Month: November 2018

Categories
News

Mark Selby Crashes Out of UK Championship

Selby got knocked out of this year’s UK Championship falling at the first hurdle…

World number one Mark Selby has crashed out of the UK Championship in York.

The 35-year-old Jester from Leicester lost in the first round of the pre TV stages of the competition to amateur James Cahill, Stephen Hendry’s nephew.

As the preliminary round got underway this week, there were also shock exits for Ryan Dynamite Day and 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy, who lost out respectively to Joe O’Connor, and a Chinese player Chen Fellong.

The 2018 English Amateur Champion O’Connor made a solid display against an under par Day.

O’Connor, 23, has played 14 matches so far this season as a professional since his big amateur win in Gloucester in May and has won 5 out of the 14.

The likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and 2018 World Champion Mark Williams are safely through to the TV stages of the tournament.

The tournament is televised from Saturday onwards on Eurosport and the BBC.

 

Categories
News

Easy Snooker Trick Shots: Improve Your Angle Knowledge – Now

Imagine this…

You’re in a match and faced with a mighty tricky pot – a bit like the Alex Higgins pink shot on Snooker Loopy. It’s almost impossible for the mere mortal to get, and your opponent is sitting there wondering, are you going to go for it? Your opponent is gobsmacked when you do, and even dumbfounded when he discovers you pot it!

You walk to the next shot feeling a million dollars and the frame is yours! You’ve been practicing like a trooper and been making yourself aware of the angles on a snooker table. That’s because…

You’ve been learning and practicing…

Snooker trick shots like this!

 

Learning and playing snooker trick shots may be fun, but, there’s an important reason why you should consider to start learning some snooker trick shots in practice sessions.

There’s many benefits to learning them, including:

  • You’re learning the angles on a snooker table and what happens when you use different spins on the cue ball on certain angles.
  • You’re learning pace and timing to execute different shots
  • You’re learning how to become more confident under a situation of pressure when entertaining!
  • You’re showing there is more to the game than just potting the balls, use AND learn what you have in front of you – the table!

Some trick shots are difficult, and, like anything, they take practice, but even the easiest of shots need full attention, and as if you were playing a serious pot in a match, taking your eye off the pot can ruin the whole shot!

Remember to cue nice and straight and follow through the white on each shot!

Watch this video below to get a flavour of what shots you could learn from the snooker trick shot master John Virgo!

Start off with some of the easier ones, and, when you get a little bit more confident, then move onto the harder trickier ones!

Remember, even the greatest had to practice these and miss time and time again before getting them. As Virgo says in the video, don’t beat yourself up if you miss it the first time, have fun, enjoy, and learn!

Hurry, there’s only one left! Get the Snooker Loopy DVD for inspiration and start to improve your knowledge of angles and the snooker table by practicing some fun trick shots on the DVD, here…

Categories
News

Is Feathering Really Important in Cueing in Snooker?

So, when I first started, there was a BIG question I found myself asking: 

Should I feather or not? And, if so, how many feathers?

There are so many views on what seems a minor issue.

But, it’s actually very IMPORTANT.

Some say have two or three long feathers.

Some say it doesn’t matter if you don’t feather at all.

And if you watch the professionals like Marco Fu, for example, then you’ll notice he has no feathers.

It really depends on what suits you.

However, below is a SIMPLE interesting drill you can do that will help test if you are suited to doing NO feathers at all.

And, it will test your aiming and cueing.

But first…

So far, we’ve found two key aspects of the cueing part of the game that work really well (for us).

They are:

  • The essential pause in delivery on the final backswing.
  • The Addressing (pause) of the cue ball and making sure you are striking where you intend before the final swing. 

However, an interesting drill that SnookerZone developed last weekend was this:

Getting down to the line of aim and delivering the cue with no preliminary featherings! As the blog title suggests, is feathering essential or optional? How many are too many?

If you want to learn about aiming in more detail. Check out Nic Barrow’s Aim Frame below now…

AimFrame

 

As before, If you watch the top players, some feather the cue lots.

German Masters Champion Anthony Hamilton, for example, feathers up lots!

Others do simply what SnookerZone did in a drill – establish the line of aim, get down and deliver…

SnookerZone is not suggesting players should not feather at all, however, on the weekend, our drill was to establish whether we had problems with aiming or cueing.

On analysis after, it seemed whenever a pot was missed – (AND staying down after to assess) most of the time the cue tip was pointing in a straight line on the line of aim selected. That suggests to us that our issues on missed pots were aiming issues and alignment.

HOW MANY FEATHERS?

Whilst feathering can give you a “feel” of how the cue action is developing and whether it may be straight (or not) SnookerZone is not entirely convinced that feathering is necessarily an essential part in ensuring a straight delivery. It’s not about what is wrong, or is right. It’s about what is “right” for that particular individual.

