Stuart Bingham and Ding Junhui will contest the 6 Red World Championship final on Saturday in Bangkok. Bingham knocked out the last remaining home hope Akani Songsermsawad in the quarter-finals before a 7-1 thrashing of 2014 champion Stephen Maguire in the last four. Bingham was runner-up when this event was first[Read More…]
Tag: Ding Junhui
Stars Surge in World Open
It was a relatively straightforward day for the marquee players as the first round of the World Open came to a conclusion on Tuesday. Defending champion Shaun Murphy, world champion Mark Selby, Crucible runner-up Ding Junhui, and former world number ones John Higgins and Neil Robertson all advanced to the[Read More…]
Can China Conquer?
Ten years ago it was a common occurrence to hear pundits naively predict that Chinese players would soon dominate the sport. Indeed, the repeated adage “half of the top 16 will be made up of Chinese in the next five years” has been muttered so often that it’s become a[Read More…]
It’s There! See Ya
It’s time for goodbyes, and among those is a farewell for now to our armchair aficionado, Free Ball. Many thanks for all the ramblings and digressing again this year, hopefully there’ll be a return in a year’s time. Read below for the last offering, but who is behind the Free[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…]
Mark Selby is the World Champion
Mark Selby is a two-time world champion after beating Ding Junhui 18-14 in an entertaining final at the Crucible. The 32 year-old joins Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams as multiple winners in Sheffield. It was a superb final that ebbed and flowed throughout, with[Read More…]
Substance over Style
It’s Day 17 in the Betfred World Snooker Championship. That means that, by the end of tonight (or into tomorrow morning!) we’ll know this year’s worthy champion at the Crucible in Sheffield. The final’s opening day was a dramatic, tense affair which had people split down the middle in terms[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…]