World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

[Mumpo]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

I might not have seen much of this tournament, but I've been just in time to catch a phenomenal break under pressure from Higgins at 12-all.

I reckon he might chance his arm once too many this year, though.

[Bill Bones]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

It was a fantastic effort from Higgins in the decider. Two re-racks in the same frame as well. Anybody but Murphy please.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Higgins has just called it the best win of his career.

Semi finals. We're at the stage where it's down to one table. So another new atmosphere for Allen and Robertson. Best of 35. A new tournament experience for Allen and Robertson. And form essentially goes out of the window, because they're all in form. And I'd say three of these players are in the best form of their careers. Ominously, that includes John Higgins.

Mark Allen (16) v John Higgins (5). Two succesive 13-12 wins would take it out of most players, but Higgins has only played one more frame than Allen. Mark Allen has been a revelation, showing that he is maturing as a player. Higgins has seen it all before, from when he played Jamie Cope earlier in the week, and he was pushed all the way then, as he'll be pushed all the way now. Even the tenuous links point to Higgins. The last 16th seed to win was Joe Johnson in 1986. The last 5th seed to win was Ronnie O'Sulivan. Last year. Higgins to win, but will be close again, 17-16.

Shaun Murphy (3) v Neil Robertson (10). Murphy is the only one not playing the form of his life, but he's still playing very, very well. Robertson, isn't just playing like never before, but he's blitzed through his mathes with games to spare. And he had the toughest draw of all. Eight days ago, I said: "His route to the final sees him potentially face the third most in-form non-seed (Steve Davis), and four of the top seven in the world this year, which considering he is one of them means he'll only avoid two of the top players in the world if he is to win the thing." And he's faced all of them has planned. In terms of results this season, Murphy is the weakest player Robertson will face since Davis. Robertson has earned his semi final berth like no-one has since Ken Doherty did in beating John Higgins, Graham Dott and Shaun Murphy on his way to the semis in 2003. Doherty reached the final that year, just like Robertson will this year. 17-14.

[Gerontophile]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Dunno if Higgins will keep the form up, but I am beginning to like the way the Ozzie is absolutely mullering everything in his path.

This is the most difficult world champs that I can remember...

Robertson to win.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

If it is an Allen-Robertson final, it will be the first one since 1981 to feature two men making their final debuts.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

There appears to be something wrong with the table in this first semi-final session - both players have had funny rolls, and Mark Allen just spent a few moments quizzically rubbing a patch of baize near the centre pocket, as if he was contemplating smashing his fist through it. John Higgins has asked the ref for the cloth to be re-ironed.

They move the match table overnight before the semi-final (up to the semis, two are used simultaneously on either side of a central screen, but for the semis and final, just one is moved into the centre of the arena). It would seem that the players are suspicious that in dis-and-reassembling the table overnight, the fitters either haven't guite sanded the plaster they use to glue the slates together to the pond-like level expected, or that the cloth has got wet somehow and hasn't fully dried out.

Ponces. They should try coming to play on some of the league tables round here, where at least one cushion on every table is known as "the bucket" because it's 1/4 inch lower than all the others, and there's a patch of brown on the baize down one rail where someone knocked a pint over two months ago.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

They relay the cloth on the Thursday night too, because the top quality cloths are a lot thinner than the ones used at clubs, because that's how they get the speed that the pros these days thrive on. Being thinner, they would (after two weeks play) end up with a groove in the cloth between the black and the corner pockets.

So the night they switch from two tables to one is the best time to replace it.

It's improved since the balls were replaced at the interval.

[Gerontophile]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Higgins is now officially on fire.

There is a word that springs to mind here with any Scottish people:

mollocate.

[Gangster Octopus]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Finally Allen gets started. Too late...

[Gangster Octopus]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

If you've got tickets for tomorrow afternoon's session, I'd seriously recommend that you join us for a few beers in Sheffield and the match at Attercliffe instead...

[Mumpo]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

That touching-ball snooker by Higgins on the brown - I know he slightly underhit it, because he looked mightily relieved when it wasn't called a foul, but... at that point, it was like he was holding Allen in place with a finger on top of his head and repeatedly slapping him back and forth across the cheeks. Utter humiliation.

[Gerontophile]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Was it just me, or was this afternoons session with Murphy and Roberyson, a bit 'meh'? If Murphy can do that for the rest of the tournament, he will win.

Bugger.

[Gerontophile]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Mark Allen was rather good this evening, but at 15-9 down, can he catch up?