Interestingly, when spending the whole sessions simply selecting the line, confidently getting down on the shot, delivering the cue in just one swing (with a slight pause on the backswing) pot success increased on more difficult pots from medium to long range.

Again, to repeat, SnookerZone is not advocating having any featherings, we’re just saying try this drill for a session (or two) and see if you have an aiming or cueing issue.

If you’ve selected the right line of aim initially, we found that when you deliver the cue in one swing, the cueing takes care of itself! Or 99.999999% of the time it should do! It did with SnookerZone!

In fact, a useful tip is to start practicing from having no featherings, and, slowly introducing featherings into your game and see how many are/is right for you!

Try it yourself and let SnookerZone know what you think…

Enjoy your snooker…

 

Categories
News

Formidable Reanne Evans Bags Eden Masters title in Gloucester

Embed from Getty Images

 

It was another busy weekend of snooker for the women as Reanne Evans bagged another title in Gloucester at the South West Snooker Academy in the Eden Women’s Masters.

She whitewashed the up and coming Rebecca Kenna, who yet again made it to another final after being beaten by Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee in the final of the UK Women’s Championship.

Evans, 33, made the modest high break of the event, a 62.

It was a good run to the semi-finals for Emma Parker and Suzie Opacic – but the star of the show in Gloucester was yet again Reanne, who lifted the European Masters in Belgium but a few weeks ago.

There was no Ng On Yee in the field in the knockout stages.

There was a win for Stephanie Daughtery in the Eden Women’s Master’s Challenge Cup beating Germany’s Diana Schuler.

Daughtery lost out in the under-21s event to Shannon Metcalf.

You can view ALL the results of the women’s snooker, here…

 

 

 

 

Categories
News

No Table? Still No Excuse NOT to Practice Straight Cueing

Most of us snooker players don’t have regular access to a snooker table. But, there’s still nothing stopping you from practicing cueing using simple tools and furniture around the house.

Simply find a table, a dining room or kitchen table. Find an empty bottle and practice cueing into it. Or get an ironing board and practice muscle memory on there!

Watch the exercises you can do to practice cueing ON or OFF the table with WPBSA coach Steve Barton, below…

 

 

 

Categories
News

Judd Trump Silences Critics – For Now

 

Embed from Getty Images

Judd Trump has silenced his critics after successfully claiming the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast over the weekend.

The 29-year-old Juddernaut had not won a tournament since his European Masters triumph over a year ago as he edged Ronnie O’Sullivan 9 – 7 in a gripping final at the Waterfront.

It was nip and tuck for most of the match but Judd towards the end took advantage of some rare O’Sullivan mistakes to see it out and pocket the 70K first prize and lift the Alex Higgins trophy.

O’Sullivan said after he was enjoying his snooker, but glad he didn’t have to get up at 10AM the next morning to fly to another event.

Trump said the win was one of his best so far, and it meant a lot to be able to shut up some of his critics who have been questioning how far he can go in the game.

So far, Trump has won nine ranking titles – but has yet, despite all his talent not managed to push on with the World Championship to which he was a finalist in 2011.

However, he said during the week-long event that he’s upped his practice to six to seven hours a day and had hired his brother Jack to help him out on the tour and give him support.

He added coming into the event that he knew he would win one at some point, saying he felt confident with his game.

In finals, O’Sullivan and Trump have played eight times, with Trump winning five of them!

O’Sullivan will head off to the UK Championship in York to defend his title he won last year and he won his first ranking title in the UK at the age of 17.

Categories
News

Kyren Wilson Responds in Twitter Snooker Spat

Embed from Getty Images

Champion of Champions runner-up Kyren Wilson has responded to calls there should have been a day’s grace before traveling from Coventry to Belfast and playing in the northern Ireland Open the next day.

Wilson, who lost to Ronnie O’Sullivan responded in a tweet and said he did think his game on Monday night, in which he lost to Lee Walker should have been moved to Tuesday minimum, but, for whatever reason, it wasn’t.

However, the 26-year-old from Kettering, added: “OK, I’m 26, but what this game takes out of you mentally is draining!”

He also said that now was a good a time as any to become a snooker player – singing Barry Hearn’s praises but said there were a few issues that needed ironing out.

The tweet came after Ronnie O’Sullivan had a rant on Twitter about the game and the state of it, regarding venues, prize money, and the World Snooker chief himself Barry Hearn.

O’Sullivan, who won his third Champion of Champions title last weekend, narrowly beating Wilson in the final 10 – 9, pocketed 100K in 7 days at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

The furore comes as a string of top players departed the Northern Irish Open early, including Barry Hawkins, Mark Allen and Kyren Wilson, all who played last week in Coventry.

