Snooker + High Speed = Shoot-out

21:15:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Shoot those snooker balls!
Things are getting very "speedy" for snooker, because after the Power Snooker launch last month, the time has come to bring yet another twisted tournament to the eyes of the public. Its name? "Shoot-out" ! A very expressive and meaningful name for a snooker event that will have a ticking clock and limited time to carry on with a frame.


Basically, the best 64 snooker players in the world will try to do their best in an one-frame knockout event which runs from January 28 to 30, next year at the Circus Arena from Backpool, UK. But things are getting even more twisted, as a frame will have a maximum duration of 10 minutes with a 20-seconds shot clock in the first five minutes and 15-seconds for the last five. Now, how about that? :-)) And I thought Power Snooker was "fast and furious" :-))))) Boy, was I wrong or what? :-P


This visionary, this Jean Luc-Picard of snooker- Barry Hearn is the one who came up with the idea, an idea that will probably be seen not too good by the purists, but like a breath of fresh air by the those who embrace change.
In an interview gave to the BBC back in May, when this idea was made public, Hearn said:
“It will be snooker at full throttle. It will test players to the limits of what they can do under pressure. They will have to make quick decisions and show their natural ability and plenty of bottle - with the chance to double their money for every game they win."


Hearn also added that the atmosphere will be "lively". Now, I hope that doesn’t mean "Power Snooker lively", for I was really bothered by the rudeness of the people who got drunk and started to sing and shout like they were at a football match. A more relaxed atmosphere is very ok by me for it brings together the players and the public like a whole, but let’s not exaggerate and bring too much noise into snooker, for it’s such a fragile segment which needs attention and care.
Now, on the other hand I did enjoy very much the atmosphere from this year’s World Championship re-match...you know the one between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. That was awesome! The players were speaking with the public, the public was responding respectfully...that was superb! Don’t you think? :-)


New sheriff in town - new tournaments
There were a lot of skeptical people when Power Snooker was introduced to them and I think that many of them will also be skeptical about this Snoot-out event. But I think we should give it a chance. It’s nice and fun, it captures the people imagination and it’s... crazy! :-))) No one is trying to replace classic snooker or to make it less interesting. "The 6-reds", "The Power Snooker", "The Shoot-out" tournaments, are just being placed in the schedule only to see how the players do under pressure. How they react, if they enjoy it...if the public enjoys it.
Someone was telling me that one can’t obtain performance with only 6 or 9 reds on the table. Not to be rude, but what’s that got to do with it? Performance is performance!


The "Shoot-out" tournament will be broadcasted by SkySports, being the second great snooker event covered by this television, beside the Premier League and the draw for each round will be random. Oh, and one more “unimportant” detail: the winner will go home with £32,000!!! :-)

Below, you’ll find the draw for the first round, so you can imagine how this event will start ;-)

Andrew Higginson v. Jamie Burnett
Tom Ford v. Stephen Maguire
Robert Milkins v. Martin Gould
Fergal O'Brien v. Stephen Hendry
Jimmy Michie v. Marcus Campbell
Mark King v. Jimmy Robertson
Alfie Burden v. Matthew Selt
Peter Lines v. Barry Hawkins
Ronnie O'Sullivan v. Marco Fu
Stephen Lee v. Michael Holt
Michael Judge v. Alan McManus
Mark Williams v. John Higgins
Graeme Dott v. Matthew Couch
Adrian Gunnell v. David Morris
Jamie Cope v. Ken Doherty
Judd Trump v. Dave Harold
Barry Pinches v. Neil Robertson
Shaun Murphy v. Rory McLeod
Gerard Greene v. Rod Lawler
Matthew Stevens v. Mike Dunn
Stuart Pettman v. Bjorn Haneveer
Andy Hicks v. Mark Selby
Ding Junhui v. Dominic Dale
Jimmy White v. Ali Carter
Nigel Bond v. Joe Jogia
Tony Drago v. Liang Wenbo
Joe Perry v. Ricky Walden
Joe Swail v. Mark Davis
Anthony Hamilton v. Anthony McGill
Stuart Bingham v. Ian McCulloch
Mark Allen v. Ryan Day
Peter Ebdon v. Steve Davis

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Snooker + Viteza = Shoot-out

21:14:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Impuscati bilele, baieti!
"Viteza" incepe sa fie cuvantul magic in snooker, un fel de ingredient "X" adaugat in ultima vreme ca "reteta" sa devina si mai delicioasa. Am avut parte acum o luna de Power Snooker iar acum ni se pregateste inca cevaaa :-P Ni se pregateste o noua competitie, numita "Shoot-out" un fel de snooker jucat la foc deschis, mult mai revolutionar decat orice am vazut pana acum.


Cu doar un frame decisiv (mai pe romaneste, ai pierdut frame-ul = ai iesit din competitie) a carui durata va fi de maxim 10 minute, cu o ticatit de ceas ce limiteaza lovitura la 20 de secunde, in primele cinci minute de joc, si la 15 secunde loviturile efectuate in celelalte cinci minute ramase, turneul isi doreste sa revolutioneze de-a dreptul snooker-ul. Nu va faceti insa griji, nu este competitie de puncte si cu siguranta ca nu va fi vreodata. E doar o modalitate de a testa capacitatile marilor jucatori, mai precis celor mai buni 64, meciurile fiind stabilite prin tragere la sorti, iar castigatorul plecand acasa cu frumoasa suma de 32.000 lire sterline.
Si eu care credeam ca Power Snooker-ul este "vitezomania" din snooker :-))))


Ideea traznita i-a venit, cui altuia decat lui Barry Hearn! :-)) Vizionarul Jean Luc-Picard si-a facut publica intentia de a incepe un nou turneu inca din luna mai a acestui an, cand a declarat pentru BBC, urmatoarele:
"Se va juca snooker accelerat, astfel incat jucatorii isi vor putea testa capacitatea de rezistenta sub presiune.Vor trebui sa ia decizii cat mai rapide si sa-ti etaleze abilitatile naturale de joc, stapanindu-si emotiile - rasplata fiind dublarea sumei de bani pentru fiecare joc castigat."


Un nou serif in oras = noi turnee
Tot Hearn a adaugat si faptul ca atmosfera de joc ca fi una "plina de viata". Nu ca ar fi ceva rau in asta, insa sper ca nu se refera la "plina de viata a la Power Snooker" intrucit balamucul general creeat de o serie de indivizi afumati de la atata "open-bar" nu a fost tocmai pe gustul meu. Sa ai parte de o atmosfera mai relaxata de joc este indicat, mai ales in cadrul unor astfel de competitii si nu neg ca interactiunea dintre jucatori si public trebuie sa existe, insa sa nu exageram si sa aducem "vuvuzelele" intr-un sport mult prea delicat si serios pentru asa ceva.
Imi aduc aminte cu placere de atmosfera creata acum cateva luni cand a avut loc re-match-ul dintre Steve Davis si Dennis Taylor, in cadrul Campionatului Mondial. Cei doi vorbeau cu publicul, publicul raspundea respectuos, se radea, era buna dispozitie...insa in momentul in care jucatorii aveau nevoie sa se concentreze pentru a lovi, se facea automat liniste. Ei, asa da! E imbatatoare o astfel de atmosfera, nu credeti? :-P


Cand Power Snooker-ul a fost lansat la apa multi au ridicat sprancenele si cu siguranta ca asa se va intampla si cu Shoot-out-ul. Insa eu cred ca ar trebui sa ii oferim o sansa. E frumos, e interesant, e amuzant, e "iute"...e o nebunie interesanta, as putea adauga! :-)) Nimeni nu incearca sa modifice snooker-ul clasic sau sa-l inlocuiasca ori sa-i minimizeze valoarea. Astea sunt doar rautati gratuite ale unor clevetitori care nu stiu decat sa arate cu degetul ori de cate ori cineva vine cu o idee inovatoare. In definitiv nu vad ce ar strica sa ai o competitie unde jucatorii isi pot testa limitele?

Cineva imi spunea ca nu poti face performanta cu turnee gen " The 6-reds" sau "Power Snooker" si ca 6 sau 9 bile rosii nu se compara cu 15. Da, nu se compara, insa ce legatura are performana cu asta?  Mai mult decat atat, multiplii campion mondiali sunt cei care joaca si cu 15 si cu 6, deci care e problema? Nimeni nu o sa se antreneze cu 6, 9 sau 12 bile rosii, doar pentru ca nu are nimic mai bun de facut. Snooker-ul e snooker fara doar si poate. Si cu riscul de a ma repeta, nimeni nu doreste sa il modifice sau sa-l inlocuiasca!


