Snooker: Hawkins downs Davis

Defending champion Barry Hawkins edged into the second round of the World Snooker Shootout with a 45-42 victory over Steve Davis.

The match opened the show at the Circus Arena in Blackpool and it was a dramatic start to the night, with Hawkins fouling early only for Davis to forget the new 'ball in hand' rule.

The veteran duly fouled, handing the initiative back, although it was Davis who led for much of the 10 minutes despite fluffing a straight yellow cueing left handed.

But a brief safety duel saw Hawkins handed a chance to get the few points he needed to keep alive his hopes of successive titles.

Mark Williams thrashed Mike Dunn 73-0 thanks mainly to a break of 46 while Anthony Hamilton surprised Stuart Bingham 84-8 with some fluent potting in breaks of 54 and 24.

Mark Allen knocked in a break of 33 against Tom Ford who had his chances, a missed red to the centre finally putting paid to his hopes as the Northern Irishman won 63-11 with more than two minutes to spare.

There was disappointment for the vocal crowd when Jimmy White was crushed 69-36 by Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, the Chinese prodigy rattling in a break of 41 to leave the veteran requiring snookers.

Welshman Michael White overcame a nervy start to beat Joe Perry 64-17 after a break of 59, while last year's semi-finalist Marcus Campbell saw off Matthew Stevens 63-1.

Matthew Selt rattled in breaks of 28 and 25 to overcome Graeme Dott 58-17, while promising youngster Jack Lisowski defeated Adam Duffy 61-35 thanks largely to an early run of 38.

Ricky Walden and David Gilbert were inseparable at 43-43, thus forcing a blue-ball shootout for the first time in the event, and after Gilbert missed his first effort Walden calmly slotted to the left-corner pocket.

Dominic Dale defeated Peter Ebdon 31-6 in a scrappy affair in which Ebdon potted his first ball inside the final five minutes following a lengthy safety duel.

There were also wins for Jamie Jones over Mark King, 67-9, Robert Milkins against Ali Carter, 43-30 and Michael Holt who was a 49-10 victor in his match with Jamie Burnett.

Leicester's Ben Woollaston defeated Paul Davison 50-14 in an edgy affair, while in the final match of the night Alan McManus coolly brushed aside Fergal O'Brien 61-13.

The remaining first round ties will take place on Saturday afternoon before the evening session that will be contested by the last 16.

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Snooker: Trump tops group with Ebdon win

Gareth Copley / Getty Images

Judd Trump went top of Group B in Premier League snooker with a 4-2 victory against Peter Ebdon in Southampton.

Ebdon took the opening frame on the black, lost the second in similar circumstances and then edged a tactical third to move 2-1 in front.
Trump, the UK champion, levelled for a second time with a 131 total clearance and forged ahead with a contribution of 90 in the next.
And he finished off the comeback with breaks of 27 and 47 in the sixth and deciding frame.
In the opening match of the night, Stuart Bingham beat Ding Junhui 4-2 for his first win of the campaign.
The Englishman opened with a 75 and added a scrappy second frame before Ding drew level at 2-2 thanks to runs of 54, 38 and 73.
But Bingham rolled in breaks of 75 and 50 to close out a victory that moves him above Ding into second place in Group A.

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Trump flies to PTC victory

Judd Trump took just 41 minutes to beat Ding Junhui 4-0 in the final of the season's second Players Tour Championship event.

