World Snooker Championship 2010

[David Agnew]

Yep, it all starts tomorrow. Personally, I fancy Ding Junhui to become the first player from outside the British Isles to win in 30 years, beating Mark Williams in the final, with John Higgins and Stephen Maguire the losing finalists.

Preview to follow...

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

John Higgins (4) v Barry Hawkins (17)
It’s been a long time since the World Champion managed to retain, but this season has been all about two players – and one of them is Higgins. Higgins has reached at least the semi finals of four of the other five ranking tournaments this season (a huge achievement), and if Higgins hasn’t won the tournament, the man that has beaten him has. And considering the top half looks tougher on paper this year, that’s likely to be the case again. And Higgins is so far ahead of the World Rankings, that he’s guaranteed to be world number one next season, regardless of how he fares in Sheffield – and that hasn’t happened in nine years. It’s a tough break for the inconsistent Hawkins, who would have fancied his chances against most players, and needed to progress in order to regain the top 16 place that he lost in 2007.
Previous World Championship Best: Higgins – Winner 1998, 2007 & 2009; Hawkins – First Round 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009.
Previous meetings: John Higgins has won their only previous ranking event match – in a best of five match in 2006.
Prediction: Higgins 10-4

Mark King (16) v Steve Davis (23)
Don’t let the closeness in the seedings deceive you – The Nugget has had an appalling season. Davis’s win over Adrian Gunnell in the qualifier was only his second of the season. King on the other hand has had one of his best seasons ever, and his best season in over a decade. That said, the Crucible has never been the greatest hunting ground for King (just six wins in ten visits), but after last season’s 75 minute frame against Stephen Maguire, his most remembered achievement is now at least snooker related. King should progress here, but next up will almost certainly be John Higgins. Previous WC Best: King – Second Round 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2008 & 2009; Davis – Winner 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988 & 1989.
Previous meetings: King won their last match in 2008, by five frames to two, but it was his first win over Davis in 11 years, with Davis having the upper hand in their other three encounters.
Prediction: King 10-5

Neil Robertson (9) v Fergal O’Brien (31)
Robertson started the season with a bang, winning the Grand Prix last Autumn, but he’s failed to reach the last 16 of any tournament since. So, the one thing he needed here more than anything was a favourable draw. And he’s had the best draw possible, as he faces one of the most out of form of the non-seeded players in O’Brien, likely followed by the most out of form seed in Marco Fu. O’Brien was once in the world’s top 10, but is in danger of dropping out of the top 48 after two underwhelming seasons where he’s only qualified for four tournaments and hasn’t beaten anyone ranked higher than he is. That’s going to carry on here, as Robertson looks to pick up the momentum he had last season.
Previous WC Best: Robertson – Semi-Final 2009; O’Brien – Quarter-Final 2000.
Previous meetings: Just the one, Robertson getting the win at the Shanghai Masters two years ago.
Prediction: Robertson 10-3

Marco Fu (8) v Martin Gould (46)
On paper, probably the weakest first round match on paper, as the most out of form seed faces the most out of form non-seed. Fu has only won three matches all season (all in China), which is two more than Gould has. At least Fu has the consolation of winning two games at last month’s China Open. Gould’s solitary win came in the Shanghai qualifiers last August. Whoever wins here is getting knocked out in round two.
Previous WC Best: Fu – Semi-Final 2006; Gould – First Round 2000.
Previous meetings: None.
Prediction: Fu 10-6.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Ali Carter (5) v Jamie Cope (18)
This has all the makings of a cracker. Ali Carter has risen to provisional world number three in a fairly quiet, but consistent manner. His best result was runner-up in the Welsh Open, and there is still the occasional question mark over his big game temperament. Cope, on the other hand has yet to reach the big games, but is one of the best players to watch in the world – he’s only had three matches at the Crucible, but two of those went to the deciding frame against World Champions Peter Ebdon, and John Higgins. It’s a shame that the winner is in the tougher half of the draw, as the quarter final is their limit this year, I feel.
Previous WC Best: Carter – Runner-Up 2008; Cope – Second Round 2009.
Previous meetings: Just one, as Carter beat a very young Cope 9-3 in the 2005 UK Championship.
Prediction: Carter 10-8.

