Other All things Snooker

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Yeah and that is mostly played up North in Russia etc.

I don't like it as i prefer Billiards more which is very similar except you have pockets to pot balls into as well.

Billiards is a forgotten game though nowadays and rarely do you see people playing it and i love it.
 
Neil Robertson begins his defense of his Riga Masters title this Friday at 6.30pm Melbourne time (11.30 Riga time). The world number 3 plays English amateur Daniel Ward in a best-of-seven qualifying match held over for the tournament proper.

The winner will play German Lukas Kleckers (ranked 96) later that day at 7pm Riga time, when we're all tucked up in bed.
 
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World Snooker made a big deal with Eurosport not so long ago and just about the only way to watch most of the professional events now is if you can find a way to watch Eurosport (not the Oz Eurosport though) AND through their Eurosport Player. Eurosport Player has the coverage slot for when Neil is playing.

FOX doesn't care much about the snooker, so about the best authorized way to watch the event live might be through Bet 365 as they often carry the matches. No commentary though, but that may suit some viewers.

Here's the Eurosport Schedule for the event: http://www.worldsnooker.com/kaspersky-riga-masters-eurosport-schedule-2/
 
General Soreness said:
World Snooker made a big deal with Eurosport not so long ago and just about the only way to watch most of the professional events now is if you can find a way to watch Eurosport (not the Oz Eurosport though) AND through their Eurosport Player. Eurosport Player has the coverage slot for when Neil is playing.

FOX doesn't care much about the snooker, so about the best authorized way to watch the event live might be through Bet 365 as they often carry the matches. No commentary though, but that may suit some viewers.

Here's the Eurosport Schedule for the event: http://www.worldsnooker.com/kaspersky-riga-masters-eurosport-schedule-2/
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nice cheers! I'll check it out
 
Robertson loses the first frame. Didn't take his chances after a 50 break and Ward plays a couple of good shots to clear the table.

Robertson takes the 2nd with a break of 60-odd after some positive play that got him into trouble. Ward scoreless in that frame.

Awful 3rd frame. Neither player can come to grips with their positional game, but Ward goes 2-1 up with some superior potting. Robertson's best chance of stealing the frame was hampered by a 10ft gap between the reds and the black.

Looking uninterested and 48 points down, Robertson eventually clears to table to take the 4th frame 52-50.

Both players looking comfortable and fluid now. Robertson gets some early bad luck but clears the table with a break of 78.

Robertson leads Ward 3-2.

And just as the quality of play improves it's all over. 21 points down, Neil puts the foot down and wins his qualifier with a break of 109. A scoreline of 4-2 doesn't really do Ward justice.



Robertson next plays Lukas Kleckers.
 
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In other matches of interest (at least to me), legend of the 80's and 90's, Jimmy White won his match against Scot Eden Sharav after Sharav set the highest frame score (in frame 6) for the tournament at 129. Stuart Bingham was bundled out by Mark Davis 4-0. Hossein Vafei got a walkover against Mark King. Kurt Maflin (Norway's greatest representative) knocked out Alan McManus 4-3. Ken Doherty beat Gary Wilson 4-0. Anthony McGill beat Latvian female amateur Tatjana Vasileva 4-0.

Maflin will play White in Round 2.
 
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Here's Robertson v Kleckers.



A very confident looking Kleckers takes the first frame with an 82 break.

Robertson replies with a clearing break of 137.

It doesn't take long for Frame 3 to be re-racked. Robertson wins the frame in unconvincing style.

A longer frame in which both players failed to hold to table for very long. In the end both players were scrapping for the black to seal the frame and Kleckers fluked the pot off a long double. Neil isn't impressed. Variable bounce off the cushions is beginning to come into play.

Neil gets his long potting under control which helps him take the frame 82-0, and with it the lead.

Neil goes for his shots but it's not enough and Kleckers wins the frame.

