What`s going on in September

04:21:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

As I said yesterday, I shall present you the main tournaments due to take place in September. And I also have some good news, regarding the fact that the Premier League (Sky Sports HD 3 and Sky Sports 3), Shanghai Masters (EuroSport) and World Open(EuroSport and BBC) tournaments will be televised (as usual) so our hunger for snooker will definitely be settle down....for the moment :))
But let’s take a look at what September has to offer us:


1. Premier League


When?: September 2
Where?: Southampton, Southampton Guildhall
Defending champion: Shaun Murphy
Who’s playing?: Shaun Murphy v. Ding Junhui and Ronnie O`Sullivan v. Marco Fu
Prizes: winner(£30,000), runner-up (£15,000), losing semi-finalists (£5,000).
There will also be a bonus fund of £1,000 per frame won during the round-robin section; the £1,000 century bonus does not apply during the semi-finals or final. Also a £25,000 prize will be awarded to the players who hit the maximum break.


2. Shanghai Masters


When?: 6-12 September
Where?: Shanghai, China
Defending champion: Ronnie O`Sullivan
Who’s playing?: click here for the draw.
Prizes: winner (£60,000), runner-up (£30,000), semi-finals (£15.000), quarter-finals
(£8,000), last 16 (£5,925), last 32 (£4,000), last 48 (£2,200) and the last 64 (£1,500 ).
There are also prizes for the highest break hit in stage 1 (£400) and the highest break hit in stage 2 (£2,000).
Ranking points: winner (7.000), runner-up (5.600), semi-finals (4.480), quarter-finals (3.500), last 16 (2.660), last 32 (1.960) - 980*, last 48 (1.610)-805*, last 64 (1.260)-630*, last 80 (910)-455* and the last 96 (560)-280*.
* seeded loser


3. Premier League


When?: September 16
Where?: Plymouth, Plymouth Pavilions
Defending champion: Shaun Murphy
Who’s playing?: Mark Selby v. Mark Williams and Ronnie O`Sullivan v. Ding Junhui
Prizes: winner (£30,000), runner-up (£15,000), losing semi-finalists (£5,000).
There will also be a bonus fund of £1,000 per frame won during the round-robin section; the £1,000 century bonus does not apply during the semi-finals or final. Also a £25,000 prize will be awarded to the players who hit the maximum break.


4. World Open


When?: 18-26 September
Where?: SECC Glasgow, Scotland
Defending champion: Neil Robertson
Who’s playing?: click here for the draw.
Prizes: winner (£100,000), runner-up (£40,000), semi-finals (£20,000), quarter-finals (£12,500), last 16 (£7,500), last 32 (£5,500), last 64 (£2,500) and the last 96 (£1,500).
There are also prizes for the highest break hit in stage 1 (£500) and the highest break hit in stage 2 (£4,000).
Ranking points: winner (7.000), runner-up (5.600), semi-finals (4.480), quarter-finals (3.500), last 16 (2.660), last 32 (1.960), last 64 (1.610)-805*, last 96 (1.260)-630* and the last 128 (910)-455*.
* seeded loser


5. Premier League


When?: September 30
Where?: Preston, Preston Guild Hall
Defending champion: Shaun Murphy
Who’s playing?: Marco Fu v. Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui v. Mark Williams and Neil Robertson v. Mark Selby
Prizes: winner (£30,000), runner-up (£15,000), losing semi-finalists (£5,000).
There will also be a bonus fund of £1,000 per frame won during the round-robin section; the £1,000 century bonus does not apply during the semi-finals or final. Also a £25,000 prize will be awarded to the players who hit the maximum break.

For this article I`ve used info from worldsnooker.com and global-snooker.com

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Snooker in septembrie

03:35:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Asa cum v-am promis ieri, iata ca revin cu programul pentru luna tomnatica ce deja ne bate in geam. Si  pentru ca imi sunteti simpatici :P am si o veste buna: in sfarsit ochiul nostru se va bucura de snooker televizat, intrucat atat Shanghai Masters cat si World Open-ul, vor fi difuzate de postul EuroSport. Eeei? E ceva nu?:))


Dar sa vedem cu arata programul pe luna septembrie:


1. Premier League


Cand?: 2 septembrie
Unde?: Southampton, Southampton Guildhall
Campionul en-titre: Shaun Murphy
Cine joaca?: Shaun Murphy vs. Ding Junhui si Ronnie O`Sullivan vs. Marco Fu
Premii: locul 1 (£30.000), locul 2 (£15.000), semi-finalisti invinsi (£5.000).
Se mai acorda premii pentru fiecare frame castigat in etapa de "round-robin" (£1.000) si pentru fiecare break de 100+ (£1.000) realizat numai in etapa mai sus mentionata.De asemenea, orice break maxim primeste £25.000.


2. Shanghai Masters


Cand?: 6-12 septembrie
Unde?: Shanghai, China
Campionul en-titre: Ronnie O`Sullivan
Cine joaca?: click aici pentru lista completa.
Premii: locul 1 (£60.000), locul 2 (£30.000), semi-finalisti invinsi (£15.000),  jucatori invinsi in sferturi (£8.000 ), jucatori invinsi in optimi (£5.925), ultimii 32 (£4.000), ultimii 48 (£2.200) si ultimii 64 (£1,500 ).
Se vor mai acorda premii si pentru cel mai mare break realizat in prima faza (£400) si pentru cel mai mare break realizat in cea de-a doua (£2,000).
Puncte: locul 1 (7.000), locul 2 (5.600), semi-finalisti invinsi (4.480), jucatori invinsi in sferturi (3.500), jucatori invinsi in optimi (2.660), ultimii 32 (1.960) - 980*, ultimii 48 (1.610)-805*, ultimii 64 (1.260)-630*, ultimii 80 (910)-455* si ultimii 96 (560)-280*.


* pentru capii de serie invinsi


3. Premier League


Cand?: 16 septembrie
Unde?: Plymouth, Plymouth Pavilions
Campionul en-titre: Shaun Murphy
Cine joaca?: Mark Selby vs. Mark Williams si Ronnie O`Sullivan vs. Ding Junhui
Premii: locul 1 (£30.000), locul 2 (£15.000), semi-finalisti invinsi (£5.000).
Se mai acorda premii pentru fiecare frame castigat in etapa de "round-robin" (£1.000) si pentru fiecare break de 100+ (£1.000) realizat numai in etapa mai sus mentionata.De asemenea, orice break maxim primeste £25.000.


4. World Open


Cand?: 18-26 septembrie
Unde?: SECC Glasgow, Scotia
Campionul en-titre: Neil Robertson
Cine joaca?: click aici pentru lista completa.
Premii: locul 1 (£100.000), locul 2 (£40.000), semifinalisti invinsi (£20.000), jucatori invinsi in sferturi (£12.500), jucatori invinsi in optimi (£7.500), ultimii 32 (£5.500), ultimii 64 (£2.500) si ultimii 96 (£1.500).
Se mai acorda premii pentru cel mai mare break realizat in prima faza (£500) si cel mai mare break realizat in cea de-a doua (£4.000).
Puncte: locul 1 (7.000), locul 2 (5.600), semi-finalisti invinsi (4.480), jucatori invinsi in sferturi (3.500), jucatori invinsi in optimi (2.660), ultimii 32 (1.960), ultimii 64 (1.610)-805*, ultimii 96 (1.260)-630* si ultimii 128 (910)-455*.


* pentru capii de serie invinsi


5. Premier League


Cand?: 30 septembrie
Unde?: Preston, Preston Guild Hall
Campionul en-titre: Shaun Murphy
Cine joaca?: Marco Fu vs. Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui vs. Mark Williams si Neail Robertson vs. Mark Selby.
Premii: locul 1 (£30.000),locul 2 (£15.000), semi-finalisti invinsi (£5.000).
Se mai acorda premii pentru fiecare frame castigat in etapa de "round-robin" (£1.000) si pentru fiecare break de 100+ (£1.000)realizat numai in etapa mai sus mentionata.De asemenea, orice break maxim primeste £25.000.

Pentru acest articol s-au folosit informatii oferite de worldsnooker.com si global-snooker.com

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EPTC 1 - the last day

03:31:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Judd Trump won his first ranking-title
An amazing day here in Germany, where the new Paul Hunter Classic/EPTC 1`s champion is the youngster Judd Trump!!! Judd, or better to call him "Juddernaut" (for every respectable snooker player has a nickname :P) has come a long way to reach the finale, but the beautiful trophy, the 10.000 euros prize, the 2.000 ranking points and the admiration of the entire world I think were quite the reward, for the 21 year-old kid. :)) He has made a spectacular start, whitewashing Michael Judge (4-0), beating Peter Ebdon 4-2 and defeating Andrew Pagett 4-0 to reach the last 16. Here, he beat the Scott Anthony McGill 4-2 and crashed the 19 year-old Jack Lisowski in the quarter finales 4-0. The semi-final was the one in which he beat defending champion Shaun Murphy 4-2 to reach the finale and play against Anthony Hamilton. Anthony was leading 3-1, when Judd made a remarkable comeback and won 4-3; he hit in breaks of 69, 97, 40 and 52.