No-one in a while has managed to do so, so I suspect that Higgy will win this 17-11.

As for the other match, no idea.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

From what I saw, Robertson couldn't do a thing in the first few frames this afternoon, so to come out only 9-7 behind, having won the last two, he seems to be the one with the psychological edge.

And I doubt he could ever play that badly again if he tried, so I'd make him favourite even though he's behind.

Allen won't beat Higgins, but Higgins showed signs of pressure in trying to finish with a session earl, and with Allen winning five out of the last six frames (most of them scrappy), the NornIroner will probably have the better sleep. He did well to win the session 6-2, but he has to win the next one 8-1. It won't happen, but he's fearless, and the longer he stays in, the better it will prepare him for next season.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Talk about crawling over the line. 13-3 to 15-9 to 16-13. Higgins crawls over the line.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Do you think Higgins will be unnerved by the fact that he lost 10 of his last 14 frames, going into the final? He wasn't exactly battering opponents in his earlier rounds, either. Would you say the smart money would be on whoever comes through to play him out of Murphy and Robertson?

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

"Do you think Higgins will be unnerved by the fact that he lost 10 of his last 14 frames, going into the final?"

Yes. He looked as nervy as he did in the 2007 final against Selby, and he clearly has issues potting into the left middle pocket, cathing the nearside jaw. That'll prey on his mind, and if he overcompensates, or tries to play to acoid that pocket, he'll get punished.

"He wasn't exactly battering opponents in his earlier rounds, either. "

He beat Michael Holt (usually no pushover), but there have been very few of those results this year.

"Would you say the smart money would be on whoever comes through to play him out of Murphy and Robertson?"

Honestly, no. Robertson's been just as bad, and as it would be his first final, you don't know how the nerves will affect him. Murphy, should have won by now, in all honestly, but just isn't taking advantage like he should.

The downside is that the final could be as gruelling as Higgins-Selby (which finished about 2am, even though it was four frames short), or someone could just get into their stride. We might have a better idea in a few hours. Especially if that shot by Robertson to free up the black is anything to go by. That was magnificent.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Well, considering the two players with momentum lost, it's as good as a clean slate, so I'm going to stick with the tip I've made for the whole tournament - Jhn Higgins to win 18-15.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

The first session was enthralling - both players playing some excellent safety shots, a part of the game you rarely get to see on telly as they're all normally so capable of knocking in fluent century breaks in 5minutes after half an opening.

This afternoon was much more like watching a couple of (top quality, obviously) league standard players going at each other, not so much easy pots being missed as them simply running out of position. That's down to nerves, clearly. I actually it hope it stays like this - I find it more interesting, as I said, than the normal fare of expecting a huge and frame-winning break every time the first red's potted, which kind of makes me want to switch over for five minutes each time.

Does that make me the dalliance of snooker fans? Possibly, but I don't care.

[Alderman Barnes]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Well they're off at a cracking pace. As for me, I always support the player wearing the white shirt, and if he's not wearing hair gel, then that's a bonus.

[Mumpo]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

Congratulations to Higgins, then. I've always been pretty ambivalent towards him, but this year I've really warmed to his attitude and ability. And congrats to Phoebe for predicting a Higgins victory from the start.

I was thinking, it's probably a good job that Murphy didn't win - if it's true he's going through a marriage break-up, who would have been there to give him a tearful hug?

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championshipzzzzzzz

No chance of a final repeat either next season, as Higgins and Murphy will be seeded to meet each other.

Next years world rankings will look like this:
1. Ronnie O'Sullivan
2. Stephen Maguire
3. Shaun Murphy
4. John Higgins
5. Ali Carter
6. Ryan Day
7. Mark Selby
8. Marco Fu
9. Neil Robertson
10 Stephen Hendry
11 Mark Allen
12 Joe Perry
13 Ding Junhui
14 Peter Ebdon
15 Mark Williams
16 Mark King

The draw is always 1v16, 9v8, 5v12, 13v4, 3v14, 11v6, 7v10, 15v2 - but the champion is seeded one for the event, and O'Sullivan and Maguire will drop down, so Higgins and Murphy would be scheduled to meet in the semi-finals.

Other big names and young prospects outside the 16
18 Jamie Cope
20 Ricky Walden
23 Steve Davis
25 Stephen lee
26 Matthew Stevens
27 Liang Wenbo
28 Graeme Dott
30 Judd Trump
41 Alan McManus
44 Ken Doherty
53 John Parrott
56 Jimmy White