Betfred.com World Qualifying Final Round !!!!!

He looks pretty good for an 80-year-old man.

Had quite a life, by all accounts.

Muppet147 wrote:He looks pretty good for an 80-year-old man.

I had a feeling that would be your response.

Really hope Luca wins this weekend, rooting for him now after rory's exit.

simplysnooker wrote:Really hope Luca wins this weekend, rooting for him now after rory's exit.

Agreed. Hope Luca wins against the boring King and then goes on to entertain at the Crucible. All being well, in five or six years time, he'll be one of the favourites for the world title, instead of an exciting prospect.

I think it may be too early for him this year, but the experience will do him the world of good for next season. Hope I'm proved wrong though.

I think he'll be the underdog against King. But if he comes through what will be a tough match, who knows what he can achieve in Sheffield.

If Luca doesn't make it, I'll be rooting for Trump, Ding and Liang.

snooky147 wrote:When Robertson came onto the circuit at first he was essentially brain dead......as a player that is and dropped off the tour. He, to his credit worked hard at his game, got back on and started to get results but when he played Graeme and lost 13-12 in the quarters of the Worlds he was still essentially the all out attacker. Now as he started to get results he realised that the all out attack policy does not always work. There needs to be a balance and in my opinion this is where Robertson, Selby,Ebdon etc get it all wrong, even though at the moment they are reaping the rewards for their success. They went completely the other way, from attacking to a solely defensive, negative state of mind and play. The first session of the 2010 WC was played at a nice pace but look at the other three sessions. This was because Neil slowed it down to a crawl. I don't say for a second it would have made a difference but in my view he recognised that he may have to grind it out and he Knew that that was the last thing Graeme wanted as Graeme had been on record previously saying he prefered the free flowing matches nowadays. So, Good on Neil for switching the tactics but it made for a crap final because it lost all pretence of fluency, but hey, who cares when you lift that trophy up right!!!!.

with respect mate and i do have a lot of respect for you as a snooker person and as a man but mate thats a load of utter marmite it takes two men to make or break a match and Neil stood up to the pressures better than graeme but you cant even start to blame One over the other.

if players cant stand the heat thats their weaknes.

Launch from the other day.

Cheers, SimplySnooker.

simplysnooker wrote:

Launch from the other day.

What a wonderful speech from Barry!

Sent shivers down my spine. Brilliant, the man is class.

Just watch that. Wow ive never been so excited in my whole life.

I cant believe it really happened. Can you imagine when those girls opened that door and you walk out to see that, must feel like the best thing on earth.

I had shivers through my body the whole of that video. Quite incredible. If that doesnt get you in the mood for next sat i dont know what will! Just amazing.

I was there and I didn't know what the buck was going on. Where did it come from? To be honest I was quite embarrassed.

Sonny wrote:I was there and I didn't know what the buck was going on. Where did it come from? To be honest I was quite embarrassed.

Werent you in shock?

I mean you can see how great it was from Judd and Higgins' smiles. They loved it. Same with the commentators, and the reaction from the crowd was beyond imagination.

People who believe snooker is for old fat boring people need to think again!

Its definitely hit a new era.

I was surprised at it, it was pretty mental. I was clapping and stuff but people were going mental. It was Judd factor, no doubt about it.

Sonny wrote:I'll be there so any matches you want updates on then tweet me @snookerisland

Cope v Chuang is pick of the unstreamed

I'll be there tomorrow as well mate, look out for ya

Wild wrote:

snooky147 wrote:When Robertson came onto the circuit at first he was essentially brain dead......as a player that is and dropped off the tour. He, to his credit worked hard at his game, got back on and started to get results but when he played Graeme and lost 13-12 in the quarters of the Worlds he was still essentially the all out attacker. Now as he started to get results he realised that the all out attack policy does not always work. There needs to be a balance and in my opinion this is where Robertson, Selby,Ebdon etc get it all wrong, even though at the moment they are reaping the rewards for their success. They went completely the other way, from attacking to a solely defensive, negative state of mind and play. The first session of the 2010 WC was played at a nice pace but look at the other three sessions. This was because Neil slowed it down to a crawl. I don't say for a second it would have made a difference but in my view he recognised that he may have to grind it out and he Knew that that was the last thing Graeme wanted as Graeme had been on record previously saying he prefered the free flowing matches nowadays. So, Good on Neil for switching the tactics but it made for a crap final because it lost all pretence of fluency, but hey, who cares when you lift that trophy up right!!!!.

with respect mate and i do have a lot of respect for you as a snooker person and as a man but mate thats a load of utter marmite it takes two men to make or break a match and Neil stood up to the pressures better than graeme but you cant even start to blame One over the other.

if players cant stand the heat thats their weaknes.

