VIDEO: Story of World Snooker 2012
BBC Sport’s Rob Walker turns pots into poetry to explain the story of the
2012 World Snooker Championship.
Live video and text commentary
of the final day of the World Championship final between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter is available on the BBC Sport website.
Continue Reading Comments Off
AUDIO: Best season by a mile
Despite his recent defeat in the World Snooker Championship quarter-finals, Cambridge-based Neil Robertson tells BBC Radio Cambridgeshire this has been his most consistent season.
Continue Reading Comments Off
Season’s form delights Robertson
Cambridge-based world number seven Neil Robertson believes he is playing the most consistent snooker of his career.
The Australian, who won the UK Masters tournament and two European PTC events in 2011-12, said in many respects the season had been the best of his career.
“Unfortunately I came up against Ronnie O’Sullivan at his best in the World Championship, but I was very pleased with the way I played,” he said.
“Overall, I am absolutely delighted with my season.”
The 30-year-old from Melbourne, who has been based in Cambridge for more than a decade, believes that if he beaten O’Sullivan in their World Championship quarter-final he would have gone on to win the tournament.
However, O’Sullivan won 13-10 in what was by some distance the toughest match he played on the way to his fourth world title.
Robertson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: “I think that was definitely the key match. Ronnie and I were the only recent winners of the title in the quarter-finals and I feel it was the match everyone was really looking forward to seeing – Ronnie and I particularly fancied our chances of winning if we won our quarter-final.
“He went 9-5 up after I was leading 5-3, but I pulled it back really well to 12-10 and I was unlucky not to go to 12-11 – so it came down to small details.”
Robertson,
said it would be unfortunate if O’Sullivan, who has announced his intention to take a six-month break from the sport, were to retire from playing full-time.
“Every sport sort of needs your Ronnie O’Sullivans, your Judd Trumps or Steve Davis’s and it would be a real shame if he were to retire and only focus on the bigger tournaments,” said Robertson.
“But he’s been around a long time and achieved everything he could possible achieve in the game, so it’s his decision.”
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Carter promises to carry on
World Snooker Championship runner-up Ali Carter promises he will carry on with his career after
at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The 32-year-old fell to 17th in the world rankings
following a year disrupted by
– the illness he has lived with for 10 years – and had considered retirement.
Carter lost 18-11 on Monday night but told BBC Sport he feels he can still win a world title – joking that it would be an easier task if O’Sullivan retired.
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Emotional O’Sullivan lifts trophy
An emotional Ronnie “the Rocket” O’Sullivan lifts his fourth World Championship trophy and announces he will take a six-month sabbatical from snooker before deciding whether to retire from the sport.
The 36-year-old, who
beat Ali Carter 18-11 in the final at the Crucible
, said: “I am going to enjoy my time off with my family and then assess the situation, but it’s all good and I want to enjoy the moment.”
O’Sullivan admitted he found it “very hard” to secure his fourth world title, describing the tournament as “an endurance test, the equivalent of doing an ironman”.
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Rocket Ronnie clinches World title
Ronnie ‘the Rocket’ O’Sullivan clinches his fourth World Snooker Championship title in style as he beats Ali Carter 18-11 at the Crucible.
The 36-year-old resumed the day 10-7 ahead and took the first four frames, including a quick-fire break of 101, his 12th century of the tournament before Carter rallied to win three frames in a row and take the match into a final session.
But Carter won only one frame in the final session as the unstoppable O’Sullivan wrapped up proceedings in a little under an hour.
Available to UK users only.
Continue Reading Comments Off
O’Sullivan powers to world title
Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Ali Carter 18-11 to secure his fourth World Championship title at the Crucible.
O’Sullivan, 36, resumed the day 10-7 ahead and took the first four frames, including a quick-fire break of 101, his 12th century of the tournament.
Carter looked a beaten man but rallied to win three frames in a row and take the match into a final session.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ronnie O’Sullivan play so well for a whole tournament. He was very controlled and the balance in his game was magnificent. When he plays like that he truly is the greatest player ever. He’s a demi-god with what he can do with a cue in his hand”
But Carter won only one more frame as the unstoppable O’Sullivan wrapped up proceedings in a little under an hour.
O’Sullivan,
who had talked about retiring after his semi-final win,
immediately announced his intention to take a
six-month sabbatical from the game.
“A few people doubted me but I’ll let them know when I’m not ready,” the Englishman told BBC Sport. “I certainly haven’t gone yet.
“I am going to enjoy my time off with my family and then assess the situation, but it’s all good and I want to enjoy the moment.”
O’Sullivan was delighted to share his triumph with his young son, Ronnie Jr, who joined his dad in the arena after victory had been clinched.
