The Premier League – Rocking the night away

The Rocket pots his way through the semis

It was a marvelous night here in Grimsby where top class snooker was the main ingredient as four great names get together to show the public what two skilful hands can do with a cue and some crazy snooker balls. :-)) I must remind you that this was the penultimate snooker meeting that the Premier League is doing, because after next week we are going into the final stages, baby!!!
With Marco Fu through to the semifinals, only three spare places remained, so every point is consider very precious for it can bring you closer to this stage of the competition.


The evening started with the clash between the defending champion, Shaun Murphy and the Welsh, Mark Williams. Shaun was the proud owner of 4 points, as Mark had gained 5; Mark was at his last match and Shaun was at his penultimate snooker meeting.
This being the facts, a lot of pressure was upon both players, but more on Williams` shoulders.

Shaun Murphy defending his Premier League title

“The Magician” was in a very good form as he rushed in a 2-0 lead, winning the first frames by firing in breaks of 64 and 97. In the first frame, Mark had a pretty good chance to break the ice, as he started with a 32 break, which unfortunately ended when the Welsh missed a tricky black. The second frame…well, that’s another story, for it started with what seemed to be an endless safety shots battle, only to see Murphy potting one ball after another in a maximum attempt. It was going pretty good, but he only ended up on a 97 break. :-(


The third frame marked Williams’s first victory, as he built a 54 break, followed by a 22 one, but the next two were murder! Too many mistakes, too many safety shots, too many “foul and a miss”. It was a mix of everything that you can find in a snooker manual at the “what to avoid” section :-))
Williams started the forth frame with a break of 20 points ended as he didn’t succeed in potting the blue, so Shaun came to the table for a 34 break. A series of safety shots followed, as Mark was trying to build another consistent break. Unfortunately, he only made a 24 one, which brought the score to 44-58 in his favor. But Shaun wasn’t to give up that easily so he started potting the colors for a 3-1 scoreline.

Another defeat for the "The Welsh Potting Machine" :-(

This was it, if Mark wanted to secure his place in the semis, he needed to win this frame, but that was not going to be the case, for Murphy opened the fifth frame with a break of 32, only to make the score 49-43 in his favor. With a bit of luck and tones of efforts and safety shots, Mark succeeded in potting all the colors for a 54-58 score, but he missed the black to secure his victory so Murphy came to the table to fluke it into the right middle pocket. What a chance! Shaun was winning the match and Mark was being left behind. A very unlucky day for “The Welsh Potting Machine” :-(


The last frame saw Williams making a very nice 40 break but ending up in a new series of safety shots, until Shaun conceded the frame for a final 4-2 score. It didn’t matter anymore…Murphy was in the semis, while Williams had to end his Premier League run.
As the weather outside was becoming more and more dreadful and we could hear the wind going crazy on the background, Ronnie O`Sullivan and Neil Robertson were fighting for a place into the next round. And although we might think that when “The Rocket” plays things are speedy, this was a pretty long match…but with a very happy ending for Ronnie’s fans. ;-)


The first two frames were very scrappy as they were filled with a interesting, yet boring mix of safety shots (I know! Bummer!) and a constant struggle in building breaks. Still, Ronnie succeeded in getting into shape in the last part of the first frame, as he cashed an 80 break for a 1-0 lead and hit in break of 49 and 25 in the second frame for another victory.

Robbo wasn`t very pleased how this match was going...

The next frame was when things started to warm out a bit, for “The Rocket” was feeling his engines running at full speed! :-)) He fired in breaks of 40 and 84 for a 3-0 score, and continued in doing so also in the next frame, as he hit a wonderfully 130 break, plus a total clearance of the table! It was definitely Ronnie’s night, as poor Robbo was dammed to sit in his chair and look at this great man performing his twisted but beautifully snooker. ;-)


The mighty “Thunder from Down Under” didn’t lose his faith and gently avoided a whitewash, as he won the fifth frame. Still, the night was going to feel “The Rocket’s” touch one more time, as he hit a 79 break by clearing the table for a outstanding 5-1 victory. And this when Robbo was leading 59-0! What a night for O`Sullivan who secures himself a place in the semis, along with Shaun Murphy and Marco Fu!
Robbo played rather well, although most of the time he wasn’t given the opportunity to come near the table, so he can’t be really blamed for yesterday night too much.
Now, that I look at the score…it seems like payback time for the World Open final, doesn’t it? :-P :-))
And to end in a very distinctive note: “What’s that in the sky? Is it a bird? Nooo. Is it a plane? Nooo. Is it “The Rocket” reaching the semis? Yeeeeees!!! :-))))


Next week, the Premier League caravan will reach its final destination for the round-robin tour. This time, the town of Llandudno will be the host for Ronnie O`Sullivan, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson. ;-)