World Snooker Championship 2017

[David Agnew]

is next weekend. Qualifiers are in progress.

One man who won't be there is Jimmy White, who lost 10-7 to Jack Lisowski, and as a result, falls off the professional tour for the first time since he entered the pro ranks in 1981. He could try and requalify via the Q School, but if he doesn't, that would make Nigel Bond the longest serving pro, and he started in 1989. The other notable player to lose their card is Jamie Cope - ranked number 13 just six years ago.

The top 64, plus the top eight on the one-year list retain their places (along with those that earned two year cards last season), so spare a thought for Ian Burns, who is ranked number 65, and is 9th on the one-year list. His 10-7 loss to Ian Preece means he has to go back to Q School.

In the first qualifying round, the biggest shock was Ricky Walden (world number 22) losing 10-7 to Hammad Miah (104), Swiss Amateur (and European U21 Champion) Alexander Ursenbacher beating Robert Milkins (31) 10-6, World Seniors Champion Peter Lines beating Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (38) 10-9, Sydney Wilson (112) knocking out Kurt Maflin (43) 10-6 and Reanne Evans getting the biggest win of her career 10-8, over Finland's Robin Hull (57).

One man who will be there is me. Going for five days. Will be there for the first three days play, then back the following weekend. Can't wait.

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Wouldn't surprise me if White tried to go through Q-School, it seems like the sort of thing he'd do and he's been playing better this season than last. Ken Doherty is also in danger of losing his card I think, was a bit surprised he won his first qualifier given that he's barely potted a ball all year.

Couple of ties that catch the eye in the next round of qualifiers, Alan McManus v Rod Lawler is likely to be very much one for the purist - wonder how late that'll finish. Mark Williams plays Liam Highfield, they met in the UK earlier in the season and combined for this fantastically intricate safety play (bear in mind the frame had already taken 40 minutes to reach that stage)

Fancy Judd Trump to win the whole thing, he's played some fine stuff since the turn of the year and he's in the much easier half of the draw. That top half of the draw looks absolutely brutal, you could make a case for any of the seeds apart from Ryan Day (and maybe Robertson) to reach the final.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Ken Doherty is one of five players still in the qualifiers who are in danger of missing out on next season's tour. He needs to reach at least the second round to stay on, alongside Dechawat Poomjaeng and Sydney Wilson, whereas Joe Swail and Martin O'Donnell "only" need to make the first round.

O'Donnell is already 4-0 down to Hammad Miah this morning, while Ursenbacher is already 4-0 on Scott Donaldson (66).

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Doherty has lost to Ben Woollaston and is off the tour. That probably means retirement for him, though it's possible he might try and pick up the odd wild card for occasional events. Woollaston faces Zhou Yuelong for the Crucible. Zhou is one half of the Chinese "future of snooker", the other is Yan Bingtao who only has to beat Swiss amateur Alexander Ursenbacher to qualify.

Joe Perry surprisingly lost earlier, Mark Williams 8-6 down to Highfield, McManus v Lawler is plodding along having managed eleven frames in around six hours play.

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

McManus v Lawler finally finished with a 10-5 victory for Rod just before midnight. That means one of last year's semi finalists is out already, and McManus has had such a poor season he might be fighting to retain his tour card in a year's time. It wasn't the latest finish last night though, Tian Pengfei v Fergal O'Brien went all the way to a decider which O'Brien won sometime around half two.

Reanne Evans lost to Lee Walker, she was always chasing the game after Walker won early frames and never caught it up. Walker plays Noppon Saengkham next - a win for Saengkham would put him into the top 64 and give Ian Burns a reprieve via the one year list.

Final qualifying round - world rankings in brackets, all matches start today and finish tomorrow:

Mark King (21) v Xiao Guodong (44)
Akani Songsermsawad (81) v David Grace (51)
Luca Brecel (30) v Dominic Dale (35)
Gary Wilson (59) v Michael White (27)
Michael Holt (23) v Peter Ebdon (42)
Rod Lawler (71) v Jimmy Robertson (39)
Yan Bingtao (63) v Alexander Ursenbacher (-)
Yu Delu (47) v Martin Gould (18)
Mark Williams (17) v Stuart Carrington (48)
Tom Ford (32) v Hossein Vafaei (64)
Lee Walker (89) v Noppon Saengkham (72)
Li Hang (56) v Stephen Maguire (24)
Ben Woollaston (28) v Zhou Yuelong (37)
Jamie Jones (36) v Graeme Dott (29)
Fergal O'Brien (45) v David Gilbert (20)
Rory McLeod (54) v Hammad Miah (102)

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2017

"only" has to beat two time European U21 Amateur Champion Ursenbacher.