Bristol's 21-year-old Trump rattled in breaks of 81, 68 and 121 in taking the £10,000 top prize at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.
Left-hander Trump won a PTC event last season as well as the China Open, then captured the imagination with his brilliant run to the World Championship final.
He started the current season slowly, losing in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open, but is now back on track.
"I didn't play well up until the last 16 but then I beat Neil Robertson 4-3 on the last black and after that I found some form from somewhere," said Trump. "After that I felt as if it was meant to be, I went for my shots and sped up a bit. In the semis and final there was a good crowd and that gave me another lift.
"I didn't practise enough for the start of the season because I wanted to enjoy myself after what happened at the Crucible. It's a long, tough season and everyone wants to be beat me now. So it's nice to win another tournament because it makes my opponents fear me more.
"The PTCs carry good ranking points (2,000 to the winner) and it keeps me moving forward, plus I'm virtually guranteed to be in the Grand Finals now. It's exciting to have plenty of tournaments coming up and good to know I am in the final stages of all of them. It makes me want to work harder and look forward to the rest of the season."
In the semi-finals, Trump beat Fergal O'Brien 4-0 while Ding edged out fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong 4-3. PTC1 winner Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 4-3 to O'Brien in the quarters.
Bristol's 21-year-old Trump rattled in breaks of 81, 68 and 121 in taking the £10,000 top prize at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.
Left-hander Trump won a PTC event last season as well as the China Open, then captured the imagination with his brilliant run to the World Championship final.
He started the current season slowly, losing in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open, but is now back on track.
"I didn't play well up until the last 16 but then I beat Neil Robertson 4-3 on the last black and after that I found some form from somewhere," said Trump. "After that I felt as if it was meant to be, I went for my shots and sped up a bit. In the semis and final there was a good crowd and that gave me another lift.
"I didn't practise enough for the start of the season because I wanted to enjoy myself after what happened at the Crucible. It's a long, tough season and everyone wants to be beat me now. So it's nice to win another tournament because it makes my opponents fear me more.
"The PTCs carry good ranking points (2,000 to the winner) and it keeps me moving forward, plus I'm virtually guranteed to be in the Grand Finals now. It's exciting to have plenty of tournaments coming up and good to know I am in the final stages of all of them. It makes me want to work harder and look forward to the rest of the season."
In the semi-finals, Trump beat Fergal O'Brien 4-0 while Ding edged out fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong 4-3. PTC1 winner Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 4-3 to O'Brien in the quarters.

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Snooker: Ding quickly Trumped

Judd Trump took just 41 minutes to beat Ding Junhui 4-0 in the final of the season's second Players Tour Championship event.

Bristol's 21-year-old Trump rattled in breaks of 81, 68 and 121 in taking the £10,000 top prize at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.
Left-hander Trump won a PTC event last season as well as the China Open, then captured the imagination with his brilliant run to the World Championship final.
He started the current season slowly, losing in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open, but is now back on track.
"I didn't play well up until the last 16 but then I beat Neil Robertson 4-3 on the last black and after that I found some form from somewhere," said Trump. "After that I felt as if it was meant to be, I went for my shots and sped up a bit. In the semis and final there was a good crowd and that gave me another lift.
"I didn't practise enough for the start of the season because I wanted to enjoy myself after what happened at the Crucible. It's a long, tough season and everyone wants to be beat me now. So it's nice to win another tournament because it makes my opponents fear me more.
"The PTCs carry good ranking points (2,000 to the winner) and it keeps me moving forward, plus I'm virtually guranteed to be in the Grand Finals now. It's exciting to have plenty of tournaments coming up and good to know I am in the final stages of all of them. It makes me want to work harder and look forward to the rest of the season."
In the semi-finals, Trump beat Fergal O'Brien 4-0 while Ding edged out fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong 4-3. PTC1 winner Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 4-3 to O'Brien in the quarters.
Bristol's 21-year-old Trump rattled in breaks of 81, 68 and 121 in taking the £10,000 top prize at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.
Left-hander Trump won a PTC event last season as well as the China Open, then captured the imagination with his brilliant run to the World Championship final.
He started the current season slowly, losing in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open, but is now back on track.
"I didn't play well up until the last 16 but then I beat Neil Robertson 4-3 on the last black and after that I found some form from somewhere," said Trump. "After that I felt as if it was meant to be, I went for my shots and sped up a bit. In the semis and final there was a good crowd and that gave me another lift.
"I didn't practise enough for the start of the season because I wanted to enjoy myself after what happened at the Crucible. It's a long, tough season and everyone wants to be beat me now. So it's nice to win another tournament because it makes my opponents fear me more.
"The PTCs carry good ranking points (2,000 to the winner) and it keeps me moving forward, plus I'm virtually guranteed to be in the Grand Finals now. It's exciting to have plenty of tournaments coming up and good to know I am in the final stages of all of them. It makes me want to work harder and look forward to the rest of the season."
In the semi-finals, Trump beat Fergal O'Brien 4-0 while Ding edged out fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong 4-3. PTC1 winner Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 4-3 to O'Brien in the quarters.

