2019 Champion of Champions, 4th-10th November - ITV4

Frank O. Pinion

The seventh edition of the revived version of this non-ranking tournament starts tomorrow. It's a great event, with everybody deserving of their place, by being some type of champion over the last 12 months. You can argue the merit of giving the Women's World Champion and Seniors World Champion places, but they are winners and have won a Snooker event in last year, unlike say, #3 in the world, Mark Williams, who hasn't won anything in over a year. No high-ranked top-up players this year, 16 actual champions. Ronnie is the defending champion, defeating Kyren Wilson last year, 10-9. Ronnie has made the final every year, only skipping the 2015 event.

Prize money is going up this year, from £100,000 to £150,000 for the winner, and from £50,000 to £60,000 for the runner-up. Played in groups, Monday-Thursday, meaning two round of 16 matches take place each afternoon, with the winners playing that evening in the quarter-finals. First is round is best-of-7s, QFs and SFs are best-of-11, and the finale is a best-of-19.

List of champions, and their qualifications for this year's event:

Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2018 Champion of Champions, 2018 UK Championship, 2019 Players Championship, 2019 Tour Championship, 2019 Shanghai Masters
Judd Trump - 2019 World Championship, 2019 Masters, 2019 World Grand Prix, 2019 International Championship, 2019 World Open, 2018 Northern Ireland Open
Neil Robertson - 2019 China Open, 2019 Welsh Open
Shaun Murphy - 2019 China Championship
Kyren Wilson - 2019 German Masters
Mark Selby - 2019 English Open
Mark Allen - 2018 Scottish Open
Yan Bingtao - 2019 Riga Masters
Matthew Selt - 2019 Indian Open
Stuart Bingham - 2019 Gibraltar Open
John Higgins - 2019 World Championship Runner-up, 2019 World Cup (Team Event)
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh - 2019 Shoot-Out
Jimmy White - 2019 World Seniors Championship
Reanne Evans - 2019 World Women's Championship
Martin Gould - 2019 Championship League
Stephen Maguire - 2019 World Cup (Team Event)

And how the draw worked out:

Group 1, Thursday
Ronnie O'Sullivan (defending champion) v Jimmy White (1pm)
John Higgins v Stuart Bingham (3pm, approx.)

Group 2, Monday
Neil Robertson v Martin Gould (1pm)
Shaun Murphy v Reanne Evans (3pm, approx.)

Group 3, Tuesday
Mark Selby v Yan Bingtao (1pm)
Mark Allen v Matthew Selt (3pm, approx.)

Group 4, Wednesday
Judd Trump v Stephen Maguire (1pm)
Kyren Wilson (last year's runner-up) v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (3pm, approx.)

The winners of the afternoon matches play each other at 7pm each evening.

DuckSlice

Be interesting to see how Reanne gets on against Murphy. I thought that match was Thursday though. I read an article this morning that when she won the worlds in 2012 that her prize money was £450 while Ronnie took home £250k for winning the mens equivalent. Madness.

Hopefully Ronnie will be in better form for this tournament.

Joe_ Public

etxp wrote: »

Be interesting to see how Reanne gets on against Murphy. I thought that match was Thursday though. I read an article this morning that when she won the worlds in 2012 that her prize money was £450 while Ronnie took home £250k for winning the mens equivalent. Madness.

Hopefully Ronnie will be in better form for this tournament.

Murphy is odds on to win 4-0 today which is hard to argue with. I hope she acquits herself well. The standard in the womens game isnt high but it can only improve if the top players like evans get exposure and opportunity and inspire young girls that snooker is a sport they can take up and flourish. Thats why I'm happy enough to see her in it.

Joe_ Public

Some really good potting from evans there, growing into this match after a slow start. Murphy back to 3-2 now and something to think about.

DuckSlice

Looks like it will go 3-3. Only looking at the live scoring online though.

Joe_ Public

Couple of really good frames from her. Murphy not played well but you can tell hes clearly feeling the pressure a bit.

Joe_ Public

Jimmy playing well and Ronnie all over the gaff. Upset definitely on the cards.

zuutroy

Jimmy doing amazing! O'Sullivan hasn't had a sniff yet really.

Joe_ Public

Dramatic frame. Jimmy clear fav now anyway.

zuutroy

Its as if Ronnie just gave him a 3 frame head start. Demeanour totally different now. Even with the bookies now.

Joe_ Public

Jimmy wants a chance. Well, here it is!

zuutroy

Even if Ronnie wine, Higgins or Bingham will destroy him on current form.

Joe_ Public

No chance if he played like this anyway. If that was a kick on the black jimmy was very unlucky there.

Joe_ Public

Ronnie 2 from 14 long pots. 14%!!

He's just in one of those moods you see occasionally where he'd or like to win but won't break his back to do so. Not bothering with safety to any great extent.

Joe_ Public

Jimmy, jimmy ooohhh. Blew it son.

zuutroy

Ugly stuff all round. Probably stay in and watch him tonight now instead of going to play myself...Will prob regret that by 7:30.

Joe_ Public

Great match, says stephen hendry, had everything. Why doesnt he state honestly that ronnie was away with the fairies there? It was a bizarre, dramatic match, not a great one.

Pighead

I'd say Jimmy is currently trashing his dressing room. He was unlucky in frame six but that missed red in the final frame was unforgiveable. Ronnie will be a lot more focused this evening I reckon. He went for everything today because he knew it was unlikely Jimmy could finish in one visit. I reckon we'll see him tighten thongs up tonight against Bingham/Higgins.

zuutroy

He's yet to take a match seriously since winning in Shanghai, so let's see. I suppose playing Higgins might put a bit of manners on him.

The Nal

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Jimmy, jimmy ooohhh. Blew it son.