Turneul "Shoot-out" va avea loc in perioada 28-30 ianuarie anul viitor, la Circus Arena din Blackpool Marea Britanie fiind transmis de SkySports, iar prima runda de joc si-a dezvaluit deja meciurile; asa ca va invit sa aruncati o privire mai jos si sa va imaginati ce start va lua competitia vitezei la inceput de 2011. ;-)


Andrew Higginson vs. Jamie Burnett
Tom Ford vs. Stephen Maguire
Robert Milkins vs. Martin Gould
Fergal O'Brien vs. Stephen Hendry
Jimmy Michie vs. Marcus Campbell
Mark King vs. Jimmy Robertson
Alfie Burden vs. Matthew Selt
Peter Lines vs. Barry Hawkins
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs. Marco Fu
Stephen Lee vs. Michael Holt
Michael Judge vs. Alan McManus
Mark Williams vs. John Higgins
Graeme Dott vs. Matthew Couch
Adrian Gunnell vs. David Morris
Jamie Cope vs. Ken Doherty
Judd Trump vs. Dave Harold
Barry Pinches vs. Neil Robertson
Shaun Murphy vs. Rory McLeod
Gerard Greene vs. Rod Lawler
Matthew Stevens vs. Mike Dunn
Stuart Pettman vs. Bjorn Haneveer
Andy Hicks vs. Mark Selby
Ding Junhui vs. Dominic Dale
Jimmy White vs. Ali Carter
Nigel Bond vs. Joe Jogia
Tony Drago vs. Liang Wenbo
Joe Perry vs. Ricky Walden
Joe Swail vs. Mark Davis
Anthony Hamilton vs. Anthony McGill
Stuart Bingham vs. Ian McCulloch
Mark Allen vs. Ryan Day
Peter Ebdon vs. Steve Davis

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UK Championship Qualifiers - Day 6

03:58:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Another busy day for our beloved snooker players as the 6th day of the qualifying rounds for the UK Championship kicked off. It’s true, yesterday we didn’t have those tight and twisted battles as we were used to have, but hard work and tension were part of the game since only one day separates the players from the last round.


Things seem to be going rather good for the China’s represents as Xiao Guodong cashed another victory after beating Stuart Pettman by a 9-5 scoreline, even if they ended on a draw (4-4) the first session.
The "Whirlwind" Jimmy White kept going and showing his good form by obtaining a 6-2 advance in the morning session and ending and a beautiful 9-4 final scoreline in the evening. The victim? Adrian Gunnell.
A very interesting match was the one between Joe Swail and Simon Bedford, Joe taking the lead in the first part of the day with a 6-2 score and continuing to pot those crazy snooker balls in the second part, in such way that poor Simon didn’t win any frame at all, the final score being 9-2.


After his "champion colleague", Barry Pinches lost the other day the battle for the next round, the EPTC 6 winner, Michael Holt saw himself being sent home by Patrick Wallace with 5-3 (in the first session) and 9-4 (in the second one) and the Shanghai Masters 2010 runner-up Jamie Burnett eliminated Michael White although at the end of the first session things looked very tight 4-4, but soon changing in a 9-6 final result for Jamie.
By far, the most dramatic match of yesterday round was the one between Marcus Campbell and Mark Joyce. The first session saw Mark starting with a 5-3 advantage, but in the second one Marcus made a remarkable comeback and took the lead 7-5 only to see the tightest battle of the day. Of course Mark fought back and in the end the players brought the match into a decider at 8-8!!! The last frame was pure madness, the last one standing being Mark, who succeeded to put himself together and secure a place into the next round with a 9-8 scoreline.


Along with these six matches four more needed to be completed, a great reason to be joyful for the following four players that reached the next round. :-)
So, Robert Milkins beat Matt Couch 9-4, Tom Ford "lightened" the atmosphere as he defeated the "Tornado" Tony Drago 9-6, Dominic Dale eliminated Matt Selt by the same scoreline and Rory McLeod booked himself a place in the last round after wining 9-4 over the youngster Kyren Wilson.


Today the following "snooker battles" will take place:


From 10:00 am and from 7:00 pm
Matthew Stevens (4-4) Robert Milkins
Gerard Greene (2-6) Tom Ford
Martin Gould (4-4) James Wattana
Stephen Lee (5-3) David Gilbert
Steve Davis (2-6) Mark Joyce
Judd Trump (4-4) Xiao Guodong
*update after the first session


From 2:30 pm - the first session
Barry Hawkins (5-2) Fergal O’Brien
Stuart Bingham (4-3) Peter Lines
Ken Doherty (4-2) Rod Lawler
Ricky Walden (4-4) Liu Chuang
*updated

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UK Championship (etapa de calificare) - Ziua 6

03:58:00 Ramona Dragomir 2 Comments

Inca o zi "plina ochi" in Sheffield unde inca o serie de jucatori si-au disputat sansele de a intra in ultima runda, cea cu numarul 4, runda premergatoare calificarii definitive si irevocabile in UK Camphionship-ul ce va incepe sambata aceasta.
Desi n-am mai avut parte de multitudinea de meciuri ale caror scoruri sa ne dea emotii pana in ultimele clipe, s-a jucat snooker de calitate, fiecare frame castigat reprezentand totodata si un efort depus.

Lucuruile par a merge de minune pentru reprezentantii Chinei, Xiao Guodong inregistrand o noua victorie, de aceasta data in fata lui Stuart Pettman, cu care a remizat prima runda 4-4, dar de care s-a detasat considerabil in cea de-a doua, incheind cu scorul de 9-5.
"The Whirlwind" Jimmy White a continuat sa impresioneze prin forma buna de joc dupa ce l-a eliminat din competitie pe Adrian Gunnell pe care l-a condus cu 6-2 in prima sesiune si cu un magnific 9-4 in cea de-a doua.
Un meci extrem de interesant a fost si cel disputat intre Joe Sawil si Simon Bedford, intrucit la sfarsitul primei sesiuni Joe conducea cu 6-2 , lucru continuat si in cadrul celei de-a doua sesiuni, cand nu i-a permis lui Simon sa castige nici macar un frame, scorul final fiind stabilit la 9-2.


Ca si "colegul sau campion" Barry Pinches, cel care a pierdut calificarea acum putin timp, castigatorul EPTC 6, Michael Holt s-a vazut pus la zid inca din prima sesiune cu 5-3, in cea de-a doua fiind si eliminat cu scorul de 9-4 - victorie adjudecata de Patrick Wallace; iar in ceea ce il priveste pe Jamie Burnett, finalistul din acest al al Shanghai Masters, acesta s-a impus cu 9-6 in fata lui Michael White.
De departe insa, cel mai "fierbinte" meci al zilei a fost cel dintre Marcus Campbell si Mark Joyce. La sfarsitul primei sesiuni Mark a plecat cu avantajul de 5-3 insa lucrurile nu aveau sa ramana asa, deoarece Marcus a contra-atacat pentru a prelua conducerea cu 7-5. Lupta stransa de ambele parti, atat de stransa incat baietii au dus meciul in frame decisiv 8-8; in final, cel mai norocos si supravietuitor al frame-ului "mortal" a fost Mark, care a castigat cu 9-8.


In ceea ce priveste rezultatele finale ale celor patru meciuri ce aveau finalizate doar prima sesiune de joc, acestea arata cam asa: Robert Milkins a trecut cu un sfasietor 9-4 de Matt Couch, Tom Ford a mai "imbunat vremea" invingandu-l pe Tony "Tornado" Drago cu scorul de 9-6, Dominic Dale a castigat batalia dusa importiva lui Matt Selt cu acelasi scor, iar Rory McLeod l-a trimis acasa pe tanarul jucator Kyren Wilson cu scorul final de 9-4.


Astazi si maine se va disputa ultima runda de joc, runda extrem de importanta pentru calificare. Mai jos gasiti lista meciurilor pentru ziua de marti.