O’Sullivan reassures fans over retirement plans
“It was the best. I didn’t think I’d ever get the opportunity to share those moments with him so it was so nice to have him here,” he added.
“I got a bit emotional before the match was over, it felt like just me and him in the whole arena. There was just this massive connection between me and him, the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”
Carter, now a two-time runner-up, joked that he would win the title once his fellow Essex player had retired. “The better man won. He’s a genius. It’s the Ronnie O’Sullivan show, isn’t it?
“I’m pleased for the game that he’s carrying on playing. He’s got so much more to give.”
O’Sullivan, whose previous titles came in 2001, 2004 and 2008, is the oldest winner since his former mentor Ray Reardon claimed his sixth crown in 1978 at the age of 45.
Analysis
“Barry Hearn may well find himself watching O’Sullivan doing the cha-cha-cha on Strictly one day and think to himself: “What poise; what personality; what class. It was a dark day in snooker when we lost him from the baize”
He joins last year’s champion John Higgins on four titles and only Steve Davis and Ray Reardon, with six titles apiece, and seven-time winner Stephen Hendry, have lifted the trophy more times in the modern era.
O’Sullivan’s victory, which earned him a cheque for £255,000, secured his position as second seed in all of next season’s ranking events and his break from the game will not affect his ranking.
The final was a repeat of 2008, when O’Sullivan won 18-8, one of 11 victories over Carter in as many previous meetings in ranking events.
And while Carter’s obdurate displays before the final suggested he would be a tougher nut to crack than four years ago, O’Sullivan, who demonstrated unerring focus throughout the tournament, simply had too much poise and too much class.
O’Sullivan was even suffering from food poisoning on Sunday, but that did not stop him registering a break of 141 during the first session – the highest in World Championship final history.
Multiple world title winners
7
– Stephen Hendry
6
– Ray Reardon
6
– Steve Davis
4
– John Higgins
4
– Ronnie O’Sullivan
He appeared to have shaken off the effects of his illness before Monday’s opener, rattling in his third century-break of the match to stretch his lead to four frames.
Carter missed a relatively straightforward pink to hand his fellow Essex player the next frame, and the next two frames followed a similar pattern.
In the next, Carter had three chances to secure the frame but missed them all, before the 32-year-old, with only the colours to clear, missed two attempts at the yellow to allow O’Sullivan to surge into a 14-7 lead.
At that stage it looked like O’Sullivan might win the match with a session to spare, but Carter avoided that ignominy, returning after the mid-session interval to take a scrappy frame before raising his arms in mock triumph.
Carter promises to carry on playing
Having steadied the ship,
Carter compiled a battling 105, his first century break of the final,
before reducing the gap to four courtesy of a break of 53. But O’Sullivan refocused, making a run of 64 to lead by five frames.
After the restart, O’Sullivan demonstrated his superior safety game once again, waiting for Carter to make a mistake before taking the frame with a run of 70.
Carter took the next, capitalising on a missed black by his opponent to chisel out a frame-winning break of 64, only for O’Sullivan to hit back, moving to within one frame of the title with breaks of 26 and 46 after some errant safety play from Carter.
And O’Sullivan wrapped up proceedings in the next, launching into his final assault on the world title with a thin cut to the middle which culminated in a match-winning break of 61.
Continue Reading Comments Off
Stop blackmailing me
Ronnie O’Sullivan said he would follow through with his threat to retire unless snooker boss Barry Hearn stopped “blackmailing” the sport’s players.
O’Sullivan, who
beat Ali Carter 18-11 to win his fourth world title,
will assess his options after a sabbatical.
“There’s a bit more left in the tank but it’s up to certain people to do the right thing and stop trying to blackmail players,” said O’Sullivan.
“I’m not going to hang around for two more years for things to become fair.”
Analysis
“Barry Hearn may well find himself watching O’Sullivan doing the cha-cha-cha on Strictly one day and think to himself: “What poise; what personality; what class. It was a dark day in snooker when we lost him from the baize”
Talking about the schedule,
Hearn said last week:
“It’s all part of being a professional and they’ve got to get used to it. I couldn’t have less sympathy.”
But O’Sullivan, who at 36 years and five months is the oldest player to win the world title since his former mentor Ray Reardon in 1978, is unhappy with World Snooker chairman Hearn’s revamped 50-week, 27-event tour, which will take full effect next year.
The Essex player said the rigours of the extra workload led to him falling ill last December and that he had decided to put his family first.
“Part of me still wants to play but I was that ill trying to keep up with the schedule, getting letters from World Snooker, and I’m not prepared to put myself under that stress,” said O’Sullivan.
“I know there’s a big responsibility to promote the game and I’d play in any tournament if it was physically possible.