Wild mate, your not getting my point. I freely admit that on that day the better person won. I do say that the tactics that were used were a huge part of that. I dont deny that and by the way neither does Graeme. It's not a question of heat and kitchens though. Its mental stamina on those two days and on those two particular days Graeme ran out of it. So mate, please get it out of your head that I'm blaming Neil for anything. All I said were that the tactics of slowing it down had their part to play in the match and as a result it was weak as a spectacle for the fans. You and I will always disagree on the definitions of slow play. What I am not saying is that Neil fell into that category that we talked about the other week. He did a job on Graeme and he won. There's no animosity here, just simple observations.

randam05 wrote:

Just watch that. Wow ive never been so excited in my whole life.

I cant believe it really happened. Can you imagine when those girls opened that door and you walk out to see that, must feel like the best thing on earth.

I had shivers through my body the whole of that video. Quite incredible. If that doesnt get you in the mood for next sat i dont know what will! Just amazing.

Great video Randam nearly made me cry haha, certaintly sublime the atmosphere was electric.

Amazing cannot wait now.

Big day tomorrow then, FA Cup, Grand National but best of all the World Snooker Championship qualifiers.

Really excited about tomorrow, cannot wait to see some action and the first six players through to the live stages.

Saturday 14th of April

10am

Ken Doherty v Anthony Hamiltonstreaming
Ricky Walden v Jamie Jones streaming
Mark Davis v Robert Milkins
Ryan Day v Gerard Greene
Tom Ford v Cao Yupeng
Jamie Cope v Liu Chuang

2.30pm

Stephen Hendry v Yu De Lustreaming
Marco Fu v Joe Jogia
Mark King v Luca Brecelstreaming
Marcus Campbell v Liang Wenbo

7pm---to a finish

Ken Doherty v Anthony Hamiltonstreaming
Ricky Walden v Jamie Jonesstreaming
Mark Davis v Robert Milkins
Ryan Day v Gerard Greene
Tom Ford v Cao Yupeng
Jamie Cope v Liu Chuang

i bet you anything Hendry will play Ronnie at the crucible.

Wild wrote:i bet you anything Hendry will play Ronnie at the crucible.

Anything???????

Good morning,....once again i can,t watch Hendry playin,thats twice in a row now!!!!.


Last time was cause i had an important meeting,today is cause i,m goin to a freinds wedding!!.


I called him up on wednesday and asked him if he could postpone his wedding so i could watch Hendrys match but he said no way mate!.


Who marrys these days anyway!.





Skullman,if you are gonna watch the Hendry match,it would be great if you could write what goes on,i,ll buy you a BIG,fat and a bag of cheese n onion crisps!






Here,s who i,d like to win in todays matches,....

COME ONNNNN,......

Ken Doherty
Mark Davis
Stephen Hendry
Luca Brecel
Marcus Campbell v Liang Wenbo.I,m usualy for the Scots but as i like Wenbo,i,m not really bovered who wins this encounter.



Enjoy the snooker all!.

My "want" list:

Hamilton v Doherty: who cares, 2 players who have long past their best, and have to dirty up the table to scrape a win. Shame there has to be a winner, really.

Jones v Walden: Walden is the best player on show this weekend, and it would be a shame if he failed to qualify. Jones, however is knocking on the door of the top 32 and would be a welcome addition to the Crucible line up. Not bothered who wins, either is a Crucible asset.

Milkins v Davis: don't care, but not as strongly as the Hamilton-Doherty borefest. Milkins is attacking, positive and can be entertaining....but he's such a tit! Davis, in my eyes, is only so close to the top 16 because he hasn't gave up, and he's slowly climbed the rankings by not losing too many first round games. There were many better players than Davis who turned pro at the same time, and who would have been top 16 if they'd persevered (e.g Drew Henry, Paul Dawkins, Paul McPhillips). If pushed, I'd want Milkins to qualify.

Greene v Day: Don't really care for either of these 2, I'd rather have seen Wattana or Li Yan lining up here. Both players' career are on a downward spiral. Verdict: who cares!

Cao v Ford: I've lots of time for Ford, a player on the rise, and who surprisingly has only one Crucible appearance behind him. But anyone who knows me, knows I stick up for the rookies, especially the overseas ones, and anyone who have come this far will have my full support. Come on the Cao!!