De la ora 12:00 si ora 21:00
Matthew Stevens (4-4) Robert Milkins
Gerard Greene (2-6) Tom Ford
Martin Gould (4-4) James Wattana
Stephen Lee (5-3) David Gilbert
Steve Davis (2-6) Mark Joyce
Judd Trump (4-4) Xiao Guodong
*actualizat dupa prima sesiune

De la ora 16:30 - prima sesiune
Barry Hawkins (5-2) Fergal O`Brien
Stuart Bingham (4-3) Peter Lines
Ken Doherty (4-2) Rod Lawler
Ricky Walden (4-4) Liu Chuang
*actualizat

2 comments:

Premier League: "The Rocket" lands on cloud number nine

18:20:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

The 2010 Premier League champ - Ronnie O`Sullivan
I don’t know what you guys done this past weekend, but I know couldn’t unglue myself from my computer screen :-)) Especially last night, when the Premier League final was on! And what a final that was! Drama, tension, cool snooker, magic, rockets up in the air...everything was made by the book and even more! :-)) It was one of the most exciting night that snooker has give to me lately and that’s probably because 'The Rocket" was in such a good form and was...well, rocking! :-P


Shaun Murphy, representing the Magic of the night and Ronnie O`Sullivan, representing the Science department were the two players who desperately wanted to win this year’s Premier League trophy. And for one of them, the wish came true. If last year, Ronnie was defeated 7-3 by the Smurf, this time the good old "Rocket" took revenge and won by a beautiful 7-1 scoreline! What a wonderful victory!
But let’s see how was the evening and how O`Sullivan won this year’s shiny trophy, shall we? ;-P


First frame and Shaun was going straight to build a nice break, when he unexpectedly missed an incredible pink, allowing Ronnie to take his fist chance at the table...so "The Rocket" did his thing and hit a 74 break for a 1-0 scoreline and a wonderfully 123 break, in the second frame, to take his lead one step further.
In the next frame Ronnie only made a 23 break, due to a miss, so Shaun came to the table (after sitting quietly in his chair for an entire frame) to fire a 29 break, due to ...well, another miss in that same superior right pocket. This time, Ronnie built a 59 and secured another frame.
The forth frame was perhaps the most tense one and well...a bit scrappy to be honest, as both players struggled a lot. First Ronnie missed to pot a long red, then came Shaun’s mistake in potting another crazy red while making a 32 break, Ronnie came for a 21, then a lot of safety shots were played and finally due to a 35, O`Sullivan won yet another frame for a 4-0 lead.

The Rocket doing his thing
If I were to pick an expression to characterise Shaun’s performance from last night it will probably sound something like "great start but poorly continued". Not to offend anyone, but tonight he did a lot of mistakes, mistakes that cost him the title. One of them was committing a brutally foul, as he potted the blue along with the cue ball while he was building a pretty good break of 29. "The Rocket" fired in break of 47 and 15 and completed another victory......this was beginning to smell like a whitewash!
But the next frame was going to prove me wrong, as Shaun hit a 43 and a 20 to avoid being sent home with zero frames won.


Sadly for “The Magician" that victorious frame came a bit too late, as Ronnie was unstoppable! He continued with break of 68, 51 and 28 in the next two frames to win fair and square his 9th Premier League title!!! "The Rocket" was once again champion, and what a champion! :-)


You know what that means? It means that Ronnie is now the only player to win a professional event 9 times, beating Steve Davis' 8 Irish Masters wins! Wow! That must be something, right? :-P Hell, of course it is! It measures that fact that he is one terrific snooker player (when he wants to) and the fact that he can rock around any snooker table like no one can!
After the victory, O`Sullivan declared for SkySports: "I was just pleased to be able to play well tonight and get amongst the balls and make a few breaks. But regarding the UK Championship, he added: "It's nice to be going in there with some confidence, having won a tournament. I've beaten some good players in this tournament. The UK is a different story though; this has got a shot clock on it. To win the UK, the Masters or the Worlds, it's a different ball game altogether."

Murphy`s magic did`t work last night
Now, what more can I add to Ronnie’s victory? He is one of the best, that’s for sure, he is the master champion of this tournament as he won it nine times, he is like the Speedy Gonzales of snooker kicking that balls like crazy, he has a twisted personality but that’s what people love about him and he is definitely made to be a champion!

Congratulations "Rocket" for yet another wonderfully played match and another beautiful victory, but also congratulations to Shaun Murphy, who although didn’t performed well enough last night, he reached the final and that’s something to be considered and be proud of! :-)

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Premier League: "Racheta" aterizeaza in al noualea cer

18:19:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Campionul Premier League 2010 - Ronnie O`Sullivan
Nu stiu cu ce v-ati ocupat voi weekend-ul asta, dar eu nu m-am putut dezlipi de ecranul calculatorului :-)) A fost o "fiesta" pentru iubitorii de snooker, avand in vedere ca atat sambata cat si duminica snooker-ul live a facat ravagii :-)) Iar duminica seara...oooo, duminca seara a fost sublim de-a dreptul! O finala extrem de interesanta si captivanta!
"Magicianul" Shaun Murphy si "Racheta" Ronnie O`Sullivan s-au razboit ca doi gentlemeni ce sunt pentru titlul de campion Premier League 2010. Si desi la un moment dat se parea ca doar Ronnie joaca (shocant, nu? :-P), meciul a fost unul care nu trebuia ratat. In final, dupa cca. doua ore si un sfert, Ronnie a fost cel care a ridicat trofeul desupra capului, al noualea la numar, dupa o victorie frumoasa de 7-1!
Dar sa vedem cum s-a ajuns la acest scor. ;-)


Primul frame si Murphy pleaca destul de sigur pe sine incercand sa isi construiasca un break solid, insa rateaza nesperat de repede bila roz, ceea ce a echivalat cu prima sansa la masa a lui Ronnie. Si cum Ronnie pretuieste orice sansa acordata, a inscris un break de 74 pentru 1-0 si un fabulos 123 in cel de-al doilea frame pentru a duce diferenta un pas mai departe.
Cel de-al treilea frame avea sa fie deschis de O`Sullivan cu un mic break de 23 si continua cu un Shaun hotarit sa reduca din handicap. Din pacate a doua marea greseala a serii comisa de "Magician" care rateaza sa inscrie o bila rosie in acelasi buzunar superior drept in timp ce isi cladea un frumos break de 29 de puncte. Revenit la masa, "Racheta" impusca un 59 pentru inca o victorie.

"Racheta" la datorie
Urmatorul frame a fost poate cel mai slabut din intregul meci, intrucit ambii jucatori au intampinat dificultati in a-si definitiva un break suficient de puternic pentru a castiga. Initial Ronnie a ratat la scurt timp dupa ce a inceput sa joace o bila rosie de distanta, apoi a venit greseala lui Shaun care dupa un 32 avea sa rateze tot o bila rosie, Ronnie a continuat cu un 21, pentru ca in final jocul sa cada in mana unor lovituri de siguranta dovedite de O`Sullivan care a incheiat cu un break de 35.


Daca as putea sa rezum intr-o expresie prestatia de seara trecuta a lui Murphy ar suna ceva de genul " inceput foarte bun, continuare foarte proasta". Fara suparare si departe de mine gandul de minimiza valoare de jucator a lui Shaun Murphy, insa aseara a comis o serie de greseli care l-au constat extrem de scump...l-au costat titlul de campion. 
In cel de-al cincilea frame "Magicianul" a inceput destul de bine, insa faultul comis (a inscris bila albastra ci pe cea alba) i-au "retezat" break-ul la doar 29 de puncte, Ronnie incercandu-si norocul cu break-uri de 47 si 15 pentru inca un frame adjudecat. Incepea sa miroasa a infrangere definitiva.
Totusi runda urmatoare a dovedit contrariul, Murphy reusind sa o castige cu break-uri de 43 si 20, evitand astfel sa fie trimis acasa cu 0 frame-uri castigate.


Urmatoarele doua runde au fost dominate de "The Rocket" cu break-uri de 68, 51 si 28, break-uri ce si-au definitivat victoria de 7-1! Ronnie este din nou campion! Si ce campion! ;-)
Imediat dupa terminarea meciului, O`Sullivan a declarat pentru baietii de la SkySports: "Sunt multumit de cum am jucat in aceasta seara, am reusit sa realizez cateva break-uri frumoase." 

Magia lui Murphy nu a functionat aseara
In ceea ce priveste UK Championship-ul insa, acesta a adaugat: "E placut sa mergi mai departe (n.r. UK Championship) cu ceva incredere in sine datorita castigarii acestui turneu. Am invins multi jucatori buni aici. Totusi UK Championship-ul este diferit, nu mai exista timp limita ca in Premier League. Atat UK Championship-ul, cat si Masters-ul sau Campionatul Mondial sunt lucruri total diferite."