“But it’s up to the governing body to treat the players right and say they don’t expect players to travel to 27 tournaments a year.
“I’ve had a long time to think about everything, it’s not a knee-jerk reaction. I’m not saying I have retired but family has become the most important thing in my life.
O’Sullivan clinches fourth World title
“They [World Snooker] have a chance to sort things out but I’ve made plans. I’m having a good four, five, six months off and then I’ll assess the situation.
“I’m quite happy to move on if I have to and enter another world where there aren’t those types of restrictions on me. Maybe a bit of Strictly [Come Dancing], maybe a bit of punditry.”
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan paid tribute to his mental coach, Dr Steve Peters, whom he credits with turning his game around.
“If I was Man City I would go and buy him,” said O’Sullivan of the man who is psychiatrist to the British cycling team.
“He’s helped me understand that my brain is a machine and if you manage it you can do everything you want to.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ronnie O’Sullivan play so well for a whole tournament. He was very controlled and the balance in his game was magnificent. When he plays like that he truly is the greatest player ever. He’s a demi-god with what he can do with a cue in his hand.”
“Deep down I love to play snooker but I’ve got too involved in it. I live and breathe this game and I was too wrapped up in trying to be perfect.
“You can’t be perfect, but as long as you give it your best that’s all you can do. He’s enabled me to be happy in my life and enjoy my snooker as well.”
Runner-up Carter, who was considering retirement at the start of the year, found it hard to be upbeat about his achievement, which came as he battles Crohn’s disease.
Carter has managed it well during his stay in Sheffield, in part due to a high intake of carrot juice, juiced each day in his dressing room.
He said: “I’m just disappointed to lose. I didn’t feel I played well in the final.
“Ronnie put me under all sorts of pressure. His safety game was unbelievable. I was just under it from the start.”
Continue Reading Comments Off
Snooker needs O’Sullivan
Stephen Hendry has warned snooker chief Barry Hearn that the sport cannot afford to lose Ronnie O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan, 36, beat Ali Carter 18-11 to win his fourth world title and then said he would consider his future.
“As much as what Barry says is true, that no player is bigger than the game, all over the world Ronnie is seen as the hot ticket,” Hendry told BBC Sport.
Analysis
“Barry Hearn may well find himself watching O’Sullivan doing the cha-cha-cha on Strictly one day and think to himself: “What poise; what personality; what class. It was a dark day in snooker when we lost him from the baize”
“”He’s the best player in the world and any tournament without the best player in the world is devalued.”
The Englishman said he would take a break from the sport and then decide whether to continue.
O’Sullivan
has threatened to quit on numerous previous occasions,
but the recent expansion of the snooker tour to 27 events, covering 50 weeks of the year, could seal the 36-year-old’s decision.
“I’m quite happy to move on, if I have to, because there’s a lot out there for me to do,” said O’Sullivan after clinching his impressive victory over Carter on Monday.
“I know there’s still a bit more in the tank for me in snooker but certain people need to start doing the right thing.
“It’s up to the governing body to treat the players right and say that they don’t expect the players to travel to 28 tournaments a year.
O’Sullivan reassures fans over retirement plans
“I’m prepared to work as hard as anyone but I just want to be treated fairly and I think the top players need to be treated fairly.
“If players don’t play in the minor events, you know they’re going to drop out of the top 16 and you know they’re going to have to qualify for tournaments. I think there’s a better way of doing it.
“I don’t like feeling that you’re being blackmailed or forced to play in certain events. I’m not going to hang around for another two years to wait until things become what I believe to be fair.”
Hendry,
who announced his retirement following his quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire,
does not believe his old rival will necessarily follow through with his threat, but he does sympathise with his reasoning.
Multiple world winners
7
– Stephen Hendry
6
– Ray Reardon
6
– Steve Davis
4
– John Higgins
4
– Ronnie O’Sullivan
“I’ve spoken to Ronnie a couple of times this season and he intimated he was thinking about it,” added seven-time world champion Hendry.
“I’m not sure Ronnie doesn’t think he’ll play snooker again but I don’t think he’s enjoying the wall-to-wall snooker we’re playing at the moment.
“Ronnie’s at the stage of his career where he wants a buzz out of the game. If every tournament was like the World Championship, I’m sure he would play on, but a lot of the smaller tournaments are not as enjoyable.
“It doesn’t sound like Barry’s going to be begging Ronnie to stay. But I wouldn’t like to be in his position, trying to sell a tournament without the marquee players.
“It’s like when Tiger Woods wasn’t playing – the viewing figures for golf went down and the sponsors didn’t show the same interest. I think we’ll find the same with O’Sullivan.”