Joe Perry (12) v Michael Holt (24)
This match pitches two of the games journeymen together. Perry is considered one of the nicest guys on the circuit, considering his name is “Gentleman”, and his form over the last 18 years (one final appearance since he joined the tour in 1992) suggest that nice guys don’t always win, as he’s been in the lower echelons of the top sixteen over the past few years (12 being his peak). Solid, consistent, but unspectacular, he’s the type to generally beat players below him in the rankings, but lose to those above him. Holt is similar style, if weaker player, who has hovered outside the top sixteen for the last eight seasons, without threatening to break into it. Just three quarter final appearances in twelve years, the last being in 2005.
Previous WC Best: Perry – Semi-Final 2008; Holt – First Round 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2009.
Previous meetings: Again, just the one. Perry edged Holt out of the 2006 China open by 5 frames to 4.
Prediction: Perry 10-8

Ding Junhui (13) v Stuart Pettman (37)
Just one player outside the British Isles has ever been World Champion, and that was “The Grinder”, Cliff Thorburn in 1980. And there hasn’t been a player better placed to do it since. Ding has reached three out of the other five finals this season – an amazing achievement, even if he has only won one of the three. His lack of confidence, resulting from a negative crowd reaction at the 2007 Masters Final against Ronnie O’Sullivan, appears to be long gone. Sadly, the draw takes away the prospect of the top two players this season facing each other in the final, but if Ding and Higgins do face each other in the semi, I expect Ding to repeat his success in the UK Championship final, on the way to becoming World Champion. Especially as he’s got his best ever draw in Stuart Pettman. Pettman is one of those long term low-ranked players that have seemingly been around since the Open era began in the early 1990s, without really threatening the top 16 – his current rank of 37 is also his highest (mainly down to his first ever semi-final appearance in last season’s China Open). Pettman’s not had the best of seasons, as this is the first tournament he’s qualified for in over a year, although the last time he qualified for a tournament (last year’s China Open), he went on to make the semi-final. That’s not happening here, as Ding will make short work of him.
Previous WC Best: Ding – Second Round 2008 & 2009; Pettman – First Round 2003 & 2004.
Previous meetings: Like so many other matchups here, just the once in 2007. Ding won 4-2.
Prediction: Ding 10-3

Shaun Murphy (3) v Gerard Greene (32)
Murphy is a strange player. He only qualified for two tournaments in his first five years as a professional (the 2002 & 2003 World Championships), and when he arrived at the 2005 World Championship, he’d only ever beaten two top sixteen players. Two weeks later he was World Champion. Since, his form has been patchy, seemingly pulling out tournament wins when he most needs ranking points, seemingly plodding along the rest of the time. This season, he started with a flourish, winning his first three games at Shanghai, while only dropping one frame in the process, since then he’s only beat one player – Gerard Greene – in the UK Championship, before falling victim to Ding Junhui. Murphy may well get a strong sense of déjà vu come Monday week. Greene is similar to Pettman, even down to the sole semi-final appearance (although Greene’s was in 2005), and is aiming to win for the first time at the Crucible at the fifth attempt. Greene’s form is useful (he’s qualified for five of the six tournaments this year), and it will be close, but Murphy will edge it.
Previous WC Best: Murphy – Winner 2005; Greene – First Round 1999, 2003, 2005 & 2009.
Previous meetings: Three times. Murphy’s win in the UK Championship earlier in the season, and a win apiece in 2005.
Prediction: Murphy 10-9

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Stephen Maguire (2) v Stephen Lee (25)
Both players have the threat of match fixing allegations hanging over their heads, but Maguire will probably be more under pressure, as his case (concening a 9-3 victory over Jamie Burnett at last year’s UK Championship) is back in the news again. Two semi-final appearances this season belie what has otherwise been a lacklustre season that has seen him drop to number six in the provisional rankings. Hopefully, it won’t sidetrack him too much, as he favours the longer frame format, and is a future World Champion. Stephen Lee’s time in the spotlight has come and gone, and the allegations against him are a lot vaguer, but he’s not won a game this year, although he did have an impressive 9-8 win over Mark Allen in the UK Championship last December. That has been the sole highlight of Lee’s worst season since he established himself.
Previous WC Best: Maguire – Semi-Final 2007; Lee – Semi-Final 2003.
Previous meetings: Four – all while Lee was in the top 10 seeds, and Maguire was on his way up the rankings, but Maguire still has a 3-1 advantage. Lee’s only win was a whitewash.
Prediction: Maguire 10-6

