Q SCHOOL 2

I'm off to watch Ben again tomorrow and will try and keep him settled and his feet on the ground. He should win his section now but anything can happen with the pressure going on.

Just been researching. Ben's opponent tomorrow is a lad from Hartlepool who is still young and not many results to speak of. Zak Surety is a decent player although Ben has beaten him 4-0 in a PTC fairly recently and the unknown is Dylan Mitchell who just won his match from 3-1 down. It seems he's from Bradford and Joe Johnson has tipped him for the top according to an article from 2011 when he was 15 so he could be the danger man. We'll see. I'm confident Ben can do it if he keeps playing how he has in this event.

In the other sections I'm chuffed Reanne, Syd Wilson and Ross Muir are still going strong. That was a good win for Syd today against grinder Chris Keogan although Jamie Clarke is a very capable player. Ben practiced with him last week funnily enough and got the better of him. And in the other semi I'd like to see Ant Parsons meet Syd in the final that way I've got a player I support on tour. Ant's a good lad, met him a few times in Leeds SB Classic events and a lot of people want to see him do well.

Ross Muir faces Mitchell Mann who is a very good player with questionable temperament. Ross is the lad who plays with a glove and he's a very good match player who was on Junior Pot Black played in the Crucible a couple of years ago. You have to have Davy Morris as the favourite for that section though. He's been scoring like a seasoned pro so far this Q School.

I don't know much about the players in Reanne's section although Cundy is a name that keeps cropping up and he seems decent so could be the stopper to getting Reanne back on tour. Hope not though, I really want her to succeed and get that 2 year card.

Predictions for Tour Cards from this tournament:
Jamie Rhys Clarke
David Morris
Ben Harrison
Alexander Ursenbacher

If Alex qualifies, would he be the first Swiss pro snooker player.

Dannyboy wrote:Predictions for Tour Cards from this tournament:
Jamie Rhys Clarke
David Morris
Ben Harrison
Alexander Ursenbacher

If Alex qualifies, would he be the first Swiss pro snooker player.

but hes got hardened old pros in the next Round wont be easy for Reanne or Alex to get passed them

Dannyboy wrote:Predictions for Tour Cards from this tournament:
Jamie Rhys Clarke
David Morris
Ben Harrison
Alexander Ursenbacher

If Alex qualifies, would he be the first Swiss pro snooker player.

Depends whether you count Darren Paris, I know he now plays for Switzerland but was he Swiss-registered when he played in the 90's ? Can't think of anyone else.

Reckon that's about right re your picks! Not sure I'd want to put money on though - all the groups look pretty tough to me ... will Ahmed Saif be the first Qatari pro snooker player

Ahmed Saif 1-0 Antony Parsons
Sydney Wilson 0-1 Jamie Rhys Clarke
Mitchell Travis 0-2 David Morris
Mitchell Mann 0-0 Ross Muir
Ben Harrison 0-1 Ryan Clark
Dylan Mitchell 0-1 Zak Surety
Reanne Evans 0-1 Alexander Ursenbacher
Paul Wykes 0-1 Jeff Cundy

David Morris looks like the Guy that's most nailed on to me

Ahmed Saif 2-0 Antony Parsons
Sydney Wilson 1-1 Jamie Rhys Clarke
Mitchell Travis 0-3 David Morris
Mitchell Mann 0-2 Ross Muir
Ben Harrison 0-2 Ryan Clark
Dylan Mitchell 0-3 Zak Surety
Reanne Evans 0-3 Alexander Ursenbacher
Paul Wykes 0-1 Jeff Cundy

doesn't look good at the moment for Ben Harrison

a tweet from sonny reads

Crazy game. Table catching both out. Ben so unlucky not to be 1-1

The Wheels came off today for Ben Harrison as he lost 4-0 to Ryan Clark. there will be other opportunities in Q School 3 and Next season but i doubt he will have a Better chance than he had today no disrespect to Ryan Clark or Zak Surety.

Ryan Clark played 1 season on the PIOS a qualifying competition for the main tour in 2008/2009 season without a great deal of success winning 1 match against Robert Carlile no less i doubt if its the Scottish actor though. in Total he won only 9 frames in 8 Tournaments.

he entered only 1 PTC in the 2010/2011 season losing 4-0 to former pro Hugh Abernethy in the very first PTC of the new Barry Hearn era.

