Snooker comes to Romania

It is finally happening: snooker comes to Romania and it is my great pleasure to inform you all that I am over the moon with excitement (not than any of you care about that sort of things, so I shall continue with the news).

World Snooker has recently released the news (which it in all fairness is not breaking news but great news, nonetheless) that Bucharest will be on the snooker map as the European Championship will staged here for the next three years.

As you all know, a few weeks ago I have been properly introduced to seeing professional snooker players at work (more about my experience here), as Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stuart Bingham have come to Romania for some exhibition matches.

Since then rumours have been flowing around that something big is going to happen and now, it's official: 2016 will mark the start of professional snooker getting acquainted with the Romanian audience.

The European Championship will be a ranking event (all 128 players will be part of the package) and will run from October 3rd until October 9th.

Although the venue is yet to be confirmed my sources say that the final stages will take place at the Circus Arena from Bucharest, the same place where the O'Sullivan v. Bingham exhibition matches happened (aka. got us, Romanians, scream: We love snooker!).

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled to be bringing snooker into another new territory and once again expanding snooker’s global footprint.

“There are several new ranking events planned for the 2015/16 season as our tour continues to grow, and the new European Championship in Bucharest will be a tremendous addition to the calendar. The earning opportunities for the players have never been better, likewise the opportunities for fans to watch snooker live. These are exciting times for our sport.”

Adrian Thiess from McCann/Thiess Events added: “We are delighted to bring a world ranking event to Romania for the first time. The recent snooker exhibition showed what an incredible appetite the fans in Bucharest have for the sport. We look forward to working with World Snooker on what will be a spectacular tournament.”

So without any further ado, I am most deeply pleased to say: Let's get the boys on the baize! *counting the days

"Thunder" strikes in York: Robertson wins 2015 UK Championship

Neil Robertson beat Liang Wenbo 10-5 in order to lift his second UK Championship trophy, thus becoming only the 8^th player in the history of snooker to win this tournament more than once.

And because such a unique occasion asks for a special treat, Robertson also hit a perfectly cued maximum break of 147 in frame six!

"The Thunder from Down Under" started his journey towards victory by taking the first two frames of the match with runs of 43 and 60 until Liang responded with a great 110 to break the ice and win his first frame of the day.

Still, a century break needs another one as a reply and that's exactly what Robertson did in frame 4, a strategic 106 giving him a comfortable lead of 3-1 as the interval was starting.

15 minutes later Wenbo was getting the best of frame 5, but frame 6 had Robertson's name written all over it as the Australian player took it in the best possible way: with a maximum break of 147!

This is Neil's 3^rd 147 as a professional snooker player, but his first on BBC! What a bonus! Not to mention the cheque of £44.000 for making it!

Clearly on fire, Robertson added a quick 69 break which came right after Liang missed a blue down on 33, but the last frame of the session bared the signature of the Chinese player, this being conquered by an 86 break. It was 5-3.

The second and last session started precisely at 7pm (UK time) under the strict supervision of referee Jan Verhaas and, as expected, a bit of tension could be detected in the air. Still, Liang managed to perform a great clearance of 82 to pull back a frame.

The next two frames were cashed by Robertson, first after a tremendous 78 break (made on a very difficult table - probably this was the best break of the match) and the second taken with just a top break of 42.
 
Just before the mid-session interval was knocking on the door, Liang made a great 78 to comfort himself during the mini-break, but little did he know that this was going to be his last won frame.

After the break, Robertson detached himself using a top break of 56 and winning the 14^th frame on the black, now being just one away from victory.

Minutes later, after a 42 break was suddenly stopped by missing a green, Liang got a lifeline to start and stop the rot, but unfortunately he didn't make the most of it, Robertson returning to the table to close the deal.

The public response, as well as his opponent’s, came under the form of an incredible round of applause to celebrate Neil winning his second UK Championship crown, after the one won in 2013 when he beat Mark Selby 10-7.

The players were quickly joined by their kids into the arena, seconds later the presentation party handing Robertson the mighty trophy. Brilliant performance by the Aussie who only a few days ago was crowned Champion of Champions in Coventry.

Next stop for the snooker fans is Gibraltar Open which starts, believe it or not, this week (9-13 December).

2015 UK Championship - Getting ready for an Australian-Asian final

The 2015 Betway UK Championship final will definitely be a special one, as the likes of Neil Robertson and Liang Wenbo are going to perform in it after no less than 11 days of snooker clashes of styles.

