World Snooker Championship 2007

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Well it's that time of year again, two weeks of hardcore cue action just round the corner! Well the draw is as follows:

Round 1
Best of 19 Frames

Graeme Dott v Ian McCulloch
Anthony Hamilton v Marco Fu
Stephen Maguire v Joe Perry
Mark Williams v Joe Swail
John Higgins v Michael Holt
Barry Hawkins v Fergal O'Brien
Neil Robertson v Ryan Day
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ding Junhui
Ken Doherty v Mark Allen
Matthew Stevens v Joe Delaney
Steve Davis v John Parrott
Shaun Murphy v Judd Trump
Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond
Stephen v Lee Mark Selby
Allister Carter v Andy Hicks
Stephen Hendry v David Gilbert

Some mouth watering first round draws there, Ronnie and Ding being the main one, a shame two of the favourites have been drawn so soon, as Ding is still outside the top 16. Robertson and Day is another cracking one, both are very talented and I expect that will be a top notch match. Last but not least Davis against Parrot, a throw back to the good old days whoever loses is going to be getting some stick for two weeks in the studio . So who do you guys want to win and who do you think will? My favourite player is Hendry hopefully I'll be getting tickets to see him in the quarters, I didnt want to risk the semis as I'm not entirely confident he'll get that far.
Ronnie would probably be a slight favourite for the title but playing Ding in the first round, then a clash with either Day or Robertson, followed by a probably quarter final against Higgins is not going to be easy at all for the rocket, so I think this year the tournament is fairly wide open.

So then snooker fans, fire away!

 

Steve Davies vs John Parrott - lol! Combined age of about 288.

Hey, Mark Selby! My mate played him in a pool competition not long back. Selby absolutely destroyed him and he's a pretty decent player. Just goes to show how far out there professional players are.

 

Yeh a friend of mine played Jimmy White recently, and got absolutely hammered, and Jimmy White really is struggling for form atm. Shame Jimmy did'nt qualify won't be the same without him.

 

The Whirlwind has been struggling for form since the 90's to be fair

 

Yeh, hes such a legend though, seems a really genuine bloke aswell. Apparantely he plays good snooker in practice but just struggles to take that to the table. So who do you fancy then apart from the rocket?

 

Good first few days. Dott, the defending champion is out. The Davis and Parrot match was surprisingly good and went to a final frame decider, Davis was on top but was very unlucky to go in off and then Parrott cleared up. Felt gutted for the nugget; though hes likely to retain his top 16 spot. The Ding and O'Sullivan match was a little anti climatic, Ding did'nt play at all well and O'Sullivan takes an 8-1 lead overnight. Good stuff so far.

 

Doherty out! Man he got nervous last 3 frames or what?
Anyway good thing was that the kid didn't got any bit of desespertation as the commentator was trying to put on him because of the fact that he was about to kick Ken's butt out of the tournament.

 

Yeh Allen is a half decent player, Ken played shockingly though. Allen is out now at the hands of Matthew Stevens. Shaun (big boy) Murphy has beaten JP but it was a surprisingly close match with Parrot playing some decent snooker. Hendry is 6-2 down to Ali Carter , the match is being played over three days though so hopefully plenty of time for a comeback. The tie of the second round coming up, O'Sullivan against Robertson. Should be a great match with two very attacking players. Robertson is starting to develop into a good all round player instead of just relying on his excellent potting game, I wouldnt be surprised if he turns out to be one of the dominating players in the near future. Another player I fancy to come close this year is Higgins, hes had a bit of a quiet season but he keeps coming closer to making a 147, he shouldnt have much trouble beating O'brien to get to the quarters.

So far I'd put my money on either Ronnie, Higgins or Robertson to get the title. Hendry has played well in patches but overall inconsistent and seems to be struggling to adapt to his new cue. Maguire, Stevens, Murphy or Ebdon could contend but need to start playing closer to their best. Overall its pretty wide open this year which makes things more interesting.

 

I don't like Hendry. Ugly, pock-faced mong, he is. He's so dour, I hate to see him win things. Back when I used to be really into snooker, he was just a robot. Never getting emotional, just going through the motions each frame and running away with it. Boring to watch.

I don't think Ronnie will win. WHen he's got his head screwed on he's pretty much unbeatable, but for me, it remains to be seen whether his heart is really in it this year. The guy is like a ticking bomb though, you never know when he's going to do something daft. Makes compelling viewing. I'd much rather watch Ronnie play than robotic Hendry.

 

Hes not like that anymore, he laughs when he gets a bad run of the ball and grimaces when he misses easy shots. I remember a few years ago him and Mark Williams were joking often around the table, was a funny match. I never saw him dominate in the 80's (wasnt born till 89 ). Anyway hes out now. :cry

Higgins is playing very, very well. Saw signs of it last season when he won the Grand Prix and Masters. For me hes now favourite to win this year.

Watching the O'Sullivan and Robertson match right now and the Aussie is making a decent comeback 8 - 7 and in the balls right now. I swear if an Aussie starts dominating Snooker I think I'll shoot myself.

EDIT: The buggers only gone and made a 140.

 

Wow, you guys are really committed to this. I would think this is as interesting to watch as bowling (or golf... or crew...).

Give me a real spectator sport -- women's professionsal mud-wrestling!

 

Ronnie - Higgins, interesting match so far...

 

This has been one of the closest World Championships for ages. Two final frame deciders in the quarters and the semis are still very close. Very hard to choose between Higgins and Maguire, same for Murphy and Selby. A Maguire - Murphy final would be good as they have a lot of past and are big rivals. On the over hand Higgins has been great to watch. I hope these semis go all the way as its great stuff for a neutral.

 

Great semis. I wanted Murphy to get to the finals, but Selby stayed way so cool last 3 frames. He will be a hard rival for Higgins. Nice matches.

 

I dont like Murphy, he's a cocky arrogant git imo. Selby played great, not just breakbuilding but played some top notch safety and his shot selection was flawless; Higgins will definatly have his hands full.

 

Bloody Selby, I laughed at my mate when he lost to him! My mate was like "He's wicked mate, he'll make it big I'm telling you", I was like "Why, because he beat you? Give yourself over man!" and took the piss. Now don't I look stupid! I hope Selby wins.

 

Well Selby is much improved, before this tournament I thought he was average at best. I hope Higgins wins. Don't want another qualifier being World Champion and Higgins has played the best snooker in the last few seasons and deserves it. Not to mention Selby's weird voice.

 

... and boring play... 3 minutes shots just to fail.
Higgings is beating the crap out of him

 

I'm probably going to miss today's sessions recording it though. I fancy Selby to make a minature comeback before Higgins crosses the line in tonights session. Higgins will now be ranked number one which is fair as he's played the best and most consistent snooker over the last two seasons. His Masters win over O'Sullivan (last season) with 4 centuries in 4 frames and a final frame clearence to win on the black was sensational.