By Free Ball A few gremlins have affected television transmission at times throughout The Championship. There were the technical difficulties on First Friday morning, accompanied by the BBC’s continuity announcer continuously insisting the snooker was in York. There was the surprisingly calm sound of Rob Walker prepping a morning crowd rather than the[Read More…]
Tag: Steve Davis
Alan McManus and Shaun Murphy in New WPBSA Roles
Alan McManus has been co-opted to the board of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association as a player director. The Scot succeeds six-time world champion Steve Davis, who has decided to step down from his role with immediate effect. As a player who still competes on the Main Tour[Read More…]
The Best Player Without a Ranking Event Win
From time to time the subject of the best player to have never won a ranking event raises its head once again. It has been a popular debate down through the years, and obviously a topic which becomes increasingly more difficult to determine a conclusive outcome as time progresses and[Read More…]
Home Nations Starts with English Open
The new Home Nations series kicks off with the Coral English Open in Manchester on Monday. The English Open is among three new tournaments alongside similar fresh ventures in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the trio joining the already well-established Welsh Open on the calendar. Each event offers an individual[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…]
It’s There! Thanks ITV!
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…]
So Long to Champion Davis
Steve Davis has retired from professional snooker at the age of 58. After almost four decades as a professional, the six-time world champion officially announced his decision on the BBC this afternoon. Of course, it comes as no huge surprise considering he only chose to play in one match all[Read More…]
Ding Beats Casey as Round 1 Concludes
Ding Junhui emerged unscathed from his first test in qualifying for the World Championship after a 10-4 victory over Greg Casey in Sheffield. Corkman Casey gained an invitation into the tournament off the back of his strong performances in 2015’s Q-School but many thought that he would be steamrollered against[Read More…]
WATCH: World Championship Qualifiers Draw
With the completion of the China Open on Sunday comes the sobering realisation that the World Championship is finally upon us. The last 32 at the Crucible doesn’t commence for another 12 days but this Wednesday sees the start of the dreaded qualifiers at Ponds Forge in Sheffield. Three victories[Read More…]
Classic UK Finals in the Last Decade
In just over a fortnight the 2015 UK champion will be crowned at the Barbican Centre in York. The second biggest ranking event of the campaign gets under way on Tuesday with 128 competitors lining up in chase of major glory. The UK Championship is, of course, one of the[Read More…]