Snooker grandprix

8–13 March 2016 Venue Cymru, Llandudno #ladbrokessnooker Official Programme £5

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POCKET THE SAVINGS! Our premises houses a massive indoor heated showroom which holds over 250 vehicles, also don’t forget our outside selling area which itself holds over 500 vehicles.

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WELCOME

O

n behalf of World Snooker, I am delighted to welcome you to the 2016 Ladbrokes World Grand Prix at Venue Cymru in Llandudno.

Firstly I would like to express my thanks to Ladbrokes who join us as title sponsor this week, and also for the Players Championship in Manchester later in March. They are a fantastic team to work with and these two tournaments will generate huge exposure for their brand.

We staged this tournament for the first time last year and it proved a fantastic success. Venue Cymru is a spectacular location in the beautiful town of Llandudno and it proved to be a top class venue. The people of North Wales love snooker, we appreciate the support they gave last year and look forward to even bigger crowds this time.

The players are thrilled to have an extra major tournament on the calendar, especially with a top prize of £100,000.

The event gains extra significance and prestige this time as it becomes a world ranking event, so every pound earned

goes towards the ranking list, at a crucial time just before the World Championship.

Qualification is based on a money list running throughout this season and they have all been striving to secure a place in the top 32 and a spot among the line-up this week.

Last year we saw a terrific final as Judd Trump came from 7-4 down to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7. Trump will face competition from the best players on the planet as he seeks to defend the title, including O’Sullivan who crucially won last month’s Welsh Open to earn a place in Llandudno. It’s going to be a week of phenomenal action on the green baize and I will enjoy every minute.

My appreciation goes to ITV4 and their hard-working production and commentary team for their expert coverage of the tournament. ITV is building a growing portfolio of events which now also comprises the Champion of Champions, Players Championship and the Shoot Out. There has never been a better time to be a snooker fan as rarely a week goes by without any live snooker on television, and much of it on free to air channels. Our tour continues to expand and there will be a series of new tournaments on the calendar next season.

But for now it’s time to sit back and watch the top stars in action on the table.

Last but not least my thanks go to you, the fans, for your support of snooker and the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix.

05 2015/16 SNOOKER ROLL OF HONOUR 06 PLAYER PROFILES 14 JUDD TRUMP 18 MARTIN GOULD 22 DRAW & FORMAT 24 MATT SELT 26 PHIL YATES 30 MEET THE REFS 32 RANKINGS RACES 34 YOUNG WELSH WIZARDS 36 WELSH OPEN PICTURE SPECIAL 40 SNOOKER QUIZ 42 UPCOMING EVENTS

LADBROKES WORLD GRAND PRIX PROGRAMME PROGRAMME CONTENT WRITTEN BY Ivan Hirschowitz and Matt Huart EDITOR Garry Hayes ART DIRECTOR Peter May ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Mark Bloomfield ADVERTISING SALES Alex Rowe, Rob Williams HEAD OF PRODUCTION Paul Smith PICTURES BY Tai Chengzhe Designed and produced by

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CONTENTS

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www.programmemaster.com 08700 202020 PRINTED BY Bishops

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FROM OUR SPONSOR

W

elcome to the 2016 Ladbrokes World Grand Prix in Llandudno. It’s fantastic to become involved within this great sport again - we’re continually looking to extend our sponsorship portfolio and this world ranking snooker tournament fits the bill perfectly.

Our partnerships mean so much more to us than just sticking ribbons on a trophy and that’s why we’re pleased to announce that the bonus will be doubled by Ladbrokes should any player hit the magical 147 over the next few days.

It’s great to see the top stars turning out in Llandudno and the early money suggests Ronnie O’Sullivan is the man to beat this year. Betting on snooker has never been so easy, just download the Ladbrokes app on your smartphone device to take advantage of great offers along with a whole host of exciting betting markets.

I have no doubt that the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix will be an unmissable tournament and I hope you enjoy watching the enthralling action as much as I will.

Prize money Winner £100,000 Runner-up £35,000 Semi-finals £20,000 Quarter-finals £10,000 Last 16 £5,000 Last 32 £2,500 High break £5,000 Total £300,000

Jim Mullen CEO Ladbrokes

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04/03/2016 18:32

ROLL OF HONOUR 2015/16 Roll Of Honour Who has lifted the silverware so far this season?

World Cup: China – Yan Bingtao and Zhou Yuelong Australian Goldfields Open: John Higgins Riga Open: Barry Hawkins Paul Hunter Classic: Ali Carter Six Red World Championship: Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Shanghai Masters: Kyren Wilson Ruhr Open: Rory McLeod Haining Open: Ding Junhui International Championship: John Higgins Bulgarian Open: Mark Allen Champion of Champions: Neil Robertson UK Championship: Neil Robertson Gibraltar Open: Marco Fu The Masters: Ronnie O’Sullivan World Seniors Championship: Mark Davis German Masters: Martin Gould Shoot Out: Robin Hull Welsh Open: Ronnie O’Sullivan Gdynia Open: Mark Selby Championship League: Judd Trump

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PROFILES

John Higgins

Neil Robertson

Ranking titles: 28 Highest tournament break: 147 seven times

Ranking titles: 11 Highest tournament break: 147 three times

Higgins will be looking to improve on his first showing at the World Grand Prix as he lost to Graeme Dott in the opening round last year.

But overall 2015 was a fantastic year for Higgins as he won three world ranking titles, taking his overall career tally to 28, matching the tally of his boyhood idol Steve Davis. Earlier this season he won the Australian Goldfields Open and International Championship. Higgins was World Champion in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Robertson suffered a second round exit here in Llandudno last year, losing to Mark Davis. This season he has been arguably the best player on the tour, winning the Champion of Champions and UK Championship as well as getting to the final of the Welsh Open.

Snooker’s most successful ever non-British player, the Aussie won the World Championship in 2011, the UK Championship in 2013 and 2015 and the Masters in 2012.

Seed: 1 Born: 18-05-75 From: Wishaw

Seed: 2 Born: 11-2-82 From: Australia

Martin Gould

Kyren Wilson

Ranking titles: 1 Highest tournament break: 139

Ranking titles: 1 Highest tournament break: 137

Gould came so close to the World Grand Prix final last year but lost 6-5 to Judd Trump in the semis despite having led that match 5-1.

However he proved his ability and composure last month by winning his first ranking title at the German Masters in Berlin, beating Luca Brecel 9-5 in the final.

Gould was also runner-up to John Higgins at the Australian Goldfields Open earlier this season, losing an epic final 9-8.

He won the one-frame Shoot Out in 2013.

Wilson is making his debut in the World Grand Prix this year. He shot up the qualification list by winning his first ranking title at the Shanghai Masters last September.