Heard that before.

Pighead

zuutroy wrote: »

He's yet to take a match seriously since winning in Shanghai, so let's see. I suppose playing Higgins might put a bit of manners on him.

Yeah, but he hasn't played anybody worth talking about since Shanghai. I think he decides to play with careless abandon when he's up against anybody outside the top 16 just to make the match interesting for himself.

zuutroy

I'll never understand him. What a clearance to win.

The Nal

Still crazy after all these years. What a few last shots they were.

Joe_ Public

That was quite something, even by his standards. Why bother with safety when you can just do that?

Pighead

zuutroy wrote: »

I'll never understand him. What a clearance to win.

Unreal clearance. So great watching him when he's on song. The speed he was moving around the table was ridiculous. Robertson up next tomorrow. Ronnie's had his number for the past couple of years with maybe four or five wins on the trot. Can never rule out Robertson but you'd have to fancy O'Sullivan.

Joe_ Public

I still wouldnt really fancy Ronnie playing in that kamikaze mode. Though i think he might tighten it up a little now he's in sf.

Pighead

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I still wouldnt really fancy Ronnie playing in that kamikaze mode. Though i think he might tighten it up a little now he's in sf.

That's a fair point. Apparently he said in one of his interviews last night that he's aiming to get his average shot time down to ten seconds in his match this evening. As you say above that would be a kamikaze move. He's not beating Robertson if he completely abandons his safety game and focuses on his average shot time. Will be interesting to see if he's true to his word. I'm guessing he won't be given the fact that it's a semi-final and he's unbeaten in this competition.

The Nal

Pighead wrote: »

That's a fair point. Apparently he said in one of his interviews last night that he's aiming to get his average shot time down to ten seconds in his match this evening.

He said 8 seconds or even 7! He was a right arse in his interview.

zuutroy

He's said a good few times that he hates those post match interviews as they're so formulaic. Doesn't even give the lads at Eurosport where he earns a few quid decent answers. Anyway, it looks like he's back up to a solid 7 on the 'off-the-rails' meter again. So much for all the stuff about cook books and running keeping him centred.

waynescales1

O'Sullivan is really letting the substandard (in his opinion) facilities at some of the events get to him. Every time he's in front of a camera he's complaining about it. When asked about his performance last night he still somehow managed to complain about standards at an event that happened weeks ago in his answer.

I'd either accept it and get on with it, or don't attend the event.

waynescales1

5-4 O’Sullivan, enjoyed that black ball frame.

zuutroy

Great match. Hope we get the Ronnie v Judd final.

GeneralC

What channel is this on?

CFlat

ITV4

GeneralC

Any links online?

waynescales1

An O’Sullivan miscue? Literally never seen that before in my entire life.

alan partridge aha

Delighted for Robertson, great break to finish.

waynescales1

Deserved win for Robertson, played well. Few very good pots in that final break, after running out of position a few times.

Joe_ Public

Thought Ronnie shouldve gone into pack shot before, wouldnt then have miscued....but then thats if me auntie had balls territory! Was a good match & good win for robbo.

zuutroy

I wonder will Ronnie come back around this season. Everything seems a struggle at the moment. He always said he'd give up when things got that way. Seems very agitated on and off the table too.

hetuzozaho

Great match. I thoroughly enjoyed that.

Robertson V Trump would be nice for Sunday. I'm enjoying Trump a lot these days. Need someone like that when Ronnie finally bows out.

Ronnie played some brilliant stuff over the last two days. A bit erratic! But as always great to watch on the table. Please just allow him to not do the media afterwards

waynescales1

Phil Yates observing that the top half of the table looked like it “had measles” when all the reds were clustered up there. You just don’t know what he’s gonna say.

Surprised there isn’t more support for Mark Allen, he is Irish after all.

Woeful red there from Allen at the beginning of frame 2.

Joe_ Public

Thats phil yates for you. A total pox of a commentator if you ask me.

Fear for the pistol here, match could get away very quickly here.

CFlat

Some turn around here for Mark Allen. Looked like he was out of it in the first 3 frames and now Trump is even getting a look in. 3-3. Come on Mark!

waynescales1

Yeah that was some century there, Allen cueing beautifully now.

Clive Everton back in the hotseat now, class.

Joe_ Public

316 points without reply. Trump not potted a ball since that kick in frame 3. Fair to say my concerns about match getting away from mark were ever so slightly misplaced!

waynescales1

That kick at 4-3 was tough on Allen, gave away too many frames earlier on in the match though.

Think I’ll root for Robertson tomorrow.

Joe_ Public

Allen was very unlucky, was controlling that 9th frame really well until the fluke. Trump becoming very resilient though, was a time he might have thrown towel in after losing 4 on the spin. Much harder to beat now even when not quite on his A game.

waynescales1

Didn’t agree with that call by the referee not to call a miss when Robertson was in a horrendous snooker. Trump only got 8 foul points from it. Could have been 20-30.

Joe_ Public

waynescales1 wrote: »

Didn’t agree with that call by the referee not to call a miss when Robertson was in a horrendous snooker. Trump only got 8 foul points from it. Could have been 20-30.

Didnt see it, but as a general rule, you'll always get division on the miss rule. Some applaud a referee for not calling it, others think it should be called a miss unless or until snookers required. Perennial grey area.

waynescales1

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Didnt see it, but as a general rule, you'll always get division on the miss rule. Some applaud a referee for not calling it, others think it should be called a miss unless or until snookers required. Perennial grey area.

Simple solution. A miss will be called until a minimum number of foul points have been reached, say 20 (unless snookers comes first). Hence the player gets the benefit from their tough snooker, but the snookered player isn’t trapped until snookers are required.