China's Liang Wenbo earned his place in the final by beating world number 81 David Grace 6-4 in a terrific and extremely tense semi-final.

The battle started with a 42 minutes frame which found its conclusion with Grace missing the pink and Liang taking the opener on the black and continued in a pretty balanced way although the interval was finding Grace in control at 3-1 up.

Frame five meant the revival of Liang, whose break of 110 was bringing more fluency into the match, but that changed completely during the following frames.

The Englishman managed to restore his two-frames lead at 4-2, but Liang was determined to produce a full comeback. A place at the January's Masters was also in question here.

Two scrappy frames later the scoreboard was displaying a 4-4 scoreline, which pretty much brought Wenbo's confidence back, enough to help him hit a 50 break and take the lead for the first time since being 1-0 up.

He held the upper hand during the following (and also last) frame a break of 47 giving him a slightly advantage, but Grace fought back with a 40 one before losing position.

A few safety shots later, David was in the limelight when ... pressure hit again making him miss the pink in a carbon-copy-first-frame-kind-of-way!!!

This meant a lifeline for Wenbo who executed the same game of potting pink and black as he did at the beginning of the match to get his well-deserved place in the final.

A tremendous jump-of-joy was performed as he potted the final black. The tension was now over.

The evening came and with it the Neil Robertson v. Mark Selby match; which many of us would have thought it will finish on a slightly different result taking into the account "the gravity" of the players.

In the end though, the scoreboard showed a 6-0 victory for Robertson, although, in all fairness, the battle itself was way tighter.

Selby had a very strong start but he limited his first contribution at just 52 points after missing the pink, Robertson taking full advantage and getting the first frame under his belt.

The history repeated itself during the next frame, when Selby made a 55 break which got a 69 as a reply, Robertson winning this one on the last black.

A 53 and a 60 break were enough to offer the Aussie a great 4-0 lead as the mid-session interval was kicking off, while Selby was finding himself in all sorts of trouble.

The 5^th frame made its debut with an early missed red from Neil, Selby finally finding his flow ... or not? Sadly enough his break was cut short at just 49 as he missed the blue, Robertson returning to the table to win yet another frame on the black.

The last frame was a classical scrapper, only that this time Selby's way of handling this type of situations wasn't successful despite his numerous tries.

Neil won the frame, ironically on the black, but also got the most precious gift of all: a place in the final.

So we have an Australian-Asian clash this Sunday, with the first session starting from 1pm, while the last one will début at 7pm (UK time). Be sure to follow the lads at work!

2015 UK Championship - On today's menu: drama & upsets

The regular Tuesday turned into a genuine display of dramas and upsets as the 2015 UK Championship marched on with its matches and players in the quest for a place in the Last 16.

The day started with Shaun Murphy's 6-2 victory over Ben Woollaston, a victory that "The Magician" had to work for, despite the scoreline.

Although he was the one to break the ice with a solid 83 break, Ben was sure to draw level in no time at one apiece and start his attack for leadership.

However, his 62 break was suddenly stopped by a missed brown, this allowing Shaun to come at the table and steal the frame on the black, plus add a top break of 45 to end the first session 3-1 up.

As the match re-started two consecutive frames were carefully cashed by Murphy (funnily enough thanks to a double 72 break), while Woollaston only managed to pull back a scrapper.

The victory was sealed with a perfectly cued 106 break, thus Murphy goes into the Last 16 where he'll meet Marco Fu who beat David Gilbert 6-3.

A more dramatic match was developing at the near table, where Martin Gould was being made responsible for Mark Allen's exit.

Although the match started on a pretty balanced note, the mid-session interval finding the lads stuck at 2-2, Gould was sure to fly away with just a top break of 66. It was 4-2.

As expected, Allen fought back with a brilliant 102, but Gould replayed with a 59 to go one away from victory.

The final result was still developing, so Allen took his chances with a 67 to dream of a possible comeback, but Gould proved too strong as he closed with a 98.

The evening brought Neil Robertson and Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh to our attention, in what is definitely a strong contestant for the most dramatic match of this UK Championship.

Despite Un-Nooh taking the opening frame, Robertson was sure to fight back with runs of 53 and 76 (which completely overshadowed his opponent's 53 break) to go 4-1 up.