The gifted young potter from Northamptonshire beat Judd Trump 10-9 in a dramatic final. Wilson has since gone on to reach the semi-finals of both the Champions of Champions and German Masters and is close to climbing into the world’s top 16 for the first time.

Seed: 3 Born: 14-9-81 From: London 6

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Seed: 4 Age: 23-12-91 From: Kettering Facebook “f ” Logo

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PROFILES

Mark Selby

Liang Wenbo Ranking titles: 6 Highest tournament break: 147 twice

Ranking best: Runner-up Highest tournament break: 147

Selby reached the second round of the World Grand Prix last year before losing to Martin Gould, and will be hoping to go further this time. He has been ranked number one in the world for over a year and recently won his first title of the season by beating Gould in the final of the Gdynia Open. Selby’s finest moments include winning the 2014 World Championship and the 2013 UK Championship as well as three Masters crowns.

Liang enjoyed the best week of his career so far at the UK Championship in York just before Christmas, reaching the final of a Triple Crown event for the first time. He was denied the trophy by Neil Robertson, he still leapt into the world’s top 16 and made sure of his place here in Llandudno. The Chinese cueman’s other career highlights include World Cup victory alongside Ding Junhui in 2011 and winning an Asian Tour event in his homeland in 2013.

Seed: 5 Age: 19-06-83 From: Leicester

Seed: 6 Age: 5-3-87 From: China

Mark Allen

David Gilbert Ranking titles: 2 Highest tournament break: 146

Ranking best: Runner-up Highest tournament break: 147

Allen suffered a first round exit here in Llandudno last year, losing to Liang Wenbo. The player nicknamed The Pistol has been in impressive form in recent months; notably winning the Bulgarian Open European Tour event in November. He was also runner-up to Neil Robertson at the Champion of Champions and reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Open in Cardiff.

Allen won the Haikou World Open ranking title in 2012 and 2013.

Gilbert earned £65,000, by far the biggest pay-day of his career, for reaching the final of the International Championship in Daqing, China, earlier this season.

He lost the match 10-5 to John Higgins but had the consolation of leaping into the world’s top 32 and booking his place in the World Grand Prix line-up.

In 2012, Gilbert reached the last 16 of the World Championship, and last season he made his first official 147 maximum break.

Seed: 7 Age: 22-2-86 From: Antrim

Seed: 8 Age: 12-6-81 From: Tamworth Facebook “f ” Logo

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PROFILES

Judd Trump

Marco Fu Ranking titles: 4 Highest tournament break: 147 twice

Ranking titles: 2 Highest tournament break: 147 four times

Trump became the inaugural champion at the World Grand Prix last year when he came from 7-4 down to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in the final. The player nicknamed at Ace also won the Australian Goldfields Open last season, but he’s still waiting for his first title this term. The potting sensation enjoyed his best moment at the 2011 UK Championship when he beat Mark Allen in the final, and he enjoyed a brief spell as world number one the following year.

Fu lost to Mark Davis in the first round of the World Grand Prix last year and will be looking to improve on that showing. His highlight of the season so far was victory in the Gibraltar Open in December, where he also made the fourth 147 of his career. Fu is Hong Kong’s finest ever player and has won two ranking titles, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final of the 2007 Grand Prix, and Neil Robertson at the 2013 Australian Goldfields Open.

Seed: 9 Age: 21-08-89 From: Bristol

Seed: 10 Age: 8-1-78 From: Hong Kong

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Luca Brecel

Ranking titles: 28 Highest tournament break: 147 thirteen times

Ranking best: Runner-up Highest tournament break: 140

O’Sullivan produced a spectacular late dash for the line to qualify for the World Grand Prix. Having taken a break from competitive snooker for the first few months of the season, he had to win the Welsh Open in Cardiff last month to earn a place in Llandudno, and he did exactly that. The Rocket is a five-time World Champion and receives support from fans the world over for his exciting style of play. He also won the Masters in January.

Brecel is one of the players in form heading into the World Grand Prix. He reached his first ranking event final at the German Masters last month before losing to Martin Gould.

Just a week later the gifted young Belgian got to another final, at the one frame Shoot Out, but was denied the trophy by Robin Hull. Brecel became the youngest player ever to compete at the Crucible in 2012 at the age of 17. He has now climbed into the world’s top 32.

Seed: 11 Age: 5-12-75 From: Chigwell 8

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Seed: 12 Age: 8-3-95 From: Belgium Facebook “f ” Logo

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PROFILES

Joe Perry

Shaun Murphy Ranking titles: 1 Highest tournament break: 145

Ranking titles: 5 Highest tournament break: 147 four times

Perry enjoyed an excellent run to the semi-finals of the Welsh Open in Cardiff last month, knocking out Judd Trump before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan. Last season gave him the best moment of his career as he won his first full ranking title, beating Mark Williams in the final of the Players Championship.

Perry has also won two Asian Tour events and has become a regular member of the top 16. He reached the World Championship semi-finals in 2008.

Murphy lost to Peter Ebdon in the opening round in Llandudno last year.

Overall last season was an excellent one for the Nottingham-based cueman as he won the Masters as well as two European Tour events. Murphy won the World Championship in 2005 with final victory over Matthew Stevens as well as the UK Championship in 2008. His best run this season took him to the final of the Paul Hunter Classic where he lost to Ali Carter.

Seed: 13 Age: 13-8-74 From: Chatteris

Seed: 14 Age: 10-8-82 From: Irthlingborough

Ben Woollaston

Matthew Selt

Ranking best: Runner-up Highest tournament break: 147

Ranking best: Quarter-finals Highest tournament break: 143

Woollaston made a breakthrough at the Welsh Open last season when he reached his first ranking final, beating the likes of Mark Allen and Mark Williams before being denied the trophy by John Higgins. And the Leicester cueman impressed in Cardiff again this season with a run to the quarterfinals. Woollaston played at the Crucible in 2013 and made the first official 147 of his career at the Lisbon Open the following year.

Selt knocked Barry Hawkins out of the World Grand Prix last year and will be hoping to make waves at the event again this time. He is one of the most improved players on the circuit over the past two years and has jumped into the top 32 of the world rankings. The Essex cueman reached the final of the Lisbon Open event in 2014 before losing to Stephen Maguire, and has appeared in the quarter-finals of several ranking events including the UK Championship.

Seed: 15 Age: 14-5-87 From: Leicester

Seed: 16 Age: 7-3-85 From: Romford Facebook “f ” Logo

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PROFILES

Ryan Day

Ding Junhui Ranking best: Runner-up Highest tournament break: 147

Ranking titles: 11 Highest tournament break: 147 five times

Day has scored some impressive results this season, notably at the Bulgarian Open where he reached the final before losing to Mark Allen. He has also got to the last 16 of three ranking events.

