Happy birthday Michael Wasley!

13:30:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments



We are happy to congratulate Michael Wasley on his 25th birthday!

The Gloucester snooker player has a lot to prove on the green baize, so here at SML blog we are eager to see more of him!


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2015 Welsh Open (the final) - Higgins sets new record after winning Welsh crown

23:11:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments


John Higgins - the 2015 Welsh Open champion
John Higgins beat Ben Woollaston by a determined 9-3 scoreline to win the 2015 BetVictor Welsh Open and set a new snooker record: he is the first player to win this tournament four times!

But putting aside the record breaking, today's victory has an even bigger importance for "The Wizard of Wishaw" since it puts an end to a very long trophy drought. 

Last time Higgins won a tournament it was three years ago, when he defeated Judd Trump in the final of the 2012 Shanghai Masters. And what a final that was!

Although the Scotsman didn't perform like in his heyday, he did bring determination, guts, eagerness to win and that splendid safety game that he's so well-known for, to the table.

Ben Woollaston - the 2015 Welsh Open runner-up
After leading the Leicester-man, Ben Woollaston by 5-3 after a pretty tense first session, Higgins cruised on towards the victory in one straight line.

The first two frames of the evening were scrappy affairs, but they were won fair and square with runs of just 46 and 28, while the remaining two were conquered with a more fluent cueing under the form of breaks like 68 and 83.

Clearly over the moon with his win, John talked about how important is to be victorious after such a long time, that one must "keep believing" even if things go wrong and joked about being proud to have some sort of a record since Stephen Hendry has so many.

Happy family
To be honest it was good to see the Scotsman smile, but then again it's always nice to see a player happy, and it goes without saying that we are grateful that John has ears, otherwise his smile would have been all around his face going round and round. 

That being said, even if we had a pretty short final, there's no time for rest as in just a few days’ time we are moving to Poland for the magnificent Gdynia Open. See you there ... or here to be more precise! ;-)

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2015 Welsh Open (the final) - Higgins leads after first session

18:14:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

After eight frames of intense snooker that have featured the names of John Higgins and Ben Woollaston, the Scotsman is in the leading chair by 5-3 and needs only four more frames to win this year's Welsh Open rocky trophy.

It's the 7th day of  "snooker made in Wales" and the stakes are higher than ever, as two of the 128 players that started their snooker journey on Monday, are crossing their cues for the ultimate win: the Welsh Open crown.

The final made its debut with a pretty eager John Higgins, the Scotsman clearing the table with an 84 break to take the opener, but Ben was sure to respond immediately with a 58 break and draw level.

Still, by the mid-session interval it was crystal clear who the man in charge was. Higgins used a break of 63 to regain his leadership position and a great 105 to move 3-1 in front.

However, after the mini-break was over, Woollaston pulled back a frame with a 54 to which Higgins replied with a 66 to re-open the two-frame gap. It was 4-2.

Once again, the stubborn boy with golden hair did his best and clinched a scrappy 7th frame to go just one behind his opponent, only to see the history repeating itself in just a few minutes time.

Although Ben was the first one in, during frame eight, he missed a red down on 59, John coming to the table. But it wasn't to be a one-way visit, as the Scotsman missed the green on 47.

The safety shots battle begun, only to see the snooker Gods taking sides when John fluked the previously missed green in the left pocket. He cleared the table with a 25 to win the frame on the black and establish a hard-fought 5-3 advantage after the first session.

The match will see its conclusion tonight, the snooker action re-starting from 7pm. So, what do you say? Will we have a new Welsh Open champion, or will John be winning his 4th Welsh crown?

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Happy birthday Mark Allen!

13:30:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments



We are thrilled to wish Mark Allen a heartfelt and warm happy birthday on his 29th anniversary!

The proud of Northern Ireland has a great collection of trophies, but a few more await to be conquered. Here comes the Crucible crown!



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2015 Welsh Open (the semis) - "Woonderful" Woollaston lands in final

01:24:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments


Woollaston lands in the final
Terrific way to end the mighty semi-finals of this year's Welsh Open as Mark Williams and Ben Woollaston crossed their cues until late in the night for a place in the final.

It was a great effort from both parties, but in the end the stronger competitor proved to be the Leicester-lad Ben Woollaston, who won by a hard-fought 6-5 scoreline.

Woollaston started the match by hitting a great 82 break to take the opener, but didn't stop there. A scrappy second frame was also entering into his pocket for a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Clearly not in the best of form, Williams still managed to win a scrapper in order to get his first frame under his belt before his opponent used a 75 break to go 3-1 up as the interval was starting.

The man who played almost as good as in his heyday, especially against Marco Fu, had a lot to think about over the tea&biscuits-break.