Peter Ebdon (14) v Graeme Dott (28)
The only First Round match to feature two former World Champions, and a rerun of the 2006 final. Peter Ebdon needs a win here, in order to retain his top 16 ranking, and therefore guarantee qualification to next season’s events. That sounds like he’s had a poor season, but he has reached two quarter finals, both times running into Ding Junhui. A little better consistency would have helped. Graeme Dott’s form has recovered greatly since his bout of depression, and the tournaments he missed last season are the difference between his provisional ranking of 19, and regaining his top 16 ranking, which like Ebdon, he can do with a good run here. All being said, it’s going to be tight, and slow. Maybe too slow for some.- at least their sessions are both evening starts, and therefore unlikely to cause scheduling problems when they inevitably overrun.
Previous WC Best: Ebdon – Winner 2002; Dott – Winner 2006.
Previous meetings: Four – Ebdon won three, but Dott won the one that mattered the most.
Prediction: Ebdon 10-8

Mark Allen (11) v Tom Ford (49)
Allen’s fourth appearance at the Crucible, and he has a lot to live up to. On his debut in 2007, he knocked out former Champ Ken Doherty. In 2008, he just came up short in the deciding frame of a classic match against Stephen Hendry, and last year he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in another classic before succumbing to John Higgins in the semi-final. Two further quarter-finals and a semi-final have helped his push towards the top, but another good run here (which is possible) would help propel Allen into the top 8. Ford is a Crucible debutant, and this is the third tournament he’s qualified for this season, and he did beat veteran Anthony Hamilton, and the highly rated youngster Judd Trump to get here. But Ford’s record against top 16 players, and on television is poor, with no wins against the upper echelon since 2007, and that was in the controversial group stage format of the Grand Prix, and this won’t change in Sheffield.
Previous WC Best: Allen – Semi-Final 2009; Ford – Whatever he does here.
Previous meetings: Three – All won by Allen.
Prediction: Allen 10-6.

Ryan Day (6) v Mark Davis (47)
On this season’s form, this is the closest match on paper, with just 110 ranking points between them (as a guide, the winner of this match will get 3800 points). Day hasn’t retained the form that he’s had the last three seasons, only making one quarter-final, and failing to get past the first round in three of the other four tournaments this season. Davis on the other hand, has reached the last 16 of the Grand Prix, and qualified for all but one of the other tournaments – not bad as he has to play at least two matches to get there. It’s that momentum that will see him pip Day in a tight match, even if his previous form here isn’t good.
Previous WC Best: Allen – Quarter-Final 2009; Davis – First Round 2001 & 2008.
Previous meetings: Four – including World Championship Qualifiers (2002 & 2004), both close – all won by Day.
Prediction: Davis 10-9.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Mark Selby (7) v Ken Doherty (44)
Selby is like a lesser version of Shaun Murphy, in that he seems to coast along most of the time – it’s been almost two years since he made it past the quarter final of a tournament, although he is at least winning the occasional game at the moment. As a result he’s dropped down the world ranking, and is provisionally number 12. Doherty is the lowest he’s been since his first year as a professional, but has had an improved season, and is heading back towards the top sixteen. Particular highlights have been the quarter final of the Shanghai Masters, and the last 16 of the Grand Prix. Doherty isn’t going to overtake Selby this season, but at their current rates, it’s only a matter of time.
Previous WC Best: Selby – Runner-Up 2007; Doherty – Winner 1997.
Previous meetings: Four – two each, including this season’s Grand Prix, won 5-3 by Doherty.
Prediction: Doherty 10-8.