Welshman Day has reached three ranking finals – at the 2007 Malta Cup, 2007 Shanghai Masters and 2008 Grand Prix, but finished runner-up each time. The renowned break-builder has also reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship three times.

Ding has had a disappointing season by his own high standards, other than winning the Haining Open Asian Tour event. He did reach the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open in Cardiff last month which made sure of his place in Llandudno. Asia’s most successful event player, Ding has won 11 ranking titles, including five during a record-equalling 2013/14 season. His career highlights include winning two UK Championship crowns and the Masters.

Seed: 17 Age: 23-3-80 From: Pontycymmer

Seed: 18 Age: 1-4-87 From: China

Michael White

Barry Hawkins

Ranking titles: 1 Highest tournament break: 145

Ranking titles: 2 Highest tournament break: 147 twice

White has climbed to the fringes of the top 16 within the past year and established himself as one of snooker’s most promising young players.

He won his first ranking title at the Indian Open in Mumbai last year, thrashing Ricky Walden 5-0 in the final. White also captured the trophy at the one frame Shoot Out. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2012 World Championship after beating boyhood idol Mark Williams on his Crucible debut.

Hawkins enjoyed a terrific run to the final of the Masters last month before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The same player denied him the trophy at the World Championship in 2013.

Hawkins won his first ranking title at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open, beating Peter Ebdon 9-3 in the final. He went on to win the Players Championship in Preston in 2014 thanks to a 4-0 thrashing of Gerard Greene. He also won the one frame Shoot Out in 2012.

Seed: 19 Age: 5-7-91 From: Neath 10

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Seed: 20 Age: 23-4-79 From: Ditton Facebook “f ” Logo

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04/03/2016 18:37

PROFILES

Ali Carter

Michael Holt Ranking titles: 3 Highest tournament break: 147

Ranking best: Semi-finals Highest tournament break: 145

Carter is now making his debut in the World Grand Prix having missed out on the tournament last year.

He has battled cancer twice in recent years – successfully – and made an emotional return to the winners’ podium earlier this season when he won the Paul Hunter Classic, beating Shaun Murphy 4-3 in the final. The Captain has won three ranking titles, most recently the 2013 German Masters, and has reached the World Championship final twice.

Holt has enjoyed consistent results this season and is firmly entrenched within the world’s top 32. His best result of the 2015/16 campaign so far took him to the semi-finals of the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany. The player nicknamed The Hitman has won two professional tournaments, both Players Tour Championship events.

His best performance in a full ranking event was a semi-final berth at the 2013 Shanghai Masters.

Seed: 21 Age: 25-7-79 From: Chelmsford

Seed: 22 Age: 7-8-78 From: Nottingham

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

Mark Williams

Ranking best: semi-finals Highest tournament break: 141

Ranking titles: 18 Highest tournament break: 147 twice

Un-Nooh is now making his debut in the World Grand Prix having enjoyed the best year of his career so far in 2015. The highlight came at the Six Red World Championship in his native Thailand when he beat Liang Wenbo in the final to win his first professional title. Un-Nooh also reached the semi-finals of the Indian Open and International Championship. He nearly made a 147 at the UK Championship, agonisingly missing the final black.

Arguably the best player Wales has ever produced, Williams won the World Championship in 2000 and 2003. In total he has won 18 ranking titles as well as two Masters crowns. At the age of 40 he is still going strong as a member of the world’s top 16, and reached the semi-finals of four ranking events last season.

Williams got to the quarter-finals here in Llandudno last year before a narrow 4-3 defeat against Judd Trump.

Seed: 23 Age: 18-7-85 From: Thailand

Seed: 24 Age: 21-3-75 From: Cwm Facebook “f ” Logo

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PROFILES

Stuart Bingham

David Grace

Ranking titles: 3 Highest tournament break: 147 three times

Ranking best: semi-finals Highest tournament break: 139

Bingham got to the semifinals here in Llanduno last year before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan. He went on to triumph on the biggest stage of all, winning the World Championship title for the first time. He knocked out the likes of O’Sullivan and Judd Trump to reach the Crucible final before beating Shaun Murphy. Bingham’s other titles include the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open, the 2014 Shanghai Masters and 2012 Premier League.

Grace enjoyed by far the best week of his career at the UK Championship in York before Christmas. He had never previously been beyond the last 16 of a ranking event, but produced a brilliant run to the semi-finals, knocking out the likes of Peter Ebdon and Martin Gould.

He was denied a final place by Liang Wenbo but his results shot him into the top 64 of the world rankings and earned him a place here in Llandudno.

Seed: 25 Age: 21-5-76 From: Basildon

Seed: 26 Age: 5-5-85 From: Leeds

Graeme Dott

Tom Ford

Ranking titles: 2 Highest tournament break: 147

Ranking best: semi-finals Highest tournament break: 147 twice

Dott reached the quarterfinals here in Llandudno last year, knocking out John Higgins and Liang Wenbo before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan. The crowning glory of Dott’s career came when he won the World Championship in 2006, beating Peter Ebdon 18-14 in a marathon final. The player nicknamed the Pocket Dynamo was also runner-up at the Crucible in 2004 and 2010. He won the China Open in 2007, beating Jamie Cope in the final.

Ford has scored some impressive results this season, notably reaching the final of the Riga Open European Tour event, where he was denied the title by Barry Hawkins, and getting to the last 16 of the UK Championship. His best ever run in a full ranking event came at the 2013 Players Championship where he reached the semi-finals before a 4-3 defeat against Neil Robertson. Ford also won events on the PTC series in 2010 and 2011.

Seed: 27 Age: 12-5-77 From: Larkhall 12

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Seed: 28 Age: 17-8-83 From: Leicester Facebook “f ” Logo

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04/03/2016 18:37

PROFILES

Jamie Jones

Tian Pengfei Ranking best: semi-finals Highest tournament break: 143

Ranking best: Last 16 Highest tournament break: 139

Jones got off to a flying start this season at the Australian Goldfields Open when he reached the semifinals of a full ranking event for the first time in his career. The Welshman knocked out the likes of Mark Selby and Michael White before losing to John Higgins. Jones showed his talent at the 2012 World Championship with a run to the quarter-finals. He beat Shaun Murphy on his Crucible debut before eventually being stopped by Ali Carter.

Tian produced a terrific run to the final of the Ruhr Open European Tour event in Germany earlier this season, the first time he had got that far in a pro tournament. The Chinese cueman knocked out the likes of Shaun Murphy and David Gilbert only to be denied the title by Rory McLeod. Tian also reached the last 16 of this season’s International Championship in China, matching his best performance in a full ranking event.

