Minor Tournaments Discussion 2018/19.

Frank O. Pinion · 11-02-2019 12:14pm

Trump had a big ranking event win yesterday, but the Welsh Open starts today, and he's playing again tonight at 7pm. His opponent is 23 year old, Harvey Chandler, ranked #111.

It's best-of-7s until the quarter-finals, and top prize is £70,000. John Higgins is the defending champion, playing Graeme Dott in the opening round. Last year's runner-up, Barry Hawkins, plays Sunny Akani.

Bookie's favourite, Ronnie O'Sullivan plays Sanderson Lam, tomorrow at 1pm.

Most of the lower ranked players won't have played a tournament since the last Home Nation event, having two months off the tour.

Coverage starts today on BBC Wales, EuroSport and Quest, final is next Sunday.

Joe_ Public · 11-02-2019 12:59pm

4-1 for Ken Doherty against Sean O Sullivan guaranteeing himself at least a few quid to help keep his chase for a tour card on track. Looking very good for him at this stage of the season.

waynescales1 · 11-02-2019 3:54pm

Dominic Dale seems like a nice guy but that hair for a man of his age is simply outrageous.

Inviere · 11-02-2019 4:44pm

Is this televised, BBC Wales I presume?

Joe_ Public · 11-02-2019 4:47pm

MJW currently 1-2 to a welsh rookie. It’s on eurosport.

Arthur Daley · 11-02-2019 5:08pm

It's on the red button currently and Quest also. Eurosport have the evening sessions live as usual, Quest will have the semis and final at the weekend

waynescales1 · 11-02-2019 5:26pm

A lot of errors in this fifth frame.

Joe_ Public · 11-02-2019 5:45pm

It’s on my eurosport right now anyway, 423 on virgin media. Might get a decider here way it’s looking.

Frank O. Pinion · 11-02-2019 6:21pm

I prefer to watch it on BBC Wales. Quest had Mark Davis as one of the commentators...BBC Wales had Willie Thorne, who I like listening to. Plus the camera angle facing the table on BBC is much better.

El_Duderino 09 · 11-02-2019 8:45pm

waynescales1 wrote: »

Dominic Dale seems like a nice guy but that hair for a man of his age is simply outrageous.

It is a bit off. He’s retiring this year so I’ll give him a pass.

Glenman · 12-02-2019 10:12am

Joe_ Public wrote: »

4-1 for Ken Doherty against Sean O Sullivan guaranteeing himself at least a few quid to help keep his chase for a tour card on track. Looking very good for him at this stage of the season.

What does Ken need to achieve to get a tour card for next year?

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 10:39am

Glenman wrote: »

What does Ken need to achieve to get a tour card for next year?

There are two chances. Finish inside top 64 on the main rankings (based on 2 year results). He’s currently 64 so on the threshold.

Second way, if that fails, is finish top 8 on the one year list excluding those already qualified. Hard to predict but generally a total between 30-40k should be enough to guarantee it and Ken is currently on 19k so another couple of decent showings would push him to the brink. Playing well enough to manage it I think.

Frank O. Pinion · 12-02-2019 11:05am

Big controversy in that Williams/Hirani match. Referee didn't call a foul when Mark hit the pink instead of a red. Even the commentators on both BBC and Quest seemed very perplexed. Watch for yourselves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khAgzINYxqg&t=8514s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khAgzINYxqg&t=8588s

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 11:15am

Referee obviously missed it or would have called it. Williams didn’t call it either but ronnie got benefit of doubt over a similar incident last year so should mark get the same here?

Didn’t make any material difference to the match at least. Watching that live I couldn’t understand why hirani didn’t play the plant which Williams then played after. It was almost nailed on.

waynescales1 · 12-02-2019 2:36pm

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

I prefer to watch it on BBC Wales. Quest had Mark Davis as one of the commentators...BBC Wales had Willie Thorne, who I like listening to. Plus the camera angle facing the table on BBC is much better.

Yeah I always prefer BBC coverage because of the camera angle.

Shaky start for O'Sullivan.

zuutroy · 12-02-2019 2:45pm

Ronnie looks like he has no interest.

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 2:50pm

He has zero interest, probably just wants to spend a handy week on the Eurosport couch without the bother of having to play.

zuutroy · 12-02-2019 2:58pm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

He has zero interest, probably just wants to spend a handy week on the Eurosport couch without the bother of having to play.

Then just bangs in a 100 in 5 minutes because why not. Ha he potted the the last red before the ref had replaced the colour and fouled out of the break!

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 3:01pm

zuutroy wrote: »

Then just bangs in a 100 in 5 minutes because why not. Ha he potted the the last red before the ref had replaced the colour and fouled out of the break!