The story of Stephen Hendry
Continue Reading Comments Off
O’Sullivan leads Carter in final
Ronnie O’Sullivan took a 10-7 lead over Ali Carter on day one of the World Championship final at the Crucible.
Three-time champion O’Sullivan made two century breaks, including a magnificent 141, to lead fellow Essex player Carter 5-3 after the first session.
Carter’s resolve appeared to be creaking after the restart, with O’Sullivan capitalising on a string of mistakes to stretch his lead to four.
But Carter kept grinding away, winning a crucial final frame to stay in touch.
“Ali Carter has shown a lot of good qualities to stick in there. He’s closed the gap and is still in it. Ronnie O’Sullivan has shown flashes of brilliance but not his top form, while Carter is getting chances but not scoring enough.
“Tactically he’s pretty sound but you have to make the most of your chances and put your opponent under pressure by winning a frame at one visit. He’s not firing on all cylinders. I don’t think Ronnie will be totally happy. He will think he should have a bigger lead.”
This year’s final is a repeat of the 2008 decider, which O’Sullivan won 18-8 to secure his third world title, while Carter has never beaten O’Sullivan in 11 previous attempts in ranking events.
While Carter’s displays before the final suggested he would be a tougher nut to crack than four years ago, O’Sullivan, who has demonstrated unerring focus over the past two weeks, went into the rematch a red hot favourite.
O’Sullivan, 36, has strung together six straight frames against every player in every round so far this year, while his
pre-final threat to quit the sport
, win or lose, has added extra significance to the occasion.
The omens did not look positive for Carter in the first two frames, with O’Sullivan carrying on from where he left off in his 17-10 semi-final victory over Matthew Stevens.
After a tense tactical exchange, Carter, who overcame Stephen Maguire in his semi-final on Saturday, finally broke the tension when he potted the first ball of the match with 11 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock.
“Ali Carter’s kept himself in contention. He’s lost the first two sessions and he looked on the brink of losing. He was completely outplayed but Ronnie O’Sullivan has not put him to bed. If the game changes – if Carter can raise his up and O’Sullivan drops down – then Carter is not too far behind. Carter has given himself a chance should the equation of the match change.”
However, a foul let his rival in and a break of 56 proved enough to take the opener, before O’Sullivan made a run of 117, his 10th century of the tournament, to make it 2-0.
But Carter rallied, compiling a nuggety break of 84 to make it 2-1 before winning a sticky, 35-minute frame to draw level at the mid-session interval.
After the break, O’Sullivan, his naturally aggressive game being tempered by his rival’s obdurate style of play, nicked another tense frame to retake the lead before Carter took advantage of a couple of slip-ups to level again.
A remarkable 92 clearance from O’Sullivan – described by commentator Dennis Taylor as ”
one of the finest breaks you will ever wish to see
” – made it 4-3 before he broke the shackles completely with a magnificent clearance of 141, his highest break of the tournament so far, to lead by two frames after the first session.
Carter, 32, reduced the deficit immediately after the restart, only for O’Sullivan to reel off the next two frames courtesy of runs of 49 and 68.
“It’s been tough, hard matchplay snooker. Both players will be reasonably happy with the score. It could have been a lot worse for Ali Carter while Ronnie will be pleased to be three frames clear.”
Carter, who has made much of the mental coaching he has been receiving from 2002 champion Peter Ebdon, refused to buckle, drawing on all his reserves to win a pivotal 12th frame after O’Sullivan potted the white.
However, there were signs Carter was finally losing his grip in the next two frames. Having missed two regulation blacks to hand his opponent an 8-5 lead, he made a series of mistakes in the next frame and opted not to return to the table with only one snooker needed as O’Sullivan moved four clear.
Carter steadied the ship with a battling break of 59 to make it 9-6 before O’Sullivan made a fluent run of 62 to reinstate his four-frame lead.
And while Carter took a scrappy final frame and has partially succeeded in shackling his opponent so far, few people will be betting against O’Sullivan returning on Monday to seal his fourth world crown.
The final resumes at 1430 BST on Monday.
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: White and Hendry
BBC Sport takes a look at the famous snooker rivalry between Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry.
The pair met four times in the World Championship final, Hendry winning every time.
Hendry
Available to UK users only.
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Superb snooker stumps Carter
Cannot play media. Sorry, this media is not available in your territory.
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Battling Carter clinches final spot
Ali Carter reaches his second World Championship final
after clinching a 17-12 win over Stephen Maguire
in the semi-finals at the Crucible in Sheffield.
The Englishman, who lost the 2008 final to Ronnie O’Sullivan, made a composed 70 break to wrap up the match and reach the final.
Carter has battled all season with Crohn’s disease, and even
threatened to retire because of ill health
towards the end of 2011.
