Welsh Open 2008 A

WELSH OPEN FORMAT

12 Dec 2007 20:24:00
www.worldsnooker.com

Below is the schedule for the event to be held at the Newport Centre between February 11-17.

Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be bought by calling 01633 656 757.

For the full draw click above

Monday 11 February

12pm
1 - Jamie Cope x Jimmy Michie (Alan Chamberlain) - 5-4
8 - Ian McCulloch x Drew Henry (Colin Humphries) - 5-1
14 - Dave Harold x Rod Lawler (Pete Williamson) - 5-4

3 - Mark King x Andrew Norman (Michaela Tabb) - 5-1
6 - Stuart Bingham x Matt Selt (John Pellow) - 5-2
9 - Nigel Bond x Michael Judge (Brendan Moore) - 4-5
11 - Mark Allen x David Gilbert (Andy Yates) - 5-4

7pm
10 - Anthony Hamilton x Andrew Higginson (Colin Humphries) - 2-5
12 - Michael Holt x Joe Delaney (Alan Chamberlain) - 5-4
15 - Gerard Greene x Marcus Campbell (Andy Yates) - 3-5
16 - Barry Hawkins x David Roe (Pete Williamson) - 2-5

Tuesday 12 February

1pm
4 - Joe Swail x Judd Trump (Andy Yates) - 2-5
13 - Dominic Dale x Alan McManus (Eirian Williams) - 2-5
17 - Neil Robertson x Jamie Cope (Michaela Tabb) - 5-1
30 - Mark Selby x Dave Harold (John Pellow) - 5-2

7 - Marco Fu x Adrian Gunnell (Peter Williamson) - 5-3
19 - Steve Davis x Mark King (Colin Humphries) - 5-3
25 - Graeme Dott x Michael Judge (Alan Chamberlain) - 4-5
27 - Ryan Day x Mark Allen (Jan Verhaas) - 5-2

7pm
2 - Matthew Stevens x Tian Pengfei (Michaela Tabb) - 4-5
5 - Joe Perry x John Parrott (Andy Yates) - 5-2
22 - Stephen Maguire x Stuart Bingham (John Pellow) - 4-5
32 - John Higgins x David Roe (Eirian Williams) - 5-3

Wednesday 13 February

1pm
20 - Ronnie O'Sullivan x Judd Trump (Jan Verhaas) - 5-3 :-)
26 - Stephen Lee x Andrew Higginson (Colin Humphries) - 5-3
29 - Ken Doherty x Alan McManus (Brendan Moore) - 5-3

18 - Ali Carter x Tian Pengfei (Eirian Williams) - 5-2
28 - Stephen Hendry x Michael Holt (Michaela Tabb) - 5-1
31 - Ding Junhui x Marcus Campbell (Peter Williamson) - 5-4

7pm
21 - Peter Ebdon x Joe Perry (Colin Humphries) - 1-5
23 - Mark Williams x Marco Fu (Jan Verhaas) - 5-4
24 - Shaun Murphy x Ian McCulloch (Brendan Moore) - 5-3

Thursday 14 February

1pm
Ronnie O'Sullivan x Steve Davis (Eirian Williams) - 5-3 :-)
Ken Doherty x Mark Selby (Peter Williamson) - 2-5
Joe Perry x Stuart Bingham (Colin Humphries) - 5-2

not before 2.30pm
Ryan Day x Stephen Hendry (Brendan Moore) - 4-5
Ali Carter x Neil Robertson (Jan Verhaas) - 5-3
Stephen Lee x Michael Judge (Michaela Tabb) - 5-2

not before 7pm
Ding Junhui x John Higgins (Colin Humphries) - 1-5
Mark Williams x Shaun Murphy (Alan Chamberlain) - 2-5

Friday 15 February

10am
Stephen Lee x Stephen Hendry (Alan Chamberlain) - 2-5

1pm (not before)
Mark Selby x John Higgins (Michaela Tabb) - 5-2

4pm
Ronnie O'Sullivan x Ali Carter (Eirian Williams) - 5-4 :-)

7pm (not before)
Joe Perry x Shaun Murphy (Jan Verhaas) - 0-5

Saturday 16 February

1pm
Stephen Hendry x Mark Selby (Michaela Tabb) - 4-6

7pm
Ronnie O'Sullivan x Shaun Murphy (Jan Verhaas) - 6-3 :-))

Sunday 17 February

1.30pm
Final - Mark Selby x Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eirian Williams) - 4-4

7pm
Final - Mark Selby x Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eirian Williams) - 9-8 :-((

All matches up to and including the last 16 matches and quarter-finals will be played on a roll-on roll-off basis, with a 15 minute interval between matches.