Ha yeah! Only a 95 though cos he fouled pink....on purpose as only ronnie o sullivan can!

waynescales1 · 12-02-2019 3:04pm

I think that foul on the pink should have been referred to VAR.

Haven't seen O'Sullivan this disinterested in years. His discipline has been good lately.

zuutroy · 12-02-2019 3:05pm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Ha yeah! Only a 95 though cos he fouled pink....on purpose as only ronnie o sullivan can!

Oh good...I'm all for any behaviour that makes it more likely I'll see number 1000 live in Sheffield.

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 3:07pm

I’ve never seen that happen before. Tatiana in the scorers box seems to be certain of the rule so I’d assume it’ll stay a 95. Open to correction though.

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 3:08pm

waynescales1 wrote: »

I think that foul on the pink should have been referred to VAR.

Haven't seen O'Sullivan this disinterested in years. His discipline has been good lately.

Wasn’t great last week either in fairness though not at this level for sure. Question is can this guy take advantage? Not convinced, looks nervous as hell out there.

zuutroy · 12-02-2019 3:11pm

Kinda hope Ronnie wins to hear what he says on the couch afterwards.

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 3:12pm

Foulds has a thing about that top right pocket. It’s swallowing anything that comes within half a foot of it!

hetuzozaho · 12-02-2019 3:14pm

That was some clearance!

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 3:32pm

Well that was just bizarre...frankly. Some flashes of genius but overall he lacked focus and showed opponent no respect which I don’t much like. Yuan Sijun, in form teenager up next, ronnie doesn’t win playing like that I reckon.

waynescales1 · 12-02-2019 3:39pm

No post match interview? I was looking forward to some carefree, reckless answers just like his snooker.

hetuzozaho · 12-02-2019 3:42pm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

showed opponent no respect which I don’t much like.

Yeah he's very disrespectful at times - to players, referees and guys in the studio when being interviewed (which is weird as he then becomes the interviewer at times).

Some of those shots were amazing though, can't believe he got through 4-2 playing like that.

Arthur Daley · 12-02-2019 4:55pm

Poor standard by Lee here against Kyren Wilson. Hirani is ranked one below him at 122 but managed a fair shift yesterday.

Kevin Finnerty · 12-02-2019 5:14pm

Arthur Daley wrote: »

Poor standard by Lee here against Kyren Wilson. Hirani is ranked one below him at 122 but managed a fair shift yesterday.

I gave up at the start of the second frame when he missed an easy red to build any kind of a break. Must be nervous as hell.

zuutroy · 12-02-2019 5:17pm

Ronnie did his interview on BBC Wales (6 mins):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW2SjcyalcU

Joe_ Public · 12-02-2019 5:20pm

Bit of a culture shock for a lot of these guys to appear on the tv table. The lights are a lot brighter than on a regular tournament table and take adjusting to. Some of them never get used to it.

AllForIt · 13-02-2019 12:00am

Just watched the Ronnie match on Youtube in snippets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCrBrotUGmk

In the controversial frame 4 he was utterly disrespectful to the ref. Early on in the break he hit the ref with his cue getting down to the shot way too quickly when the ref was simply replacing the black on it's spot, so that was Ronnie's fault and there was no need for the ref to apologize which he did. When you see what happened with the pink later you'd think he was having a little bit of a niggle with the ref just for fun.

I don't know what it is about Ronnie and the Welsh Open but I do recall in an after match interview some years ago he said to Dominic Dale live on air - "don't interrupt me'.

My opinion of Ronnie O'Sullivan as a snooker player would bear no resemblance to my opinion of him as a general geezer. As a snooker player he has oodles of class but as a human being he has no class at all.

Joe_ Public · 13-02-2019 12:22am

Can’t disagree. Wasn’t a particularly edifying display from ronnie today. Certainly can’t read his tortured mind but I think a bit of it is resentment at having to play such an inferior player in a 6 or 8 table setup or whatever the case is there. While I wouldn’t seek to defend some of his behavior today I would have some sympathy for him on that score, maybe he should be professional about it but I can definitely understand a player of his calibre struggling for motivation in that scenario.

Frank O. Pinion · 13-02-2019 11:53am

Unlike the other Home Nation events, there hasn't been any big shocks yet. 13 of the Top 16 seeds still in Round 2, (Stephen Maguire, Ryan Day, and Luca Brecel being the three that lost their opening match). Only four Welsh players left though, Mark Williams, Duane Jones, Jak Jones, and Dominic Dale.

Select Round 2 matches: Judd Trump plays Duane Jones today at 1pm, Ronnie plays Yuan Sijun around 2pm or after depending on earlier matches, Mark Selby (v Adam Duffy) and Jimmy White (v Michael Georgiou) at 7pm, also at 8pm or after, John Higgins (v Dominic Dale) and after making a 147 last night, Neil Robertson plays again tonight against Gary Wilson.