Stephen Hendry (10) v Zhang Anda (unseeded)
There’s not a lot new you can say about Hendry, and just when it looks like he’s about to start dropping down the World Rankings in the way so many of the former greats have - from Jimmy White and John Parrott from the 80s to those in the late 1990s such as Doherty, Matthew Stevens, Stephen Lee and Mark Williams – he either picks his form up, or regains his consistency in a way to stay with the elite. And that’s what he’s managed this season – Winning your first match in a every tournament isn’t as common as you’d think, but it’s also the best way to rise up the rankings, or stay there, and that’s what Hendry’s done this season. He’s only reached one quarter final (handily, last month’s China Open), but he’s still playing with the big boys. Zhang, on the other hand is a newcomer – it’s his first season on the tour, and the first time he’s qualified for an event. In fact before these qualifiers, he’d had a very unspectacular season, and was languishing at 82 in the rankings – looking set to lose his tour place in the process. However, a fantastic run in qualifying, knocking out Andrew Higginson and Ricky Walden (both who qualified last season, ending Walden’s chances of making the top 16 for the first time), as well as sending John Parrott into retirement by ensuring the former World Champ not only missed Sheffield, but also the cut onto next season’s Tour. Hendry, however is a much tougher proposition, and Zhang must look to get as good an experience as possible out of this match.
Previous WC Best: Hendry – Winner 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 & 1999; Zhang – Whatever he does here.
Previous meetings: None.
Prediction: Hendry 10-3.

Mark Williams (15) v Marcus Campbell (45)
Don’t let the number 15 by Williams’ name fool you – he is back to his best, and comes fresh from beating Ding Junhui in the Chinese star’s backyard in the final of last month’s China Open for his first title in four years. Only Ding Junhui and John Higgins have scored more ranking points this season. And only four players have won more in the ranking era, which is a big warning to the rest of the field, although only three players have ever won the World Championship having won the previous tournament, and he’ll be a threat here – in fact, I can see him facing Ding again in the final. Campbell is another journeyman who has qualified, although by beating former semi-finalists James Wattana and Matthew Stevens to get here. Campbell is however having one of his best ever seasons, having qualified for half of the tournaments, and his provisional ranking is already higher than his previous best ranking, but he’s not going to progress here.
Previous WC Best: Williams – Winner 2000 & 2003; Campbell – First Round 2001.
Previous meetings: Three – all won by Williams.
Prediction: Williams 10-3.

Ronnie O’Sullivan (1) v Liang Wenbo (27)
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the usual pinsticker’s favourite, but he’s had a very quiet season by his high standards. Although he started with a flourish by beating Liang Wenbo in the Shanghai Masters final back in September, otherwise he’s reached two semi-finals, and suffered the relative embarrassment of being beaten by wildcard Tian Pengfei in the China Open. He’s lost his number one ranking, and is only fourth for ranking points this season. Not far behind him is Liang Wenbo. Up until the Welsh Open in February, Liang’s season was looking impressive and he was looking likely to break into the top 10, but in failing to qualify for both the Welsh and Chinese Opens, he’ll now have to settle for being a top sixteen debutant next season. His season has probably tailed off at the wrong time, but with Williams on the horizon, whoever comes through here has probably got the toughest start of all.
Previous WC Best: O’Sullivan – Winner 2001, 2004 & 2008; Liang – Quarter-Final 2008.
Previous meetings: Three – all won by O’Sullivan, including this season’s Shanghai Masters final, and their second round World Championship match in 2008.
Prediction: O’Sullivan 10-9.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Excellent preview so far.

Do you think Barry Hearn's presence behind the scenes will impact certain players more than others? The talk is of future events being played to break-time limits, where players will get "timed out" of breaks mid-way through, if they've not cleared the table in (say) 5 minutes) at their break; do you think that will be already playing on players' minds entering this championship?

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote:

Excellent preview so far.

Do you think Barry Hearn's presence behind the scenes will impact certain players more than others?

Yes, undoubtedly. This week Lee Doyle resigned from the board of World Snooker because it's essentially impossible for him to work with Hearn as they are rival promoters with rival interests. Hearn fired a parting shot at Doyle saying that as Doyle promotes the World Series of Snooker, it was unfeasible for him to be on the World Snooker board as it would give Doyle (chair of the 110 management group) an unfair advantage in terms of the two competetions. Hearn must have forgotten that he himself is the promoter of the Premier League (although that has amazingly become part of the official provisional calendar). That's the same Premier League that forced three players to withdraw from the inaugral Bahrain Open, which was subsequently not renewed (and Hearn wonders why there were only six ranking events this year).