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Snooker: Mawer joins WPBSA board

Nigel Mawer has joined the board of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association as the new chairman of the disciplinary committee.

Nigel Mawer, formerly a senior officer with the Metropolitan Police, has joined the board of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association as the new chairman of the disciplinary committee.
Mawer, formerly a senior officer with the Metropolitan Police who left the force in 2010 having been a Detective Chief Superintendent in the Specialist Crime Directorate, replaces the outgoing David Douglas on the WPBSA board.
Mawer led the police inquiry into allegations of spot-fixing by three Pakistani cricketers during the team's tour of England last summer and the inquiry into the expenses claims of MPs and members of the House of Lords.
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson said: "We are delighted to bring Nigel on to the board. He has a wealth of experience at the very top level, which will benefit us in dealing with disciplinary issues in snooker.
"We've made real progress in recent months in making snooker a clean sport, especially in setting up the new Integrity Unit. Under Nigel's guidance we will be able to continue that progress.
"We would like to thank David Douglas for his exceptional contribution to the governance of our sport and we wish him all the best."

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Ko survives opening day jitters

Taiwanese pool sensation Ko Pin-Yi held his nerve in a tightly contested 6-5 win over Filipino veteran Warren Kiamco.

Ko raced to a quick 3 - 1 lead over his rival and looked certain that he was going to cruise to an easy victory. But in the 4th frame, a missed slice attempt on the one ball corner pocket gave Kiamco just enough wiggle room to capitalize on the error, which lead to a routine clean-up to get back in contention at 2 - 3.
From there, momentum was on the Filipino's side as he claimed the next two racks, 4 - 3 to turn the tide and lead the race-to-6 contest for the first time. Refusing to succumb to pressure, Ko somehow managed to battle nerves to keep pace with Kiamco with impeccable safety plays.
With neither player refusing to give up, the match went the distance to tie at 5 - 5, much to the delight of the crowd. Unfortunately for Kiamco, he was the first to crack under pressure as he botched a two-rail kick safety attempt which Ko capitalised for the well deserved victory 6 - 5.
The two other Taiwanese competing in the tournament, Chang Jung-Lin and Kuo Po-Cheng have yet to begin their respective campaigns at press time.
Earlier in the morning session, current World no. 1 Dennis Orcollo displayed impeccable pool skills to earn a dominating win over Indonesia's Sumaryadi, 6 - 0 to jump start his bid for the championship. Not to be outdone, fellow country man and defending champion Jundel Mazon overcame a slow start to defeat his Indonesian rival Roy Apanco 6 - 4.

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Telecast of the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool - 10Ball challenge will be carried LIVE on STAR Sports, with fifteen hours of exhilarating competition from July 15 - 17, 2011. Broadcast times are as follows:
Fri, July 15, 2011 from 18.00-22.30 (HKT) Preliminaries
Sat, July 16, 2011 from 12.00-18.00 (HKT) Quarterfinals
Sun, July 17, 2011 from 11.00-16.00 (HKT) Semifinals & Finals

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Seemingly relaxed and well prepared, Orcollo wasted no time in his match against Sumaryadi. Running out the table whenever he broke and pouncing on countless careless mistakes by the Indonesian, it almost seemed the match was over even before it began. In fact, by the 5th rack, confidence broken and still seemingly unable to find his stroke, Sumaryadi unintentionally conceded by arriving a few minutes late after the mandatory 5th rack timeout which gave away the final rack to the Filipino.
On the other hand, things were a bit more interesting in the match between Mazon and Apanco. Down 1 - 3 and with momentum on the Indonesian's side, Mazon seemed to be in trouble. But once again, luck proved to be a huge factor in the game of pool as a dry break from Apanco in the 7th frame with the score 2 - 4 gave the soft-spoken Pinoy the only window of opportunity he needed to notch four unanswered racks for a thrilling come from behind victory.

