World Championships 2010 R1: Selby vs Doherty

The pair have met every year for the past four, and shared those meetings 2-2. In the last match at the Grand Prix, 1997 World Championship winner Ken Doherty surprised many by beating Mark Selby 5-3.

Selby has had the better of the season overall though, winning a thrilling Masters final in January against Ronnie O'Sullivan, though his form in the ranking events has been patchy so far. He was playing some of his best stuff at Sheffield last year only to lose to eventual champion John Higgins 13-12 in the quarter-finals.

Who will prevail this time ? Can Doherty make one more miraculous push at a second World title or will Selby final realise his undoubted talent and go one better than 2007 where he lost in the final ? The first session will be played 7pm on the Saturday 17 April, the opening day of the Championships, with the match coming to a close the next day.

I have gone for Selby - think he will be more consistant over the sessions

Big fan of Doherty and I am gutted he is playing Selby, only Ronnie, Higgins and Robbo are on Par for difficulty.

If Ken wins great but tbh I really want a Hendry/Selby 2nd round game so I am going to be a bit selfish and punt for Mark. I will be there for the second session so I am hoping it will be a close one.

The more you look at the draw the better it gets for Selby imo -

round 1 - he will have to be good from the off to beat Ken who has been decent this year

Round 2 - Should be against the king/God, Mark will know if he is not at his best he could lose but will go in with confidence that this match is well in his hands


QFQF- by this stage if he gets through he will have been going up the gears so should be in full flight for a match against what should be Ronnie. Mark at his very best is capable of beating Ronnie, he has done it before and can do it again. The steady build up of opponents on the way should help him here and I believe he might just have the edge over O’Sullivan.

This one is a really close one to call. Though, I was surprised Ken won at the Grand Prix. It's a shame I didn't know who any of the qualifiers were when I booked tickets, and am on the other tables. Bit disappointed, but there you go.

Ken has the experience, and has done a lot better as a qualifier this season, then he did last. He is surely going the right way up the rankings after the seasons he's had.

You would expect that Selby was the more likely of the two to win the title, should he come through this game. Though Selby himself in inconsistent at The Crucible. He got to the final one year as a qulaifier himself, but the next year he went out in the first round. What did he get last year, a quarter final?

Personally, I'd make Selby a slight favourite. But to be honest, I'm not even sure who I will be rooting for in this match. I rooted for Ken in the Grand Prix, as I thought being a qualifier, he may not have that many sustained runs in tournaments left in his career. However at the World Championships, I'd like to see somebody like Selby raise to the occasions as he's never been a world champion before, Doherty has. And, again, Selby has slightly more chance of winning it all then Doherty I feel.

At the end of these ramblings my main conclusion is; Selby favourite to win, probably Doherty will be the one I root for, and much of it is irrelevant as I'll be watching the games on the other table.

Selby 10-0

Sonny wrote:Selby 10-0

10-7 , a good workout ahead of a match against King Hendo is what he needs

Selby has got a tough first round but he should be too good for ken, a lot depends on how Selby starts a bad one and imo Doherty will have to much experience to let him back in the match.
10-7 Selby

Sonny wrote:Selby 10-0

i think a good start is essential for doherty or that scoreline could be not far from the truth.

wildJONESEYE wrote:

Sonny wrote:Selby 10-0

i think a good start is essential for doherty or that scoreline could be not far from the truth.

Don't be bucking daft.

Besides, with comeback Ken's record at The Crucible, I wouldn't feel safe if I was leading him 9-0 in the first round.

if selby goes on a roll he will be hard to stop for someone low in confidence like Doherty is.

Bourne wrote:The pair have met every year for the past four, and shared those meetings 2-2. In the last match at the Grand Prix, 1998 World Championship winner Ken Doherty surprised many by beating Mark Selby 5-3.

not being picky, but doherty was 1997 winner

wildJONESEYE wrote:if selby goes on a roll he will be hard to stop for someone low in confidence like Doherty is.