In final ce as mai putea adauga? Dupa al noualea titlul de Premier League castigat ce as mai putea adauga? :-)) Victoria lui Ronnie spune totul, este un jucator extrem de talentat si de bun (cand vrea :-P), are o personalitate destul de controversata, insa tocmai din acest motiv lumea il adora, este una dintre stelele inca in actiune ale snooker-ului si nu in ultimul rand este "fabricat" pentru a castiga! ;-)
Apropo, stiati ca in momentul de fata Ronnie este singurul jucator care a castigat de 9 ori o competitie profesionista de snooker, dupa cele 8 Masters-uri irlandeze a lui Steve Davis? Eee, e ceva, nu? :-))


Asa ca sincere felicitari lui Ronnie pentru un meci jucat impecabil si pentru inca un trofeu adaugat la colectie, dar si lui Shaun pentru ca a ajuns in finala, ceea ce nu e lucru putin. ;-)

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UK Championship Qualifiers - Day 5

16:09:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

After a free day, the boys of snooker have resumed their battle for a nice and cozy place into the UK Championship. And although for many Sunday it’s a day of rest, for them it was a very busy, busy day filled with tension, excitement and lots of frames...yet again! :-)


The Irish Fergal O’Brien was leading 5-3 after the first session, in the match played against Jamie Jones and continued his road towards victory ending with a 9-4 scoreline in the evening, Nigel Bond was first in line after 4-3 in the morning, but saw himself being sent home by Peter Lines with a final result of 9-7 and Rod Lawler had an amazing day after almost performing a whitewash on Anthony Hamilton in the first session 5-1 and sealing his victory with a beautiful 9-3 scoreline in the second one.


Liu Chuang is no stranger from winning, as he did it again yesterday in the match played against Alan McManus 5-3 in the first session and 9-5 in the second and the same rule applied for the Thai James Wattana who kneeled the strategist Dave Harold 5-2 and 9-4.
The PTC 4 event winner, Barry Pinches lost to the mighty and in great form David Gilbert after Dave took the lead 6-2 and ended the match on a 9-4 victory.


As for those four matches that had only one session disputed the scores look something like this:

Robert Milkins (5-3) 9-4 Matthew Couch
Tom Ford (4-4) 9-6 Tony Drago
Dominic Dale (5-3) 9-6 Matthew Selt
Rory McLeod (4-4) 9-4 Kyren Wilson
*updated


Today, from 2:30 pm (UK time) we shall find out the final results on the above matches but there’s more snooker going on, so here’s the list with the players eager to win a place into the next round ;-)

From 10:00 am and 7:00 pm (UK time)
Marcus Campbell (3-5) Mark Joyce
Stuart Pettman (4-4) Xiao Guodong
Adrian Gunnell (2-6) Jimmy White
Joe Swail (6-2) Simon Bedford
Michael Holt (3-5) Patrick Wallace
Jamie Burnett (4-4) Michael White
*update after the first session

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UK Championship (etapa de calificare) - Ziua 5

16:08:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Dupa o zi libera baietii snookersti au revenit la Academia de Snooker de la Sheffield pentru inca o runda de calificari. Si desi pentru unii Duminica este prilej de liniste si relax intens, pentru ei a fost prilej de "duelaj de tacuri", tensiune si multe frame-uri jucate pana aproape de epuizare. :-)


Ziua a inceput dis-de-dimineata cu meciul dintre irlandezul Fergal O`Brien care a plecat cu avantajul unui scor de 5-3 in fata lui Jamie Jones, pe seara continund in acelasi mod si obtinand o victorie frumoasa de 9-4, Nigel Bond a luat startul la un frame distanta 4-3 in fata lui Peter Lines, insa nu a putut sa isi mentina avansul asa ca in sesiunea de seara s-a vazut trimis acasa cu rezultatul final de 9-7, iar Rod Lawler de abia daca l-a lasat pe contra-candidatul sau, Anthony Hamilton sa castige un frame la prima intrevedere (5-1), pentru ca la cea de-a doua sa inchida cu un uimitor scor de 9-3.


Pentru chinezutul Liu Chuang sa castige meci dupa meci nu mai este o mirare, asa ca ieri l-a invins cu 5-3 si 9-4 pe Alan McManus, iar thailandezul James Wattana "i-a urmat exemplul" dupa ce a trecut cu scorul de 5-2 in prima sesiune si cu un magistral 9-4 in cea de-a doua...victima? Nimeni altul decat strategul Dave Harold. In ceea ce il priveste pe campionul PTC 4, Barry Pinches acesta s-a vazut invins cu un sfarsietor 9-4 (6-2 in prima sesiune) de catre jucatorul mult prea in forma, David Gilbert.


Iar pentru cele patru meciuri care si-au disputat doar prima sesiune, iata si scorurile partiale:


Robert Milkins (5-3) 9-4 Matthew Couch
Tom Ford (4-4) 9-6 Tony Drago
Dominic Dale (5-3) 9-6 Matthew Selt
Rory McLeod (4-4) 9-4 Kyren Wilson
*actualizat


Astazi de la ora 16:30 (ora Romaniei) se vor definitiva si ele, insa mai avem snooker pe ordinea de zi, intrucit inca 12 jucatori zglobii se vor "razboi" pentru un loc in urmatoarea runda:


De la ora 12:00 si de la ora 21:00 (ora Romaniei)
Marcus Campbell (3-5) Mark Joyce
Stuart Pettman (4-4) Xiao Guodong
Adrian Gunnell (2-6) Jimmy White
Joe Swail (6-2) Simon Bedford
Michael Holt (3-5) Patrick Wallace
Jamie Burnett (4-4) Michael White
*acualizat dupa prima sesiune

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The Premier League: Magic and Science all the way

06:13:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Ooops, I did it again! I`m in the final! :-)
It was a wonderful night for snooker here in the county of Norfolk! It was such an amazing show, with such great names rocking around the snooker table, with a bit of drama but top class snooker! And what better way to do the semi-finals of a Premier League tournament than this way? I can’t think of a more perfect way of having my share of televised snooker than with all these ingredients on!
An intensive night for the snooker lovers but also for the players, for at stake was a precious place in today’s final.


The snooker feast started with the clash between the defending champion Shaun Murphy and the Hong Kong cue man Marco Fu and although Fu rushed to take the lead by firing in breaks of 83 and 45 for a 2-0 scoreline, "The Magician" wasn’t going to sit and watch his title being taken away from him. So he fought back as he won his first frame with an amazing 103 break, won the second with an 81 break, the third with a 97 and...Should I go on? You know I have more! :-)) Ok, so let’s take a break and review the score: it was 3-2 for Shaun and Fu didn’t pot anything while "The Magician" was wining his way back.
Last two frames were also won by Murphy with breaks of 69, 28 and 68. Final score 5-2. Actually the last frame ended on a 68-0 result and Fu got up of his chair and shook hands with the winner. Now, that’s what I call fair-play! It takes a lot of courage and "cojones" to admit you didn’t play your best and give it to the one who did. It was little chance to see Fu make a comeback and he knew it, as the poor guy was kept in his seat for five frames on a row, but still he did won those first two frames fair and square!


Back to Shaun...man, was he on fire or what?! Those pots, those moves, those incredible breaks! I think that from what I’ve seen until this moment, this could very well be the best performance Shaun did! It was so focused on the game, so into it, so...aaarrr! :-)) I just love to see a player give so much to this sport and the sport responding to him in such a wonderful manner! It was such a joy to see him doing so well.

Murphy cueing like a dream
The second match was the one given between the "Premier League" master of all times, Ronnie O`Sullivan and the world number one and current world champion, Neil Robertson.
After the "madness", this started as a very cool game, as Ronnie was trying to build a nice break, but missed a pink giving Robbo a chance to came to the table for a 34 one. Still, "The Rocket" was going to win the first frame with a 61 break. Not far off, Robbo kicked back with breaks of 26 and 65 for a 1-1 scoreline. And that was it! The end! Oh...do I have to continue? Come on, you know who won, right? :-))
Kidding! But that was it for Robbo last night as he sat quietly in his chair while Ronnie was hitting breaks of 82, 139 and 102 for a 4-1 lead!!!!! All engines warmed up and kicking like hell as “The Rocket" was flying and potting those balls like a dream!!!! :-))
In the last frame, Neil tried to make a difference by registering a 51 break but that wasn’t enough to beat Ronnie’s 70 break who also meant a 5-1 final result! What a victory for O`Sullivan who reached the final! What a performance! Brilliant! You don’t even have to be a fan of his to admit he rocked in such way!!!!! Wohooo!!!

Fu and Robertson were sent home
So tonight we shall be the witnesses of the Grand Final: Shaun Murphy v. Ronnie O`Sullivan. So will we see the last year re-match or this time " The Science" will beat " The Magic"? Well, we’ll just have to wait for tonight won’t we?! :-P

Don’t miss snooker from 7:30 pm (UK time) on SkySports 4!!!! Oh, and since to find a decent link that actually works so you can see the match is becoming quite an adventure, please follow my Tweets or my FaceBook page to read the latest updates of links, breaks and scores. ;-)

See yaaaaaa!!!!!