The snooker legends, always on duty
The snooker legends, Steve Davis and Jimmy White, didn’t pass through the QF`s, unfortunately. Steve was defeated 4-1 by Shaun Murphy and Jimmy lost 4-2 to Daniel Wells. But their performance here at the EPTC 1 event was more than words can express. Those two were on fire! And it’s amazing to see Steve play so damn good at his age (53) and Jimmy’s comeback to rock the show! Some time ago, "The Nugget" declared that he wasn’t giving 100% to the game as before, but he still very much enjoys playing snooker and fells like he still has something to offer the game. Also, in a BBC`s interview Jimmy (who was part of the "I’m a celebrity" reality-show in 2009) said, that in the Australian jungle, after a hard day, when he could stay and watch the stars, he realized how much he still loves this sport, to compete and to win. Now, those two are one of the best examples of ambition and inner-strength and for that it is impossible not to adore them. :))


But back to the EPTC "race", I have to say that for Judd this victory also means his first victory in a ranking event. It’s true, the PTC series are rated as a minor raking events, but I think for the guy who beat big names like Ronnie O`Sullivan or Mark Williams, this victory represents a wonderful reward for a life-time dedicated to snooker (the kid plays snooker from the age of five!!!). Congratulations mate and hope to see you winning more and more tournaments! :)


Yesterday was such a crazy day, for both worldsnooker.com and global-snooker.com were late on updating the scorelines. So "the blogger world" was crazy and very pissed off! "The crazy gang" was due to find someone on Twitter who is in Germany and more important, who’s attending the event. I really want to thank the Dutch referee, Jan Verhaas, for he was the one who kept us updated by the minute on what was going on at the grand finale. Without his help, we would probably still have to wait for the results. Also, he uploaded a photo from the event.:)


So another month of snooker is ending, but not to worry for tomorrow I shall post the main events due to take place in September. :)

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EPTC 1 - ultima zi

02:52:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Judd Trump, castigatorul EPTC 1
Zi incredibila aici in Germania, unde noul incoronat al competitiei Paul Hunter Classic/ EPTC 1, este tanarul de doar 21 de ani Judd Trump!
Judd, sau mai bine zis "Juddernaut" (pentru ca orice jucator de snooker care se respecta are cel putin o porecla :P) a avut un drum lung de parcurs pana in marea finala, insa trofeul, premiul de 10.000 euro, cele 2.000 de puncte castigate si admiratia celor din jur cred ca au constituit o rasplata consistenta. :) Trump a trecut in prima faza cu 4-0 de Michael Judge, l-a elimitat pe Peter Ebdon cu 4-2 pentru ca mai apoi sa il invinga cu 4-0 pe Andrew Pagett, castigandu-si un loc foarte confortabil in optimile de finala. Aici, l-a ingenuncheat pe scotianul Anthony McGill cu 4-2, pentru ca in sferturile de finala sa il trimita pe tusa pe Jack Lisowski cu un uluitor 4-0. Meciul din semi-finala l-a sustinut impotriva campionului EPTC, Shaun Murphy pe care l-a invins cu 4-2, iar finala a disputat-o cu Anthony Hamilton, revenind in forta de la scorul de 3-1 (in favoarea lui Anthony) si castigand cu 4-3; a inregistrat  break-uri de 69, 97, 40 si 52.


Legendele snooker-ului, mereu la datorie
Legendele snooker-ului, Steve Davis si Jimmy White nu au reusit sa treaca, din pacate, de sferturi. Steve a fost invins cu 4-1 de Shaun Murphy, in timp ce Jimmy a fost inlaturat cu 4-2 de Daniel Wells. Insa performanta inregistrata in aceasta competitie demonstreaza, inca o data, ce valori inestimabile sunt cei doi. Sa poti juca atat de bine la varsta lui Steve (53 ani) este remarcabil, iar revenirea lui Jimmy in competitiile de snooker nu poate fi decat laudata. Cei doi joaca cu atata pasiune incat este practic imposibil sa nu-i adori. Acum ceva timp "The Nugget" declara ca nu mai da chiar totul pentru snooker, nu poate fi vorba de 100%, insa inca mai simte enorma placere de a juca si ca mai are ceva de oferit acestui sport. In acelasi timp Jimmy intervievat dupa intoarcerea din jungla australiana (unde a participat la reality-show-ul  "I`m a celebrity" in 2009) a declarat ca la sfarsitul unei lungi zile de supravietuire in conditii extreme, cand avea putina liniste si putea sa mediteze si-a dat seama cat de mult inseamna snooker-ul pentru el, cat de mult il iubeste, cat de mult adora sa joace in cadrul competitiilor si ca nu ar vrea sa renunte.


Insa revenind la primul eveniment din seria EPTC, trebuie sa adaug ca pentru Judd castigarea acestui trofeu reprezinta spargerea barierelor catre competitiile de puncte. Este prima sa victorie in cadrul circuitului profesionist de puncte si desi seria de PTC-uri este catalogata ca fiind de importanta medie sunt sigura ca ii va oferi avantul necesar pentru a avansa si mai mult in clasament. Trump are in portofoliu victorii serioase, castigand in fata lui Ronnie O`Sullivan sau Mark Williams, astfel ca victoria de ieri vine sa incununeze o viata dedicata snooker-ului (copilu` joaca de la 5 ani!!!). Sincere felicitari si mult noroc in competitiile urmatoare! :)


In alta ordine de idei, ziua de ieri a fost ingrozitor de obositoare si pentru noi, blogarii la datorie :)) Ambele site-uri resposabile cu furnizarea la minut de scoruri au decis sa nu mai actualizeze baza de date, astfel ca "gasca de nebuni" s-a vazut nevoita sa ia cu asalt twitter-ul si sa intrebe in dreapta si in stanga cine e prin Germania si asista la EPTC. A fost o intreaga comedie! :)) Pe aceasta cale, vreau sa ii multumesc arbitrului olandez Jan Verhaas care ne-a tinut la curent cu fiecare miscare a celor doi jucatori din marea finala. Fara informatiile sale nu am fi aflat cine a castigat. Tot prin amabilitatea lui Jan, avem si o poza de la marele eveniment, cand "Juddernaut" primeste trofeul.


Si asa se incheie o luna de snooker. Dar nu va impacientati, va rog! Maine revin cu programul pentru septembrie! :P

0 comments:

EPTC 1- Day 2

03:22:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

An amazing day for "The Nugget"
A wonderful day here on Germany’s land where the birds are singing and the little lambs are running free over the hills :)) What a beautiful picture, right? But let me tell you what is even more beautiful than that...the second day of the EPTC 1 event, that’s for sure! :)) An incredible day! Great comebacks, many tricky situations, tension and drama, joy and amazement! Snooker was the name of the game! :)


Awesome start for Steve Davis! "The Nugget" kicked ass yesterday, for he beat Graeme Dott 4-2, Fergal O’Brien 4-1 and Ali Carter 4-1. Wow! What an amazing day for this top player! Also it seems like Steve "revenged" Mark Selby who lost 4-3 to Ali Carter :)). The current EPTC champion Shaun Murphy, has had an excellent day also; he beat Mark King 4-3, whitewashed Barry Hawkins 4-0 and defeated Joe Perry 4-1. And what about our dear Jimmy White, you say? Well, he continued his wonderful performance and beat Craig Steadman 4-2.


Although, he’s has a good start, winning 4-0 to the Chinese Liu Chuang, seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry lost his second match against the Belgian Bjorn Haneveer 4-2. On the other hand, what seemed to be a strait road to the last 16, turn out to be nothing more than a big disappointment, for world champion Neil Robertson beat Andy Hicks 4-0, Martin Gould 4-1, but was crashed by Stuart Bingham 4-0.
China’s player Marco Fu after beating his fellow-country Anda Zhang (4-3) and the English Andrew Norman 4-2, was defeated by Jack Lisowski in a tight match, which ended 4-3.

Alfie Burden is in the last 16
A big name was missing from the score-board yesterday, and that name was Ronnie O`Sullivan; it seems like "The Rocket" has a sore back and didn’t make it to the second day of the tournament. Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery and we’ll see him back in business in no time! :)



Some nice breaks were in order yesterday: Ricky Walden (105), Andrew Higginson (110) and Anthony McGill (127).
Here, you can check the scores.