Seed: 29 Age: 14-2-88 From: Neath

Seed: 30 Age: 16-8-87 From: China

Peter Ebdon

Stephen Maguire Ranking titles: 9 Highest tournament break: 147 twice

Ranking titles: 5 Highest tournament break: 147 twice

Ebdon was a quarter-finalist here at Venue Cymru last season, taking the scalps of Shaun Murphy and Stephen Maguire before losing to Martin Gould. His best run this season took him to the last 16 of the UK Championship in York where he scored a notable win over Stuart Bingham.

Ebdon, nicknamed The Force, lifted the World Championship trophy in 2002, beating Stephen Hendry 18-17 in an epic final. He has won eight other ranking titles.

Maguire took the 32nd and last qualifying spot for the World Grand Prix.

The highlights of his season so far are runs to the semi-finals of the Australian Goldfields Open and quarter-finals of the German Masters. Maguire won his first two ranking titles in 2004, including the UK Championship crown. He went on to win two more during the 2007/08 season, and his fifth and most recent came at the 2013 Welsh Open in Newport.

Seed: 31 Age: 27-8-70 From: London

Seed: 32 Age: 13-3-81 From: Glasgow Facebook “f ” Logo

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INTERVIEW

TOP

TRUMP A year on from winning the inaugural World Grand Prix in Llandudno, Judd Trump feels he is ready to land another major piece of silverware

T

he last 12 months has been a frustrating time for Judd Trump, at least on the table. His victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan in last year’s final at Venue Cymru was one of the finest performances of his career so far as he came from 7-4 down to beat his fellow crowd-pleaser 10-7 and land the £100,000 top prize.

Trump went on to the World Championship in Sheffield riding a wave of confidence but suffered a heart-breaking 17-16 defeat to Stuart Bingham at the semi-final stage when he had been rated favourite to land a first Crucible crown.

And this season has been a similar story so far for the player nicknamed the Ace: some tremendous performances bringing him to the brink of success, only for his game to let him down at the vital moment.

The Shanghai Masters in September was a prime example as he played superbly to beat the likes of Bingham and Mark Williams to reach the final, before he lost 10-9 to outsider Kyren Wilson.

At the Masters in London in January, Trump made four centuries in a 6-5 win over Neil Robertson, who described it as the best match ever played in the tournament, but then went down 6-4 to Barry Hawkins in the semi-finals.

After a 6-4 defeat against Liang Wenbo in the last 32 of the UK Championship when he lost five frames in a row, Trump even questioned his own capacity to handle pressure.

However, 26-year-old Trump did get his hands on a trophy just a few days before heading up to North Wales as he won the Championship League, a non-televised event played in Essex, beating O’Sullivan 3-2 in the final.

And that may have given him a vital shot of self-belief at the business end of the campaign.

“This season has been up and down,” admits the world number five. “At times I have produced a game which is good enough to win tournaments, but then I have come up short by a frame or two at important moments. I’ve been inconsistent – one day brilliant then the next day average. That consistency is what I’m looking for.

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04/03/2016 18:39

INTERVIEW

“It is frustrating but it is something you have to deal with in sport. I’m not getting thrashed by anyone but I’ve lost a few close matches which could have made it into a really good season.

“I need to be more clinical under pressure. I tend to play better when I’m relaxed and sometimes I try too hard. The Championship League is ideal for me because there’s no pressure – if you lose you’ve always got another game. That’s why I’ve won it three times. If I can take the

Young guns Trump was very much snooker’s hottest young talent when he burst on to the scene five years ago. Here are his views on two new emerging prospects, Luca Brecel and Kyren Wilson: “Luca has got the most talent of the young players coming through and if he works hard and dedicates himself to snooker I think he’ll win the most titles of those in his age group. Kyren has the belief, the allround game, and looks to me as if he wants success badly. He might not score as heavily as the best breakbuilders but he’s very gritty, very determined and obviously he has already won a big title.”

“

I need to be more clinical under pressure. I play better when I’m relaxed

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same attitude into tournaments then I will win a lot more.”

Last year in Llandudno Trump came through a tough field, knocking out Dominic Dale, Joe Perry and Mark Williams to reach the semi-finals, then coming from 5-1 down to beat Martin Gould 6-5 before his final triumph over O’Sullivan.

“It was my best tournament win last season,” he recalls. “I played well throughout the year and could have won a couple more titles but for two close defeats against Ronnie – he beat me 10-9 in the UK Championship and 10-7 in the Champion of Champions.

Usually when Ronnie gets ahead in a final he is very hard to stop, so for me to come from 7-4 down and win 10-7 proved that I can do that.

“It’s always a nice feeling to go back and defend a title and I’m really looking forward to this year’s event. We had good crowds and good support last year and I’m sure it will be the same this time.

Llandudno is a lovely town and I enjoyed being there for a week.”

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Trump’s career highlights 2004: Made his first competitive 147 at the age of just 14 2005: Turned professional 2006: Became the youngest player ever to qualify for a ranking event at the Welsh Open, age 16 2007: Qualified for the Crucible for the first time 2008: Reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix 2009: Won the Championship League for the first time 2011: Trump’s best year so far – won the China Open and the UK Championship as well as reaching the final of the World Championship 2012: Won the International Championship and enjoyed a spell as world number one 2013: Made his first official 147 at the Antwerp Open 2014: Won the Australian Goldfields Open 2015: Won the World Grand Prix

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Away from the table During last month’s Welsh Open, Ronnie O’Sullivan spoke of his difficulty in dealing with boredom in between matches at snooker tournaments, but that is not an issue that bothers Trump. “I don’t mind spending time on my own,” he said. “Ronnie is quite a fidgety person whereas I’m able to relax by sitting and watching TV all day. Saying that, I enjoy events where you play two or more matches in a day rather than winning then having to wait until the next day.”

When he’s at home in Chigwell, Essex, Trump enjoys spending time with girlfriend Khadijah, driving high performance cars and watching UFC.

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LEADERS IN SPORTS MEDIA AND PUBLISHING

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GOOD AS GOULD 18

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INTERVIEW

L

ong recognised as one of the best players not to have won a ranking event, Martin Gould made his breakthrough at last month’s German Masters in Berlin. And he believes it will be the first of many…

Age 34, Gould is something of a late developer. In fact he quit snooker for several years in his early 20s after his mother Shirley died of cancer. He returned to the pro game in 2007 and his natural talent flourished as he climbed rapidly up the rankings.

In 2010 Gould reached the last 16 of the World Championship and would have gone further if he had avoided a 13-12 defeat against Neil Robertson,

“

It’s sunk in now and it’s a great feeling to know I’ve won a ranking event

”

having given up leads of 6-0 and 11-5.