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Premier League: Mix de magie si stiinta

06:13:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Ups, am comis-o din nou! Sunt in finala! :-)
Am avut parte de o seara absolut exploziva in tinutul Norfolk din Marea Birtanie! Snooker de calitate, nume mari, tensiune, un strop de drama presarat delicat, public extaziat...ce sa mai...un show pe cinste! Si cum oare sa se desfasoare semi-finalele de Premier League decat avand toate ingredientele de mai sus incorporate in doze potrivite? :-))
Snooker-ul intensiv devine reteta agreata de publicul amator de snooker, dar nici jucatori nu s-au sfiit sa ofere un adevarat festin in drumul lor catre marea finala din aceasta seara.


Shaun Murphy in calitate de campion in exercitiu si Marco Fu, s-au duelat pentru primul loc din runda finala si desi rezidentul din Hong Kong a uimit audienta din arena cat si cea din fata televizoarelor, preluand imediat conducerea cu scorul de 2-0 (ajutat de break-rui de 83 si 45), Shaun nu avea de gand sa se lase demoralizat atat de usor. Tine la titlul sau castigat acum un an, asa ca a pornit extrem de determinat la drum, impuscand break-uri fantastice de 103, 81 si 97 pentru a rasturna situatia si a prelua conducerea cu 3-2.

Dar cursa infernala nu s-a oprit aici, deoarece "Magicianul" s-a impus cu ajutorul unei serii de break-uri in valoare de 59, 28 si 68 de puncte pentru a incheia in plina glorie, cu minunatul rezultat de 5-2! Ultimul frame s-a terminat cu scorul de 68-0, moment in care Marco s-a ridicat si i-a oferit mana, felicitandu-l pe castigator! Asta da fair-play! Chiar daca nu mai erau sanse ca chinezultul nostru sa revina si el era constient de asta, multi poate ar fi persistant si ar fi lungit-o pana tarziu pentru a nu pleca cu buzunarul gol acasa sau pur si simplu pentru orgoliul lor ranit. Iti trebuie mult curaj sa admiti ca "asta e, s-a terminat!" ;-)

Murphy concentrat pe victorie
Revenind la Shaun insa....Doamne! Omu` era pe baterii! :-)) Ce lovituri, ce break-rui, ce snooker! Absolut genial a jucat meciul! Jos palaria! Saracutul de Fu cred ca a facut gaura in scaun la cat de pedepsit a fost ieri seara; practic in ultimele 5 fream-uri abia daca s-a apropiat de masa, iar daca a facut-o nu a avut ocazia sa inscrie nicio bila. Nu degeaba, Shaun este campion in exercitiu! 


Pe locul secund se afla meciul dintre Maestrul de Premier League, Ronnie O`Sullivan si campionul mondial si ocupant al locului fruntas, Neil Robertson.
Adevarul este ca dupa frumoasa nebunie de mai devreme, meciul dintre "The Rocket" si Robbo a fost unul destul de light...cel putin pentru inceput. ;-) Ronnie a pornit bine, insa a ratat bila roz pentru a-si construi un break mai generos de 11 puncte, oferindu-i astfel sansa lui Neil sa vina la masa pentru un 34. Revenit insa, Ronnie a inscris un break de 61 pentru a castiga primul frame, insa a fost repede egalat de australian dupa ce acesta si-a adjudecat victoria prin break-uri de 26 si 65. Si cam atat! Punct! Sfarsit! Haidi pa! :-)) 
Hei, glumesc! Desi cam atat, punct si haidi pa a fost pentru Robertson, intrucat "Racheta" si-a dezmortit motoarele si a zburat perfect prinzand break-uri fabuloase de 82, 139 si 102! Eheee, nu te pui cu stiinta! :-))

Fu si Robertson au fost trimisi acasica
In frame-ul urmator, Neil a incercat sa mai schimbe putin situatia plecand cu un break de 51 intrerupt brust si total insuficient pentru break-ul de 70 inscris de Ronnie. Scor final 5-2! Ronnie e in finalaaaaa!!!! Ce victorie frumoasa! Ce performanta si ce calitate si claritate a jocului! 
Ambii finalisti au obtinut victorii binemeritate in meciuri jucate cu patos si daruire completa! :-)


Asa ca in seara aceasta o sa ii vedem in marea finala pe Shaun Murphy si Ronnie O `Sullivan. Oare vom avea parte de o re-constituire a finalei de anul trecut, sau de aceasta data "Stiinta" va invinge " Magia"? Ei bine, va trebui sa asteptam pana la ora 21:30 (ora Romaniei) cand SkySports 4 isi va incepe transmisiunea LIVE.
Si cum momentan este o adevarata aventura sa gasesti un link decent care sa functioneze ca la carte si prin intermediul caruia sa vedem si noi un meci, o sa va invit sa urmariti post-urile de pe pagina mea de FaceBook si Twitter pentru ultimele noutati in materie de scoruri, break-rui dar si vizualizari LIVE!

Ne auzim maine! :-)

0 comments:

The Premier League caravan reaches Norfolk

15:25:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Last stop - Norfolk
This is it boys and girls! After 10 mighty, entertaining and very crazy rounds and after travelling high and low through all the major UK`s cities the Premier League will make its final stop in the county of Norfolk, at Hopton on Sea - The Potters Leisure Resort for the semis and the big final.
But today the semis are in order so we shall talk about them. First of all there are no more round robin! That’s it! It’s finished! Caput! :-)) The playing rule being “the best of nine frames". So no more draws, no more "I’ll get one point, you get another". This is a true snooker battle, with all the necessary ingredients for two of the players to reach the final.
So tonight we will see the likes of Ronnie" The Rocket" O`Sullivan, Neil " The Thunder from Down Under" Robertson, Shaun "The Magician" Murphy" and Marco " The Cue-Man Fu" ...well Fu :-))


First match of the evening is going to be between the defending champion Shaun Murphy and the Hong Kong cue man, Marco Fu. For both players the run has been quite exciting, but I think for Fu was even more exciting as he is second in the order of merit with 8 points.
I don’t know about you guys, but I didn’t imagine that this little Chinese will reach the semis. Not that he is a bad player, or that he doesn’t deserves it. Not at all! It’s just that it’s kind of a "tradition" to see Williams or Selby or Higgins or I don’t know...you name him, in the semi-finals. Buuuut, let’s not forget that back in 2003 Fu won the Premier League title beating 9-5 the Welsh Mark Williams. That’s a remarkable performance! 

Murphy and Fu target the final
To review his run on this year’s competition, Marco has won three times, drew two times and only lost once...now, that’s why he is in the semis and at the end of the day, even if many of the people out there don’t give him credit, he is a very ambitious player with a lot to give to snooker and he will definitely try to book himself a place in the final.


On the other hand, the current champion Shaun Murphy has only 6 points after struggling in several matches, but he’s eager to compete and to guard his title if possible. He won it fair and square last year in the final played against the master Ronnie O`Sullivan 7-3 and he’ll do it again if the chance appears.
He has had a pretty good run, although he could have done better, registering two victories, two draws and two defeats.
When he played Marco Fu in the third round of the Premier League, he lost 2-4 after being in lead and that was quite a shock to be honest. However, tonight is different as a big prize is at stake - a place in the final! :-)


The second match of the evening will bring together two of the snooker stars, Ronnie O`Sullivan and Neil Robertson.
What can one say about "The Rocket"? He’s one of the greatest snooker players that has ever lived in this world and he holds the record of wining eight Premier League titles, five of them being on a row. Satisfied? :-)) What more there is to be said that hasn’t been said about him? Oh, and I should definitely add that fact that right now he is the only player from this year’s Premier League that hasn’t had any defeats, for he drew three times and has won three times in the round robin stages.

The stars of snooker - O`Sullivan and Robertson
No one can deny him the title as the format is something he fancy about and the fact that is just an "one night stand" and he can go home after it suits him well, rather then an endless tournaments and...well, he is a very talented player that can win whatever his heart desires! ;-)


Robertson was very close of not being part of the semis, as he struggled throughout the competition gaining only 5 points and depending on the last week match to make it through. He has won only one match, drew once and lost three times....and this is not a very impressive performance from the world champion and world number one. And it’s a pity because he is a very good snooker player, a young yet determined to win everything player with great titles under his belt and great results.
When he played against Ronnie two weeks ago, he was almost whitewashed by a 5-1 scoreline, so tonight is going to be very interesting. Will the "Thunder from Down Under" rise to take the lead? Or will he be "buried" in a beautiful signed victory of "The Rocket"?