But wider than that, Hearn has said to the players ahead of the vote next month "Vote for it, or I'll quit". Mark Williams publicly said that the players must vote for it, (he left 110sport two years back), but there are still sixteen players (including eleven of the top sixteen such as O'Sullivan, Hendry & Ebdon) and one referee (Michaela Tabb) represented by Doyle. Each player has the same voting rights as the next, for now.

Basically, Hearn wants to cut a deal with snooker, in the way that Bernie Ecclestone did with F1 in the 1980s. It could split the sport in the way it's happened with the darts (which would be awful for the viewers, if not the players - Barry Hearn is of course promoter of the PDC, in case you'd forgotten). Hearn's plan is to own 51% of World Snooker, with 25% to the players - based on a shareholder points system, based on what the top 64 players have won, giving Steve Davis (Hearn's only snooker client) the second biggest say out of the players.

The talk is of future events being played to break-time limits, where players will get "timed out" of breaks mid-way through, if they've not cleared the table in (say) 5 minutes) at their break; do you think that will be already playing on players' minds entering this championship?

Nah, it'll be one non-ranking event a season, and it'll be the least important event, and has the lowest prize money. Hearn sent a letter stating exactly what his plans were, nothing hidden, everything up front. From there the papers kind of saw that, and the press jumped on that for some reason, as some sort of revolution. It was badly reported crap.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Almost as a testament to the changes that have to take place in the game, the tournament's started - and the World Champion is 2-1 down in his opening game - and the BBC are showing, instead, a re-run of some reality show about chefs cooking poncey pasties for the Prince of Wales.

I remember when during World Championship fortnight the snooker was wall-to-wall on the BBC. They used to curtail Swap Shop for it.

[anton pulisov]

World Snooker Championship 2010

It's all on the red button now, I guess.

Is the red button content on iPlayer?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

When's the last time the reigning champion went out in the first round? Hawkins is looking good for this one.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

The first session on the Saturday was traditionally the only morning session that they ever showed live (and it always started later than the others), but even with the advent of the red button (which is the best thing ever to happen to snooker), the only other thing that's changed with the coverage is that they have highlights at 7pm instead of 9pm each night.

Bahiryan wrote:

It's all on the red button now, I guess.

Is the red button content on iPlayer?

No, it's streamed on the website ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/ ), but it says UK only.

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote:

When's the last time the reigning champion went out in the first round? Hawkins is looking good for this one.

2007, when Graeme Dott lost to Ian McCulloch - but it's happened six times, usually to first time Champions, emphasising the old Crucbile Curse legend.

[anton pulisov]

World Snooker Championship 2010

No, it's streamed on the website ( news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/ ), but it says UK only.

Ah thanks! I got it working over here in Scandinavia

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

It doesn't give you the highlights though, such as the first serious attempt at a 147. Mark Allen (already 7-1 up against Tom Ford) managed a 122, including two tough reds, and a very tight yellow, only to end up snookering himself behind the green.

[Outside Agent]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Good previews, Phoebe. Please keep posting throughout the tournament.

Dott versus Ebdon should probably have started sometime last week in order to have the tie completed in time for the second round.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Anyone interested in seeing the closing stages of the biggest shock result in 18 years, might want to go to the BBC red button.

[Er Liquidatore]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Ooooh I shall be watching this as I work over the next couple of weeks. Lovely stuff.

[Gerontophile]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Phoebe wrote:

Anyone interested in seeing the closing stages of the biggest shock result in 18 years, might want to go to the BBC red button.

I assume you were referring to Stephen Hendry?

He was very lucky in that one.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

He was to a degree. Zhang made a bad shot choice at 9-7 (about three seconds after I hit the submit button), and Stephen Hendry suddenly remembered that he was Stephen Hendry.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Almost there in the first round, and mo major shocks so far – the four seeds that have been knocked out have all underperformed this year. No moreso than Peter Ebdon, whose first session against Graeme Dott was probably the worst he’s ever played. Mark King and Marco Fu both lost their deciding frames in scrappy encounters. Ryan Day is the only one who may feel that they deserve better. He didn’t play too badly (although he made some important mistakes), Mark Davis just played better. Very few players have actually looked like they played well – Mark Allen, Ding Junhui and Shaun Murphy in particular, although the latter have been favoured by opponents who played more like sparring partners.

