought he had jacked it in. Would love to see Williams/Stevens go to the wire but fully expect strolls for Junhui, O'Sullivan, Trump & Selby.
As they say, bring it on. As for all of those countless hordes who claim that snooker is booooooring ( most of whom I guarantee, just like golf-haters,  have never picked up a cue or a club in their life ), well you've another 243 channels to choose from.

Nothing will ever beat the year that Dott drew Ebdon in the first round. In football cliches, that was one for the purists.

Looking forward to it this year; can't see anyone but Selby or RoS winning it though. Selby could be the one to break the first timers curse.

JDizzle wrote:Nothing will ever beat the year that Dott drew Ebdon in the first round. In football cliches, that was one for the purists.

I'll get shot down in flames for this but what the heck - I enjoyed that final. Sure a lot of the frames were long drawn out affairs but that was more down to the sheer quality of the safety play and the tactical nature of the frames.

As for this year - the winner will come from Mark Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan or John Higgins.

CaledonianCraig wrote:

JDizzle wrote:Nothing will ever beat the year that Dott drew Ebdon in the first round. In football cliches, that was one for the purists.

I'll get shot down in flames for this but what the heck - I enjoyed that final. Sure a lot of the frames were long drawn out affairs but that was more down to the sheer quality of the safety play and the tactical nature of the frames.

As for this year - the winner will come from Mark Selby, Ronnie O'Sullivan or John Higgins.

The final was okay, they were both near their best so they could get away with some tactical play. The first round in 2013 (ish) between them was hideous! The same level of negative play, but without the potting or break building to make is passable. Of course, it saves me hours of revision so it had that going for it!