And that's precisely what happened, for when the lads returned for the conclusion of their match, Williams stormed in and hit a great 88 break to pull back a frame but also took full advantage of Ben missing a red down on 53, during frame six, in order to level the match at 3-3.

Welshman Williams had a pretty unproductive day
Despite the Welshman's efforts Ben still proved to be the strongest competitor as a 90 break was re-establishing his leadership, while runs of 47 and 38 were taking him just one away from a place in the final, at 5-3.

But the local hero had one more card to play, or should I say two. A break of 50 was keeping the match alive as the scoreline went 5-4, while a 10th scrappy frame was captured with just a top break of 30 to set the much-waited decider.

The last frame started with a re-rack and Ben was the first one in. However, he did have a kick which prevented him from potting a red and stopped his break at 30, this giving Williams one last chance to make a difference.

Unfortunately "The Welsh Potting Machine" wasn't able to take it and so Woollaston went on and won the match with a great 60 break in order to set a final snooker meeting with another master of the green baize, John Higgins.

All that being said, you better cancel your Sunday plans, for this final will certainly be a pretty entertaining one.

The first session is due to start at 1pm, followed by the second one at 7pm. Let's roll the balls!

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2015 Welsh Open (the semis) - Higgins survives Belgian test

19:02:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Higgins passed the test
John Higgins is the first player to book his place in tomorrow's final of this year's Welsh Open tournament, as he beat a very dangerous opponent, Belgian player Luca Brecel by 6-4.

The Scotsman began his journey with two century breaks (101 and 137) to grab the first two frames of the semi-final, while his opponent was yet to pot a ball. It looked like a one-sided match at that moment, but we were to be proved wrong in just a few minutes time.

Frame three started with Luca amongst the balls, but he missed a black down on 48 this giving Higgins the chance to capitalise. However, he didn't make the most of the given chance, a tricky red making him stop his break at 52.

Brecel came to the table and with just a 23 break was winning his first frame of the match, to which he added a perfect 62 to draw level at two apiece, just as the interval was kicking off.

After the mini break the players return into the arena, Belgium's prodigy being the first one in and getting another frame under his belt. He was now in the leading chair for the first time since the beginning of the match, 3-2.

Luca Brecel - a player with a huge potential
Needless to say how important was the next frame, as the Scotsman lost no less than three consecutive frames by a blink of an eye.

A lot of pressure was involved, but in the end Higgins managed to restore the balance of the match with a top break of 43, but also to turn-tables against his opponent with a 72 break, for a 4-3 scoreline.

The scoreboard didn't stay like that for long though, as Luca used a strategically 44 break to level the match at 4-4 and keep the pressure on his opponent.

Still, Higgins is an old fox and the years of experience were soon to pay off, as he fired a 135 break and a half a century (50) to book his place in tomorrow's final.

Now, all we need to know is the name of his opponent. Will it be Mark Williams or will it be Ben Woollaston? Tune in on EuroSport to find out, today from 7pm (UK time).

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2015 Welsh Open - His name is Luca ... he flies in the SFs

00:48:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

Higgins records an important victory in
Last four matches of the 2015 BetVictor Welsh Open have now finished so we can reveal the semi-finalists of this one-of-a-kind tournament! 

Tam tam, taaaaam (or whatever sound a trumpet makes). Here they are: John Higgins, Mark Williams, Ben Woollaston and Luca Brecel!

John Higgins was the first player to cross over the "dark side" (where all the fame and glory lies), as he beat fellow country-man Stephen Maguire by an outstanding scoreline of 5-1.

The match itself wasn't the most exquisite demonstration of high-standard snooker, but it was a living proof of what determination can achieve.

Not the best of days for Maguire
Higgins took the first two frames with runs of 36, 37 and 31 before his opponent could respond with a 51 break to win his first (and last) frame of the match.

A scrappy 4th frame was ended with a solid 63 break (baring John's signature), while the next one proved quite decisive for the fate of the match.

Higgins missed a black of its spot down on 33, this giving Maguire a perfect chance to get some table time, but sadly for him he broke down on 30 after missing a red, thus Higgins clinching this frame along with the very next one for a 5-1 victory.

A more entertaining match was to be seen when the likes of Marco Fu and Mark Williams made their entrance on stage, the Welshman scoring a nice 5-1 victory over the Hong Kong man.

Is the Welsh Potting Machine back for good?
Williams practically flew at 4-0 by firing in breaks of 103, 76, 108 and 80, before his opponent could wake up and realise what was happening on the green baize.

It must be mentioned that during frame four Fu had a huge chance to write his name on the scoreboard, but was unlucky to have a kick on 48, thus clearing the way for Mark's fury.

After the interval, Marco seemed more focused and hit a great 107 break to cash his first frame of the match, but it all came too late. Williams was ending the snooker affair with a top break of 46 for a place in the semis. And might I add that he looks unstoppable!