Four-times World Champion John Higgins also exited Belfast after losing to Rory McLeod who looked a little jaded.

The season comes thick and fast this time of year as there are competitions right up until Christmas, including the NI Open, the UK Championship and the Scottish Open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
News

O’Sullivan Got Lucky to Scrape Third Champion of Champions title

 

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN scraped victory to win the 2018 Champion of Champions over the weekend narrowly defeating Kyren Wilson in a thrilling match that went down to the wire at the Ricoh Arena Coventry.

O’Sullivan, 42, was 5 – 1 up at one point in the first session – but then Wilson managed to pull his socks up and get stuck in in the final session and start piling on the pressure on O’Sullivan at 8 – 6.

The Rocket was not in vintage form, but at 9 – 8 as the roles were reversed and Kyren was on the up, lady luck saw Ronnie fluke a snooker with a wild rest shot which ended with Ronnie forcing a decider.

Eventually, O’Sullivan knocked in a ton in the final frame to dash Wilson’s dreams of a big major win over the Rocket, who had also given him a drubbing in the 2017 English Open.

Wilson said after the match he had played terrible and added it was his own fault when he could have seen out the match but missed a crucial red on a 61 break in a frame which he could have won the match.

Both O’Sullivan and Wilson admitted they had not played great in the best of 19 encounter.

The Rocket’s 100K win is his third Champion of Champions title and he has qualified for the 2019 edition next year.

This week sees the ranking event the Northern Ireland Open in Belfast as part of the Home Nations series which saw Stuart Bingham lift the English Open in Crawley.

Watch O’Sullivan’s interview, below…

Categories
News

Mark Selby Racks Incredible Third Career 147

Selby in Maximum Form at the Ricoh in 2018 but has never won the Champion of Champions elite 16 man invitational event…

JESTER FROM LEICESTER Mark Selby has racked a third career 147 in Coventry at the ManBetX Champion of Champions. 

The 35-year-old World number one did it in his first round match between Neil Robertson in the second frame at the Ricoh Arena.

His previous maximums came in 2013 at the UK Championship and the 2009 Jiangsu Classic.

Watch Selby’s UK Championship 147 below…


It’s the 144th in Snooker history with only three to go until someone makes the 147th 147 and is the fifth this season after Ronnie O’Sullivan made his 15th career 147 in the 2018 English Open in Crawley – along with Thailand’s Thepchaiyah Un-Nooh.

It comes as this is the last day (8th November) before we discover the four players who will be competing in the last four and which two will be in the final on Sunday 11th November.

So far Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Kyren Wilson are the three known semi-finalists – but by the end of tonight, there will be one more name to make up the list.

Kyren Wilson knocked out the World Champion Mark Williams, who was making a debut in the event since winning three ranking titles including the World Championship last season.

Wilson also thrashed Judd Trump 6 – 1 making two incredible tons on the way to booking a semi-final spot in the hunt for the 100K top prize.

There is no prize for a maximum as the CofC is an invitational event and not a ranking event.

UPDATE: Selby lost the match to Robertson 4 – 3. 

Watch Selby’s third career maximum below…

 

 

 

 

Categories
News

The Incredible Champion of Champions 2018 (FAQs)

Embed from Getty Images

MARK ALLEN claimed the 2018 International Championship and will be heading to Coventry for the Champion of Champions hours after his big win in Daqing, China.

The Pistol, 32, joins 15 other top winners from the last year including the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Williams to battle it out for the first prize of 100K at the Ricoh Arena.

Allen’s 175K win in Daqing pulls him up to seventh in the rankings – but there were also some movers such as Jack Lisowski who reached the semi-finals – who is very close to slipping into the top 16.

Allen also had a staggering 14 tons in the event – including pocketing 3K for the rare 146 break, his third 146 in his career.

Runner-up Neil Robertson will also be joining the star-studded line-up as the winner of the 2018 Riga Masters.

Champion of Champions Snooker: What is it?

It’s a 16 man event with the World’s best snooker winners since the previous Champion of Champions in 2017 won by Shaun Murphy. These include O’Sullivan, Williams, Allen, John Higgins to name a few.

Where?

It’s at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry

How Long?

From November 5th to 11th…

Who’s won it before?

Ronnie O’Sullivan has won it twice in 2013/14 then Neil Robertson won, then Higgins, and last year Shaun Murphy.

Is it a ranking event?

No. It’s an invitational…Generally, the winners of the past year are invited.

Where can you watch it and what time? 

Watch the world’s best snooker players playing in the UK on ITV4 or Quest…12:45 PM and 6:45 PM UK time.

Read also: New snooker table to host at Champion of Champions…