UK Championship 2018. BBC/Eurosport 27th Nov - 9th Dec

ArmaniJeanss

Still second biggest tourney of the year I reckon, despite the butchering of the format this decade.
£170K to winner. Ronnie defends.

Draw is done.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_UK_Championship#Main_draw

Gamblage.
https://www.oddschecker.com/snooker/uk-championship/winner

AllForIt

Your so right OP on the butchering of this tournament. I used to love the UK as a teenager with it's longer frames format but now I don't feel it has the prestige it once had. For me there is noting better than the longer frames format. Twists and turns that aren't possible in first to 6.

Gaoth Laidir

AllForIt wrote: »

Your so right OP on the butchering of this tournament. I used to love the UK as a teenager with it's longer frames format but now I don't feel it has the prestige it once had. For me there is noting better than the longer frames format. Twists and turns that aren't possible in first to 6.

The shorter format will suit Ronnie. He's running near 100% win rate in that format over the past while.

Frank O. Pinion

Back when it was a 32-man tournament, with best-of-17s, there were still qualifying rounds for the other players on the tour, which were also best-of-17s. There were fewer tournaments back then, which allowed for that. Now, with so many events and trying to make each ranking event fair for all 128 players, something had to give. At least it's less of a lottery than the "Home Nations" events, with best-of-7s until the quarter-finals. For reference, the five winners since the event switched to an open 128-man draw, have been Neil Robertson (2013, 2015), Ronnie O'Sullivan (2014, 2017), and Mark Selby (2016), so it's not like there's been a crazy fluke winner with the newer format.

BBC coverage doesn't actually start until next Saturday, 1st December, after the 1st round finishes, and the round of 64 begins.

Joe_ Public

Worst decision the new regime ever did was to scale down the uk. While there are, mercifully, no best of 7s it still needs more to stand out from the torrent of tournaments that seem to come at us almost weekly nowadays. A plague on the bbc too which actively canvassed for it to suit the schedules.

On the table Ken going well against a decent young Chinese prospect. A couple of wins here would be massive in terms of retaining his tour card for next season.

zuutroy

Ken plays Ronnie next (assuming Ronnie wins) so don't fancy his chances for a second win this week.

Joe_ Public

zuutroy wrote: »

Ken plays Ronnie next (assuming Ronnie wins) so don't fancy his chances for a second win this week.

Yeah forgot that, sayonara it is you’d have to think. Still, a handy 5k which could easily be the difference between 64 and 65 by seasons end!

Joe_ Public

I know Shaun Murphy has been having a dreadful season but I truly can’t believe he’s lost his first round match today. The move to Ireland not paying any dividends yet.

AllForIt

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I know Shaun Murphy has been having a dreadful season but I truly can’t believe he’s lost his first round match today. The move to Ireland not paying any dividends yet.

Ah that's disappointing. One of my favorite players to watch when he's on form.

He seemed to have upped his game and attitude in recent years and he lost some weight but he seems to have fallen back to his old ways.

I didn't know he moved to Ireland. Whereabouts do you know?

Gaoth Laidir

AllForIt wrote: »

Ah that's disappointing. One of my favorite players to watch when he's on form.

He seemed to have upped his game and attitude in recent years and he lost some weight but he seems to have fallen back to his old ways.

I didn't know he moved to Ireland. Whereabouts do you know?

Balinteer. His STAR table is now located alongside Fergal O'Brien's in Celbridge Snooker Club.

Sky Blue 20

Joe Swail won his game 6-5.
Nice to see Joe get a round or two.
Is a real Gentleman.

Joe_ Public

AllForIt wrote: »

Ah that's disappointing. One of my favorite players to watch when he's on form.

He seemed to have upped his game and attitude in recent years and he lost some weight but he seems to have fallen back to his old ways.

I didn't know he moved to Ireland. Whereabouts do you know?

As someone mentioned he’s practicing hard with Fergal OB over in celbridge without getting the results. Hard to know where it’s going wrong, suspect he’s a bit dumbfounded himself. Looks like he’ll be down to around 11 or 12 in the rankings after this and will be under pressure to keep his top 16 place for the crucible if this bad run continues. On second thoughts dropping out of top 16 might not be worst thing ever happen to him. Seemed to do Mark Williams no harm when same happened to him a few years back.

zuutroy

Selby 4-0 to an amateur! Still only 7/4 to win it though.

Frank O. Pinion

zuutroy wrote: »

Selby 4-0 to an amateur! Still only 7/4 to win it though.

That amateur is only 22, and a "former pro". He also got to the last 16 of the 2014 UK Championship when he was only 18.

zuutroy

He seems decent. Very poor miss by Selby to fail to drag it back to 4-2. Such a lucky kiss on the black for Cahill to take it.

Joe_ Public

Astonishing miss on the pink by Selby to go 1-5 behind. It was a thinnish cut but not that difficult really. Seen him pull out of a few tricky situations before but hard to fancy this one the way he’s playing.

ArmaniJeanss

Beaten 6-3.

Joe_ Public

Good pot on the pink but not at all in favour of that last safety Selby played, deserved to be punished. Obviously got a bit of game this lad, be interesting to see how he follows it up.

ArmaniJeanss

4th seed John Higgins out, beaten by fellow Scot Alan McManus 6-5.

Ultimate Seduction

BBC only showing this at stupid o clock in the morning?

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Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

BBC only showing this at stupid o clock in the morning?

Some matches are live on the red button

Ultimate Seduction

Delaney Aggressive Bum wrote: »

Some matches are live on the red button

Red button not available here for years?

Arthur Daley

Does seem like John Higgins is getting ready to pack it in soon.

Inviere

Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

Red button not available here for years?

It’s available on FTA. It can be manually tuned in on Sky I believe?

Frank O. Pinion

Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

Red button not available here for years?

I've been watching Snooker on the BBC red button for years in Ireland, on FreeSat.

Ultimate Seduction

Does anyone know the details to 'tune in' the red button on other channels on sky box?

Arthur Daley

Great start from Ken to go 1-0 up.

Joe_ Public

Surprised this is only second head to head of their careers. Ken might end up regretting spurning that chance to go 2-0 up.

Inviere

Stellar potting from Ken, needs to get that cue ball under control though. Ronnie having a few nervy misses too

Arthur Daley

Ronnie hitting across the ball badly. Ken needs to capitalise now and get into the interval 3-1 up

Joe_ Public

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Surprised this is only second head to head of their careers. Ken might end up regretting spurning that chance to go 2-0 up.

You're just short, their 26th head-to-head today. Ken comfortably outplaying the Rocket so far.