What makes you think Doherty is low on confidence? He may be out of the top-16 still, but compared to last year, he is having a much better season then he last. And he has already beaten Mark Selby once this season.

this will be a close one selby to edge it

I do believe that Ken has come back into some form recently, however despite I still think Selby will have too much for him. Might be closer than some think.

StalinESQ wrote:I do believe that Ken has come back into some form recently, however despite I still think Selby will have too much for him. Might be closer than some think.

smart,
i agree with you here, at the quals doherty was playing really good.

It is going to be very close 10-8 10-9 game. im edgeing towards doherty, boy he can fight

Personally im not taking much notice of doherty hammering swail as joe has fell apart since his best ever win last year it obviously went to his head alot

I think Selby will be hungry for revenge for the grand prix match

SnookerFan wrote:

wildJONESEYE wrote:if selby goes on a roll he will be hard to stop for someone low in confidence like Doherty is.

What makes you think Doherty is low on confidence? He may be out of the top-16 still, but compared to last year, he is having a much better season then he last. And he has already beaten Mark Selby once this season.

if you would read what i said.

ken needs a good start if he gets a good start it would go close but Selby when he gets infront is a hard man to peg back i dont think ken has it in him at the moment to stage a comeback and he will get swamped.

wildJONESEYE wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:

wildJONESEYE wrote:if selby goes on a roll he will be hard to stop for someone low in confidence like Doherty is.

What makes you think Doherty is low on confidence? He may be out of the top-16 still, but compared to last year, he is having a much better season then he last. And he has already beaten Mark Selby once this season.

if you would read what i said.

ken needs a good start if he gets a good start it would go close but Selby when he gets infront is a hard man to peg back i dont think ken has it in him at the moment to stage a comeback and he will get swamped.

It's possible that if Selby may be hard to beat if he gets a good lead, but most top players are like that. I'm not saying what you said isn't true, but if Ken loses I don't think it'll be due to a lack of confidence. Ken isn't the same player he was a few years ago, that happens to most players. Their skills decline, not improve.

Call me pedantic, but whatever the score line, even if it's a 10-0 (which I can't see myself), I don't see it be due to a lack of confidence on Ken's part. He's won a few qualifying events this season, which aren't easy to win these days, even to the point he was considered a bit of a dark horse pick to be wildcard at The Masters. (Before Barry Hearn went a different direction in picking Jimmy White.) And he has already beaten Selby once this season. So I think Ken will come into this match feeling good about his chances.

ok i should have put it another way Selby falling 4-0 or 5-0 behind is not as bad as if Ken falls 4-0 or 5-0 behind.

I cant see 10-0 but 10-2 or 10-3 is plausable for mark where it isnt for Ken.

It won't be 10-0 but it won't be 10-9 either. 5-3 at the Grand Prix was a fluke result.

My heart say Doherty but then my head says Selby. I do think that Selby will win but i also wouldnt be suprised if Ken won either. Ken has had a bit of a decent season so he might fancy his chances.

Selby does not tend to steam-roller anyone - very few one-sided wins, if you check his career - how many complete thrashings has he handed out...... answer: very few.

Doherty knows the Crucible and he has a decent HTH vs Selby.

Head says Selby, so does heart..... but not a thrashing.

Which Selby turns up Doherty has done great to turn his form around this year when 12 months ago, it looked like a nasty irreversible slide into obscurity, so I disagree that the GP win was a fluke ... I think we'll kinda get a match of two halves, Doherty getting out of the blocks quicker and sneaking a lead into the next day before Selby's class eventually tells under the pressure, but he'll have to work for it, no gimmes here. Selby by 2 or 3.

StalinESQ wrote:Selby does not tend to steam-roller anyone - very few one-sided wins, if you check his career - how many complete thrashings has he handed out...... answer: very few.

Doherty knows the Crucible and he has a decent HTH vs Selby.

Head says Selby, so does heart..... but not a thrashing.

ttt

First session tonight kids, anyone else want to talk about the match before it's off ?

I'm nervous as buck

Sonny wrote:I'm nervous as buck

good