Continue Reading Comments Off
O’Sullivan ready to call time on career?
Ronnie O’Sullivan says this year’s World Championship final could be his last match at the Crucible.
Three-time champion O’Sullivan, who faces fellow Essex player Ali Carter in the tournament decider, has threatened to quit on numerous previous occasions.
However, the recent expansion of the snooker tour to 27 events, covering 50 weeks of the year, could seal the 36-year-old’s decision.
Continue reading the main story
“There’s no better way [to go out] than to get to the final at the Crucible. If I win it, it’s a bonus; if I don’t, at least I can say I’ve gone out on a high.””
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Three-time world champion
He said: “I’ve made the decision. This might – might – be my last time here.”
O’Sullivan, after
comfortably beating Matthew Stevens
in their semi-final, added: “I don’t intend to stay in the game long, even though I feel [I'm in] in a lot better place. I might consider having a good, long break, a couple of years off.
“I’ve weighed up the pluses and the minuses and I’m quite comfortable with the decision.
“There’s no better way [to go out] than to get to the final at the Crucible. If I win it, it’s a bonus; if I don’t, at least I can say I’ve gone out on a high.”
O’Sullivan also said last year’s World Championship could be his “last throw of the dice”, while his most recent threat to quit was after the UK Championship in December.
His focused displays at the Crucible this year, which he attributes to his work with sports psychologist Dr Steve Peters, led some to believe he had finally tamed his demons.
The irony being, now that his demons finally appear to be in check, O’Sullivan seems happier to make the decision to hang up his cue.
“I’ve had a fantastic time and it’s got to come to an end sooner or later and I don’t want to drag it out too long,” he explained.
“People might think it’s a bit crazy, but people close to me know what’s going on. Now is as good a time as ever.
“I’ve been working on my mental side with Dr Peters and it hasn’t been easy. But he’s helped me massively and I’ve just been competing.
“O’Sullivan’s the best player I have ever seen when he hits the ball like that. It’s a different level and when he plays left-handed we take it for granted now. I would knock the lampshade over if I had to play left-handed. Playing Ronnie is like trying to hold a tiger by the tail.”
“There’s a lot of pressure involved in being a professional sportsman and I’m not sure I want to be sitting here another 10 years deluding myself.
“Some of these players I’ve played, they’re so aggressive and you need to be on your game. That’s a lot of pressure.
“And managing your own expectations and the expectations of everybody else is difficult. I’ve done my best, that’s all I can do.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to live life a little bit. Maybe I’ll do a bit of Strictly Come Dancing or something like that?”
Last week, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry retired after his quarter-final defeat by Stephen Maguire, citing snooker chief Barry Hearn’s revamped schedule as one of the reasons behind his decision.
And on Thursday, O’Sullivan, a single parent, revealed he collapsed earlier this season under the workload of the punishing new regime.
“I got a letter recently saying I have missed 12 tournaments and I might face another disciplinary hearing,” said O’Sullivan. “I have two beautiful young kids who I want to see grow up, and that’s all that matters.
“I’ve had a great career, but this is probably the hardest place to play: 17 days in Sheffield and I feel like I’ve been here two months. It never felt this long when I was 21 or 22, maybe that’s because I had nothing else in my life.”
As for the final itself, he said he expected Carter to be a more formidable opponent than when they met on the biggest stage in 2008, when O’Sullivan won 18-8.
Carter, 32, beat Scotland’s Maguire 17-12 in his semi-final and has his own mental guru in the form of 2002 champion Peter Ebdon.
“In that first final the big occasion got to him and he’s learnt a lot from that,” said O’Sullivan. “He’s won tournaments since then [two ranking events] and been up to second in the world.
“He’s had a funny year this year [Carter tumbled down the rankings after suffering the
] but he’s shown a lot of strength of character to come through that and reach the final.
“Certain players are suited to the Crucible, they have the right technique and temperament, and Ali’s one of them.
“Stephen [Maguire] let the match get away from him early on and you can’t afford to give Ali a start, he scores too heavily and is too good tactically. I wasn’t surprised, Ali is a great player.”
Continue Reading Comments Off
World Championship scores and schedule
SEMI-FINALS
SATURDAY 5 MAY
(best of 33 frames)
1000 BST
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) 12-7 Matthew Stevens (Wal)
67-53, 66-31 (52), 84-8 (66), 96-10, 47-72, 31-71, 70-11, 1-81 (80), 1-75 (60), 62-63 (61, 63), 90-36 (62), 110-6 (110), 127-4 (98), 94-0 (90), 76-35, 117-0 (113), 0-65, 19-84, 122-0 (50, 68)
1430 BST
Stephen Maguire (Sco) 10-14 Ali Carter (Eng)
59-44, 56-18, 0-72, 0-92 (91), 49-54, 82-6 (82), 26-66 (65), 11-68, 73-17 (57), 83-0 (59), 6-70, 1-118 (118), 69-80, 4-74 (65), 142-0 (142), 43-59, 76-0, 47-67 (53), 0-134 (134), 29-63, 1-73 (73), 72-14, 74-27 (70), 73-58 (58 Carter).