During the 2012/13 season the Londoner won three trophies: a PTC event, the Power Snooker Masters and the one frame Shoot Out. And he now goes into the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix in the best form of his career, having triumphed in Germany last month, winning six matches to reach the final before seeing off Luca Brecel 9-5 to take the 80,000 Euro top prize.

“It has sunk in now and it’s a great feeling to know I have won a ranking

event,” said Gould. “Since then I have felt a different player, with no nerves and no twitchiness when I’m getting over the line in matches. At the next ranking event, the Welsh Open, I felt very comfortable and confident in my ability. A lot of the players have come to shake my hand and congratulate me and a few have said it was about time I won a big one because I had been knocking on the door for a long time. It means a lot when you get recognition from your fellow pros.

“I haven’t really had a chance to celebrate because within two days we were in Barnsley playing the China Open qualifiers, and since then it has been one tournament after another.

When I got home from Berlin I had so many messages on my phone and on Facebook that it took me weeks to reply to all of them. There are a lot of big tournaments coming up so it’s

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time to put Berlin behind me and concentrate on what’s coming.”

In fact Gould has already kicked on from his Berlin victory and reached the final of the Gdynia Open at the end of February. Though he was denied the trophy by Mark Selby, his run earned him a place at the Ladbrokes Players Championship later in March, and saw him climb to 13th in the world rankings.

“I have always felt I am good enough to be in the top 16, and hopefully this time I can stay in there longer.,” he said. “I have to keep doing the right things, try to win more tournaments and move towards the top eight. If I can get to number one at some point in my career that would be great, but at the moment my goal is to consolidate in the top 16, which is not easy because the strength in depth in the game now is phenomenal.”

He is particularly determined to be in that bracket when the seeding axe falls for the World Championship after the China Open in April. All players outside the top 16 will have to win three matches to reach the Crucible.

“I’ve played in the qualifiers for the last three years and it is brutal,” he said. “It’s the toughest week of snooker of the season. I think the first round is harder than the last round because there is so much riding on it. If you lose you get nothing and you finish the season on a real low note, whereas if you win that first game at least you are guaranteed £6,000.

“Last year I lost to an amateur, Adam Duffy, in the first round. He played me at my own game and nearly everything

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INTERVIEW

he went for was flying in. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

In a way it did me a favour because it made me work really hard on the practice table over the next few weeks while the World Championship was on. So I was very sharp for the start of the new season and straight away got to the final of the Australian Open, and I have since kicked on from there. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.”

Gould has one other ghost which he wants to lay to rest this week in Llandudno. Last year he reached the semi-finals and built a 5-1 lead over Judd Trump, only to lose 6-5.

“It was bad defeat but within a few days it was erased from my memory,” he recalls.

“Straight away I was flying to Thailand for the Players Championship so I didn’t have time to dwell on it, which was a good thing. All I remember is that I didn’t get much of a chance from 5-1 - Judd played some very good tactical stuff and left me nothing to go at.”

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From washing dishes to lifting trophies

Gould certainly appreciates how lucky he is to play snooker for a living, and earn huge sums of money for it, having grafted to make ends meet in his teens and early 20s. Prior to working as a croupier, he was a kitchen assistant at Harrow School. “I was mainly washing up and helping the chefs out,” he recalls.” It wasn’t badly paid, I think it was £1,200 a month which was good when I was 17. I worked a lot of weekends which I didn’t mind, and I was with people I could have a laugh with. I did the job for a year then got sacked after my mum fell ill. I needed to take time off to look after her and they weren’t very understanding or pleasant about it. One day I got a letter through the post with my P45 in it – they didn’t even have the courtesy to tell me to my face. I wrote them a letter complaining about the way I had been treated, and in the end they apologised and gave me an extra month’s pay. When I first got on to the snooker tour, I wasted a lot of money because I’d never seen so much before in my bank account. I went a bit mad. Then my mum passed away and I suddenly I had to look after myself. For three or four years I had to scrimp and save every penny.

After paying rent and bills, I was living on £15 a week. It was a low quality of life and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It was a very difficult time and I couldn’t afford to play snooker – you can’t go to a tournament knowing you have to win a match just to pay your rent. I didn’t play for several years until a friend persuaded me to start playing again and gave me some backing. I really appreciate the money now and I’m very careful with it because I know how hard life can be without it.”

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Away from snooker. Gould enjoys watching films and is often glued to a screen during the long breaks in between matches.

He said: “I spent the best £100 of my life before I went to Australia last year – I went to Argos and bought a DVD player with a 12-inch screen. I take it everywhere with me. It’s a good way to deal with the boredom, especially at the long overseas trips. I like all kinds of films, from American History X to Dumb and Dumber. I’ve got so many DVDs at home I could open my own Blockbuster.”

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ROUND 1 JOHN HIGGINS MBE V STEPHEN MAGUIRE

1

MATTHEW SELT V RYAN DAY

2

JUDD TRUMP V MARK WILLIAMS MBE

3 4

DAVID BROWN GILBERT V STUART BINGHAM

5

MARK SELBY V TOM FORD LUCA BRECEL V ALLISTER CARTER

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JOE PERRY V BARRY HAWKINS

7 8

KYREN WILSON V JAMIE JONES

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MARTIN GOULD V TIAN PENGFEI

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SHAUN MURPHY V MICHAEL WHITE RONNIE O’SULLIVAN OBE V MICHAEL HOLT

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LIANG WENBO V GRAEME DOTT

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MARK ALLEN V DAVID GRACE

14 15 16 22

MARCO FU V THEPCHAIYA UN-NOOH BEN WOOLLASTON V DING JUNHUI NEIL ROBERTSON V PETER EBDON

ROUND 2

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WINNER OF MATCH 3 V WINNER OF MATCH 4

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WINNER OF MATCH 5 V WINNER OF MATCH 6

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WINNER OF MATCH 7 V WINNER OF MATCH 8

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WINNER OF MATCH 9 V WINNER OF MATCH 10

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WINNER OF MATCH 11 V WINNER OF MATCH 12

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WINNER OF MATCH 13 V WINNER OF MATCH 14

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WINNER OF MATCH 1 V WINNER OF MATCH 2

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QUARTER-FINALS

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WINNER OF MATCH 17 V WINNER OF MATCH 18

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WINNER OF MATCH 19 V WINNER OF MATCH 20

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WINNER OF MATCH 21 V WINNER OF MATCH 22

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WINNER OF MATCH 23 V WINNER OF MATCH 24

WINNER OF MATCH 15 V WINNER OF MATCH 16

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DRAW & FORMAT

SEMI-FINALS

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FINAL

WINNER OF MATCH 25 V WINNER OF MATCH 26

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WINNER OF MATCH 29 V WINNER OF MATCH 30

PROVISIONAL FORMAT DATE

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WINNER OF MATCH 27 V WINNER OF MATCH 28

Table numbers for all matches up to the quarter finals will be determined the day before and published by the Tournament Director. Matches from Tuesday 8 to Friday 11 March will be played on a roll-on roll-off basis, with a 15 minute interval between matches. Matches will not start before the times indicated on the format marked NB. All matches up to and including the Quarter Finals are the best of 7 frames, Semi Finals are the best of 11 frames and the Final is the best of 19 frames (9/10).