Today is the final day for the Paul Hunter Classic event and the last 16 players will try to get a better seat to the quarter finales, semi-finals and....pam, pam, pam by the end of the day we shall see who lifts the trophy! Lots of tension and a marathon of snooker - that’s how the last day shall present itself! :) A very hard day (the two players who’ll reach the final will have been played four matches per day) but a wonderful testimonial of this sport’s greatness.


P.S. I hope that you all return safe from your time travel journey to see the match between Jack Lisowski v. Marco Fu on 01.01.2005. And if you want to have something to remember about that journey, here’s a small "postal-card" for you! :)))

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EPTC 1- Ziua 2

02:38:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Zi memorabila pentru "The Nugget"
O zi minunata pentru snooker, pe meleagurile de poveste germanice. O pleiada de nume consacrate in lumea snooker-ului si-au dat mana cu cei mai putin cunoscuti si au jucat regeste pentru a se califica in top 16, in cadrul competitiei EPTC 1.


Un start incredibil de bun pentru veteranul Steve Davis, care a trecut cu 4-2 de Graeme Dott, cu 4-1 de Fergal O`Brien si cu acelasi  4-1 de Ali Carter, parca "razbunandu-l" pe Mark Selby care a cazut "prada" manutelor dibace ale lui Ali, cu 4-3 in runda anterioara. Campionul in exercitiu al EPTC, Shaun Murphy l-a invins cu 4-3 pe Mark King, cu un curat 4-0 pe Barry Hawkins si cu 4-1 pe Joe Perry, calificandu-se astfel fara probleme in top 16. Iar in ceea ce-l priveste pe Jimmy White, acesta si-a continuat turul de forta cu un 4-2 in fata lui Craig Steadman.


Stephen Hendry, desi a pornit cu un 4-0 in meciul sustinut impotriva chinezului Liu Chuang, a pierdut in fata belgianului Bjorn Haneveer (4-2). La fel de ghinionist, campionul mondial en-titre, Neil Robertson l-a invins pe Andy Hicks cu 4-0, pe Martin Gould cu 4-1, insa a pierdut sansa de calificare in urmatoare runda, fiind invins cu un uimitor 4-0 de Stuart Bingham. Tot in aceiasi situatie, chinezul Marco Fu, dupa ce si-a invins co-nationalul (Anda Zhang) cu 4-3 si pe englezul Andrew Norman cu 4-2, a cam fost pus la punct de tanara speranta a snooker-ului mondial Jack Lisowski cu 4-3.

Marele absent de ieri, a fost insa Ronnie O`Sullivan care pur si simplu nu s-a mai prezentat; totusi am aflat ca "The Rocket" ar avea ceva probleme serioase cu spatele. Speram sa se faca bine cat mai repede si sa revina in circuit, pentru ca multimea il vrea! :))

Alfie Burden s-a calificat in optimi
Zi cam saracutza in materie de break-uri: Ricky Walden (105), Andrew Higginson (110) si Anthony McGill (127).
Pentru a consulta lista de scoruri, click aici.


Azi, ne astepta din nou "snooker pe paine". Mniam, mniam! :)) Avem 8 meciuri importante, de unde se merge mai departe in sferturi, semi-finale si tam tam tam...la sfarsitul zilei vom afla cine pleaca cu trofeul acasica! Multe emotii, nervi intinsi la maxim si o zi-maraton, intrucat cei doi finalisti vor fi jucat nu mai putin de 4 meciuri pe zi. E destul de greu si destul de coplesitor, insa sunt sigura ca baietii nostrii se vor descurca de minune.
Asa ca:  "Ura... si spre marea finala"! :))


P.S.: Sper ca majoritatea dintre voi v-ati intors din calatoria in timp, facuta cu ocazia meciului dintre Jack Lisowski si Marco Fu din 01.01.2005, daaaa? Si ca sa nu spuneti ca nu sunt de comitet, am si o "vedere" ca sa nu uitati cum a fost :)))



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EPTC 1- Day 1

04:41:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Paul Hunter Classic/ EPTC
Ladies and gentlemen, the first European Players Tour Championship began yesterday in Fürth, Germany!!! But I would hate to start the story of this wonderful snooker event, without telling you a little something about what EPTC means. Its first year of life, was 2004, when it was called "Grand Prix Fürth" and it was a non-raking event. That year Paul Hunter beat Matthew Stevens 4-2. In the next two years, the tournament was called "Fürth German Open" and from 2007 it was named "Paul Hunter Classic" in memoriam of the "Beckham of the Baize", who left us too early due to a cruel disease. From 2010, the tournament is part of the PTC`s events and it has become a ranking event.


The qualifying round for the EPTC started a day before the actual event kicked in, on 26 August and it was a tremendous pleasure to see such an enormous crowd of snooker players working their asses to get into the EPTC and play with the masters of the game. Among the ones who competed for a place in the first round, the Dutch Roy Stolk was present. He is the runner-up from the European Championship 2010, held in Romania; and he did succeed to qualify ;)


But on with the show! How was the first day? It was pure madness! :)) All the big names from the snooker world were on fire and gave their best shot to win. Mark Selby won 4-1 over Tomasz Skalski, "The Whirlwind" beat Michael Seidel (4-0) and Dave Harold 4-2, Mark Williams whitewashed Robert Sax 4-0, the youngster Jack Lisowski beat Robbie Williams (no, not the singer :P) 4-1 and Adrian Gunnell by the same scoreline and Ronnie O`Sullivan has had a very quiet day for his opponent has withdrawn, so he won the first match effortless. Peter Ebdon was in a similar position (his opponent being Jake Nicholson) but he wasn’t lucky enough so he was defeated in the second match by his fellow-country Judd Trump (4-2). I really hope that this "pattern" will not be repeated by Ronnie! :)

Barry Pinches out from the first round

The match between Jamie Jones and Jak Jones ended 4-1 in favor of Jamie, who continued with the same scoreline, beating David Grace; Dominic Dale had a very good start, for he won over Sari Sonel 4-0, Andrew Pagett "stole" the last frame from Paul Davis 4-3, Mike Dunn made his debut by defeating Sam Harvey 4-0 and Alfie Burden totally kicked ass for he beat Patrick Fuchs 4-0 and Michael Wasley 4-2.


Among the less lucky players, the Brazilian Igor Figueiredo was present; although he had a wonderful start, beating Dezin Anar 4-0, he lost to Daniel Wells 4-3. In a much worst situation the fresh winner of the PTC 4 event, Barry Pinches lost his first match against Robert Milkins 4-3, as well as the Chinese Liang Wenbo who was defeated 4-0 by Rod Lawler. "The flying Dutchman" Roy Stolk, the guy I was telling you about at the beginning of this article lost to Liam Highfield by the same 4-3 scoreline. I’ve seen Roy play snooker and I must admit he’s doing quite a good job, so even if he didn’t win yesterday I’m sure his talent and passion for snooker will pay off and in the near future he’ll be known to the snooker world. The Belgium prodigy Luca Brecel, lost 4-2 to Mike Dunn.


A day with beautiful breaks and a lucky day for Mark Davis who’s just reached his 100th career century by hitting an 117 yesterday. Michael White made a spectacular 101 and 136, Dave Harold 105, Patrick Einsle 100, the Belgium Bjorn Haneveer 113, Jamie Jones 104, Ricky Walden 108, Kyren Wilson 111, Jimmy White 104, Michael Wasley 134, Alan McManus 107,Gerard Greene 100 and 120.
To check the scores, click here.


Today we have big names like: Steve Davis, Neil Robertson, Ali Carter, Ronnie O`Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Mark King and many more players who will definitely enrich our snooker soul :)) See you tomorrow for the gossip! :P :))

0 comments:

EPTC 1- Ziua 1

03:35:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Paul Hunter Classic/ EPTC
Anuntat cu surle si trambite, primul eveniment din seria European Players Tour Championship si-a facut debutul ieri, cu mare valva la Fürth, in Germania. Dar nu as vrea sa intru in mod brutal cu "bocancii" in povestioare despre cum a decus prima zi fara sa va fac un scurt rezumat a ceea ce inseamna EPTC.
Primul an in care a vazut lumina, a fost 2004, cand purta numele de "Grand Prix Fürth" si nu reprezenta o competitie de puncte. In acel an, Paul Hunter a castigat cu 4-2 in fata lui Matthew Stevens. In urmatorii doi ani, numele competitiei a fost schimbat in "Fürth German Open", pentru ca din 2007 pana in 2009 sa poarte numele "Paul Hunter Classic" in memoria celui care a fost poreclit "Beckham" al snooker-ului si care ne-a parasit in 2006, prea devreme, datorita unei boli sfasietoare. Incepand cu 2010, competitia a fost inclusa in seria de evenimente PTC si a devenit competitie de puncte.