1900 BST
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Matthew Stevens (Wal)
QUARTER-FINAL RESULTS
Jamie Jones (Wal)
11-13
Ali Carter (Eng)
15-105 (58), 26-69, 65-31, 127-0 (127), 1-88 (77), 6-65 (59), 92-1 (92), 0-76 (76), 74-65, 13-91 (56), 138-0 (138), 132-0 (132), 38-70, 41-57, 0-83 (83), 66-35, 58-70 (50 Jones), 60-18, 17-55, 17-55, 64-31, 69-10 (64), 69-48, 20-70.
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng)
13-10
Neil Robertson (Aus)
24-73 (68), 100-18 (100), 69-44, 19-96 (58), 0-104 (100), 93-1 (93), 39-72, 59-65 (59 O’Sullivan), 95-7, 97-7 (97), 108-8, 86-21, 76-19, 78-7, 4-60, 1-64 (63), 16-68 (50), 104-4 (104), 77-44 (77), 100-0 (100), 1-89 (89), 0-99 (77), 96-8 (59).
Matthew Stevens (Wal)
13-5
Ryan Day (Wal)
86-2 (86), 0-101 (100), 14-110 (110), 50-39, 8-93 (80), 28-75, 42-91 (57), 74-44, 91-38, 82-42, 70-0, 80-41, 70-23, 64-32 (59), 78-10, 87-26 (53), 74-49, 77-0.
Stephen Maguire (Sco)
13-2
Stephen Hendry (Sco)
59-24, 75-0, 65-52, 72-17 (68), 125-0 (117), 77-0 (60), 19-66 (65), 95-0 (95), 67-1, 72-17 (72), 76-31 (68), 126-0 (125), 47-62, 99-8 (61), 65-6.
SECOND ROUND RESULTS
Jamie Jones (Wal)
13-10
Andrew Higginson (Eng)
83-21, 63-33, 41-78, 0-65, 25-69 (54), 44-76, 63-62, 100-24 (72), 95-0 (95), 70-49 (55), 68-35 (65), 1-89 (89), 101-26 (101), 71-47 (51), 36-90 (82), 64-57, 19-61 (54), 8-64, 21-65 (53), 26-70, 89-1 (50), 135-0 (135).
Mark Williams (Wal)
6-13
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng)
72-48, 9-116 (57, 53), 4-95 (95), 64-56 (56, 64), 82-55, 28-66, 0-86, 45-68, 26-107 (107), 16-78 (74), 37-83, 27-68 (68), 0-132 (128), 0-93, 86-2 (86), 65-55, 5-67 (66), 72-28, 36-105 (65).
Ali Carter (Eng)
13-12
Judd Trump (Eng)
63-10, 75-47, 0-74, 0-71 (70), 0-96 (62), 72-34, 93-0, 60-44, 0-129 (120), 46-54, 132-0 (113), 36-69, 17-99 (60), 64-37 (54), 0-79 (79), 38-75, 101-34 (70), 0-96 (96), 94-1 (94), 85-7 (81), 81-8 (53).
Matthew Stevens (Wal)
13-11
Barry Hawkins (Eng)
59-66 (59, 59), 0-86 (69), 4-75 (64), 85-0 (85), 74-0, 101-0 (101), 59-71, 14-72 (65), 30-60, 79-13, 122-1 (122), 10-75 (68), 123-0 (123), 17-76, 87-17 (87), 80-0 (80), 73-26, 114-0 (65), 1-87 (64), 8-64 (63), 82-29, 62-42, 55-78 (51), 67-0 (57).
Stephen Maguire (Sco)
13-7
Joe Perry (Eng)
0-116 (115), 109-15 (101), 101-13 (101), 78-23 (52), 104-0 (65), 27-68 (68), 88-30 (88), 4-82 (82) 81-23, 67-57 (57 Perry), 17-57, 95-0 (91), 80-52 (80,52), 82-29, 8-117 (103), 86-31 (75), 21-67, 4-76, 65-32, 79-0 (79), 77-39 (72).