Still going for his shots, Neil attempts a pot that really appears to have not been on. Kleckers goes on to win the frame with a 83 break. Not even a good game by Robertson, perhaps attacked too much when more defensive play might have been in order. Considering the gap in experience and achievement between the two players Kleckers did an outstanding job. He now goes on to play Jack Lisowski who is ranked 47]/SPOILER]
 
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It's Day 2 of the Riga Masters. Only three matches that I care much about in this first session:

Jimmy White v. Kurt Maflin:



Jimmy wins frame one, Maflin takes 2 and 3, Jimmy gets 4. All square and it's a best of 3. White takes the first, and in the 6th frame he gets to 43 ahead with 43 on the table, before giving away 4 points in a foul. In the end it doesn't matter and White will go through to Round 3 where he will meet either Thepchaiya Un-Nooh or Anthony McGill. White hadn't beaten Maflin since August 2012.

Kyren Wilson v. Craig Steadman. After 4 frames it's 2-2. Wilson brings it back to 3-3. This is glacial stuff, but Wilson takes the final frame to advance to the next round.

Hossein Vafei v. Paul S. Davison. Davison takes the first 3 frames, and though the 4th is close, Davison takes the pink to win the match. This is the first time in 19 seasons as a professional that Davison has reached the last 16 of a tournament.
 
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Another set of matches have started. The matches of interest this time are:

Ken Doherty ('97 World Champ) v Robin Hull. Hull draws it up: 1-1. Ken squares the ledger with a break of 126; 2-2. At 3-2 Ken led by 7 with only the black on the table but after losing control of the table, he pots it to play the one of two players from China still in the tournament, Zhang Anda, in Round 3.

Mark Davis (World Seniors Champ '16) v. Sam Craigie. 1-1 and not much between them. Davis makes a 134 break before Craigie draws it up to 2-2. Davis comes back with breaks of 76 and 68 to win the match. He will play Andrew Higginson (who has the tournament's highest break of 140) in Round 3.

Alexander Ursenbacher (young Swiss player) v. Robbie Williams. Williams goes up 2-0 with no 50+ breaks made. A 50+ break from each player brings the scoreline to 3-1. Williams wins 4-2, but that's a pretty respectable start to the season for the young player. His lowest scoring frame was still higher than two of Williams's. Williams will play the winner of the Round 2 match between Luca Brecel and Mark Williams.
 
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Only interested in two more matches for this evening/morning:

Mark Willams (World Champ. '00, '03; World Seniors Champ. '15) v Luca Brecel (Belgian player, German Masters runner-up 2016). Williams takes the first two frames. Brecel puts up a fight for Frame 3. WIlliams takes the fourth frame, and it's hard to see Brecel stopping Williams from winning the match; and he doesn't. After consecutive 50+ break frames, Williams is through (4-1) to the next round where he'll meet Robbie Williams.

Jack Lisowski (#45) v. Lukas Kleckers (Knocked out Neil Robertson). Kleckers takes the first frame, and Lisowski draws up. After much back and forth, Lisowski takes the third. Kleckers takes Frame 4 after another fighting effort between the two. Frame 5 goes to Lisowski after a 71 break, his total for the frame. Lisowski then closes the match out with a 79 break, again his total score for the frame, and surprisingly quickly at that. Kleckers' tournament is over, and it's a shame he scored nothing in the final frame, but he's made quite an impression.

Round 3 matches go through the night. Tomorrow it's the Quarter Finals.
 
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Quarter Finals, best of 7.

Ken Doherty is Playing Anthony McGill. Doherty, on a wildcard, has won the first two frames against the world number 10. Doherty stumbles after the first 50+ break of the match, but the seriously underwhelming McGill can't make the most of it. 3-0. An engrossing 4th frame. McGill did all the hard work to get his match high break with the balls all in awful position, and a late charge from Doherty nearly robbed him of his just rewards, but Doherty lost position to come off the brown onto a vital blue and McGill gets on the board. 3-1. As the match goes on McGill gets better. Doherty looked set with the reds and blacks all in good order, but it fell apart and McGill took care of the rest. A very long game gets longer. Doherty leads 3-2. It's touch and go in the 6th frame, but Doherty manages to take it!

Andrew Higginson (ranked 42) is playing Stephen Maguire (ranked 17). After 2 frames it's 1-1. After 3 Higginson leads 2-1. After 4 it's 2-2. Each player gets another frame to tie it up at 3-3. Maguire seals victory at 4-3 with a century break.