Frame six came like any other frame, only that it wasn't going to be an ordinary one. Theppy started potting ball after ball, carefully positioning himself to take reds with blacks until the 147 was a sure thing.

Or wasn't it? Unfortunately, like many others in his shoes he probably felt the pressure taking over and missed what in my opinion is the cruellest thing ever - the FINAL BLACK!

Clearly devastated Un-Nooh had to put out with his opponent having a sudden revival and hitting a perfect 145 in the following frame!

The last frame smelled of victory as Robertson was on a 67 break, but a missed red was bringing the Thai player back to the table. And once again, the snooker Gods weren't there as the lad missed the final black.

After a few safety exchanges, Robertson potted the last black to book a snooker meeting with the man who defeated Mark Davis 6-4 earlier today, the Scot Stephen Maguire.

But the day wasn't over so more drama was coming our way: Judd Trump and Liang Wenbo were disputing their place in the Last 16.

Trump started on a more than positive note, breaks of 112 and 75 giving him a 3-0 lead, while his opponent responded with a 78 just before the interval.

15 minutes later Judd was extending his lead at 4-1 thanks to a solid 67. And then it happened ... the Wenbo-comeback!

But what's more interesting is that he didn't just performed a perfect 4-4 comeback, but he also took the lead for the first time since the start of the match, thanks to a top break of 62.

Sadly for Judd it was clear that his focus was looong gone, the Chinese player taking his chance to close the match by winning a scrappy 10^th frame. Final scoreline 6-4 and a heartfelt "YES!" screamed from the top of his lungs! 

The Last 16 select lounge also welcomes Tom Ford, who hammered Kyren Wilson 6-1 but also the winner of Dechawat Poomjaeng v. Mark Joyce match - which is still going at this moment.

For the full list of results, click here.

2015 UK Championship - A classical display of Selby-ness

Nothing compares with a classical late-night drama, so it was really no surprise to see Mark Selby and Jamie Jones go all the way until the last frame, with Selby performing one of his usual display of snooker for a triumphant 6-5 victory.

It's way pass 2am in Romania as I write this and Selby has probably finished his press conference where he shared personal thoughts about the tremendous victory he recorded against a player that in all fairness played better than him.

A great 53 followed by an outstanding 133 were opening the scoreline of this match, Jamie being the author of both breaks, although the mid-session interval was somehow finding the lads stuck at 2-2 Selby's top contribution being a 54 break.

A 5^th frame won on the pink was restoring Jamie's leadership, but Selby was sure to draw level with runs of 33 and 40. It was 3-3.

History seemed to be repeating itself when Jones took, once more, control of the match and then ... frame 8 happened.

It was a pure drama that landed on Selby needing a snooker, getting it and then needing one more, while his opponent miscalculated the in-off of the cue ball and granted Selby his much-desired snooker, to which the Leicester man added the pink and black to restore the balance of the match.

A brilliant 111 break was taking Jones one away from victory, proving that despite his earlier bad luck he was still the man to beat.

Drama kicked back when Selby won the next frame on the black thus forcing a decider which was won fair and square with a top break of 67. In the end, experience and attitude made the difference.

Still, Selby' statement after the match was: "I don't know how I've won the game".

Looking back at the beginning of the day John Higgins managed to book himself a place in the next round by beating "Captain" Ali Carter 6-2.

Although "The Captain" started with a powerful and extremely positive 89 break to take the opener, Higgins took the next five frames with runs of 46, 64, 77, 53 and 59 to go 5-1 up.

Ali disturbed his flow and pulled back a frame, but unfortunately it proved quite late, as Higgins closed with a 57 (as a response to Carter's previous 54) and won the frame and match on the black. 

The shock of the day came from the next table where the reigning world champion, Stuart Bingham was sent home by a furious Peter Ebdon, by 6-3.

Ebdon took the first two frames by using breaks of 66 and 41, the mid-session interval finding him still in control as his opponent only managed to win a frame. It was 3-1.

After the 15-minutes break the players shared frames until 4-3, a decisive moment which Ebdon fully took advantage off and encouraged it with breaks of 52 and 109 to win the match.

Also wearing the victory crown is Joe Swail who beat Michael Holt by 6-1, but also David Grace who beat Jack Lisowski 6-4 after being 3-1 down.

To check out the entire list if results, click here.