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Rocket tips Filipiak to top

Ronnie O'Sullivan tipped Poland's Kacper Filipiak as a future world champion after the 15-year-old posted World Cup wins against John Higgins and Stephen Maguire.

Filipiak made a break of 69 to beat reigning Crucible king Higgins in the opening frame of the Group D match, and then rolled in 50 to help him overcome Maguire.
O'Sullivan, himself a three-time winner in Sheffield, was watching at home and wrote on Twitter: "Tip for you all, just seen this 15-year-old from Poland, he will be world champion.
"He is playing for Poland in the World Cup now, check him out. Nice player."
Scotland won the best-of-five-frames match 3-2 but Filipiak stood out, and Higgins paid the European Under-21 champion arguably a greater compliment than O'Sullivan offered.
"He looks very serious and probably reminds you of a young Stephen Hendry," said Higgins.
"He's improving and doing so very quickly - he's probably the best player of the tournament so far. He didn't look like missing."
Maguire added: "To see him knock in a break like that in one frame against John says a lot about his character, his bottle and that he's not letting the nerves get to him."
While Scotland struggled, England and Wales both won emphatically.
Mark Selby and Ali Carter combined to held England thrash Brazil's Noel Rodrigues and Fabio Luersen 4-1 in Group C.
The English pair are among the favourites for the title at the PTT-EGAT-sponsored tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.
"It would have been nice to win 5-0 but a win is a win and 4-1 isn't too bad," said Selby.
Wales, represented by Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens, did achieve a whitewash, beating Egypt's Yaser Elsherbiny and Wael Talat 5-0.
"We're the first team to win 5-0 and it gives us a great start to the tournament," said Stevens.
Australia followed up their 4-1 win over hosts Thailand with a 3-2 defeat of Malta in Group B, while India bounced back from their 4-1 defeat to Northern Ireland with a 3-2 triumph over Belgium in Group C, as Bjorn Haneveer let a winning position slip away against Pankav Advani in the deciding frame.
Germany, who lost to Egypt on Monday, defeated Pakistan 3-2 in Group A, while hosts Thailand's first team - they have two entered - crushed United Arab Emirates 4-1, and Hong Kong edged Afghanistan 3-2.

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Pool action heats up in Jakarta

The Guinness World Series of Pool - 10Ball Challenge returns to Jakarta for the second straight year with seven World champions all vying for the same prize.

