World Seniors Championship 2013 - Steve Davis champion once more

01:42:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments


Steve Davis - the 2013 World Seniors Championship winner
Steve Davis beat Nigel Bond by 2-1 to lift the 2013 World Seniors Championship trophy and get a well-deserved victory under his belt after quite some time.

Although this is not a ranking event and the "best of three" rule doesn't speak too highly of its format, the victory that Steve recorded can't be overlooked as it proved once more (if needed) that great talent and ambition don’t disappear with age.

The six-time world champion had a very funny and interesting encounter with Dennis Taylor in the first round, in which he managed to beat the man who robbed him of his 1985 world title with a undisputable 2-0 scoreline and then defeated Tony Chappel by 2-1 in a cues-battle that didn't see the best of him by far.

Nigel Bond - the 2013 World Seniors Championship runner-up
The semi-final was a scrappy, yet very tactical cues-affair, carried on against Dave Harold, from which Steve came out as winner also..

So with not such a great performance, at least in the last two matches, the odds seemed rather inclined to see Nigel Bond as favourite to win the title, more since Nigel was reigning champion.

And as the first frame came to an end, the hunch persisted, as a couple of misses from the Nugget's part as well as a failed attempt to get a snooker, helped Bond to take the opener.

However, everything changed when Steve managed to hit a very solid 66 break and leave his opponent in need of snookers. The scoreboard was showing a 71-0 scoreline, so snooker's 007 Agent had a lot to take care off.

The finalists
In the end though, against Nigel's efforts, Davis drew level and forced the decider. The pressure was on. One more frame and the faith of this match will be decided.

The snooker Gods helped Nigel to get an early fluke on a red, but unfortunately he couldn't carry on more than just 12 points, before missing the blue.

So Steve came to the table and started potting one ball after another. He was in such a hurry and seemed so composed and focused that Ken Doherty tweeted he should change his nickname from "The Nugget" to "Dynamite Davis".

A 68-Nugget-ish break was putting Bond in all sorts of trouble (aka. in need of two snookers, which very soon turned out to be three), and although the Englishman tried his best to cope with the situation, it was clear that there could be only one winner (especially after he potted the last red, by mistake)

Davis in action

In the end he conceded the fight so Steve Davis could be crowned champion of the world once more. 

Well, maybe just senior champion, but that's just a tiny detail that doesn't write off the fact that the man who's won six world titles, six UK titles, three Masters and the list can go on, can still play like a competitive animal and put pressure on his opponents, still loves the game and has a lot more to give to it.

Interviewed at the end by Andy Gouldstein, Steve admitted (in good humour) that he doesn’t even remember how a trophy looks like and that he’d like to dedicate this one to his father.

Although from the very beginning of this tournament, he stated he's in for the fun of playing and if he doesn't win he won’t lose too much sleep because of it, it was clearly an emotional moment for him and I think it meant a great deal to put some silverware on his shelf, after such a long time.

One happy Nugget
Personally I couldn’t help but remember that marvellous day of the 2010 World Championship, when he beat the reigning champion John Higgins against all odds.

It was, I dare say, a crucial moment in Steve’s career as a professional snooker player and I know it meant a great deal for me too as it got me started on writing about snooker.

So I hope you will understand why for me, to see Steve win again it’s a dream come true.

Once a champion, always a champion and once a Nugget, always a Nugget!

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World Seniors Championship 2013 - Day 1

03:12:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

It's been an absolute thrill to see snooker's golden boys at work and this year it seems we have the most interesting and eye-catching line-up of players. Or maybe it's just me that's delighted to see Stephen Hendry back playing. Just saying!

Putting aside Andy Goldstein's fluffy hair and constantly annoying "Maybe we'll see a re-match of the 1985 World Championship Final" leitmotiv (because we had Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor on their way to perform against each other), the badly chosen walk-on music and the everlasting "the wonderful/the brilliant" adjectives - the entire day was a great exhibition of snooker, mainly because each player has brought his own personal style, so we had a few clashes here and there.

Dene O'Kane v Nigel Bond - scrapping away

The first stop was New Zeeland's revelation O'Kane who met the reigning champion Nigel Bond; and although it was expected to see a few fireworks, it didn't happen.



Actually the first frame was quite scrappy and boring, the biggest break being a 24 one. But in the end Nigel managed to win the opener and perform a bit better during the second (and last) frame, where with a top break of 42 signed his name on the quarter-finals list.