Still, we're guaranteed at least two debutants from the Yan/Ursenbacher and Songsermsawad/Grace matches. Songsermsawad is known as Sunni, much to the relief of the referees and commentators.

Hossein Vafaei could be Iran's first ever Crucible qualifier.

Lee Walker hasn't qualified for the crucible in thirteen years, if he makes it, would that be a record? It's twenty years since he reached the quarter finals in his debut.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Ursenbacher is 11/2, which are ridiculous odds given that he's beaten Rob Milkins (31) and Scott Donaldson (66).

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Jimmy White and Ken Doherty could well be offered places on the tour under the Invitiation Wild Card scheme, which is awarded to up to four players based on career winnings, and contribution to the game. These went to Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and James Wattana initially, but Davis & Hendry's invitations were withdrawn after they stopped competing, but Wattana's is in effect, and both White & Doherty's career winnings dwarf those of Wattana's.

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

David Agnew wrote:
Lee Walker hasn't qualified for the crucible in thirteen years, if he makes it, would that be a record? It's twenty years since he reached the quarter finals in his debut.

Don't know about that, but if Lawler qualified it would be his first Crucible appearance since 1996, which would surely be a record.

Is the Invitation Wild Card thing still going? Thought that was just a wheeze by Hearn to shovel Steve Davis into whatever tournaments he felt like playing.

[nmrfox]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Will be making my annual first Tuesday afternoon session visit. Got tickets in line with the curtain so will see both games; one starting out and one to a finish. As always, going with my dad who is 82 now and is finding the drive up from Leicester a bit of a struggle, so sadly I think that this will be the last time we make it together.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2017

I've got Maguire/McGill, Wilson/Grace and Shelby/O'Brien tomorrow.

[Diable Rouge]

World Snooker Championship 2017

At least Wilson v Grace should prove more competitive, with the first two virtually over already.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Trump, bad shoulder and all, is out at the hands of Rory McLeod. I ended up with a ticket for it, in the end on Tuesday afternoon, like nmrfox, I was near the curtain, but couldn't see all of the Ding-Zhou table, as I was near the front.

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Last year I tipped Robertson and he lost in the first round.

This year I tipped Trump and he lost in the first round.

Next year I'm going to tip Shaun Murphy.

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Ding absolutely bossing Ronnie in the quarter final, 9-5 up and well clear in the next. He's consistently winning frames in one visit and Ronnie looks seriously rattled.

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Session finishes 10-6 to Ding, Ronnie made a century in five minutes in the final frame. Rarely see that sort of thing from him these days, needs more of that tomorrow.

[longeared]

World Snooker Championship 2017

Quarter finals done, what's often one of the best days of the season turned into a bit of a damp squib.

Ding beat Ronnie 13-10, a high quality match where there every frame bar one saw a 50 break. The talking point was Ronnie making a 146 and whether he deliberately engineered to pot a pink rather than the black. If it was through choice it was less blatant than when he made the same score at last year's Welsh Open. Ding was excellent and regularly won frames at one visit. Ronnie has played a pretty full season and hasn't won a ranking tournament, his best days seem to be fewer and farther between.

Elsewhere Selby crushed Fu with a session to spare, including a superb 143 total clearance. Higgins strolled past Kyren Wilson who was struggling with a new tip, Hawkins was rather workmanlike in his defeat of Maguire.

Semis start tomorrow, Selby v Ding in a repeat of last year's final and Higgins v Hawkins.

[Sam]

World Snooker Championship 2017

How many tips does a professional get through at the Worlds? Seems odd that he'd choose to switch it at this stage of the competition.

I can only do highlights on YouTube, since my VPN's less reliable for iPlayer than it once was (though I'll try and make the time to catch the whole of the final after it's been played, if I remain as light on work as I am at present), but Selby's clearance was unreal - that blue into the middle with screw was an absolute stonker. And O'Sullivan's was brilliant as well (I think the pink was deliberate, personally).