Etapa de calificare pentru EPTC 1, a inceput inca din data de 26 august, cand un numar impresionant de impatimiti ai snooker-ului si-au dat silinta sa castige un loc cat mai aproape de marile legende participante. Printre ei s-au numarat si doi co-nationali de-ai nostrii, Lorin Ionut Druta care insa a pierdut cu 4-0 in fata lui Tiziano Guerra dar si Andrei Vintu Cristian care a fost raspus cu acelasi scor de Michael Betzinger. O alta figura importanta insa a fost si finalistul de la Campionatul European de Snooker, tinut in acest an la Bucuresti, olandezul Roy Stolk, care a reusit sa se califice.


Prima runda a fost una de exceptie, marile nume fiind in forma, nu gluma! :)) Mark Selby a trecut cu 4-1 de Tomasz Skalski, Jimmy "The Whirlwind" White i-a invins pe rand pe Michael Seidel (4-0) si Dave Harold (4-2),  Mark Williams a trecut fara probleme de Robert Sax (4-0), tanarul Jack Lisowski i-a invins pe  Robbie Williams (nu, nu cantaretul :P) cu 4-1 si pe Adrian Gunnell cu acelasi scor, iar Ronnie O`Sullivan a cam stat pe tusa, castigand din oficiu primul meci intrucat oponentul sau Yu Delu s-a retras.
Peter Ebdon se afla in aceiasi situatia ca si "The Rocket" castigand primul meci tot datorita neprezentarii oponentului Jake Nicholson (nu, nu actorul :P), insa norocul l-a parasit in al doilea  meci pe care l-a pierdut cu 4-2 in fata co-nationalului sau englez, Judd Trump. Speram ca acest model sa nu fie cumva "adoptat" si de Ronnie. :)

Barry Pinches a parasit competitia
Jamie Jones l-a invis cu 4-1 pe tizul sau Jak Jones, pentru ca mai apoi sa treca cu acelasi scor si de David Grace, Dominic Dale si-a inceput "jocul" foarte bine, invingandu-l cu 4-0 pe Sari Soner, Andrew Pagett a "furat" ultimul frame de sub nasul lui Paul Davis (4-3), Mike Dunn a avut un start de exceptie invingandu-l cu un curat 4-0 pe Sam Harvey, iar Alfie Burden, ambitios din fire cum il stim, i-a invins pe Patrick Fuchs cu 4-0 si pe Michael Wasley cu 4-2.

La polul opus, desi a avut un start de exceptie (4-0 cu Dezin Anar), brazilianul Igor Figueiredo a fost invins de Daniel Wells cu "ingratul" scor de 4-3. Barry Pinches, proaspatul castigator al PTC 4, a pierdut inca din primul meci (4-3) in fata lui Robert Milkins, acelasi lucru fiind valabil si pentru chinezutul Liang Wenbo, rapus cu un 4-0 de Rod Lawler. "Olandezul zburator" Roy Stolk, de care va povesteam mai devreme, cel care s-a duelat cu Luca Brecel (care apropo a pierdut cu 4-2 meciul impotriva lui Mike Dunn) in finala pentru titlul de campion european, a fost invis cu 4-3 de Liam Highfield, incheindu-si astfel participarea la acest eveniment. Personal insa, il vad ca fiind un  jucator cu un potential urias; l-am vazut jucand si o face cu mare responsabilitate si talent, asa ca "mama Omida" din mine ii prevede un viitor frumushel in snooker. :)))

In sfarsit ne laudam cu break-uri frumoase; chiar imi era dor de ele! Parol! Zi foarte importanta pe Mark Davis care a atins numarul 100 in materie de break-uri de peste 100 de puncte, ieri inscriind un frumos 117. Michael White se poate lauda cu doua break-uri de 101 puncte, respectiv 136, Dave Harold (105), Patrick Einsle (100), belgianul Bjorn Haneveer cu un 113 norocos, Jamie Jones (104), Ricky Walden (108), Kyren Wilson (111), Jimmy White (104), Michael Wasley (134), Allan McManus (107) si Gerard Greene (100 si 120).

Cum tabela de joc este un haos total, cele doua site-uri raspunzatoare cu actualizarile de scoruri aratand nu de putine ori rezultate diferite, ma voi opri aici din povestit, intrucat sunt ceva informatii pe care inca nu le-am putut verifica si nu mi-ar placea sa dau cu erate prin vecini :)). Cu toate astea s-ar putea ca si prin cele deja prezentate sa se mai fi strecurat ceva greseli, insa promit solem ca le voi rectifica de indata ce site-urile isi vor revizui comportamentul haotic. :))

Azi, avem o noua portie serioasa de snooker. Ii vom vedea (ma rog, mai mult imagina) pe Steve Davis, Neil Robertson, Ali Carter, Ronnie O`Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Mark King si multi altii jucand snooker de calitate. Ne auzim maine pentru barfe! :P :)))

0 comments:

Let`s team up!

03:46:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

The A-team (Dennis, Alex and Eugene)
Last week I read in the Belfast Telegraph an interview with the 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor, about what used to be the "World Team Championship". The tournament started back in 1979, introducing a new format - a three members team representing a country and competing against another one. For the first two years the competition was known as the "World Challenge Cup", the first winner being Wales and...Wales :)). From 1981-1983 the name was changed to "World Team Classic" and the winners were England, Canada and one more time, England. From 1985-1996 (mentioning that between `91 - `95 the tournament was cancelled), the name of the game was "World Cup", the trophy being won by Ireland for three times, England- two times, Canada and Scotland and finally from 1999 until 2001, the last name was "Nations Cup", with a four members team, the winners being Wales, England and Scotland.


What is really exciting and interesting about this format, is that in 1989 the two teams that were competing were England ( Steve Davis, Jimmy White and Neal Fould) and "The Rest of the world" starring Tony Drago (Malta), Dene O`Kane (New Zeeland) and Silvino Francisco (South Africa). What a wonderful opportunity that was! What an amazing match that was! It would have been awesome to take part at such an event. :)

The three musketeers waiting for snooker
But going back to what Dennis Taylor declared for the newspaper; it seems like the guy is pretty much into reviving this tournament. And to be honest he’s not to be blame, for in `85, `86 and `87 his team won the game with no problems. In the next years, the governing body decided to separate the team (the winning formula, that is) into Northern Ireland and Ireland, probably based on political issues.
Dennis remembers joyfully those moments of glory, shared with his colleagues: Alex Higgins and Eugene Hughes, although in the meantime the dispute between him and "The Hurricane" was on, Alex threatening to shot him. Still, Dennis declared he and Alex put to rest that unpleasant incident some years ago. They were like the three Musketeers! :)


"I would like to see a team World Championship event back in snooker. Even something along the lines of a challenge match between Europe and the Rest of the World would be a step in the right direction.”, said Dennis Taylor for Belfast Telegraph and added: "It’s a shame the Northern Ireland Trophy isn’t still being played and it would be nice to see an event back in Belfast. There’s no reason why there shouldn’t be one. Barry Hearn will certainly help to get snooker back on the right track again."


If in the near future we shall see a new team tournament in the snooker business, that’s to be seen, but personally I think it will bring more color to this lonely game. Today I was reading Dave Hendon`s blog (snookerscene.blogspot.com) and he has written an article about how awfully lonely this sport can be. It can bring you such joy, but also it can make you feel so miserable. And it’s true, the pressure that a snooker player is under is enormous.


But on a more optimist note, let’s hope that the big boss, the "Captain Picard" as I like to call him, Barry Hearn will take into account this kind of competition. And I hope it will be televised, for I’m really hungry for snooker right now. :))


If you want to read the whole article, click here. :)

0 comments:

Snooker pe echipe

02:52:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Echipa fantastica de snooker  (Dennis, Alex si Eugene)
Saptamana trecuta, citeam in ziarul Belfast Telegraph, un interviu sustinut de Dennis Taylor si relationat cu ceea ce a fost "Campionatul Mondial pe echipe", mai pe romeneste spus. :P Inca din 1979, capetele luminate din lumea snooker-ului s-au gandit sa introduca un nou format de joc, mai bine zis o echipa de trei jucatori din aceiasi tara care sa concureze impotriva alteia.
In primii doi ani de fasa, competitia s-a numit "World Challenge Cup" si a fost castigata de Tara Galilor; intre 1981 si 1983, numele s-a preschimbat in "World Team Classic", trofeul revenind pe rand, Angliei, Canadei si din nou Angliei; intre 1985 si 1996 (cu mentiunea ca in perioada `91-`95 competitia nu s-a mai tinut) s-a numit "World Cup", Irlanda castigand de trei ori trofeul, urmata de Anglia (doi ani consecutivi), Canada si Scotia; iar intre 1999 si 2001, numele a fost din nou modificat in "Nations Cup", numarul de jucatori crescand la 4 iar ultimele echipe castigatoare reprezentand Tara Galilor, Anglia si Scotia.