All matches up to and including the quarter-finals will be the best of 9 frames

Semi-finals - best of 11 frames

The Final will be the best of 17 frames (8/9)

POSITIVE THINKING

17 Feb 2008 23:17:00
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Mark Selby's exceptional ability to keep calm and stay positive under pressure helped him to a stunning win over Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Welsh Open.

Selby looked dead and buried when he fell 8-5 behind, having lost five of the previous six frames, but somehow fought back to win the last four for a 9-8 triumph.

"I thought I had no chance at 8-5, even if you give Ronnie a one-frame lead he usually steam-rollers you," admitted the 24-year-old Leicester Jester after landing his first ranking title.

"I just tried to feed myself some positive vibes and think back to matches I have won in the past. Strangely, I felt more relaxed the longer the game went on. I made a great break in the last frame. It’s something special to win my first ranking title. Even if I had lost today I would still have gone home chuffed.

"If there was a turning point, it was at 8-7 when I missed a long red and it went close to the baulk corner pocket, but somehow the cue ball went behind the green. Ronnie was 30 points ahead, and if I hadn’t covered that red it was all over. That was a massive bit of good fortune. I was surprised at the last red Ronnie went for in the last frame, there was a bit of frustration there.

"I’ve just beaten the best player ever in front of a great crowd, and I’m full of confidence so there’s no reason why I can’t go one better at the Crucible this year."

O’Sullivan felt that the pace of the game and Selby’s style of play did not suit him: "You can’t feel involved in the match because he plays in strange patterns and plays different shots. It makes him tough to play. You know there are going to be a lot of long frames and it’s hard to get a rhythm going. It’s an endurance test, to see how patient you can be."

The Rocket, who could be seen scribbling on a notepad in the first session, added: "I was just writing some stories to keep myself amused. My mind wanders. But that’s the test, it’s a long day.

"From 8-5 up I had chances and I didn’t take them, and if you don’t do that then you can’t expect to win. I can’t blame the run of the ball."

As for the risky double he atempted on the last red in the deciding frame, he added: "It wasn’ the right shot. But in for a penny, in for a pound. You've got to have a giggle."

O'SULLIVAN STORMS TO SELBY FINAL

16 Feb 2008 22:45:00
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Ronnie O'Sullivan blasted a tournament high break of 143 to seal a 6-3 win over Shaun Murphy in the Welsh Open semi-finals.

The Rocket will now face Mark Selby over 17 frames tomorrow at the Newport Centre, a repeat of their semi-final at the Maplin UK Championship when O'Sullivan won 9-8 with a 147 in the deciding frame.

The Chigwell cueman played his best snooker of the week tonight, making three centuries and three more breaks over 50. Having won the UK in December, he is aiming for back-to-back ranking titles, having previously not won a ranking event for 33 months.

Murphy won last week's invitational Malta Cup but has now lost in the semi-finals of four consecutive ranking tournaments.

O'Sullivan was first among the balls in the opening frame but missed an easy pink on 51 and Murphy took advantage with a fine 70.

The two traded 76 breaks to leave the score at 2-1 to Murphy, then O'Sullivan hit top gear with back-to-back centuries of 113 and 101 to take the lead.

Rotherham's Murphy got the better of a scrappy sixth frame, only for O'Sullivan to regain the lead at 4-3 with a 75. The Rocket opened up a two frame lead with a 62 then finished the contest in style with his 143, putting him in line for the £2,000 high break bonus.

"I'm not sure if that performance was my best of the week, I also played well against Judd Trump," said 32-year-old O'Sullivan, who is now sure to stretch his lead at the top of the provisional world rankings. "I missed a few balls tonight and those are always the ones you remember. I had to raise my game because Shaun has been playing well.

"It was a tough game against Mark Selby at the UK but each match is different and can go in different ways. I'm just glad to be in the final and I'm looking forward to it."

Murphy, who lost 6-5 to O'Sullivan in the Royal London Watches Grand Prix semi-finals, said: "The only real difference was that he got the better chances. I might have done the same if I'd had those chances. He was hunting the difficult parts of the table with his safeties and that shows the respect he has for me.

"I don't think that the semi-finals have become a stumbling block for me, if you offered four consecutive semis to any of the others players I think they would take it. I'm well in the top four of the rankings and I'm pleased with that.