The best pool action ensues this week as the Grand Finals stage unfolds at the Mall Taman Anggrek Jakarta from July 14 - 17.
Gracing the event includes top names such as reigning WPA World Eight-Ball Champion Dennis Orcollo (PHI), current World 9-Ball Champion Yukio Akagariyama (JPN), 2009 WPA World Ten-Ball Champion Mika Immonen (FIN), 2003 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Thorsten Hohmann (GER), 1997 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Johnny Archer (USA), 2008 World Eight-Ball Champion Ralf Souquet (GER), and 2006 WPA World Nine-Ball Champion Ronato Alcano (PHI).
A year has passed since unheralded Filipino cue master Jundel Mazon flew under the radar to snatch victory away from local hero Nasution in a nail biting finale that had pool fans clutching the edge of their seats from the opening break leading to the final pocket.
As the 2010 championship proved to be a remarkable success in unearthing raw talent in the region's budding billiard scene, expectations are definitely high for the local contenders. And leading Indonesia's charge for the international glory include last year's finalist Irsal Nasution together with a cast of the best homegrown pool talent which includes veteran Ricky Yang against the finest Cue-masters in the world, in hopes of bringing the championship back to home ground.
As always, the Philippines remain a constant threat with all 7 of its aspiring participants earning Grand Finals slots through a dominating performance of the qualifying sessions early this week to bolster an already intimidating Filipino roster. Surprisingly, Taiwan, another country with a strong pool heritage was only able to book three entries this year with 2010 World 9-Ball Championship runner-up Kuo Po-Cheng and Ko Pin-Yi joining Chang Jung-Lin in the lineup. The German duo of Hohmann and Souquet are also contenders to look out for as they have been looking forward for redemption ever since their early exit in the 2010 edition.
With the 64-strong playing field finally set, Jakarta will once again be in the limelight of the billiards world. The premise of pool greats showcasing heart-stopping cue action in the quest for the coveted 10Ball crown looms tantalizingly over the horizon and with $100,000.00 prize money at stake, pool fans can expect nothing else but greatness personified. Wednesday's draw featured some tantalizing matchups for Thursday's double elimination round:
• Mika Immonen (FIN) vs John Salazar (PHI)
• Jeffrey De Luna (PHI) vs Carlo Biado (PHI)
• Warren Kiamco (PHI) vs Ko Pin-Yi (TPE)
• Ralf Souquet (GER) vs Rudy Susanto (INA)
• Johnny Archer (USA) vs Muhammad Bewi Simanjuntak (INA)
• Raj Hundal (GBR) vs Diyan Setiawan (INA)
• Ronato Alcano (PHI) vs Muhamad Junarto (INA)
• Thorsten Hohmann (GER) vs Imran Ibrahim (INA)
• Dennis Orcollo (PHI) vs Sumaryadi (INA)
Said John Galvin, Marketing Manager, Guinness: "Guinness is a proud supporter of pool through the Guinness World Series of Pool 2011 - 10 Ball Challenge. Pool is a passion for many of our consumers and we are happy to be supporting it.
"It has been an exciting journey for Guinness and pool fans all over Indonesia, where both the beer and the sport are enjoyed immensely. We thank our consumers for the support that they have given us by participating in local pool tournaments and other promotions."
Said Harvey Davis, Vice President, ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group: "We are delighted to partner with Guinness again for this event and we're committed to offer our expertise to showcase the best cuesport action and ensure that the event will be held at the highest international standards for the competitors and spectators.
"With over 15 hours of exhilarating pool action broadcast live over STAR Sports, we will be able to provide fans across the region a spectacular billiard event. This is also a great platform for our partnership with Guinness to promote the sport not just in Indonesia but across Asia as well."

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The telecast of the 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool - 10Ball challenge will be carried LIVE on STAR Sports, with fifteen hours of exhilarating competition from July 15 - 17, 2011. Broadcast times are as follows:
Fri, July 15, 2011 from 18.00-22.30 (HKT) Preliminaries
Sat, July 16, 2011 from 12.00-18.00 (HKT) Quarterfinals
Sun, July 17, 2011 from 11.00-16.00 (HKT) Semifinals & Finals
The broadcast of the event is also available on TVRi, kindly check local listings for more details.

The 2011 Guinness World Series of Pool - 10Ball Challenge is sanctioned by the Asian Pocket Billiard Union (APBU) and organized by ESPN STAR Sports' Event Management Group (EMG). Guinness is the title sponsor for the Event. The local sanctioning body is the All Indonesian Billiards Association (POBSI). Iwan Simonis and Aramith supply the official tablecloth and official balls respectively. Murray provides the official pool table while Predator is the official cue. Team Sports Marketing Sdn Bhd is the official apparel sponsor. STAR Sports is the official broadcaster.

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Wuxi Classic joy for Selby

Mark Selby beat Ali Carter 9-7 in the final of the Wuxi Classic in China.

The first session of the contest finished 4-4 before Carter won the first frame after the break to move ahead.
Selby bounced back straight away as he won four frames on the spin to move 8-5 clear, and despite a fightback from Carter, he was able to secure a 9-7 win with a break of 100.
The duo will now team up for England in next week's PTT-EGAT World Cup and they will open with a clash against Brazil in Bangkok.
"If Ali and I play as well next week then we have a great chance to win the World Cup," Selby told worldsnooker.com.
"It's strange to think that today [Sunday] I was willing him to miss balls and next week I'll be willing him to pot everything. He's a great player and we'll be a strong team."
Selby also thinks his Wuxi Classic success will be a big boost to his confidence.
"I know this isn't a ranking event but it was still a very strong line up so to win the title is a good achievement. It can only do good for my confidence and hopefully there will be more to come this season."