Anyway, with 14 of the 16 second round players known (as ever, the first and second rounds overlap), a quick run through half of the draw, or at least two quarters, as it’ll be the top and bottom quarters to look at.

John Higgins (4) v Steve Davis (23)
The old guard versus, if not the new guard, more the existing guard. Davis marked his 30th Crucible appearance with his first win at Sheffield in four years. But it was a very scrappy match, against a tough opponent in Mark King (a man who rarely gives up, even if he needs three snookers). Higgins on the other hand, eventually dispatched Barry Hawkins after a tricky first session, but a comfortable second. Neither player was at their best, but Higgins not only looked better, but looked like he had a lot more to spare. Higgins will look to win with a session to spare, but I don’t think he’ll manage it
Previous meetings: Thirteen, including two ranking finals in 1995, in which the spoils were shared. Overall, Higgins has the upper hand, with an astonishing 11 wins to 2, although it’s been five years since they faced each other.
Prediction: Higgins 13-7

Neil Robertson (9) v Martin Gould (46)
Robertson had a relatively easy passage against Fergal O’Brien, but looks like he can step up at least another gear. He won’t need to here, as Gould’s encounter with Marco Fu was both scrappy and low in quality. Gould proved his resilience in winning the deciding frame, but he’d need more than that to get past the Thunder from Down Under. Robertson needs to make short work though – the Wizard of Wishaw awaits.
Previous meetings: None.
Prediction: Robertson 13-5

Mark Selby (7) v Stephen Hendry (10)
Selby showed an inkling of the form that brought him to the final three years ago, but more was expected from an otherwise resurgent Ken Doherty. Stephen Hendry was 9-7 down against debutant Zhang Anda, before he realised that he was Stephen Hendry and started playing like a former Champion. What should be more concerning is that Zhang took five frames to acclimatise to the crucible, and a more experienced competitor would have knocked Hendry out – but Hendry won’t allow that to happen twice on the trot.
Previous meetings: Six, and they’ve won three apiece, and Selby won their UK Championship match earlier in the season.
Prediction: Hendry 13-9.

Mark Williams (15) v Ronnie O’Sullivan (1)
On paper, this should be the tie of the round, and Williams fulfilled his part of the bargain by making short work of Marcus Campbell. However, O’Sullivan laboured past Liang Wenbo, despite being 7-2 up after the first session (which owed more to a rare bout of nerves for Liang, rather than brilliance by O’Sullivan), allowing Liang to come back to 9-7. That sort of performance just won’t be good enough to beat Williams – playing his best snooker in seven years.
Previous meetings: Thirteen – O’Sullivan has won 8, including the last four. Williams’ last win was in 2002. They have also met in three finals (O’Sullivan winning two), but not since 2000.
Prediction: Williams 13-10

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Mark Allen makes the first ever 146 at the Crucible.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote:

Excellent preview so far.

Do you think Barry Hearn's presence behind the scenes will impact certain players more than others? The talk is of future events being played to break-time limits, where players will get "timed out" of breaks mid-way through, if they've not cleared the table in (say) 5 minutes) at their break; do you think that will be already playing on players' minds entering this championship?

Going back to this, I've been looking into a couple of things that have happened in the past, and one of the things that I've seen is the case of Cliff Thorburn failing a drug test after traces of cocaine were found in his sample at the 1988 British Open. The WPBSA had stated since 1985 that any player who failed a drug test would be fined £18k, lose any ranking points earned in the tournament, and be banned for the next six touraments.

Thorburn was fined £10k, lost half the ranking points earned, and was banned for two tournaments. One of the reasons being that Thorburn's manager and his lawyers argued that the WPBSA was not a governing body, but a limited company endeavouring to trade at a profit for a benefit of a restricted number of members (the Tour was a closed ship limited to 128 players).