"I'm looking forward to China, but it's mainly Sheffield that we're now preparing for. The things I've been working on seem to be paying off so I'll be looking to go at least one better."

O'SULLIVAN KEEPS COOL TO GET CARTER

15 Feb 2008 19:33:00
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Ronnie O'Sullivan produced a trademark decisive break in the final frame to edge a 5-4 win over Ali Carter at the Welsh Open.

The Rocket, struggling to get used to a new tip on his cue, trailed 2-0 and 3-2 to Tiptree's Carter but battled back to book a semi-final place against Shaun Murphy or Joe Perry at the Newport Centre.

O'Sullivan has yet to hit the form he showed in winning the Maplin UK Championship in December, but such is his scoring power and calmness at decisive moments that it would take a brave man to back against him winning a second consecutive ranking title.

Carter won the first two frames and was 50-6 up in the third, but O'Sullivan recovered to win it by clearing the colours, then made it 2-2 with a break of 56. The standard improved dramatically after the interval as Carter made 91 and 105 while O'Sullivan, whose tip was worked on by Darren Morgan during the break, knocked in 77 and 68.

In the last frame, Carter was leading 22-8 when he missed a tricky pink to a centre pocket. O'Sullivan stepped in with a smooth 55 to leave his opponent needing two snookers. Carter got one, but then accidentally potted the last red and, unable to add a colour, conceded the match.

"Ali sometimes struggles to get over the line in matches, you can see him getting agitated," said 32-year-old O'Sullivan, who has won eight out of eight meetings with Carter. "I was hanging on to that because I had a feeling that I would get a chance, even when he was in the balls in the last frame. As long as I didn't throw it away, I fancied winning.

"I had to change my tip yesterday because I couldn't play with side, I was hitting everything thick. I was disappointed to miss a lot of silly balls today. It was complete rubbish really."

O'Sullivan believes that a changing of the guard is taking place in snooker, but is not ready to give way to the emerging breed. "The likes of Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy are showing that they can win tournaments now," he added. "The older ones like John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and myself are still capable but we can't get away with being sloppy. These new fellas are ready, they are not afraid and they will put you away.

"That's what I was like when I was younger, I couldn't wait for the next tournament or the next season, I would practise all the way through the summer. It's good for the game and it's nice to have a new challenge. I can be philosophical about it because every dog has its day. I've got to become a 'stopper' ands try to stop the new players winning."

ROCKET GIVES NO QUARTER

14 Feb 2008 16:27:00
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Ronnie O'Sullivan reached his seventh consecutive ranking event quarter-final with a 5-3 victory over Steve Davis at the Welsh Open.

O'Sullivan has appeared in the last eight of every ranking event since this tournament last year, except the Roewe Shanghai Masters at the beginning of this season which he missed due to a back injury. He won the Maplin UK Championship in December and is now three wins away from back-to-back ranking titles.

He showed only glimpses of his best against six-times World Champion Davis today, indeed the 50-year-old Nugget might have won if he had taken the chances presented to him. But O'Sullivan eventually secured victory to earn a meeting with Neil Robertson or Ali Carter.

The Rocket opened impressively with breaks of 72 and 88, then Davis pulled one frame back with a 63 and looked set to win the next until he missed an easy red to a centre pocket on 57. O'Sullivan cleared superbly with 68 then extended his lead to 4-1 in a scrappy fifth.

Davis, a semi-finalist here last year, showed his competitive instinct by battling back to 4-3 with 43 and 76, but his hopes ended when O'Sullivan rolled in a 69 in frame eight.

"It's nice to be in the next round and still in the tournament," said O'Sullivan, who beat Davis 9-8 in the 2004 Welsh Open final. "It's nice to beat in Newport, it's all good in hood.

"I made a good clearance in the fourth frame, that was a big turning point to be 3-1 rather than 2-2. I'm just ticking over getting to quarters, semis and finals, and if I can start playing well I've got a chance of winning titles.

"I'm enjoying the game and enjoying practice. Snooker feels like a hobby again which is fantastic. Even if I'd lost today I still would have enjoyed it."

O'SULLIVAN SEES OFF BATTLING TRUMP

13 Feb 2008 16:08:00
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Ronnie O'Sullivan progressed to the last 16 of the Welsh Open after fending off a bold challenge from Judd Trump.