Ceea ce este insa interesant de mentionat, este ca in 1989, s-a jucat pentru prima si ultima oara Anglia - Restul lumii. Anglia cu o echipa formata din : Steve Davis, Jimmy White si Neal Foulds, iar Restul lumii cu o echipa alcatuita din : Tony Drago (Malta), Dene O`Kane (Noua Zeelanda) si Silvino Francisco (Africa de Sud). Cred ca a fost un meci pe cinste! Un adevarat festin de snooker international! Tare mi-ar fi placut sa asist la asa ceva :)

Muschetarii isi asteapta campionatul pe echipe
Revenind insa la cele declarate de Dennis Taylor (campion mondial in 1985), se pare ca nord-irlandezul isi doreste cu ardoare reinvierea acetei competitii. Si cred ca are si motive bine intemeiate, intrucat in `85, `86 si `87 echipa sa irlandeza a castigat fara probleme. Insa in anul imediat urmator, organizatorii au decis sa "sparga gasca" nepermitand formarea unei echipe "mixte" din irlandezi si nord-irlandezi (asa cum suna formula triplu-castigatoare), cel mai probabil din considerente politice.
Dennis isi aminteste cu placere de momentele de glorie, impartite cu colegii de echipa (erau un fel de "Cei trei muschetari" :P) : Alex Higgins si Eugene Hughes, chiar daca cam in aceiasi perioada avea loc si disputa dintre el si "Uragan". Pe atunci, Higgins l-a amenintat ca-l va impusca. Totusi, Dennis spune ca el si Alex au dat uitarii acum ceva ani buni acel incident neplacut.


"Mi-ar placea sa vad un campionat pe echipe in snooker. Chiar si un meci impotriva 'Restului lumii', ar fi un pas inainte.", a declarat Dennis pentru Belfast Telegraph.
Nord-irlandezul pluseaza insa, adaugand: "Este pacat ca un eveniment ca 'Northern Ireland Trophy' nu se mai tine aici in Belfast, practic nu exista nici un motiv pentru care o competitie de snooker sa ocoleasca acest oras. Sunt sigur insa, ca Barry Hearn va conduce snooker-ul pe drumul cel bun."


Daca in viitorul apropiat vom vedea o revenire "coafata" a unei competitii pe echipe, ramane de vazut. Cert este ca n-ar strica. Personal, cred ca ar mai da culoare acestui sport singuratic. Chiar azi citeam pe blogul lui Dave Hendon, snookerscene.blogspot.com cat de singuri sunt jucatorii de snooker, cat de minunat dar si cat de perfid poate fi acest sport in anumite momente. Adevarul este ca presiunea pe care o resimt jucatorii de snooker este uriasa.
Intr-o nota ceva mai optimista insa, sa ne gandim ca poate "capitanul Picard" isi va da acceptul pentru un campionat pe echipe. Si sper ca va fi si televizat... ca sa se bucure si ochiul nostru, nu? :))


Daca vreti sa cititi intregul interviu acordat de Dennis, click aici. :)

0 comments:

The Mentor Ronnie O`Sullivan

01:54:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

"Follow me, if you want to become a great snooker player!" :)
Hear him, hear him! "World Snooker" Production, corporate, Ldt., studios, stables and whatever :)), is proud to present a new film that will become a huge success in no time " A mentor for a snooker player", starring Ronnie O`Sullivan (as The Mentor) and the rest of the world (as the youngsters hungry for snooker). Noooo, I`m just kidding! :)) As you’ve probably already guessed, I’m referring to the recent interview that "The Rocket" has exclusively given to Sky Sports News.


It seems like our beloved Ronnie, this genius with the crazy eyebrows, thinks he has nothing more to prove to the snooker world and would like to start mentoring the youngsters who want to get involved in this sport. He says he wants to give something back to the sport that has made him known all over the world.
But that should not come as a shock for you, right? A month ago I was reading that he bought a yacht and he lives in it, away from the crowded city. You know, beer, telly, the World Football Championship was on, no stress! :)) He is well known to be an impulsive guy, I mean didn’t he conceded the game to Stephen Hendry some time ago? ;) Still, this idea, of giving something back to snooker is not so new. I’ve often seen him coaching children or giving precious advice to the young players and if I’m not wrong, during the World Snooker Championship, when the BBC was interviewing John Parott or Dennis Taylor, somewhere in the background Ronnie was "supervising" the children’s game.

"I am beautiful, no matter what they say..." :))
"I hope there's moments of joy that I can bring to people that watch the game. I hope there's moments I can help other young players achieve their dreams coming into snooker - I hope there's something I can give back to the sport in that way.
Not because I want to be seen as a goody two-shoes that wants to be seen as the ambassador of snooker, because it's not like that at all. But working with young players coming through who want to be the best and who want to win tournaments.", said Ronnie. 

A very emotional statement, if you ask me. And maybe is just me, but the guy seems to get along very well with the young players. He has children of his own and the way he couches the youngsters, well...let’s just say, the guy has it! And now I ask you in all honesty, the guy’s a genius, wouldn’t you be proud to have a mentor like him? :)


Still, I think many fans will be disappointed reading this: "Getting to number one...it would be nice but I'm not going to break my neck. Winning another world title...it would be nice but I'm not going to break my neck. I just enjoy giving back to the sport.", added Ronnie. It’s true, is not a very beautiful thing to hear, but as we know Ronnie he doesn’t even need to WANT something. I mean his talent and his natural way of potting those crazy balls, are weapons that could hit any opponent. The main thing is for him not to get angry when he misses a shot, for he loses his concentration and that’s no good. It’s true, he’s 34 years old, and at this age, many snooker players give up the game and start managing their own private snooker clubs, but our Ronnie? I think he has more to give to the game as a player. Has more to give and I think he doesn’t even realize it. He’s a pure genius!


"Sometimes people think: 'well why is he doing it if he hates it that much?' I love it that much I get frustrated with it. But you know what? People are going to have to put up with that and just get used to me because I probably won't be going away soon.", said Ronnie.
That answer is sooo Ronnie like! :P I mean, it’s like asking Stephen Hendry who is going to win the next match, just after he lost, and he’ll be replaying :" I don’t know and I don’t care!" :))
A friend of mine, told me once that Ronnie is the perfect combination between Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hide. Well, blimey if I don’t like the guy and his beautiful craziness! :))

0 comments:

Mentorul Ronnie O`Sullivan

01:07:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

"Vino copil ratacit, iti voi fi mentor in snooker!" :))
Studiourile "World Snooker" au onoarea de a prezenta publicului iubitor de snooker, filmul de mare succes " Un mentor pentru snooker-ul din tine".:)) Nuuu, glumesc! Ceea ce vreau sa va povestec tine de un interviu recent acordat in exclusivitate pentru Sky Sports News, de catre marele Ronnie O`Sullivan.