Tony Knowles v Darren Morgan - decider is the name of the game

Another senior champion, who lifted the trophy back in 2011, Darren Morgan scrapped his way with runs of 20 and 29 to take the opening frame against Tony Knowles, but when the Englishman responded with a solid clearance of 48 to force the decider, things got interesting.

However that didn't stop snooker's tough cookie Darren, as he hit a 57 to leave his opponent in need of two snookers, which became six later on, after Tony got a bit confused and forgot to ask for a time extension when the shot-clock started.

Final scoreline: 2-1 in favour of the Welshman

Tony Drago v Dave Harold - a bit of drama

While both players seemed in a very good state of mind at the beginning of the match, things changed after Tony missed a black - but most importantly the last black, which was also frame ball - as the scoreline was 45-51 in favour of Harold.
 
The "black chase" began, in the end Dave being left with a very similar black to the one that Steve Davis had in the '85 final, with the only difference that Harold potted it and so he won the first frame.

Being so close to clinch the opener, but failing to do so made Tony very angry and this was going to affect his play in the next frame. A scrappy frame that had swearing from Drago’s side and a decisive 32 break from Harold, ended with a 2-0 scoreline and an unexpected need to apologise for the Maltese player’s language, from Andy Goldstein’s part.

Steve Davis v Dennis Taylor - when fun meets snooker

Surely one of the most waited-for matches of the day, this was the perfect combination between having fun and playing snooker. And to Gouldstein disappointment it didn't end on the black.

The first frame was a bit scrappy, but the six-time world champion managed to win it by hitting in runs of 14, 15 and 18, while the second one proved to be a superb way of exploring the green baize from each corner.

A solid break of 94 completed after a full run around the table, set Steve Davis as the winner and got him and place in the quarter-finals.

Doug Mountjoy v Jimmy White - indisputable victory

The man who's been there while snooker was brought up, Doug Mountjoy and the man who's revolutionised it got together in a clash of styles, that could have been more than just a two-frame match, if it wasn’t for the "best of three" rule.
 
Jimmy opted for the "keep your opponent in his seat" strategy and hit a break of 56 followed by a 28 one to take the opener, while the second one was conquered with a unquestionable 93 for a secure place in the next round.

Doomed just to see the table three or four times, Mountjoy (who's now at the venerable age of 71) remained sad in his chair, not being able to show that he's still got a little spark of that competitive animal who won the UK Championship in 1978 and 1988.

Alain Robidoux v Tony Chappel - thrilling snooker

The match between Canada's Robidoux and Wales' Chappel started as a pretty common battle of cues, with a pretty scrappy first frame requested by Alain, followed by a another scrappy cue affair won by Tony.

But the decider was an entire different story. Not in terms of scrappiness, because it had plenty of that, but of drama because until the last ball was potted the match could have gone either way.

And when the odds seemed to point to Alain as the winner, the Canadian potted the cue ball this leaving the road open for Tony to come back, clear the table with a tiny break of 18 and win the match.

Cliff Thorburn v Philip Williams - zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


It’s painfully funny to see Cliff in action after all these years, but a bit too much of slow-motion snooker for my taste as it took the Grinder no less than 84 minutes to win over Williams, 2-0.

Joe Johnson v Stephen Hendry - Master at work

This match has reunited one of the finest players of all times, Joe Johnson and the man who's won about everything and done almost anything there is to be done as a snooker player, Stephen Hendry.

My hopes were not too high since the seven-time world champion hasn't play any competitive snooker since his retirement back in 2012, but I was so pleased to see him still going for every single shot.

Runs of 29 and 35 were enough to secure Hendy's first frame, while a more modest breaks of 25 and 21 were smoothing his way into the next round.

So, after Day One the quarter-finals line-up looks something like this:

Tony Chappel v Steve Davis
Jimmy White v Stephen Hendry (I bet you're looking forward to this one)
Darren Morgan v Dave Harold
Cliff Thorburn v Nigel Bond

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Indian Open or snooker in Bollywoodian style

15:09:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

The Indian Open is about to start
I can almost hear Ozzy Osborne singing "Mama, I'm coming home", as snooker goes back to India, the place where in 1875, in Jubbulpore the Devonshire Regiment, but more precisely subaltern Neville Chamberlain started this beautiful madness we call snooker.

In his book "Can we have our balls back, please?"  - How the British invented sport (and then almost forgot how to play it) Julian Norrige says that one day, as a player missed an easy pot, Chamberlain cried "Why, you're a regular snooker."