O’Sullivan played superbly to lead 4-1 with breaks of 66, 50, 105, 71 and 48, but was made to work hard before sealing a 5-3 victory. The Rocket now faces Steve Davis, whom he beat 9-8 in the 2004 Welsh Open final.

Trump, the 18-year-old prodigy from Bristol, made a 55 to win the sixth frame. O’Sullivan opened the next with six reds and blacks before missing a red, and his opponent capitalised with 43 and 38 for 4-3.

Left-handed Trump, who superceded O’Sullivan as the youngest ever player to make a competitive 147 when he scored a maximum at the age of 14, had a chance in the eighth frame but missed on 23 and the Rocket closed out the match with a 47.

"Judd’s a good player, everyone knows that," said Maplin UK Champion O’Sullivan, seeking his third Welsh Open title this week. "He’s got talent but you have to convert that into wins. It’s too early to judge him, you have to do that in 15 or 20 years.

"My form is ok, I can always pot balls and score. Some days it flows more than others, but I’m enjoying the game and there’s no pressure on me. I’m just glad I can do something I enjoy which pays well and gives me choices in my life."

As for playing Davis, O’Sullivan added: "He’s a great player, a legend, an ambassador for snooker and I love being in his company so I look forward to the match."

Drawsheet of qualifying (WSA)

WELSH QUALIFIERS FORMAT

20 Dec 2007
www.worldsnooker.com

Below is the schedule for the event to be held at Pontin's, Prestatyn on January 26-28.

Saturday 26

10am
Round 1
1 - Joe Jogia x Alfred Burden - 3-5
2 - Tian Pengfei x Steve Mifsud - 5-3
3 - Liang Wenbo x Ashley Wright - 5-2
4 - Lee Walker x Martin Gould - 2-5
5 - David Morris x Gareth Coppack - 5-1
6 - Matthew Selt x Ben Woollaston - 5-1
7 - Liu Song x Xiao Guodong - 5-2
8 - Leo Fernandez x Frazer Patrick - 5-2

4pm
Round 1
9 - Murnaj Pal x Patrick Wallace - 3-5
10 - James McBain x Rodney Goggins - 3-5
11 - Kurt Maflin x Issara Kachaiwong - 5-4
12 - Tony Drago x Kevin Van Hove - 5-1
13 - Mark Joyce x Jimmy Robertson - 5-4
14 - Jamie O'Neil x Liu Chuang - 5-2
15 - Lee Spick x Supoj Saenla - 5-1
16 - Alex Davies x Michael White - 5-4

Sunday 27

10am
Round 2
17 - Jimmy Michie x Alfred Burden - 5-2
18 - Scott MacKenzie x Tian Pengfei - 4-5
19 - Paul Davies x Liang Wenbo - 1-5
20 - Judd Trump x Martin Gould - 5-1
21 - Mike Dunn x David Morris - 5-2
22 - Barry Pinches - Matthew Selt - 1-5
23 - Tom Ford x Liu Song - 5-1
24 - Drew Henry x Leo Fernandez - 5-4

4pm
Round 2
25 - Stuart Pettman x Patrick Wallace - 5-2
26 - Jimmy White x Rodney Goggins - 5-1
27 - Ian Preece x Kurt Maflin - 5-1
28 - Joe Delaney x Tony Drago - 5-4
29 - Robin Hull x Mark Joyce - bye
30 - Rod Lawler x Jamie O'Neil - 5-4
31 - Marcus Campbell x Lee Spick - 5-4
32 - David Roe x Alex Davies - 5-0

Monday 28

10am
Round 3
33 - Robert Milkins x Jimmy Michie - 2-5
34 - Rory McLeod x Tian Pengfei - 3-5
35 - Andrew Norman x Liang Wenbo - 5-2
36 - Andy Hicks x Judd Trump - 2-5
37 - John Parrott x Mike Dunn - 5-4
38 - Mark Davis x Matthew Selt - 3-5
39 - Adrian Gunnell x Tom Ford - 5-2
40 - Fergal O'Brien x Drew Henry - 4-5

4pm
Round 3
41 - Michael Judge x Stuart Pettman - 5-2
42 - Andrew Higginson Jimmy White - 5-2
43 - David Gilbert x Ian Preece - 5-1
44 - Jamie Burnett x Joe Delaney - 2-5
45 - Alan McManus x Mark Joyce - 5-1
46 - James Wattana x Rod Lawler - 2-5
47 - Ricky Walden x Marcus Campbell - 4-5
48 - David Gray x David Roe - 1-5

All matches will be best of 9 frames