Conform site-ul mai sus amintit, se pare ca " The Rocket" a ajuns la concluzia ca nu mai are ce sa demonstreze in snooker si ca si-ar dori sa dea ceva inapoi sportului care l-a facut celebru. N-ar trebui sa ne socheze, asa-i? Asta este Ronnie! Pana nu demult citeam prin presa ca si-a cumparat un iaht in care locuieste departe de agitatia urbana. Berica la discretie, liniste, Campionatul Mondial de Fotbal era pe atunci in plina desfasurare, no stress! :)) Il stim ca fiind o persoana extrem de impulsiva, atat de impulsiva incat cedeaza jocul doar la cateva minute dupa ce l-a inceput (prietenii stiu de ce :P), insa ideea de a da ceva inapoi sportului, nu e una atat de noua. De multe ori l-am vazut pe Ronnie dand sfaturi pretioase tinerilor abia initiati in ale snooker-ului, sau antrenandu-i. Daca nu ma insel chiar pe parcursul Campionatului Mondial de Snooker, in timp ce in curte BBC-ul ii intervieva pe John Parott sau Dennis Taylor, pe fundal Ronnie "supraveghea" jocul celor mici.
"Cine ma vrea, ma place asa...tra la la" :))

"Sper ca pot oferi momente de bucurie celor care urmaresc jocul. Sper ca pot ajuta tinerii sa-ti atinga visul in snooker. Asa consider ca pot rasplati acest sport. Si nu vreau ca prin asta sa fiu considerat un baiat bun, un fel de ambasador al snooker-ului, pentru ca nu asta este ideea. Ideea este de a ajuta tinerii sa obtina ceea ce vor, sa devina cei mai buni si sa castige", spune Ronnie. O declaratie extrem de emotionanta, as spune. Cert este ca Ronnie se pricepe la copii, doar are vreo trei si pe acasa :)) si antreneaza cu pasiune. E un geniu al snooker-ului si sincer va intreb, cine nu s-ar simti privilegiat sau onorat sa-l aibe ca mentor? :)


Totusi fanii infocati ai lui O`Sullivan vor fi cel mai probabil dezamagiti de urmatoarea declaratie: " Sa fiu din nou numarul 1 mondial? Ar fi frumos, dar nu o sa imi rup gatul pentru asa ceva. Sa castig inca un titlul de campion mondial? Ar fi frumos, dar nu am de gand sa-mi rup gatul pentru asta. Ma bucur doar ca pot face ceva pentru acest sport." Intr-adevar, nu-i neaparat o fraza care sa-ti gadile urechile in mod placut, dar la cum il stim pe Ronnie si daca nu se chinuie prea tare poate castiga. Talentul sau, naturaletea de a juca sunt arme care lovesc orice oponent. Important ar fi sa nu se mai enervozeze asa de tare cand greseste si astfel sa-si piarda concentrarea. E adevarat, are deja 34 de ani, varsta la care multi jucatori pun tacul in cui si isi vad de manageriat cluburile private de snooker, insa Ronnie mai are multe de spus in snooker, parerea mea. :)


"Oamenii se gandesc: Daca uraste atat de mult jocul, de ce il mai practica? Il iubesc atat de mult incat devin frustrat de cele mai multe ori. Dar stiti ce? Ar fi bine ca oamenii sa se obisnuiasca cu ideea si cu felul meu de a fi pentru ca nu am de gand sa plec prea curand.", a declarat Ronnie.
Declaratie tipica.E ca si cum l-ai intreba pe Stephen Hendry cine crezi ca o sa castige urmatorul meci, cand el tocmai a pierdut. Iar Stephen o sa-ti raspunda: " Nu stiu si nici nu ma intereseaza". Asa si cu Ronnie al nostru...pe principiul "asta sunt si cu asta defilez". :))
Dar sa fim seriosi, defileza frumos, nu-i asa? :)))

0 comments:

World Open Q. - the last day

02:51:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

James McBain has qualified for World Open
So here we are people, the last day, the last matches for World Open. It was, most likely, a difficult road for many players but these kinds of competitions are never easy. It’s been four days of crazy matches, tension and drama, tricky situations, wonderful comebacks...the perfect recipe for snooker. But let’s see what happened on the last day.


If you well remember, I have "dedicated" the first day of the qualifying rounds to Thailand, for its players were on fire!Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon (God, his name is killing me! :))) reached the third round but sadly he was defeated by the English Judd Trump with a decisive 3-0. I know I always make fun of his name, I mean come on! It’s like the road to the Moon! But the guy really is a great player. He has had a very good performance these last few days, and the whole season for that matter, although this doesn’t necessarily mean that he has to win, but I’m sure his talent and ambition will take him to victory in the near future.

Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon
Alfie Burden’s dream to reach Scotland’s World Open was crashed yesterday, by the Chinese Marco Fu (3-2). And since we are talking about this 3-2 scorline, the match between Mark Allen (world number 10) and James McBaid (world number 73) was pure madness. Mark was leading 2-0, and I bet many of us already saw Mark qualified, but James won the next two frames and...also the third, ending the match in his favor. And that’s snooker for you! It doesn’t matter how you start the match, it matters how you play every minute of it.


Martin Gould won without any problems the match against Matt Selt (3-0), Allan McManus beat Anthony McGill by the same score and Marc Davis checked the World Open in his agenda, after winning 3-0 over Jamie Jones.


Tony Drago came a long way and has had a wonderful performance, here at Sheffield Academy, but unfortunately he lost 3-1 to Stephen Lee. Dominic Dale was send home by Fergal O’Brien (3-1) and the match between Joe Perry (world number 19) and Ken Doherty (world number 31) ended in favor of Ken (3-2).


Beautiful breaks for the last day: Ricky Walden (103), Liu Song (104), Jamie Cope (105), Mark Allen (108), James McBain (113) and Marc Davis (122).
Here you can see the final results.


The qualifying rounds for World Open have ended, but we still have 11 matches to be played at the beginning of the tournament in September - important matches! ;)
The show must go on, so in three days the European Players Tour Championship 1 (aka. Paul Hunter Classic) will begin and I dare to say this event will be very exciting. ;)

0 comments:

World Open Q. - ultima zi

01:56:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

James McBain s-a calificat pentru World Open
Ultima zi de "lupta" pentru World Open s-a incheiat ieri, la Academia din Sheffield. Cele din urma meciuri si-au stabilit castigatorii fie destul de repede, fie au "tras" pana in ultima secunda de frame. Ceea ce conteaza insa, este ca pe parcurusul celor 4 zile de competitie, snooker-ul a fost litera de lege. Dar sa vedem cum s-a desfasurat ultima zi, ok?


Daca va aduceti aminte, dedicam prima zi de competitie Thailandei, pentru ca reprezentantii acesteia au pornit cu mult aplomb spre Scotia tomnatica. Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon s-a vazut ieri invins cu un decisiv 3-0 de englezul Judd Trump. Desi mai mereu fac haz de numele micutului thailandez, trebuie sa recunosc ca prestatia lui in acesta competitie si in general in ultima perioada, a fost una de exceptie. De multe ori insa acest lucru nu inseamna sa si castigi, insa imaginea de jucator ambitios si talentat sunt sigura ca-l va purta spre laurii victoriei in viitorul apropiat.

Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon
Cu un start la fel de demn de invidiat, Alfie Burden si-a vazut visul rapus cand chinezul Marco Fu a inchis sesiunea cu 3-2. Si pentru ca tot am adus vorba despre acest "scor ingrat", meciul dintre Mark Allen (actualul numar 10 mondial) si James McBain (actualul numar 73 mondial) a demonstrat inca o data ca in snooker nu conteaza neaparat startul ci intregul drum. Mark conducea cu un lejer 2-0, si cred ca nu gresesc cand spun ca multi dintre noi il vedeam castigator, cand James a recuperat din dezavantaj (2-2) pentru ca apoi sa dea lovitura de gratie de 3-2.


Martin Gould s-a calificat fara probleme, trecand cu 3-0 de Matt Selt, Alan McManus l-a invis cu acelasi scor pe Anthonhy McGill, iar Marc Davis si-a hashurat agenda pentru septembrie, invingandu-l pe Jamie Jones tot cu 3-0.


Pe lista marilor perdanti, se inscrie maltezul Tony Drago, care desi a avut un joc foarte bun, nu a putut trece de englezul Stephen Lee, fiind invins cu 3-1.Dominic Dale s-a vazut trimis acasa de Fergal O`Brien (3-1), iar una dintre figurile importante de la Campionatul Mondial de Snooker din acest an, Joe Perry (locul 19 mondial) a fost inlaturat din competitie de Ken Doherty (locul 31 mondial) cu 3-2.

Break-uri frumoase in ultima zi: Ricky Walden (103), Liu Song (104), Jamie Cope (105), Mark Allen (108), James McBain (113) si Marc Davis (122).
Pentru ultimele scoruri, click aici.


Si iaca asa, dragii mei ia sfarsit sesiunea de calificari pentru World Open. Mai avem 11 meciuri inca nedisputate si programate chiar la inceputul competitiei din septembrie, insa de ele ne vom ocupa la momentul potrivit.
Sa nu credeti insa ca scapati asa de usor, peste 3 zile incepe European Players Tour Championship 1 (aka. Paul Hunter Classic) in Germania. :)) Am senzatia ca acest prim EPTC va fi unul de exceptie! :)

0 comments:

World Open Q. - Day 3

02:11:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Jack Lisowski lost :(
The third day of the qualifying rounds was a more "airy" one, for only 16 matches were held. And although the tension and the drama were (like dhaaa!) part of the game, I must admit that yesterday was funnier (fun being a generic term, don’t get me wrong). :P


One of the biggest surprises of the day was the match between the youngster Jack Lisowski and Andy Hicks, which ended 3-1, in favor of Andy. And so, Jack loses his chance of breathing the autumnal air of Scotland in September. In a similar situation, the Chinese Xiao Goudong lost 3-2 to Darren Morgan.