So be sure to tune in on SkySports 4 from 7:30 pm and see what Premier League snooker is all about! :-)
You can watch it here too: http://livesocceruk.blogspot.com/


Enjoy snooker my dears! :-)

0 comments:

Caravana Premier League ajunge la Norfolk

15:24:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Ultima statie - Norfolk
Ultima oprire! Toata lumea jos din vagoane! Am ajuns la destinatieeee!! :-)) Asa-i, dupa 10 runde de snooker dat la maximum, dupa meciuri care au facut inconjurul lumii, dupa performante demne de invidiat si dupa ce tot am colindat (ce-i drept mai mult virtual) Marea Britanie, iata ca am ajuns si la ultima destinatie - tinutul Norfolk, mai precis in orasul Hopton on Sea, la "Potters Leisure Resort".
Aici se vor disputa semi-finalele (din aceasta seara) insa si marea finala de duminica seara, asa ca va rog sa va faceti loc in agenda de weekend, daaa? :-)) Ronnie O`Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy si Marco Fu vor face un spectacol de zile mari pentru un loc in finala uneia dintre cele mai ravnite competitii de snooker!


Seara va incepe cu meciul dintre campionul en-titre Shaun Murphy si rezindentul din Hong Kong Marco Fu, ambii jucatori avand pana in momentul de fata o cursa destul de interesanta; desi Marco cred ca exceleaza la acest subiect de "interesantism" :-)) 
Fara suparare si departe de mine gandul ca al cataloga ca fiind un jucator mai putin valoros sau ca nu ar merita sa fie unde este, insa este realmente o surpriza sa il vad pe Fu in semi-finale. A cam dat-o in bara in anumite meciuri iar cel in care a inscris acel 4-2 cu Robertson, scor ce l-a clasat in fruntea listei de jucatori, nu a fost cel mai bun rezultat al sau pentru ca, sa fim sinceri, a fost un adevarat miracol. E adevarat ca nici Robertson nu a excelat in acel meci, insa nici Fu. A fost mai mult o chestiune de noroc decat de stategii snookersitice reusite.
Totusi, sa nu uitam ca Fu a fost cel care a castigat in 2003 titulul de Premier League dupa finala disputata impotriva galezului Mark Willaims, finala castigata cu scorul de 9-5! Asta da performanta cu care sa te lauzi!;-)


Murphy si Fu tintesc spre marea finala
Ca o mica analiza a cursei inregistrate de chinezut, acesta a castigat de trei ori, a remizat de doua si a pierdut o singura data, astfel obtinand 8 puncte ce il claseaza destul de bine. Tragand linie, Marco s-a descurcat onorabil si a reusit totusi sa ajunga departe, in ciuda unor meciuri semi-dezastruoase si asta este de apreciat. Asa ca in seara aceasta va incerca cu singuranta sa faca tot posibilul pentru a ajunge si mai departe.

Shaun Murphy, sau "Magicianul" de serviciu a avut si el o cursa cu destule hopuri, inregistrand pana in momentul de fata doua victorii, doua remize si doua infrangeri. Este insa un jucator admirabil, fost campion mondial si o persoana extrem de ambitioasa. A castigat acum un an Premier League-ul in urma bataliei finale date in fata maestrului Ronnie O`Sullivan cu scorul de fantastic de 7-3 si o va face inca o data, daca sansa este de partea sa.
Shaun l-a mai intalnit pe Marco in cea de-a treia runda cand a pierdut cu 2-4, desi initial de detasase destul de bine. Insa in aceasta seara, datele problemei sunt ceva mai diferite, iar "The Magician" va incerca tot ce ii sta in putere pentru a-si pastra valorosul titlu. ;-)


La drum de seara ne intanim cu Ronnie "The Rocket" O`Sullivan si cu Neil "The Thunder from Down Under" Robertson, cei doi disputandu-si, la fel ca si predecesorii lor, un loc in marea finala de maine.
Despre Ronnie ce as putea sa spun? Ca este unul dintre cei mai buni jucatori de snooker de pe fata pamantului? Se stie deja. Ca detine recordul titlurilor de Premier League castigate, mai precis 8 la numar, dintre care 5 la rand? Nu e o noutate. Ca formatul de 25 de secunde per lovitura ii se potriveste ca o manusa si faptul ca este vorba despre o competitie ce nu dureaza 5-10 zile este ceva pe gustul lui? Like dhaaaa!!! :-))
O`Sullivan este in momentul de fata singurul jucator neinvins in Premier League-ul din acest an, intrucit are trei remize si trei victorii la bord. In plus, ceva imi spune ca isi doreste sa isi recastige locul de campion dupa ce a stat un an deoparte, asa ca nu-i de glumit cu " The Rocket", mai ales in aceasta seara. ;-)

Stelele snooker-ului: O`Sullivan si Robertson
Neil Robertson nu a avut o cursa prea buna, el de abia adunand 5 puncte amarate si depinzand de meciul de saptamana trecuta pentru a se califica in semi-finale. A inregistrat doua victorii, o remiza si trei infrangeri...ceea nu este ceva prea imbucurator, mai ales ca vorbim despre campionul mondial in exercitiu si numarul 1 in lume. Talentat este, jucator extrem de bun este, ambitios este, deci care sa fi fost problema? Probabil ca formatul nu este unul cu care sa se simta pe deplin confortabil si am observat asta si cand Power Snooker-ul a avut loc. Nu este inca destul de rapid si nu ma refer aici la rapiditatea de a lovi bilele cat la cea de a gandi strageia de joc. Este un jucator destul de tacticos si asta se vede. Nu ca ar fi ceva rau...insa pentru un astfel de turneu...ei bine, nu e cea mai buna abordare, sa zicem. Totusi sa nu uitam ca Robbo este cel care l-a "desfiintat" pe Ding Junhui cu acel 6-0 fabulos si ca a inregistrat rezultate destul de bunicele in acest Premier League, chiar daca nu a castigat efectiv multe meciuri. Asa ca ramane de vazut daca in aceasta seara "The Thunder from Down Under" se va ridica impotriva "Rachetei" sau va fi doborat de aceasta.


Spectacolul incepe de la ora 21:30 (ora Romaniei) pe SkySports 4, iar mai jos veti gasi si link-ul de vizionare; din pacate doar unul, intrucat celelalte au "dezertat" spre "offline" permanent. :-(
link vizionare


Pofta buna la rontatit snooker, dragii mei! :-)

0 comments:

UK Championship Qualifiers - Day 4

04:05:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Time seems to fly when you are in love...with snooker. :-P Four days had passed since the qualifying rounds for the UK Championship have begun and things are getting hotter and hotter. The battle is hard, is messy and it’s twisted :-)) Just kidding...though it is hard. :-) Anyway, so yesterday was one of those days when you can say "Man, I love this sport!" Why? Well, because most of the matches played ended up on a very tight result, the "snooker knights" being forced to play all the frames and consume all their energy for a place in the next round.


If you’ve followed my recent posts, I was telling you about those four matches with only one session disputed, yesterday the final word being written on the score board. Here, there were some surprises, for who took the lead in the first day wasn`t necessary the winner in the second one. So, Jimmy White blew his opponent mind (Adam Wicheard, in this case) as he fired an amazing 9-1 scoreline, Simon Bedford sent via Belgium, Bjorn Haneveer after a 9-4 victory, the Irish Patrick Wallace won by the same score over Anthony McGill and David Morris saw his run terminated by losing 3-9 to Michael White. A very good day for the Whites, I might say! :-))


But what happened with the guys that had to finish their both sessions yesterday was a true delight for a snooker lover. Tension, drama, twisted situations and I let you fill the space with whatever you consider proper, for yesterday was definitely one of those crazy yet very entertaining snooker days :-)


Three matches ended up on the same score (4-4) after the players finished their morning session: the one between Jimmy Robertson and James Wattana, the one between Matt Selt and Jack Lisowski and last but lost least, the one where Ian McCulloch and Kyren Wilson were the stars.
In the evening session Wattana rushed to take the lead and secure a place into the next round as he scored 9-6, Matthew and Jack fought with all their strength for a final 9-8 scoreline, in favor of the first and Wilson ended on the same tight and tricky result (the ingrate 9-8) as he eliminated McCulloch from the competition.


Xiao Guodong continued his set of victories after defeating with an excruciating 9-1 score the Dubliner Michael Judge and Mark Joyce defeated Alfie Burden after taking the lead 5-3 in the first session and ending on a 9-7.
But the last match of the day, although it was the second on line, was the most dramatic one. Andy Hicks and David Gilbert were on for a genuine battle of snooker and even if Hicks had the advantage of winning in the first session 5-3, Gilbert made a remarkable comeback and kept on going, fighting shoulder to shoulder for an 8-8 scoreline and finally winning by a 9-8 scoreline. Another amazing match to finish the day!