Players appear circumstances permitting.

ROUND NO

Tuesday, 8 March

1

Wednesday, 9 March

1

Thursday, 10 March

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MATCH NO 16 15 1 11

MATCH NO 7 9 2 13

1.00 pm NB 2.00 pm 7.00 pm NB 8.00 pm

4 3 5 10

12 14 6 8

1.00 pm NB 2.00 pm 7.00 pm NB 8.00 pm

24 18 19 22

23 17 20 21

Friday, 11 March

QF

1.00 pm NB 2.00 pm 7.00 pm NB 8.00 pm

QF QF QF QF

Saturday, 12 March

SF

1.00 pm 7.00 pm

SF SF

1.00 pm 7.00 pm

Final Final

Sunday, 13 March

F

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SESSION TIME 1.00 pm NB 2.00 pm 7.00 pm NB 8.00 pm

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M

atthew Selt is one of snooker’s most improved players of the past two years, and he insists his progress is all down to the appliance of science.

After being spotted in his teens by the legendary mentor Robbo Brazier, who played a key part in Steve Davis’s early career, Selt spent a decade struggling to fulfil his potential and was close to quitting snooker.

The turning point for the 30-year-old from Romford came when he hooked up with influential coach Chris Henry, who has worked with Stephen Hendry and Shaun Murphy as well as golfer Rafael Cabrera Bello.

Part of Henry’s coaching method is an emphasis on muscle memory: consistent repetition in order to improve technique and results.

“When I first started working with Chris, we looked at what my weaknesses were and how I could strengthen them,” Selt explains.

“We worked on reprogramming my brain in order to find more consistency in my technique. It’s all about creating neural pathways, as well as considering how the brain reacts to certain situations. People say ‘practice makes perfect’ but in fact the saying should be ‘practice makes permanent’ because you have to make sure the things you are practising are right.

“I went to see Chris because I knew he was a great guy and a fantastic coach. When we started I said I wanted to know the facts behind his theories. He explained everything to

THE BRAIN GAME

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INTERVIEW me and I learned an awful lot. It opened up a new world to me and made me want to practise. Once you understand how something works, it gives you the enthusiasm to improve.

“I used to think that practice was just playing snooker in order to get better.

That’s true in a way, but above all it’s about repetition. There is no one who repeats his process better than Mark Selby – his technique is the same every time. He doesn’t have the best technique, but he does the same thing on every shot and it never lets him down. And he wins the most money every season – that’s no coincidence.

“My weaknesses are a lot less noticeable now. I used to struggle to play with left hand side, ridiculous as it sounds. I’m still not great at those shots but I’m far better than I was before. Every day I try to improve my consistency on the things I’m not good at. Safety has never been a problem for me, in years gone by I practised a lot with Joe Perry and Mark King and that helped me develop a phenomenal safety game.

“Scoring used to be my problem then last season I made 26 centuries and only four or five players made more.

This season my scoring has not been quite as good but I am improving on

that side because I have more shots in my game now which opens up more avenues. I believe I can become a very hard player to beat.

“I worked really hard and now I think nothing of going four or five hours on the table, whereas before I felt as if two or three hours was hard work.”

Last season was the best of Selt’s career as he reached the final of the Lisbon Open, where he was denied the title by Stephen Maguire, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the Players Championship. This season his best runs have taken him to the last eight of the Australian Goldfields Open and the UK Championship and he is up to a career high of 21st in the world.

“I’ve had some good results this season,” he said. “I feel I’m making progress and my game is getting stronger. I’m putting myself on the big stage more and more and getting used to the conditions. I haven’t got to the latter stages of a big tournament which is slightly disappointing. But most of the players I’ve lost to have been top class.

“I’m still learning, still trying to get better. I’ve got a lot to work on. I’ve got at least another ten years of playing and I’m sure good things are around the corner. Two years ago my game

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was all over the place and I didn’t even want to play snooker any more.

“I don’t feel as if I can get any higher until I start winning tournaments, and that is the next stage for me. You can’t really get into the top 16 without doing that and I don’t feel I deserve that yet.

“We’ve still got the World Grand Prix as well as the China Open then the World Championship so there’s an awful lot to play for this season. In Llandudno last year I had a good win over Barry Hawkins in the first round and then lost 4-2 to Stuart Bingham. I don’t think I’m ever going to beat Stuart, it’s impossible because he gets so lucky every time I play him!”

Best of friends

Selt counts seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry among his friends in the snooker sphere.

He said: “I see him from time to time, we meet up in London and go to a great Chinese restaurant called Hakkasan. I know if I ever have a question then he’s there at the end of the phone for me and it’s good to have someone like that in the background.”

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04/03/2016 18:45

Phil, this event was staged for the first time a year ago here at the Venue Cymru; how significant a tournament is it becoming?

It’s a great addition to the calendar, I love the fact that players have to qualify for it from a unique ranking list which runs during the season. That race adds an extra element of interest to every event from the very start of the campaign. The venue is superb, I wasn’t there last year but I’ve commentated on Premier League nights before so I know what a great location it is. The backstage facilities and the atmosphere inside the arena are fantastic. Last April during the World Championship, Barry Hearn announced that the World Grand Prix would carry ranking points this time, and that makes it even more significant to the players. There was big prize money already, but now that all counts towards the ranking list and that really adds to the importance and prestige of the event, particularly at this point of the season when players are striving to make sure they are in the top 16 in time for the World Championship. Someone lower down the list could have a good run this week and virtually book himself a guaranteed place at the Crucible.

And we could barely have had a better inaugural final last year, with Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump locking horns.

Absolutely, in terms of entertainment value those two together are as good as it gets. When a tournament gets off to a great start as it did last year, it adds to the sense of anticipation among the fans for the next one. Everyone I’ve spoken to is really looking forward to

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INTERVIEW

PHIL YATES

Renowned as one of snooker’s most knowledgeable and experienced journalists and commentators, Phil Yates will be working for ITV4 throughout the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix in Llandudno this week. We caught up with him to get his views on the tournament this week, especially with that added kudos as it becomes a ranking event for the first time.

A month ago it looked very unlikely O’Sullivan would be among the field this time, so how much does his presence add?

