Neil Robertson made a limp defence of his UK Championship title after losing 6-3 to Peter Lines in the opening round on Thursday. The Australian never recovered from losing the first two frames as Lines, an amateur this season having dropped off the Main Tour at the end of the[Read More…]
Tag: Alan McManus
Stuart Bingham Survives Scare in English Open
The Coral English Open got under way on Monday, initiating the inaugural Home Nations Series. The Home Nations comprises four ranking events staged in Great Britain and Ireland, the traditional homes of the sport, with a staggering bonus of £1 million on offer to any player who can somehow manage[Read More…]
Qualifying Concludes in Riga Masters
The Riga Masters qualifying round came to a conclusion on Saturday as the week-long qualification for three events also came to an end at the Guild Hall. It was a final day of close encounter ands deciders, as many of the matches on a busy day in Preston went the[Read More…]
A Memorable World Championship
It’s the morning after the 17 days before. The 2016 Betfred World Championship has come to an end, with Mark Selby deservedly being crowned the king of the Crucible for the second time in three years. An entertaining final between two of the game’s very elite was a fitting conclusion[Read More…]
World Championship Final Preview: Mark Selby vs Ding Junhui
It’ll be Mark Selby who takes on Ding Junhui in the final of the 2016 Betfred World Championship in Sheffield. After an epic, grueling contest with Marco Fu, the 2014 champion edged into his third final after a titanic 17-15 victory in which the clock was edging near midnight on[Read More…]
Delectable Ding into First World Final
Ding Junhui is into his first World Championship final after defeating Alan McManus 17-11 in the last four in Sheffield. The Chinese superstar compiled an incredible seven centuries – a record in a Crucible match – as he held off a gutsy challenge from the Scottish 45 year-old. Resuming 14-10[Read More…]
It’s There! Tipping Point
Returning after the success of last year is our inconspicuous snooker aficionado, Free Ball. Throughout the World Championship, this unnamed follower of our beloved sport will provide a few musings on some of the not so well documented happenings in Sheffield – mostly from the luxury of his/her own settee. The[Read More…]
Crunch Time in Semi-Finals
By the end of Saturday the two finalists in the 2016 Betfred World Championship will be known. A dramatic penultimate day of semi-final action on Friday has left both encounters delicately poised, but China’s Ding Junhui has one foot in the showpiece final. The 11-time ranking event winner has conjured[Read More…]
Crucible Contenders Down to Final Four
What started as 144, now stands as quite simply the last four. One of Mark Selby, Marco Fu, Ding Junhui or Alan McManus will be crowned the 2016 Betfred world champion on Monday. For Selby and Fu, they have each already won 36 frames of snooker to get to this[Read More…]
Ding Junhui Powers into Last Four
Ding Junhui became the first man into the semi-finals of this year’s World Championship after thrashing Mark Williams 13-3 in Sheffield. The Chinese no.1 required only two out of the scheduled three sessions to oust the twice former champion as he sent out a message to the other contenders for[Read More…]