He hasent entered any other Tournament on the PTC Circuit and this is his first Q School and one win away from the Pro Ranks.

Alexander Ursenbacher Prior to this years Q School has only played in The Paul Hunter Classic for the last 3 seasons with one apearance in the last 128 where he lost 4-0 to Craig Steadman in 2012. of course hes played in Amataur Events and pretty succesfull at it but Joining the Pro Ranks will be a big step up for him if he does it.


Scotlands Ross Muir has only played in 3 PTC .

PTC 11 2011 loosing to Xiao Guodong 4-1 in the last 128, PTC 3 2012 Losing to Rhys Clark 4-1 in Pre Qualifying and European Tour 5 Losing 4-1 to Allan Taylor in the Last 128.
he played in Q School last year a 4-0 win over Reanne Evans in Q School 1 his only success this year its Much better BUT has a very tough match against David Morris who has been Brushing everyone aside in Q School 2.

the Ryan Clark v Zak Surety match got underway very early but the others started on Time

Ahmed Saif 0-0 Jamie Rhys Clarke
David Morris 0-0 Ross Muir
Ryan Clark 2-1 Zak Surety
Alexander Ursenbacher 0-0 Paul Wykes

Zak Surety first try for pro Ranks was in 2011 during the inaugural Q School where he reached the last 64 twice losing to Welsh veteran Lee Walker 4-2 and Mitchell Man 4-1....in the 2012 Q School he lost to James Cahill 4-2 in Q School 1 before a Run to the Last 32 in Q School 2 saw him losing 4-0 to Ben Harrison in Q School 3 that year he lost first match to China's Li Hang....This year he lost to Kishan Hirani 4-0 in Q School 1 But can he Gain a main tour spot this afternoon?

Repeating myself a bit, but maybe bears repeating.

Four weeks ago David Gray had a fairly comfortable victory in the English Amateur Championship over Zak Surety.

Two weeks ago Shane Castle had a comfortable victory in the English Under 21 Series Finals over Ryan Clark.

But it'll be one of Surety or Clark on the Pro Tour ...

Gray, Castle, Ben Harrison and Oliver Lines were all players I thought were likely to make it this year, but just hasn't happened for them ... yet.

Ryan Clark it is then 5th Q School Graduate this year

Sydney Wilson will get a Bye in to Round 3 of Q School 3 Ryan Clark he was due to play in Round 1 and Elliot Slessor he was due to play in Round 2 has already got on the Main Tour.

Pleased Ryan Clark finished the job after beating Ben. Gutted for Ben, he didn't do a lot wrong, the 4-0 scoreline didn't reflect the match. He should've been 2-1 up if things hadn't gone against him and at 3-0 down he'd understandably gone somewhat.

At 1-0 down Ben was 40 up with 43 on, pink on side cushion and green below black and he stuck a red from cushion up into baulk to make it hard for Ryan to score with big colours. Ryan potted the red in baulk, cannoned the blue on the way back down table, played a good rest shot dead weight blue which was very missable to land on red for black, then finished too straight on yellow, attempted to screw down for green but instead hit the pink bringing it into play and over the pocket. Then he played green up table onto side cush near its spot and stuck the white behind pink. Ben attempted to hit across the table to catch the green just after 2nd cush and knock it towards baulk cush but somehow found the unlikely gap behind the green. He then repeated this remarkable feat twice more, then he wiped the cushion with his hand presumably because it wasn't throwing how he expected it to, then he played the same shot and the white flew at a completely different angle and went about a foot high of the green, then he over compensated and caught the green before the 2nd cush and stuck it over the pocket! So unlucky.

Then at 2-0 he potted a great long red, developed the pack a few shots later then got a kick on a red leaving him short of the blue by about a cm making it impossible to get on a red. Then later on they played safe on the green for so long the entire scoreboard was full of Ps, I think it was half an hour on the green and Ben only got one half chance in all that time! Towards the end Ben left green over middle, Ryan missed and green landed tight to top cush. You just knew at that point it wasn't his day! The fact he only got one half chance in half an hour of safety is a credit to Ryan in how good his safety game is. And I have to say the 50+ break Ryan knocked in in the first frame was first class. He forced the error with a good safety then did remarkably well to make a 50+ considering the work he had to do. Fair play to him.

Looks like Ursenbacher's got through

First Swiss pro and only 15, isn't he?