Today things will be quiet as the players are on a break, but don’t worry, for Sunday morning will start with these fab matches:


From 10:00am and 7:00pm (UK time)
Fergal O’Brien (5-3) Jamie Jones
Nigel Bond (4-3) Peter Lines
Anthony Hamilton (0-5) Rod Lawler
Alan McManus (2-4) Liu Chuang
Dave Harold (2-5) James Wattana
Barry Pinches (3-5) David Gilbert
*update after the first session


From 2:30 pm (UK time) - the first session
Robert Milkins (5-3) Matt Couch
Tom Ford (4-4) Tony Drago
Dominic Dale (5-3) Matthew Selt
Rory McLeod (4-4) Kyren Wilson
*update

0 comments:

UK Championship (etapa de calificare) - Ziua 4

04:04:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Catinel, catinel am ajuns si la jumatatea perioadei dedicate calificarilor pentru UK Championship si asa cum va spuneam si zilele trecute cu fiece pas facut spre stadiul final, meciurile devin mult mai tensionate, scorurile mult mai stranse, jucatorii tot mai agitati. Ziua de ieri a fost un real festin pentru orice iubitor de snooker care se respecta si desi meciurile nu sunt televizate si nici nu pot fi urmarite online, asta nu inseamna ca nu ne putem bucura. Cu putina antrenament, informatii, imaginatie si intuitie nu-i greu sa "ghicesti" ca ziua ce tocmai s-a incheiat a fost una de-a dreptul exploziva! :-)


Daca ati urmarit blog-uletzul de fata, va amintiti cu siguranta ca va povesteam despre cele patru meciuri ce au avut disputata doar prima sesiune de joc, cea de-a doua urmand sa se desfasoare ieri. Aici am avut parte de cateva surprize, intrucit cei care au preluat conducerea in prima faza a meciului nu au si definitiva-o neparat in ziua urmatoarea.
Jimmy White a incheiat cu un spectaculos 9-1 meciul sustinut impotriva lui Adam Wicheard, Simon Bedford l-a trimis acasa via Belgia pe Bjorn Haneveer cu scorul de 9-4, irlandezul Patrick Wallance l-a infrant pe reprezentantul Scotiei, Anthony McGill cu acelasi scor, iar Michael White a trecut cu 9-3 de David Morris. O zi productiva pentru baietii White, nu-i asa ? :-))


Insa actiunea adevarata si tensiune exagerata au fost intalnite in cazul jucatorilor care au avut de diputat ambele sesiuni de joc in aceiasi zi.
Trei meciuri au "cazut" la remiza (4-4) in cadrul sesiunii de dimineata: cel dintre Jimmy Robertson si James Wattana, Matt Selt si Jack Lisowski, dar si cel dintre Ian McCulloch si Kyren Wilson. In sesiune de seara insa, thailandezul neinfricat Wattana i-a spulberat visul lui Robertson dupa ce a incheiat cu un magistral 9-6, Matt l-a eliminat din competitie pe amicul Jack cu scorul ingrat de 9-8, iar tararul Wilson i-a spus "adio" lui Ian cu acelasi scor strans.


Mark Joyce si-a rezervat locul in runda urmatoare dupa ce a pornit cu avantajul de 5-3 in prima sesiune a meciului purtat cu Alfie Burden si a incheiat cu 9-7, iar chinezul Xiao Guodong si-a continuat seria de victorii uluitoare inregistrand scorul de 9-1 in meciul jucat cu rezidentul din Dublin, Michael Judge.
De departe insa, cel mai dramatic meci al zilei a fost cel de-al doilea pe ordinea de zi, insa ultimul incheiat, avandu-i ca protagonisti pe Andy Hicks si David Gilbert. Desi Andy a pornit cu un 5-3 deloc de negrijat dupa terminarea primei runde de joc, David a reusit sa-si revina si chiar mai mult decat atat sa lupte pentru a prelua conducerea; Andy insa nu s-a lasat, doar muncise mult pentru acel rezultat, asa ca meciul a ajuns in frame decisiv 8-8. Cu toate frame-urile jucate, cu toata energia "scursa" pe masa, cei doi s-au snookerit de zor, pentru ca in final Gilbert sa castige cu 9-8. Ce mod mai placut de a incheia ziua decat cu acest meci spectaculos?!


Astazi baietii nostrii iau o mica pauza, insa nu va impacientati intrucit de Duminica incepem din nou in forta cu urmatoarele meciuri:


De la ora 12:00 si ora 21:00 (ora Romaniei)
Fergal O’Brien  (5-3) Jamie Jones
Nigel Bond (4-3) Peter Lines
Anthony Hamilton (0-5) Rod Lawler
Alan McManus (2-4) Liu Chuang
Dave Harold (2-5) James Wattana
Barry Pinches (3-5) David Gilbert
*actualizat dupa prima sesiune 


De la ora 16:30 (ora Romaniei) - prima sesiune
Robert Milkins (5-3) Matt Couch
Tom Ford (4-4) Tony Drago
Dominic Dale (5-3) Matthew Selt
Rory McLeod (4-4) Kyren Wilson
*actualizat

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UK Championship Qualifiers - Day 3

06:58:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Location: the city of snooker - Sheffield...or should I say the Snooker Academy of Sheffield? Now you know what I’m talking about, right? :-P And you also know that yesterday was quite a day for snooker, as six players reached the next round and four more had disputed their first match session. As usual, tension was part of the game, for a place in the second biggest tournament in the UK it`s a big deal. But let’s leave aside the details and see how the third day of the qualifying rounds was for our boys. :-)


Matt Couch drew 4-4 with Paul Davies in the morning session, so both players were starting on the same foot in the evening, that’s why the battle was as tight as hell and no-one of them were willing to give up; but in the end it can be only one winner, and this time Matt was the man as he ended on a 9-8 scoreline.

"The Tornado" from Malta, Tony Drago had a fantastic day as he took the lead 6-2 in the match played against Liam Highfield in the first round and continued to be the champion in the second one with a final result of 9-4, Jamie Jones beat Joe Jorgia 6-2 in the morning and ended on a 9-6 lead in the after-noon and Peter Lines and Andrew Pagett have given one of their best performances ever, as Andrew was in front 5-3, but lost in the end 8-9. A very dramatic match with a pretty “I didn’t see that coming” final result, I might add :-))


Rod Lawler had a pretty amazing run as he defeated Ben Woollaston 6-2 in the first session and finalised with a 9-3 score and Jimmy Michie unfortunately saw himself being sent home by one of China’s wonder boys Liu Chuang, who imposed himself 5-3 and 9-5.
But along with these boys, another eight had disputed their first round of "cues` duel" and obtained the following partial results:


Jimmy White (7-1) 9-1 Adam Wicheard
Bjorn Haneveer (4-4) 4-9 Simon Bedford
Anthony McGill (3-2) 4-9 Patrick Wallace
David Morris (2-6) 3-9 Michael White
*update


So good luck to them, but also to these guys who are next in line:

Jimmy Robertson v. James Wattana
Andy Hicks v. David Gilbert
Alfie Burden v. Mark Joyce
Michael Judge v. Xiao Guodong
Matthew Selt v. Jack Lisowski
Ian McCulloch v. Kyren Wilson

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UK Championship (etapa de calificare) - Ziua 3

06:58:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Inca o zi "busy, busy" in orasul snooker-ului, Sheffield. :-) Inca o zi in care sase jucatori au primit "OK-ul" pentru urmatoare runda, inca sase au fost nevoiti sa plece acasa si vreo opt sa-si inceapa sesiunea de incalzire. Si cu cat ne apropiem de fazele finale ale etapei de calificari, cu atat snooker-ul devine mai serios; chiar daca nu am ajuns decat in cea de-a treia zi, drama incepe sa-si spuna cuvantul, tensiunea sa creasca si rasturnarile de situatie sa nu mai fie o raritate. ;-)


Meciul de inceput s-a dat intre Matt Couch si Peter Davies, prima runda gasindu-i pe cei doi la egalitate, 4-4. Asta a insemnat ca in cea de-a doua runda au pornit de pe acelasi loc, sau din acelasi loc (dupa preferinte :-P) si lupta a fost de-a dreptul crancena, acest meci fiind unul dintre ultimele incheiate. Insa cum in final nu poate exista decat un singur castigator, de aceasta data balanta a inclinat mai mult spre Matt care trece mai departe cu scorul final de 9-8.