The Maltese Tony Drago beat Joel Walker 3-1 and the giant of snooker from Brazil, the man of the moment, Igor Figueiredo whitewashed David Gilbert 3-0 and so wins a place in the qualifying round from September 19, when he’ll be playing against Mark Williams. Yesterday I was telling you about the 11 matches due to be held in Glasgow in September. Well, the 10th match is the one I’ve just told you about and the 11th is the one in which Shaun Murphy and Dave Harold are the main figures. :)
The Brazilian Igor will face Mark Williams in September
Another match worth to be mention is the one between the Irish Joe Delaney and the Thai Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon, which ended 3-2 in favor of Thailand’s man.
Only one century break for today: David Morris (101).
Here, you can check the latest results.


The last day of the qualifying rounds should be a more interesting one, for the last day is always like that, things get really spicy :)) So, I’ll see you tomorrow for another snooker treat :P See yaa!!!

0 comments:

World Open Q. - Ziua 3

01:38:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Jack paraseste competitia :(
Ziua cu numarul trei, din etapa de calificare pentru World Open a fost mai aerisita, avand in vedere ca am avut doar 16 meciuri insa surprizele nu au incetat sa apara.
Primul pe lista este tanara speranta a snooker-ului mondial, Jack Lisowski care s-a vazut invins cu 3-1 de Andy Hicks, astfel pierzand ocazia de a petrece cateva zile tomnatice in Scotia.Xiao Guodong a pierdut si el calificarea fiind invins cu 3-2 de galezul Darren Morgan. Chinezutul ne paraseste se pare, pentru taramurile indepartate din estul Asiei.


La polul opus, maltezul Tony Drago l-a invins pe Joel Walker cu 3-1, iar brazilianul Igor Figueiredo pe "bastinasul" englez David Gilbert cu 3-0. Ambii merg mai departe, iar Igor este cel care va juca runda a III-a in Glasgow, pe 19 septembrie impotriva lui Mark Williams. 

Brazilianul Igor il va intalni pe Mark Williams in septembrie


 Va spuneam ieri despre cele 11 meciuri din runda 3, care vor avea loc chiar in preajma competitiei World Open din septembrie. Ei, bine s-au stabilit si cele cu numarul 10, respectiv 11; primul este cel pe care deja vi l-am mentionat (Brazilia la pachet :P), iar cel de-al doilea ii are ca protagonisti pe Shaun Murphy vs. Dave Harold.



Aici puteti consulta rezultatele celor 16 meciuri.
Ultima zi de calificari, se anunta ceva mai speciala, din nou avem nume mari pe tabela si ma incred in forta jucatorilor de a ne tine in suspans pana la ultimul frame. :) Asa ca va las si ne auzim maine pentru ultimele stiri.

0 comments:

World Open Q. - Day 2

03:38:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Jimmy White on his way to World Open
A more interesting day, here at Sheffield Academy, for the second round has had more drama, tension and some totally unexpected surprises.


The fans of Jimmy White can declare themselves happy, for "The Whirlwind" crashed Michael Jugde in a match with a 3-0 scoreline. It seems that Jimmy has had a total recovery after his gout problems and he’s back on business. Glad to see him like that! The third round, where he`ll be playing Paul Davison will be held in Glasgow on September 18, as well as other matches: Ding Junghui v. Adrian Gunnell, Allistar Carter v.Thepchaiya Un Nooh, Steve Davis v. Peter Ebdon, Neil Robertson v. Graeme Dott, Stephen Hendry v. Bjorn Haneveer, Mark King vs. Ronnie O`Sullivan, Stephen Maguire v. Stuart Pettman and Mark Selby v. Barry Hawkins.


Matthew Couch had an amazing day, yesterday for he ended two matches on 3-0. The first with Marc Davis and the second with Ian McCulloch. The same for Martin Gould who beat Thai Nappon Saengkham 3-0.
The match between the Belgian player Bjorn Haneveer and the Irish Joe Swail was a very tight one, but ended in favor of Bjorn, as well as the match between Liam Highfield and Fergal O’Brien, which had a 3-2 scoreline.

Liu Song
The Norwegian Anita Rizzuti was defeated 3-0 by Alfie Burden, Alfie who also beat PTC 3 winner, Tom Ford 3-1. And since we are in the "PTC zone", maybe the biggest surprise of the day was the match between the Chinese Liu Song and Barry Pinches, the winner of the PTC 4 event; Barry lost 3-1.
Yesterday was definitely not a lucky day for the PTC`s winners! :P




Only two century breaks: Anthony McGill (108) and Joe Swail (139), a beautiful break but not enough to beat Haneveer.
Here, you have the results list.


The next round is knocking at my door and I have to answer, for I don’t want to be rude. I tell you what we talked about, tomorrow, ok? :))

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World Open Q. - Ziua 2

03:04:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Jimmy White in drum spre World Open
O zi ceva mai agitata in care snooker-ul s-a impletit cu tensiunea si emotia, la academia din Sheffield. Recomandarea bucatarului? 24 de meciuri, atent selectionate, cu nume mari dar si pestrite, asortate cu elemente surpriza si pe alocuri condimentate cu scoruri stranse. :))


Vedeta poporului si a zilei, Jimmy White a avut o reintoarcere de zile mare pe platourile din Sheffield (care arata tind sa cred, mai bine decat cele din Buftea :P), dupa ce saptamana trecuta se retragea din competitia PTC 4, datorita afectiunilor generate de guta. L-a avut ca oponent pe irlandezul Michael Judge, pe care l-a invins cu un curat 3-0, astfel croindu-si drum spre World Open-ul din septembrie. Jimmy se afle printre cei care vor juca runda a III-a chiar in preajma inceperii competitiei de la Glasgow, mai precis pe 18 septembrie, impotriva lui Paul Davison. Urmatorii pe lista sunt: Ding Junghui vs. Adrian Gunnell, Allistar Carter vs.Thepchaiya Un Nooh, Steve Davis vs. Peter Ebdon, Neil Robertson vs. Graeme Dott, Stephen Hendry vs. Bjorn Haneveer, Mark King vs. Ronnie O`Sullivan, Stephen Maguire vs. Stuart Pettman si Mark Selby vs. Barry Hawkins. 

Matthew Couch a avut o zi minunata ieri, intrucat a incheiat doua meciuri cu scorul de 3-0. Primul impotriva lui Marc Davis, iar al doilea impotriva lui Ian McCulloch. Iar in acelasi "trend" s-a aflat si Martin Gould care l-a infrant pe thailandezul Nappon Saengkham tot cu 3-0.

Liu Song
Doua meciuri extrem de tensionate, au fost cele dintre belgianul Bjorn Haneveer si Joe Swail, incheiat cu 3-2 in favoarea lui Bjorn, dar si cel dintre Liam Highfield si Fergal O`Brien, terminat cu victoria lui Fergal la acelasi scor strans de 3-2.


Anita Rizzuti, norvegianca aspiranta la un loc in World Open s-a vazut infranta la 3-0 de Alfie Burden; Alfie care dealtfel l-a batut pe castigatorul PTC 3, Tom Ford cu 3-1. O zi memorabila pentru englez. :)
Una dintre marile surprize ale zilei, si chiar prea putin placuta, a fost infrangerea lui Barry Pinches, proaspatul castigator al PTC 4, de catre chinezul Liu Song. Liu a trecut in prima faza de Allan Morgan cu 3-0, pentru ca fata in fata cu Barry sa nu-i acorde sansa de a castiga mai mult de un frame si inchizand scorul la 3-1.
Cu singuranta ieri nu a fost ziua norocoasa a castigatorilor de PTC-uri. :P


Capitolul break-uri este la fel de saracutz ca si ieri, un 108 inregistrat de Anthony McGill si un 139 de Joe Swail.
Aici puteti consulta lista rezultatelor.


Urmatoarea runda bate la usa, iar eu ma grabesc sa-i deschid. Maine va povestesc despre ce am vorbit. :))

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Happy Birthday, Steve Davis!

15:48:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Today, I have the honor and privilege to write a little something about my favorite snooker player, Steve Davis. :) He’s celebrating his 53th birthday and so... “Happy Birthday, mate!" :))


Steve won six times the World Championship, he is the first who hit the maximum break on television, in 1982, during Lada Classic, has five International Open titles, four UK Championship titles, he won three times the Grand Prix, two times the British Open, he "fought over the black" in 1985 with Dennis Taylor in a spectacular match that is now history, he kicked John Higgins’s ass in 2010 in a match filled with tension and drama and the list goes on.