Luca flies to the semis
The Welshman will meet Ben Woollaston, who defeated Gary Wilson by 5-2 after using breaks do 35, 52, 59 and 49 in the process.

The last to write his name on the semi-finalists list was Belgium's Luca Brecel who put on quite a snooker show and beat Ricky Walden by 5-3.

Breaks of 98, 40 and 45 were breaking the ice for Walden as he took the first three frames of the quarter-finals match, but just as the mid-session interval was knocking at the door Luca won a scrappy 4th frame to trail by 3-1.

Walden leaves the competition
At returning into the arena the Belgian prodigy opened with a 72 break and won a scrappy 6th frame on the black in order to draw level, but also added a great 90 break to get his nose in front and a top break of 30 to wrap up the match.

The victory was celebrated with a punch in the air, for this is Luca's first semi-final in a major ranking event.

So, the semis start tomorrow and we have a very interesting line-up for you:

13:00 John Higgins v. Luca Brecel
19:00 Mark Williams v. Ben Woollaston

Who’s going to be?

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2015 Welsh Open - Marching towards the QFs

12:28:00 Ramona Dragomir 0 Comments

The Motorpoint Arena
Yesterday saw the Last 16 players crossing their cues for a place in today's quarter-finals in a tournament that has turned out to be a genuine collection of upsets. 

Along the big names of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui or Mark Allen, this year's Welsh Open will have to go on also without Mark Selby, Judd Trump and Neil Robertson.

Current world number one and the world champion, Mark Selby set a dangerous meeting with Belgium's best Luca Brecel.

Luca lands in QFs
Despite the fact that Selby was the first in, opening with a magnificent 131 total clearance to which he soon added runs of 31 and 42 to fly at 2-0 up, Brecel didn't give in. Breaks of 41 and 42 were bringing the balance on the scoreboard and this was game on!

No surprise to see "The Jester" hitting another century break, this time a 114, to regain control of the match, but the same can be said about his Belgian opponent who used a great 101 break to make the scoreline go 3-3. DECIDER!

The last frame was Luca's chance to prove he can win under pressure against a player that holds the world champion crown. And he did it with runs of 33 and 27 for a beautiful victory of 4-3.

Jester's journey ends here
At the next table, John Higgins and Michael Georgiou were disputing a pretty tense Last16 match, the first frame lasting for almost 40 minutes and ending on the black (which John potted).

The lads went hand-in-hand up until 2-2, when the Scotsman took off with breaks like 38, 38 and 36 to cross over the victory-line with a 4-2 score.

A few hours later another upset was to go into the thick books of snooker's history as Judd Trump lost by 4-1 in front of local hero Mark Williams.

An early missed red from Trump opened the way for Williams' 68 break which brought him the first frame, followed by two more (a collection of mini-breaks of 28, 34 and 24 were part of the winning package) for a 3-0 scoreline.

Local hero Mark Williams in action
The forth frame saw its fate decided by the last black, although Mark had the chance to end businesses earlier in that frame, Trump sinking it in one of the pockets to win his first frame of the match.

Unfortunately for him though, it was going to be his first and last frame, for Williams used runs of 29 and 56 to secure a cosy spot in the quarter-finals.

Ben Woollaston is also amongst those with a chance to win the trophy as he beat "Captain" Ali Carter by 4-2 by using a myriad of breaks (65, 103, 108, 38 and 51).

Gary Wilson records a very important victory
The same scoreline was registered also between Marco Fu and Welshman Matthew Stevens who sees his chance to retain some silverware crushed, while Scotland's Stephen Maguire is set to meet fellow country-man John Higgins in the next round after whitewashing another country-man, Alan McManus by 4-0.

Late in the night, another Top 16 player and world champion was making an exit from the competition. Neil Robertson lost by 4-2 in front of Gary Wilson.

The match had an edgy start, but Robertson soon got into potting the balls. However, he did miss an important red down on 40, this leaving the road clear for Gary and his 50 break which brought him the opener.

Aussie's out
Neil used runs of 30 and 41 to go 2-1 up, but Wilson forced his way back into the match with a brilliant 81 and won the 5th frame after his opponent tried to lay a clever safety shot and missed three times, thus granting him a frame on a silver plate.

Wilson ended the snooker business quite quickly afterwards, a break of 53 proving enough for a place in the quarter-finals.

Also in the quarter-finals we have Ricky Walden, who beat Stuart Bingham 4-2 using top breaks of 79 and 93.

So, without  any further ado, here is today's match schedule:

12:00 John Higgins v. Stephen Maguire
13:00 Marco Fu v. Mark Williams
19:00 Ricky Walden v. Luca Brecel
19:00 Ben Woollaston v. Gary Wilson

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