Liu v Cope: Cope for me, is a bit like Milkins....positive, entertaining etc. But would it hurt to look like you're enjoying it Jamie? Just once? Anyway, Liu is one of the top 4 or 5 Chinese players most likely to break into the top 32 soon, and he's the only guy I'm supporting here. I even think Liu will be one of the players the seeds want to avoid. Come on Chendry!

Yu v Hendry: I'd love it if I thought Hendry could do some damage at the Crucible; but you just know he's got "flat-Crucible-performance-and-exit-to-some-lowly-seed-not-fit-to-wipe-his-arse" written all over him. So it's Yu, please for me.

Jogia v Fu: Marco Fu, please start delivering again, your form lately has been an embarassment to your fellow overseas players. It's time you started blowing away playesr that are not in your league. Like Jogia.

Brecel v King: these are the games Brece's ability will ultimately be measured on: hard as nails match players. However, he's beaten 3 of those already in a run that spookily echoes Hendrys qualifying run of 1986 (nailbiters against Wayne Jones, Dene O'Kane etc). The way he retained his confidence in the onslaught of Holt bullying tactics was impressive. If King wins this, what damage can he do at the Crucible? Exactly. For snookers sake, come on Luca!!

Liang v Campbell: signs of Liang coming out of his slump? Hope so, I've always admired the unorthodox approach, the ability to frighten opponents with sustained heavy scoring, and the rare (for Chinese players) presence of a "personality". Only one winner for me, especially after Marcus' disappointing Crucible efforts so far. Liang all the way.

Woollaston v Dale: not bothered, I'd just about pick Ben cos he'd be a new face.

Gilbert v O'Brien: I've never understood why Gilbert hasn't kicked on since reaching the Crucible that one time. Perhaps it was the pain of losing a match from miles ahead against Hendry. The Crucible will have enough slow players as it is without O'Brien adding to that. Gilbert for me.

Morris v Hawkins: Hawkins is a guy I'd like to see in the top 16, a class act. It's brilliant to see Morris having such a run though, I hope this encourages more Irish players to have a crack at the pro tour after Meara and Hogans disappointing no shows recently. Shame I have to pick a loser here.....either will do for me.

Lines v Higginson: Higginson is another I'd like to see rewarded with a place in the 16, but Lines, remember spared us all the crushing tediom of another McLeod match. Either player suits me.

Burden v Ebdon: Good burst of form for Burden this week, long overdue. Ebdon is so unpredictable, it's almost worth having a bet on Alfie this weekend. Burden for me.

Burnett v Perry: again, 2 players I like, and hard to choose. I haven't chosen a fellow Scot yet, and I won't leave this post without doing so. Come on Jamie!

Wild wrote:i bet you anything Hendry will play Ronnie at the crucible.

Ha! He is a cert to get Ronnie.

Yes, up in time for the first session!

Also, checked my freeview box today and the BBC coverage for the first day is:

Red Button: 10:00-14:30
BBC1: 13:30-16:30
BBC2: 16:30-17:30
Red Button: 19:00-20:20 and 21:30-23:00 (They're showing a national lottery draw show from 20:20-21:30)

Pretty decent, but going to have to switch to Sky box for the evening session.

Wild (if you are on twitter) - tell Sonny to pass on my best wishes and good luck to Joe Jogia if he sees him at the EIS.

watching doherty/hamilton, come on ken

hendry_fan wrote:Good morning,....once again i can,t watch Hendry playin,thats twice in a row now!!!!.


Last time was cause i had an important meeting,today is cause i,m goin to a freinds wedding!!.


I called him up on wednesday and asked him if he could postpone his wedding so i could watch Hendrys match but he said no way mate!.


Who marrys these days anyway!.





Skullman,if you are gonna watch the Hendry match,it would be great if you could write what goes on,i,ll buy you a BIG,fat and a bag of cheese n onion crisps!






Here,s who i,d like to win in todays matches,....

COME ONNNNN,......

Ken Doherty
Mark Davis
Stephen Hendry
Luca Brecel
Marcus Campbell v Liang Wenbo.I,m usualy for the Scots but as i like Wenbo,i,m not really bovered who wins this encounter.



Enjoy the snooker all!.

Sorry I'll be in and out this weekend.

Maybe someone else can do my job while I'm out or if it's possible you can follow Sonny's twitter feed?

Walden missed a black, then Jones missed a red and now Walden is in again. C'mon Ricky!