He has played so little snooker this season that he had to win the previous ranking event, the Welsh Open, to get into the list of 32 qualifiers. And he did exactly that by playing some of the best snooker of his career in Cardiff. After that there were a few days of uncertainty in terms of whether he would enter, but I was delighted to hear that he would be in Llandudno and it’s brilliant for the fans. It fact it’s a very important tournament for him as it’s the only event he can play before the World Championship, other than the nontelevised Championship League winners’ group.

There’s a nice mixture to the field this year, with all of the big names in as well as new faces like Kyren Wilson, Luca Brecel and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.

Barry Hearn’s mantra is that success gets rewarded. You can do that in many ways, such as top-heavy prize funds and a rankling list based on money.

And another way is to put on tournaments that players qualify for by doing well during the season. The World Grand Prix is a great example of that, and the likes of Wilson and Brecel fully deserve to be here. As the season has gone on, the unique ranking list for this event has become more and more significant and players have been working out exactly what they need to

do to make it to Llandudno. The final qualifying event in Gdynia ten days ago was very dramatic with so many players vying for places here, as well as at the Players Championship in Manchester in a couple of weeks. The 32 players who are here are now guaranteed money towards their ranking, which puts them further ahead of the 96 players who didn’t make it.

Why do you think we’ve seen so many new faces in the latter stages of big tournaments over the past year? Wilson, Brecel, David Gilbert, Ben Woollaston and Gary Wilson being prime examples.

There’s still a divide between the very top players and the rest. But with so many tournaments now, those a bit further down play a lot more matches against the top 16, and a lot more on television. They get accustomed to Facebook “f ” Logo

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those challenges and the better ones become adept at dealing with it. They express themselves better and fulfil their potential in the big events. There’s also a lot more prize money now which means those players doing well have more in their pockets and that helps reduce the pressure they are under. In the ‘dark old days’ not so long ago when we only had six ranking events, even the top players were pretty-much part time. At each one of those six events everyone was under pressure because their earning opportunities were so few and far between. These days, if you lose a match you’ve always got another tournament to look forward to the next week. We’ve got a great mixture of players at the moment. Within the past year we’ve seen four brand new ranking events winners – Michael White, Joe Perry, Kyren Wilson and Martin Gould. But

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INTERVIEW

there’s also a well-established status quo of six or seven players at the very top who are consistent champions.

Generally in sport, you don’t want to see the same players winning all the time, but equally you don’t want to see titles shared around so widely that it devalues the achievement.

Who would you say has been the player of the season so far?

I’d go for Neil Robertson because he has played so well in the past four months, winning the Champion of Champions and UK Championship as well as getting to the final of the Welsh Open. He actually took a long break in Australia over the summer and suffered a few surprise defeats early in the season, but since then he has been excellent. Competition is so fierce now that anyone who wins two or three big tournament over a season is doing very well. Just one other note about Robertson – I hope he gets to Llandudno in time for his first match because I remember commentating on a Premier League fixture he had here when he caught the wrong train from Cambridge and seemed certain to arrive late. It was live

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on Sky Sports and there was real panic backstage that they wouldn’t have a match to show. In the end he was extremely fortunate that the first match of the evening, involving Ronnie O’Sullivan, took a lot longer than expected. One of the referees picked Robertson up from the train station, drove as fast as possible to the arena, and just got there in time.

You’re working for ITV on the events they televise, how pleased have you been to see them get involved with snooker again in recent years?

It’s tremendous. I worked on the Shoot Out in Reading last month and I was genuinely delighted by what a great team they are to work with, in terms of the personnel in front of the cameras and behind them. To have more tournaments on a free-to-air channel is obviously wonderful for the fans, it brings the sport to a wide audience and the events are in very good hands with ITV. They’ve got four events in their portfolio now – the World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Shoot Out and Champion of Champions, which is a nice mix and I think all of them will continue to grow.

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You’ve been involved with snooker for some 30 years now, do you still enjoy it?

I went through a period where I did less and less snooker because a lot of my work now is in golf, and I found that I really missed it. To be back doing big tournaments live is so enjoyable and satisfying for me and it gives me a good balance in my career.

DID YOU KNOW? Phil and his brother Rob own one of the largest collections of golf scorecards in Europe. They collect cards from as many different clubs as possible around the globe and they currently have 30,450 from over 100 different countries, covering every continent.

However, they are trailing well behind the record holding American collector who has well over 100,000 cards.

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04/03/2016 18:47

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REFEREES

These are the men officiating at the 2016 Ladbrokes World Grand Prix...

MEET Greg Coniglio

Age: 45 From: Manchester Greg first refereed on the World Snooker Tour in 2006, and the following year he took charge of a ranking event match for the first time. He has since officiated at several ranking events including the World Championship qualifiers. He remains a keen snooker player and has a top break of 127.

Alex Crisan Jan Verhaas

Age: 49 From: The Netherlands Jan is one of snooker’s most experienced referees and has taken charge of the World Championship final five times. He also plays a role as an assessor for younger referees.

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Age: 31 From: Romania Alex refereed amateur finals including the IBSF World and European Championship before he started work on the pro tour. In 2015 he was asked by World Snooker to work at the Masters at Alexandra Palace, as one of just three referees at snooker’s biggest invitation event. Away from snooker, Alex works as a sales agent and his hobbies include skating and tennis.

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04/03/2016 18:47

REFEREES

T THE REFS Andy Yates

Age: 41 From: Manchester Andy first refereed a pro match in 2006, and the following year he worked at ranking events for the first time. His most memorable moment came at the 2007 Grand Prix in Aberdeen when he officiated a 147 from Tom Ford in a match against Steve Davis.

He has now refereed four maximum breaks as well as the final of a PTC event in Gloucester.

Milosz Olborski Age: 42 From: Poland Milosz has been refereeing since 2008 and has worked at several European Tour events. He took charge of his first final at the 2014 Lisbon Open, and his second at the 2015 Riga Open. Away from snooker he is an IT Specialist and his hobbies include basketball, chess and photography.

Theo Selbertinger

Age: 27 From: Germany Theo first worked at European Tour events in 2010, and he took charge of the Paul Hunter Classic final that year. He has also officiated quarter-final matches at the German Masters ranking event, as well as the World Championship qualifying rounds. Away from snooker, Theo works as an IT Technician and he enjoys car tuning, basketball and home cinema.

Robert Zablocki

Age: 30 From: Poland Robert has refereed at several European Tour events and is now officiating at a world ranking tournament for the first time.

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04/03/2016 18:48

FEATURE

RANKINGS T he recent Gdynia Open tournament in Poland marked the conclusion of several key qualification battles on the World Snooker Tour including for the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix, Ladbrokes Players Championship and even main tour cards for the 2016/17 season.