And since no-one knew what he meant, Neville reported that "he's recently had a visit from a fellow officer who had trained at the Royal Military Academy from Woolwich. His guest had told him that a brand-new cadet at Woolwich, the lowest of the low, was called 'a snooker'".

Later on, in an interview with Compton Mackenzie, Chamberlain recalled saying: "I added that we were all, so to speak, snookers at the game so it would be very appropriate to call the game snooker."

And that concludes our history lesson for today. Now, go home and study! And do some mashed potatoes, as well!

However, things have changed over the years as snooker has become more and more popular in the UK, rather than anywhere else (well, China but that's another story).

So in this Hearn-age or reinventing/re-making snooker popular, it was only a matter of time before we could see this colourful cue sport returning back home, in India.

To be honest I never thought it will return with a ranking event at first, but it seems like there's much of an interest for snooker here, so why the hell not? I mean if we don't like it we can pack our bags elegantly and never return again (see Brazil).

But let's not get carried away and see this situation as it is: a huge opportunity to expand snooker and raise interest for it in the most far, far-away corners of the planet. We've been Down Under, so why not try it here too?!

I do however fancy a rather sumptuous welcome-back party where all the players are dressed up in Indian saris (although they are suitable for women, but bare with me here) and see them do synchronous dances. Imagine that! I bet John Higgins and Neil Robertson would looks great!!!

All that aside, it can't go unmentioned the fact that for players like Aditya Mehta and Pankaj Advani this is a marvelous chance to play in front of their home crowds, although this puts an enormous pressures on them. 

Aditya will meet the most-ever-grinder Peter Ebdon, while the fate has reserved the Scottish Marcus Campbell for Pankaj. Will they succeed to impress their home crowds or not, it's just a question of time.

So, please put your dancing shoes on, hit the play button and let's move our behinds on Indian music, for snooker is surely going to do the same during the next week! Bollywood snooker to the rescue!

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Allen shoots Ruhr trophy

23:13:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Mark Allen, the 2013 Ruhr Open champion
Mark Allen beat the recent-winner of the 2013 Shanghai Masters, Ding Junhui by 4-1, to win the Ruhr Open tournament (also known as European Tour Event Five), thus adding one more prestigious ranking-event-trophy to his other three.

He won the Haikou World Open in 2012, after an astonishing 10-1 victory over Stephen Lee, followed by another cracking win, this time of 10-4 over Welshman Matthew Stevens in the following year. 

The 2012 Antwerp Open trophy was also destined to carry his name, and a year before that he kept us on our tenterhooks while he was cue-crossing with Judd Trump in the UK Championship. It wasn't to be a victorious day for him, but it surely pointed out what a talented player he is.
Still, his cue action seemed to suffer after winning in Haikou this year and that put quite a pressure on the young lad.

But all that is history now, as "The Pistol" hammered Ding Junhui, in a final that was almost a one-way stairway to heaven (that's a bit of Led Zeppelin for ya!)

Ding Junhui, the 2013 Ruhr Open runner-up
It all started pretty simple with a crystal-clear 76 break from Allen, break that was pretty much announcing the ominous: this was his day in paradise (the other one belongs to Phil Collins, of course).

But Ding fought back, he had one hell of a journey during the semi-final against Stephen Maguire, so he wasn't willing to give up the fight. So, due to a long red missed by Allen, Ding stormed in.

Unfortunately for him the break was stopped at 55 by a missed red to the left middle-pocket, thus Allen returning for a nice and cosy 48. It wasn't enough to win him this frame, but the following 14 points and a seven-point foul by Ding, did the trick.

A marvellous and perfect 100 break was shaping Allen's way towards the victory line, as the scoreboard was now showing a worrying 3-0 scoreline, but China's Wonder-Lad had one more ace to play.

Runs of 40 and 32 were giving Ding his first frame of the final, but soon enough he would find out it was also the last one.

The lads and the trophy
Allen closed the deal with breaks of 20 and 74, potting one of the most beautiful long reds that I've even seen when reaching 51.

In the short interview that the ever-so-over-excited Rolf Kalb took from Mark, the North-Ireland player explained that he's been working really hard together with his coach on his technique, but also on the mental attitude when he's playing. Seems to me like all that hard work, has paid off.

On the blue corner, Ding admitted that even though he managed to come back in the match he played against the Scottish player Stephen Maguire, he'd played poorly in the final and Allen punished him for each mistake he made.

So hopefully Mark will go with a very positive note on his mind to play in the first ever Indian Open ranking event, due to start on October the 14th. See you in New Delhi, dearies!

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