"The Nugget" in action
"The Nugget" is an amazing snooker player, a breathing legend and a source of inspiration for anyone, I dare to say; no matter if you’re in the snooker business or not, this guy gives you a lesson of class, professionalism and elegancy. He is a genuine talent, a wonderful sportsman but also an awesome DJ and a very, very funny guy! :))


Happy Birthday, Nugget! :)



If you want to see some great snooker (147 break included :P) here you go:

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La multi ani, Steve Davis!

15:30:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Din sarbatoare in sarbatoare, azi celebram cea de-a 53 aniversare a unuia dintre cei mai mari jucatori de snooker - Steve Davis!!!!! :)

Campion mondial de nici mai mult nici mai putin, de 6 ori, primul care a realizat un break de 147 de puncte "pe sticla" (un moment istoric pentru televiziune) in anul 1982, in cadrul competitiei Lada Classic, castigator de 5 ori al International Open, detinator a 4 titluri de UK Championship, triplu-campion de Grand Prix, dublu campion de British Open, finalist in 1985 la Campionatul Mondial, unde "s-a batut pe bila neagra" cu Dennis Taylor intr-un meci ce a intrat in istoria snooker-ului, cel care a reusit in 2010 sa-l invinga intr-un meci extraodinar de tensionat pe campionul mondial din 2009, John Higgins si lista nu se opreste aici.

"The Nugget" in actiune
Steve Davis, sau asa cum a fost poreclit, "The Nugget" (pepita) este un jucator desavarsit, o legenda vie a snooker-ului si as indrazni a spune ca este de asemenea o sursa de inspiratie pentru oricine; jucator de snooker sau nu, omul iti da o lectie de clasa, de profesionalism si de eleganta. Un om talentat, un geniu in snooker dar si un om extrem de amuzant. :)


La multi ani, Steve! :)

Si acum, din ciclul " Daca doriti sa revedeti" :)) iata si filmuletul cu break-ul de 147, realizat de Steve.

0 comments:

World Open Q. - Day 1

03:22:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Forza Brazil! :)
The first day of the World Open Q. was a quiet one. From 24 matches, only 7 ended with a 3-2 scoreline. Still the tension and the drama were, as usual, in the air, here at Sheffield Academy.


Since, the qualifying rounds for World Open offer the chance to play in Scotland to the amateurs players also, we didn’t have many spectacular century breaks yesterday (not that`s a rule or something). Only the Thai Thepchaiya Un-Nooh hit a 115 break in the match against lady’s world champion Reanne Evans, who one more time saw her dream crashed, for she was defeated 3-1.
And since we are visiting the ex- Kingdom of Siam, I have to mention Thanawat Tirapaipongboon who won over John Witty 3-0, but also Noppon Saengkham who beat prodigy-boy and current European Champ, Luca Brecel 3-1.


The match between Jak Jones and Joe Jorgia, ended 3-1, in favour of Joe, who now can almost smell the sweet air of Scotland.
Jack Lisowski, the runner-up from the PTC 3 event beat Ryan Causton 3-1 and Andrew Pagett lost the last frame to Kuldesh Johal (3-2).


A happy day for Brazil though, for Igor Figueiredo won over the Chinese Liu Chuang 3-2. Igor is on fire lately and has worked hard to come to this performance. He is a very talented and ambitious snooker player and to be honest I really wish him to win and go to Glasgow in September, for he deserves it. :)


Here, you have the latest results.


And since yesterday was “Thailand this and Thailand that”, I leave you with this song :P See you tomorrow for a more exciting day, hopefully :)

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World Open Q. - Ziua 1

02:55:00 Ramona Dragomir 2 Comments

Forza Brazilia! :)
Prima zi din etapa de calificare pentru World Open, a fost una cat se poate de linistita. Practic din 24 de meciuri disputate, doar 7 ne-au tinut cu sufletul la gura (adica s-au incheiat cu scorul de 3-2). Intr-adevar reveniri spectaculoase si multa tensiune, insa o zi cat se poate de obisnuita aici la Sheffield.


Cum foarte multi dintre cei prezenti sunt inca jucatori amatori, nici break-urile n-au fost spectaculoase, inregistrandu-se doar un "modest" 115, din partea thailandezului Thepchaiya Un-Nooh; de mentionat este ca acest break a fost realizat in meciul impotriva campionei mondiale la sectiunea "Ladies", Reanne Evans, care isi mai vede astfel un vis spulberat, intrucat a fost invinsa de micutul thailandez cu 3-1.
Si pentru ca tot suntem la in rezerva ocupata de fostul Regat al Siamului (care se pare ca a fost in mare forma ieri), nu pot sa nu vi-l mentionez pe deja cunoscutul Thanawat Tirapaipongboon, care l-a invins cu un izbitor 3-0 pe John Witty, dar si pe Noppon Saengkham care l-a trimis acasel in mare stil (mai precis de 3-1) pe actualul campion european, Luca Brecel.


Unul dintre cele mai asteptate meciuri, a fost cel dintre Jak Jones si Joe Jorgia, finalizat cu 3-1, in favoarea lui Joe, care astfel isi mareste sansele de a mirosii aerul dulce scotian in septembrie, la Glasgow.
Jack Lisowski, cel care a fost atat de aproape de capturarea cupei PTC 3, l-a invins cu 3-1 pe Ryan Couston, iar Liam Highfield l-a batut pe Michael White cu acelasi scor.
Galezul Andrew Pagett a pierdut "la mustata" meciul impotriva englezului Kuldesh Johal (3-2), acelasi lucru intamplandu-se si pentru chinezul Anda Zhang care a fost infrant de Sam Baird.

Totusi, o zi fericita pentru brazilianul Igor Figueiredo, acest gigant al snooker-ului care a reusit sa smulga ultimul frame exact de sub nasul lui Liu Chuang, incheind meciul la 3-2. Igor este in forma si a aratat acest lucru cat se poate de des in ultima perioada. Este un jucator talentat si ambitios si sincer mi-as dori sa-l vad calificat in World Open. Chiar merita! :)

Aici aveti lista completa a rezultatelor.

Si pentru ca a fost indubitabil o zi a Thailandei, va las sa va delectati cu o melodie "in ton" :) Noi ne revedem maine la o zi mai palpitanta, intrucat avem nume mari pe tabela, mon cher! :))

2 comments:

A month of blogging

04:22:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments


I am one month old! :)))
A month ago I started this blog. It was a crazy idea, at the time and I believe it still is. :P I haven’t put too many thought into it, when I first started for I knew I will never start. So, here we are...a month later, with a blog about my love for snooker.

I would be a total hypocrite if I were to say " Oh, it feels like only yesterday I was writing my first article". Bullshit! It was a long month, believe me. Research after research, many nights when I couldn’t put together two logical sentences...it was hard work. But don’t get me wrong, I’m very pleased with what I did. To have everything in perfect order, everything going according to THE plan? Neeeah! That’s boring! I need a life filled with action, with moments of insanity, with moments when I want to throw my computer over the window...those moments are the best! :))))

It’s been easy, it’s been hard, that’s not important. The mainly thing here is that somewhere in this crazy virtual world, somewhere on this planet, someone is waking up in the morning, makes the coffee, turns on the computer and reads my blog. That’s what really matters. :)
And since I’m not winning the Oscar this year but I still need to practice my speech (hopefully next year I’ll win :P) I will do it here. Is that ok with you guys? Yes? Oh, ok then! :))))


Thank you!!! :)
I would really like to give my thanks to the first person who gave me her vote of confidence when I started this project. Michaela S., the one who said to me “I like it" and the one who keeps on reading the crazy stuff I write here. :)
Snookerbacker, the first blogger who said "Hey, I think it’s a great idea" and showed me his support in this blogging space that I still don’t understand :)) I want to thank him for all the kind words and for not throwing rocks at me because sometimes I "kill" the English language. :P
Also, my guys from Spain and Portugal, from whom I received a good feedback. Ander Isuskiza from snooker147blog.com and Luís Alves from thesnookerplanet.com. And I can’t exclude Matt from prosnookerblog.com, from whom I received a very nice welcome. To all of you: Thank you! Your support really makes a difference! :)

To my readers, for I know there are some of you who read this crap :)). Thank you so much! It’s been a pleasure to write for you and I will keep on doing so! :)

I still have a lot to learn, that’s true, but I’m giving my best and hopefully I won’t disappoint my audience :P

But enough about this! :))
We have a big day ahead of us! The World Open Qualifying starts today so let’s focus on what this blog is really about: SNOOKER!

Have a smashing weekend! And...one more time: Thank you! :)

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