John Higgins (Sco)
4-13
Stephen Hendry (Sco)
86-16, 86-12 (52), 0-101 (81) 31-102 (69), 124-9 (124), 5-93 (93), 0-123 (123), 7-67 (67), 64-76, 16-65 (51), 57-54, 0-99, 48-62, 8-58, 55-72 (66), 1-83 (83), 27-64 (64).
Ryan Day (Wal)
13-7
Cao Yupeng (Chn)
58-54 (53 Day), 73-58, 91-10 (87), 41-92, 69-7 (62), 54-104, 63-25, 70-18, 39-72, 0-138 (125), 23-63, 132-7 (112), 57-79 (56), 75-42 (51), 77-39 (72), 44-76, 116-1 (113), 85-36 (53), 123-1 (87), 119-0 (119).
Neil Robertson (Aus)
13-9
David Gilbert (Eng)
40-92 (53), 76-0 (76), 0-76 (76), 17-75, 96-5 (84), 109-0 (109), 75-47 (57), 131-0 (131), 96-1, 5-75, 0-118 (75), 76-35 (76), 77-0 (77), 94-1 (82), 92-18 (92), 42-71, 98-6, 36-74 (69), 0-121 (121), 107-16 (60), 5-77 (67), 108-0.
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Ali Carter (Eng)
10-2
Mark Davis (Eng)
99-29, 94-0 (65), 40-78, 56-32, 72-16 (72), 101-0 (101), 65-39, 108-9 (76), 68-0 (57), 98-0, 17-72, 132-1.
Mark Williams (Wal)
10-6
Liu Chuang (Chn)
1-76 (51), 74-36, 40-70, 66-42 (57), 76-0, 44-64, 68-26, 72-56 (72), 111-0 (111), 73-0 (72), 68-57, 98-0, 46-68 (50), 41-52, 43-74 (53), 76-0.
Mark Selby (Eng)
3-10
Barry Hawkins (Eng)
17-73 (73), 74-1 (64), 31-74 (58), 14-68 (64), 104-7, 73-54, 8-88 (63), 34-82, 38-61, 44-71, 0-86 (56), 21-89.
Judd Trump (Eng)
10-7
Dominic Dale (Wal)
57-59, 85-0 (57), 16-89 (59), 33-76 (75), 69-37 (54), 66-31 (54), 28-76 (68), 74-7, 121-1 (53, 68), 5-71, 40-70, 115-1 (114), 1-80 (80), 91-23, 64-16, 72-60
Ding Junhui (Chn)
9-10
Ryan Day (Wal)
69-39, 27-106, 79-0, 8-78 (77), 100-0 (100), 21-76, 7-75, 46-66, 76-4 (53), 28-74 (70), 92-14, 20-68 (52), 126-0 (69), 68-20 (56), 21-64, 81-17 (57), 22-79 (79), 30-65, 48-74 (64).
Graeme Dott (Sco)
1-10
Joe Perry (Eng)
7-64, 33-71, 17-72, 12-94 (51), 39-68, 20-52, 7-56, 32-59 (54), 65-32, 18-73 (59), 7-78 (56).
Stephen Lee (Eng)
6-10
Andrew Higginson (Eng)
73-39 (68), 0-79 (72) 108-5 (60), 40-71, 114-1 (110), 0-73 (61), 22-67, 1-74, 62-28 (59), 18-68, 126-0 (102), 40-69, 71-44, 6-115 (111), 34-73 (51), 6-98 (61).
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng)
10-4
Peter Ebdon (Eng)
71-64, 0-76, 103-17 (103) 68-37, 87-18, 88-25 (81), 71-24, 69-66, 7-90 (90), 80-40 (80), 22-75, 76-8 (68), 9-96 (51), 73-56.
Stephen Maguire (Sco)
10-5
Luca Brecel (Bel)
84-0, 55-53, 97-12 (54), 79-56, 0-96 (96), 64-63 (Brecel 63), 80-35, 0-116 (116), 0-79 (62), 1-90 (86), 73-8, 105-24 (101), 94-1 (94), 37-66, 64-15.
Matthew Stevens (Wal)
10-3
Marco Fu (HK)
67-31, 72-25 (67), 57-36, 81-0 (81), 77-0 (67), 75-20 (66), 74-41 (55), 69-55 (Fu 55), 1-66 (51), 4-65 (65), 70-62, 1-81, 82-35.
Shaun Murphy (Eng)
8-10
Jamie Jones (Wal)
31-76 (50), 72-21, 62-65, 77-1 (77), 68-17 (68), 17-92, 62-42, 0-134 (134), 102-4 (102), 73-0 (73), 45-63, 101-0 (101), 7-68 (68), 31-72, 0-136 (136), 58-84, 74-47, 12-67.