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Snooker World Cup draw

The draw for the PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup which starts on Monday.

Group A
Wales, Egypt, Pakistan, Germany and Ireland
Group B
China, Thailand 1, UAE, Malta and Australia
Group C
England, Brazil, India, Belgium and Northern Ireland
Group D
Scotland, Thailand 2, Afghanistan, Poland and Hong Kong
The teams, each made up of two players, play on a round-robin basis with each match consisting of five frames in the following format:
Player 1 vs Player 1
Player 2 vs Player 2
Alternate shot doubles
Player 1 vs Player 2
Player 2 vs Player 1
Teams win one point for each frame won and the top two teams in each group go through to the quarter-finals.
In the knockout stages, the match format changes to best-of-seven:
Singles 1
Singles 2
Doubles 1
Singles 3
Singles 4
Doubles 2
Sudden death singles (if needed, captains to nominate players)

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Snooker: Wuxi Classic joy for Selby

Mark Selby beat Ali Carter 9-7 in the final of the Wuxi Classic in China.

The first session of the contest finished 4-4 before Carter won the first frame after the break to move ahead.
Selby bounced back straight away as he won four frames on the spin to move 8-5 clear, and despite a fightback from Carter, he was able to secure a 9-7 win with a break of 100.
The duo will now team up for England in next week's PTT-EGAT World Cup and they will open with a clash against Brazil in Bangkok.
"If Ali and I play as well next week then we have a great chance to win the World Cup," Selby told worldsnooker.com.
"It's strange to think that today [Sunday] I was willing him to miss balls and next week I'll be willing him to pot everything. He's a great player and we'll be a strong team."
Selby also thinks his Wuxi Classic success will be a big boost to his confidence.
"I know this isn't a ranking event but it was still a very strong line up so to win the title is a good achievement. It can only do good for my confidence and hopefully there will be more to come this season."

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Doherty welcomes return

Ken Doherty feels the forthcoming World Cup tournament will add variety and passion to the snooker calendar.

The Irishman, who will will partner Fergal O'Brien in Bangkok, will be among the field for the PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup, a team event which has been added to the schedule this season.
It is the first time the World Cup has been staged in snooker since 1996 and Doherty feels its return is long overdue.
"It's vitally important for snooker to have a World Cup as all the other big sports have some kind of team event where different nations are represented," said the 41-year-old.
"We're becoming more of a global game and having a World Cup is a part of that.
"The event generates so much excitement and passion, and gives some variety to the calendar. I've spoken to some of the other players involved next week and we can't wait for it.
"I'm already in Thailand doing some exhibitions and the fans here are talking about it and building an atmosphere."
He added: "I remember as a kid watching the World Cup when Ireland won it three years in a row (1985-87).
"It's a tournament that makes for great television. It's shame it hasn't been staged for 15 years but I'm pleased it's back now and the standard of play is d

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Carter: Snooker WC up for grabs

England's Ali Carter believes that the unique format of next week's PTT-EGAT Snooker World Cup increases the chance of a shock winner.

The new tournament, which runs from July 11-17 in Bangkok, sees 20 two-man teams battling for a top prize of $200,000. Matches in the initial group phase will be over five frames, including a doubles frame with alternate shots.
The top two teams in each five-team group then progress to quarter-finals.
Carter, who teams up with Mark Selby for England, said: "It's a new format for all of us. I've never played doubles with alternate shots before and it will take some getting used to.
"You might see some surprise results.
"England, Scotland, Wales and China are going to be the favourites but there are a lot of other teams with a chance.
"Mark Allen and Gerard Greene for Northern Ireland is a strong team because they are both great potters and that's what you need in short matches. And the two Thai teams will be dangerous because they will have the home support and they're used to the conditions there.
"It's exciting to be playing in a team event as it's something I've never done before. I've got a very strong partner in Mark Selby and we both know the other will be giving everything to win.
"I had a poor record in Asia until last season when I won the Shanghai Masters. I've got more confidence playing out there now and I know I can win tournaments.

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