Ronnie has the luck of the draw again, strong possibility he makes the Quarter-Finals without having to play a Top 16 player or any high-ranked player. Although, his QF opponent will likely be Judd Trump.

Joe_ Public · 13-02-2019 1:59pm

Murphy beaten again. Was really awful in the bits of the match I saw. Worst slump of his career by a mile and no end in sight.

The Nal · 13-02-2019 4:50pm

Trump out. Simply down to tiredness. Can't just play every day in different competitions like that.

waynescales1 · 13-02-2019 6:05pm

That's two tournament winners in a row who have struggled the following week.

Inviere · 13-02-2019 6:07pm

waynescales1 wrote: »

That's two tournament winners in a row who have struggled the following week.

Absolutely nuts that the winner of one event, was playing in the first round of a new event the very next day.

waynescales1 · 13-02-2019 6:12pm

Inviere wrote: »

Absolutely nuts that the winner of one event, was playing in the first round of a new event the very next day.

Yes, and also surprising since I saw an interview with Barry Hearn last year saying this issue had been raised by players and subsequently addressed. Players in a Sunday final wouldn't have to play until Tuesday.

Frank O. Pinion · 13-02-2019 6:27pm

waynescales1 wrote: »

Yes, and also surprising since I saw an interview with Barry Hearn last year saying this issue had been raised by players and subsequently addressed. Players in a Sunday final wouldn't have to play until Tuesday.

Trump had that option but chose to play on Monday this week.

Inviere · 13-02-2019 6:38pm

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Trump had that option but chose to play on Monday this week.

Maybe players need to be saved from themselves then. He's won the Masters a few weeks back, he'd just won the Coral Cup after destrying some big names again...he was likely full of confidence. If winners and runner ups had no choice but to wait until the Tuesday of the following event, it might be a bit better.

Joe_ Public · 13-02-2019 6:38pm

Judd didn’t look too bothered at the end of that match to me. A few days rest definitely do him no harm.

waynescales1 · 13-02-2019 8:51pm

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Trump had that option but chose to play on Monday this week.

Interesting, wonder why he didn’t take the day rest.

Wilson knocked out by world no. 103. Another player who could do with a break perhaps.

Frank O. Pinion · 14-02-2019 10:51am

waynescales1 wrote: »

Interesting, wonder why he didn’t take the day rest.

Because by winning his Monday match, he had a day rest on Tuesday...but obviously still lost on Wednesday. Trump will now have 18 days off until he plays again.

Thursday, the day of these Home Nations where it's "double elimination". The day starts with 32 players, but as the winners of the morning/afternoon matches will play again this evening, by end-of-play tonight we will have the eight Quarter-Finalists.

Round 3 (last 32), top half of draw:

John Higgins (1) v Craig Steadman
Jack Lisowski (16) v Sam Craigie
Joe Perry v Ding Junhui (9)
Jak Jones v Joe O'Connor
Duane Jones v Robbie Williams
Stuart Bingham (12) v Martin O'Donnell
Jimmy Robertson v Zhao Xintong
Alexander Ursenbacher v Ronnie O'Sullivan (4), at 1pm

Bottom half:

Mark Selby (3) v Noppon Saengkham
Lukas Kleckers v Hossein Vafaei
Scott Donaldson v James Cahill
Ian Burns v Mark Allen (6)
Barry Hawkins (7) v Michael Georgiou
Neil Robertson (10) v Paul Davison
Mike Dunn v Kurt Maflin
Elliot Slessor v Zhang Anda

8 of the 16 seeds left, evenly split in each half of the draw. The highest ranked player Ronnie can meet to get to the QFs is Stuart Bingham. One of Dunn/Maflin/Slessor/Anda will be a Quarter-Finalist and whatever happens after that will have had a good tournament run.

waynescales1 · 14-02-2019 4:53pm

Noppon 147. Has a very slow measured style. Anyone know who got the 147th 147?

waynescales1 · 14-02-2019 4:56pm

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Because by winning his Monday match, he had a day rest on Tuesday...but obviously still lost on Wednesday. Trump will now have 18 days off until he plays again.

I see. Aren’t the China Open qualifiers on next week?

AllForIt · 14-02-2019 5:05pm

waynescales1 wrote: »

Noppon 147. Has a very slow measured style. Anyone know who got the 147th 147?

https://video.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/watch-david-gilbert-makes-the-147th-147_vid1156740/video.shtml

Joe_ Public · 14-02-2019 5:06pm

waynescales1 wrote: »

I see. Aren’t the China Open qualifiers on next week?

Yep.

Minor Tournaments Discussion 2018/19.

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