Stephen Hendry (Sco)
10-4
Stuart Bingham (Eng)
69-44, 101-9 (100), 89-16 (89), 45-65, 82-0 (78), 75-6 (61), 147-0 (147), 89-7 (75), 73-2 (65), 4-89 (52), 42-76 (53), 45-57, 63-55, 96-0 (96).
Ken Doherty (Ire)
4-10
Neil Robertson (Aus)
46-68, 104-0 (104), 17-51, 41-75 (74), 84-0 (70), 64-71, 11-106 (106), 0-110 (108), 0-100 (100), 56-0, 20-74 (66), 83-34, 30-73 (72), 55-66.
David Gilbert Eng
10-8
Martin Gould (Eng)
67-23 (58), 72-62 (Gilbert 72, Gould 62), 91-34 (54), 22-81 (55), 47-72 (51), 63-18 (61), 98-18 (65), 72-17 (72) 26-64, 68-57, 12-98 (56), 20-75 (75), 68-47, 0-136 (136), 4-117 (109), 65-24 (55), 21-63 (53).
Cao Yupeng (Chn)
10-6
Mark Allen (NI)
88-45 (70), 51-42, 81-8 (69), 0-86 (86), 74-46, 9-76, 73-10 (51), 27-66, 12-113 (88), 71-15, 109-2 (108), 16-77, 91-14, 117-0 (113), 30-104 (104), 64-55.
John Higgins (Sco)
10-9
Liang Wenbo (Chn)
61-38, 79-45 (71), 42-90 (64), 74-56, 9-64 (64), 34-59, 1-97, 76-54 (72), 66-22, 84-5 (74), 26-62, 4-115 (72), 2-65, 18-99 (92), 133-0 (133), 67-42, 60-11 (58), 1-75 (75), 77-52 (Liang 52).
Continue Reading Comments Off
World Snooker on the BBC
World Championship, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield – 21 April-7 May
John Higgins won a fourth world title last year in an epic tussle against youngster Judd Trump.
The Scot trailed after the first day but used all his experience to get himself back into contention before finally securing an 18-15 win.
The ‘Wizard of Wishaw’ sits fourth on the all-time roll of honour in the modern era, behind Stephen Hendry (seven), Steve Davis (six) and Ray Reardon (six).
Mark Selby, the 2007 runner-up, is among the bookmakers favourites to land a maiden title this year, as is three-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, 2010 winner Neil Robertson, Judd Trump and the reinvigorated champion of 2000 and 2003, Mark Williams.
Live coverage of all matches via the BBC Sport website.
All matches also available live via the Red Button on digital satellite and cable, Freeview coverage may vary.
(Times are subject to change)
Wednesday 2 May
1000-1300, HD Channel/online
1330-1800, BBC Two/HD Channel
1900-2000, BBC Two
2320-0010, BBC Two – Highlights
0010-0210, BBC Two – Snooker Extra
Thursday 3 May
1300-1800, BBC Two/HD Channel
1900-2100, BBC Two
2320-0010, BBC Two – Highlights
Friday 4 May
1000-1300, HD Channel/online
1300-1800, BBC Two/HD Channel
1900-2100, BBC Two
2320-0010, BBC Two – Highlights
Saturday 5 May
1000-1300, HD Channel/online
1300-1630, BBC One/HD Channel
1630-1730, BBC Two
1900-2130, BBC Two
Sunday 6 May
1400-1800, BBC Two/HD Channel
1900-2300, BBC Two
Monday 7 May
1430-1800, BBC Two/HD Channel
1930-2300, BBC Two
If you have any questions about the BBC’s snooker coverage please first consult
our main FAQs page.
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Live Snooker
Live BBC TV coverage (when available)
FRIDAY 4 MAY
1000 BST
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Matthew Stevens (Wal)
1430 BST
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Ali Carter (Eng)
1900 BST
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Matthew Stevens (Wal)
Available to UK users only
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Live Snooker
Live BBC TV coverage (when available)
FRIDAY 4 MAY
1000 BST
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Matthew Stevens (Wal)
1430 BST
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Ali Carter (Eng)
1900 BST
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Matthew Stevens (Wal)
Available to UK users only
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Hendry stuns Bingham with 147
WORLD SN OOKER CHAMPIONSHIP
- Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
- Dates: 21 April to 7 May
- Times: Sessions at 1000, 1430 1900 BST
Coverage: Live coverage on BBC TV, HD Channel, Red Button and online
Continue Reading Comments Off
VIDEO: Live Snooker
Live BBC TV coverage (when available)
FRIDAY 4 MAY
1000 BST
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Ali Carter (Eng)
1300 BST
Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng) v Matthew Stevens (Wal)
1900 BST
Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Ali Carter (Eng)
Available to UK users only
Continue Reading Comments Off