The second set of QF's look to be completed much more quickly than the first set. Ryan Day (11) posted four consecutive breaks of 50+ to take the match in a whitewash over Joe Perry (15).

Mark Joyce (41) took the first frame over Mark Williams (8), but Williams took the next three, including two breaks of 50+. In the fifth frame Williams made a century break to end the match.

Williams will now play Day, and Doherty, Maguire.
 
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The semi-finals are best-of-nine matches.

Doherty v Maguire: Maguire takes the first frame with a 50+ break. Doherty looks very comfortable at the table, even when he loses the table after failing to split the reds. Maguire needs snookers, but sends Doherty back to take the second frame. I can't work out why he's giving Ken the practice. In the third, Doherty gives away 11 in fouls, nevertheless he nearly steals the frame, but he makes a hash of the brown, and Maguire takes the frame. He leads 2-1. For the first time, Doherty is looking worried. He looks fine during the fourth frame though as he takes the frame in a couple of small breaks. 2-2 and the intermission.

Maguire's up against it in the first frame after the break, but after getting a touching red, he plays away for a tight snooker and Doherty gives up 7 points. Maguire then goes back to missing pots, and that lets Ken take the frame. Doherty doesn't get a look in in frame 6. Frame 7 is Doherty's. He needs one more to winthe match. This will be a good test for Maguire's temperament. Maguire takes the penultimate frame after both players have trouble potting the last red and some crazy doubles shot attempts. Doherty could have taken the frame, but he needed to sink everything with the maximum possible score to get the lead. It's down to a tie-breaker. It's an exciting framw which could have gone either way. Maguire was the steadier of the two, and even though Doherty had a late chance, he just had too much bad position that he couldn't get out of, unlike Maguire.

Wiliams v. Day: Day takes the first, see-sawing frame. Williams only makes 15 as his Welsh compatriot Day takes the frame with a break of 70. Well, he appears to take the frame, but Williams returns to the table. He snookers himself, but gets the table back and continues to try to find the snooker against Day. Day sinks the green and puts Frame 2 beyond doubt. Frame 3: Day is 72 behind but returns to the table, but only Williams scores any more points. Williams also takes the fourth frame with a couple of small breaks. 2-2, and the players leave for the intermission.

Williams takes the first frame after the break, and Day takes the second, and the third quite comfortably. He now needs only one more to reach the final. A very exciting penultimate frame. Day built up a good lead and a score of 46. Williams added to his small total to reach 47. Day came back to the table but lost control of it leaving enough on the table for Williams to send the game to a respotted black. In a fight for the pink, Day went in off the pink and Williams sank the pink and the black to win the frame. Ryan Day comes from behind with a break of 77 to win the match.

The final then is between Day and Maguire. I'm tipping Day to win: his break-building has been better from what I've seen than that of Maguire, and Williams was a tougher opponent than Doherty was for Maguire, so it's hard not to assume that Day will carry stronger form into the final match.
 
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Neil Robertson just won the Scottish Open ( Major ranking event ) from 8-4 down in a race to 9 frames ( Best of 17 ).

Gee Whiz what a comeback and the 16th frame to force a decider was the most entertaining and epic frames of snooker i have seen and it is a must see!

Congrats NR you legend. :thumbsu::thumbsu::fire::fire::fire::fire:

Complete match ( or that epic 16th frame ) is not up on You Tube yet but will post it when it is.
 
General Soreness said:
Awesome! Will watch when I get home.

I think this gives Neil 11 wins in 11 years which extends his record. Great consistency.
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You get a chance to watch it mate??
 
I was in City Basement Books today (342 Flinders St. in the Melbourne CBD) and I came across three snooker books. I bought one (a Pot Black tie-in book from 1984), but left two that I already have. Followers of this thread may find them of interest.

One is Rex Williams' 'Snooker: How to Become a Champion'. The other is Joe Davis' 'How I Play Snooker'. The latter is probably of the most interest, not only for its influence on O'Sullivan, but also because it contains interesting material on his transition from billiards to snooker.
 
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