Supranumit "The Tornado", maltezul Tony Drago a avut o zi de-a dreptul exceptionala trecand cu 6-2 si 9-4 de Liam Highfield, Jamie Jones l-a trimis acaselu` pe Joe Jorgia dupa ce a preluat conducerea in sesiunea de dimineata cu scorul de 6-2 si a continuat in plina glorie in cea de seara cu scorul de 9-6, iar Peter Lines si Andrew Pagett "au pus" (fie-mi iertata exprimarea cu multiple intelesuri in limba romana) de un show in toata regula. Desi in prima faza Andrew s-a descurcat de minune pornind cu avantajul unui rezultat de 5-3, in cea de-a doua intalnire se pare ca nu a mai putut sa tina pasul cu un Peter venit sa castige fara doar si poate, meciul incheindu-se cu victoria celui de-a doilea numit la scorul "ingrat" de 9-8. Asta da surpriza! ;-)


Rod Lawler a inregistrat un start demn de invidiat dupa ce l-a invins cu scorul final de 9-3 pe Ben Woollaston, iar Jimmy Michie nu a putut sa faca fata unuia dintre "baietii de aur" ai Chinei, Liu Chuang care a inchis prima sesiune conducand cu 5-3, iar pe cea de-a doua cu 9-3.


Va spunea insa ca pe langa meciuri de mai sus, inca opt jucatori s-au duelat in prima sesiune de joc, asa ca iata si rezultatele partiale:


Jimmy White (7-1) 9-1 Adam Wicheard
Bjorn Haneveer (4-4) 4-9 Simon Bedford
Anthony McGill (3-2) 4-9 Patrick Wallace
David Morris (2-6) 3-9 Michael White
*actualizat


Urmatoarea grupa ce se va alatura celor de mai sus, si care isi va disputa meciuri tot astazi, este formata din urmatorii:


Jimmy Robertson v. James Wattana
Andy Hicks vs. David Gilbert
Alfie Burden vs. Mark Joyce
Michael Judge vs. Xiao Guodong
Matthew Selt vs. Jack Lisowski
Ian McCulloch vs. Kyren Wilson


Bafta mult tuturor! :-)

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UK Championship Qualifiers - Day 2

04:20:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

The second day of the qualifying rounds for the UK Championship, due to take place at the beginning of December, brought ten players into the next round, meaning one step further to reach the final stages.
And since yesterday I was telling you about those four matches that had only the first session disputed, let’s see what happened with the players and who booked himself a place into the second round.


The Thai James Wattana ended his first session against Kurt Maflin on a 5-3 lead and continued in the same way by "disallowing" Kurt to win more than one frame in the second session and ending on a 9-4 result, by doing so.
On the second match, things were a bit different as the Thai in charge , Issara Kachaiwong was being lead 5-3 and didn’t succeed and moving not even one frame away in the second part of the encounter with David Gilbert, who sealed his victory 9-3.
Mark Joyce beat Jak Jones by a 9-7 scoreline, after ending the previous session on 5-3 and the Chinese Xiao Guodong crashed the "Lady of snooker", Reanne Evans by a 9-1 final result, after he easily took the lead with a 7-1 score two days ago.


10:00 am in the morning and the boys were starting to play some class snooker. Class snooker that was going to end almost in the middle of the night.
Firstly we saw Adam Wicheard securing his sport in the next round by winning 9-3 over Joe Delaney, and secondly Patrick Wallace, who kicked Jamie O’Neill’s ass as he ended on a 7-1 score the fist session and closed with a 9-4 superiority. :-P
Michael White and Justin Astley finished their first rendez-vous on a draw (4-4), but in the evening session White was the one who won with a definitely 9-6 scoreline; as for Jack Lisowski...the little guy didn’t seem to have any trouble in sending home "The Mighty Mouse" Anda Zhang (6-2) by a final score of 9-4.


The 18 year-old English boy, Kyren Wilson defeated the more experienced Paul Davison 5-3 in the morning session and 9-6 in the evening one and...saving the best for last ;-)...the clash between James McBain and Simon Bedford was the first dramatic match of this qualifying round, as in the first part of the day McBain was in front with a 6-2 score, only to see Bedford making a huge effort and coming back into the game at an 8-8 scoreline!!!! The last frame was pure murder as it seemed like James was going to win, but you know that in snooker nothing is settled until the last ball is potted, so the one who made it through was Simon. What a terrific effort and what a comeback! :-)


Today’s matches are being played by some really cool names....you might even find a Whirlwind among them ;-)


From 10:00 am and 7:00 pm (UK time)
Matt Couch v. Paul Davies
Tony Drago v. Liam Highfield
Joe Jorgia v. Jamie Jones
Peter Lines v. Andrew Pagett
Rod Lawler v. Ben Woollaston
Jimmy Michie v. Liu Chuang


From 2:30 pm (UK time) - the first session
Jimmy White v. Adam Wicheard
Bjorn Haneveer v. Michael White
Anthony McGill v. Patrick Wallace
David Morris v. Michael White


See you tomorrow boys and girls! :-)

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UK Championship (etapa de calificare) - Ziua 2

04:20:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Cea de-a doua zi a etapei de calificare pentru UK Championshi-ul de la inceputul lunii viitoare a dus mai departe in runda secunda 10 nume de jucatori, si pentru ca ieri va povesteam de cele patru meciuri care si-au disputat doar prima sesiune de incalzire, voi incepe cu ele.


Thailandezul James Wattana a incheiat prima repriza fiind in avantaj de 5-3 in meciul jucat impotriva norvegianului aclimatizat, Kurt Maflin si nu l-a lasat pe acesta din urma decat sa castige un mic frame in sesiunea de ieri, James castigand cu scorul final de 9-4.
Cel de-al doilea meci pornea de la acelasi rezultat ca si cel de mai sus, avea si el un thailandez la bord, insa lucrurile aveau sa stea ceva mai diferit intrucit Issara Kachaiwong (thailandezul de garda)  era trimis acasa regeste cu 9-3, de catre David Gilbert.
Mark Joyce l-a infrant cu scorul de 9-7 pe Jak Jones, dupa ce in prima sesiune a condus cu 5-3, iar chinezul Xiao Guodong a eliminat din competitie singura prezenta feminina, si anume pe Reanne Evans cu un sfarsietor 9-1.


Seria de jucatori ce a muncit din greu ieri (adica cei care au avut de disputat doua sesiuni cap-coada) s-au trezit de dimineata pentru a fi pe baricade de la ora 10:00 (ora M.Britanii) si a-si castiga un loc caldutz in runda cu numarul doi.
S-a inceput cu meciul dintre Joe Delaney si Adam Wicheard, cel din urma iesind victorios dupa ce in prima rezpriza a condus cu 6-2, iar in cea de-a doua cu 9-3 si s-a continuat cu lupta dintre Patrick Wallace si Jamie O`Neill, primul pornind cu un avantaj colosal de 7-1 dupa finalul primei runde si incheind partida cu scorul de 9-4.


Meciul dintre Michael White si Justin Astley s-a terminat la egalitate 4-4 (ma refer aici la prima sesiune de joc), insa cum seara/noaptea e un sfetnic bun :-P  White a preluat controlul jocului, invingandu-l cu 9-6, iar micutul Jack Lisowski a trecut mai departe dupa ce l-a infrant pare-se fara efort, pe "The Mighty Mouse", Anda Zhang cu scorul final de 9-4, dupa un 6-2 in prima faza.

La cei 18 anisori ai sai, englezul Kyren Wilson l-a vazut trimis acasa pe mult mai experimentatul Paul Davison cu 5-3 si in final 9-6...si....pastrand ce-i mai bun pentru final ;-), ciocnirea dintre James McBain si Simon Bedford a dat culoare celor doua zile de calificari. De ce spun asta? Ei bine pentru ca dupa sesiunea de dimineata James conducea cu 6-2, insa seara Simon a reusit sa revina in joc pentru un 8-8! Ultimul frame a fost extrem de tensionat si desi McBain parea ca va castiga, stiti voi ca in snooker nimic nu se decide pana cand nu inscriem tot ce e de inscris, asa ca in final Simon si-a adjudecat victoria de 9-8. Ce revenire si ce meci!!! :-)


Pe ordinea de (a)zi avem nume importante....si daca aveti rabdare sa o verificati s-ar putea sa descoperiti si un "Whirlwind":-P


De la ora 12:00 si 21:00 (ora Romaniei)
Matt Couch vs. Paul Davies
Tony Drago vs. Liam Highfield
Joe Jorgia vs. Jamie Jones
Peter Lines vs. Andrew Pagett
Rod Lawler vs. Ben Woollaston
Jimmy Michie vs. Liu Chuang


De la ora 16:30 (ora Romaniei) - prima sesiune
Jimmy White v. Adam Wicheard
Bjorn Haneveer v. Michael White
Anthony McGill v. Patrick Wallace
David Morris v. Michael White


Ne revedem manana pentru comentarii! :-)

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