Now, Barry Hearn's proposal for a World Snooker (the public name of the governing body) is to create a limited company endeavouring to trade at a profit for a benefit of a restricted number of members (only 64 players will be allowed to hold shares, and only 96 will be allowed to earn prize money). Which is odd, because Thorburn's manager at the time of the drug failure and ban was one Barry Hearn.

[Gerontophile]

World Snooker Championship 2010

So, Phoebe, are you saying that Hearn is good or bad for the game?

Thorburn getting caught was just one of a long line... and everyone who follows snooker, knows who they are. However, I am surprised to see Neal Foulds back on TV after using beta blockers. Because that type of drug lessens the adrenalin so that you dont panic...

Well anyway. I dont think Barry Hearn is good for snooker, and yet, I am not sure why, other than him wishing to own it and probably put it on Sky.

(Can you do the other 4 forecasts? Please? You have nailed this for the last few years... although I think you are so wrong about Hendry v Selby.)

[Alderman Barnes]

World Snooker Championship 2010

I know there's still a long way to go in this match, but Steve Davis is thumping John Higgins so far. What's all that about?

[Gangster Octopus]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Gerontophile wrote:

So, Phoebe, are you saying that Hearn is good or bad for the game?

The correct rule of thumb is that Hearn is bad for everything.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Gerontophile wrote:

So, Phoebe, are you saying that Hearn is good or bad for the game?

Bad. Very bad. Although all the promoters in general are as bad as each other, Hearn's just more brazen.

Thorburn getting caught was just one of a long line... and everyone who follows snooker, knows who they are.

Stevens and Thorburn were the worst for it though. When Alex Higgins was banned for a year, one of the charge was an allegation that Thorburn carried "small bags of white powder". A charge that was dropped when Thorburn failed his test weeks before Higgins' hearing. Silvino Francisco was fined £6k and docked two ranking points (at a time when one win was one ranking point) for confronting Kirk Stevens and claiming he was high as a kite at the 85 British Open final. Only for Stevens to confess everything to the Daily Star.

However, I am surprised to see Neal Foulds back on TV after using beta blockers. Because that type of drug lessens the adrenalin so that you dont panic...

Foulds is part of the snooker establishment, and the beta blocker ban only came in in 1988. At the time Foulds' manager Barry Hearn was trying to open up the "closed shop" of 128 professionals, and Foulds' father Geoff was the leader of the so-called "Peasants Revolt" of 60 players, claiming that the players ranked towards the bottom of the tour should be paid more. In 1987-88 Foulds Senior "earned" just £150 - mainly because he lost every match. In 1988-89 a player doing the same was then guaranteed £2500. Not bad for a closed shop. I'm sure those three things weren't linked, although Colin Moynihan had been threatening to kick them off the Sports Council if they didn't bring their drug policy into line with other sports (although their policy with recrational drugs has always differed).

Anyway, Foulds was prescribed beta blockers because he was suffering from tachycardia, and other players had been allowed to use them as long as they were on medical grounds. Former WPBSA chairman Rex Williams took Inderal in the mid-80s (just before his rise into the top 16), John Spencer was prescribed both steroids and a beta blocker called Inderal to try and alleviate a condition called myasthenia gravis, which caused double vision (which eventually claimed Spencer's career). After the ban, Foulds dropped from world number 3 to 20 in a season, Williams' drop was slower but further, but the biggest casualty was Bill Werbeniuk, who had been taking Inderal for ten years, who even got a neutral doctor to testify that in his opinion he would not prescribe another drug, nor take him off the medication. But, after a qualifier for the 88 Canadian Masters, Werbeniuk was summoned for a post match, urine test, where he told the official he was still taking Inderal so there was no need for the test. He was suspended on the spot (extended for six months), but admitted that it was effectively the end of his career. He entered the next three World Championships as a "non tournament professional", but only won two frames, although he was awarded two games when his opponents failed to turn up, something Werbeniuk decided to do in the third year. One of the players who failed to turn up was Clive Everton, who had clearly decided that after nine attempts he wasn't likely to win this either, especially as he only won an average of three frames a match.

The so-called "peasants" in the revolt by the way were generally plodders who would turn up to ranking events, get beaten and go home. They would also manage to both complain against giving amateurs 7 point advantages in pro-am matches, but wouldn't allow them on the tour on a level playing field.