Ladbrokes World Grand Prix The qualification process for the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix saw the top 32 players on a unique oneyear ranking list, running from the 2015 Australian Goldfields Open to the 2016 Gdynia Open, qualify to play in Llandudno.

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With just one counting event remaining, former world number two Stephen Maguire found himself precariously placed in 32nd spot, with a lead of just £125 to closest challenger Mark Joyce and other players within striking distance if they could run deep in Gdynia.

Importantly, the Scot was able to win his first two matches in Poland, before falling to Tom Ford at the last 32 stage, leaving his fate out of his own hands for the remainder of the weekend.

As it would transpire however, the chasing pack were unable to capitalise with Joyce falling at the first hurdle to Ryan Day, while players including Andrew Higginson, Mark King and Rory McLeod all fell short of breaking into the top 32 and ousting Maguire on the final day.

Although many of the world’s top players were able to successfully qualify to play in Llandudno, there were a few

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surprise names to miss out. The highest ranked player absent is world number 11 Ricky Walden, while Robert Milkins, Mark Davis and Scottish duo Alan McManus and Anthony McGill also miss out.

The lowest ranked qualifier is David Grace, who despite holding a ranking of 62 on the official twoyear list, was able to finish up in 26th position on the race to the World Grand Prix, thanks largely to his run to the semi-finals of the UK Championship in December.

Ladbrokes Players Championship The Gdynia Open also saw the conclusion of the race to qualify for the Ladbrokes Players Championship, set to be held on 22-27 March 2016 at Event City in Manchester.

The qualification process for that event saw the top 24 players on the Kreativ Dental Clinic European Order of Merit following the sixth and final event in Gdynia, as well as a further six through a combined European and Asian Order of Merit list, join Haining Open finalists Ding Junhui and Ricky Walden in Manchester.

It was a good weekend in Poland for players including Sam Baird, Kyren Wilson and Martin Gould, who all secured qualification for the event with deep

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RACES runs during the tournament. In particular, recent German Masters champion Gould needed to reach the final to secure qualification and he did exactly that to deny Matt Selt a spot on the final day.

Of the players to miss out, a first round defeat to Fraser Patrick ensured that reigning world champion Stuart Bingham will join the likes of Neil Robertson, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan in failing to qualify for the Players Championship.

Otherwise however there remains a field brimming with world class talent set to play in Manchester in what is crucially the penultimate chance for players to add prize money to their rankings prior to the crucial seeding cut-off ahead of this year’s World Championship.

Tour Survival We are approaching the time of year when players further down the ranking list will be looking over their shoulders and hoping to secure their place on the main tour for the following season.

While the top 64 on the official twoyear ranking list at the end of the season will automatically retain their places, for those outside of that group who are not on the first year of a twoyear tour card, they must secure their position via an alternative route.

One such way to do so is by

finishing inside the top eight players on the European Order of Merit following the Gdynia Open, not already ranked inside the top 64 on the official two-year world ranking list at the end of the season.

Following the action in Gdynia, these players are: • Thor Chuan Leong – £5,925 • Ian Burns – £4,050 • Lee Walker – £3,750 • Mitchell Mann – £3,675 • Aditya Mehta – £3,000 • Scott Donaldson – £2,775 • Hammad Miah – £2,700 (amateur) • Anthony Hamilton – £2,325 In Gdynia without doubt the biggest winner in this respect was Birmingham’s Mitchell Mann, who won three matches to reach the last 16 stage and cement his position among the eight players set to earn a new two-year tour card through the European Tour.

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Indian professional Aditya Mehta did not play in Poland following the announcement that he has resigned from the tour this season, but he has already done enough during previous events to virtually ensure that he will be eligible to earn a new tour card next season.

Scotland’s Scott Donaldson scored a vital victory against Syd Wilson in Poland to all but secure his place, while amateur Hammad Miah also looks well-placed despite defeat to Jamie Clarke in the amateur rounds.

Holding on to the final position is former world number 10 Anthony Hamilton, who crucially won two matches in Gdynia to climb into position to earn a new two-year tour card from the start of next season.

The position can still change however, depending upon who is able to finish inside of the world’s top 64 at the end of the season on the official world ranking list.

With the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix, Ladbrokes Players Championship, China Open and the World Championship still to run during the 2015/16 season, the battle for tour survival is set to go to the wire.

• You can follow all of the latest developments in the battle to remain on tour and more at www.wpbsa.com/blog

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FEATURE

WELSH WIZARDS IN WROCLAW

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ast month saw the best snooker players from across Europe descend upon the city of Wroclaw, Poland to play in the 2016 European Championship.

And it was the players from Wales who would set the standard, with winners in both the main event and Under-18 competitions.

The main tournament saw former professional Jak Jones overcome countryman Jamie Clarke 7-4 in the final, while Llanelli’s Tyler Rees defeated Tredegar’s Jackson Page 5-2 to take the under-18 title.

For Jones, the title represents the biggest victory of his career to date, having previously won the European Under-19 Championship back in 2010: “It means a lot because I had put quite a lot of pressure on myself to win it before I went out there,” said Jones. “When I won the Under-19 event it was more of a shock and I

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didn’t really expect to or put so much pressure on myself to win it. But this time I had practised really hard, so it was more of a relief in a way.

“It is different to the Under-19, although I would put this above it because it’s a bigger tournament.”

The event proved to be a test of Jones’ stamina, with the final coming to a conclusion at approximately 1am local time: “After the final I was happy but because I had played my semi-final which had lasted for five and a half hours in the morning, then the final lasted about six and a half hours later in the day. The adrenalin kept me going but after it I just had a massive crash!”

Victory ensured that Jones will now be eligible to return to the main tour for a third time, following previous spells on the tour during 2010/11 and 2013-2015. Having struggled to establish himself on the professional circuit during both periods, he now believes that he is far better prepared for the challenge that awaits him: “This is the first time that I am really looking forward to it,” explained Jones, “ The other two times I was putting so much pressure

on myself, whereas now I feel more settled and happier with where I am practising.

“After playing in the World

Championship last season, I said to my mum that I was not going to play in Q School. It surprised a lot of people, but I said it that I would be better to try and have a season off and to try and get back on for the next season. It’s the best I have ever felt playing-wise and everything else.”

Still only 22, Jones believes that his previous experience as a professional will set him in good stead for his return to the circuit.

“The tour now is so different from the amateur game that when you first come on it is a big shock and different to what you expect. You come from the amateur game where you are winning all the time, to the professional game when

“

The tour is so different from the amatuer game that when you first come on, it’s a big shock

”

you are not winning as much.

“You have got to get used to losing a bit to improve and not let it affect you, which the first couple of times I did let it affect me and knock my confidence a bit. But I feel completely different now this time.”

While Jones is no stranger to success on the international stage, for 17-year-old Tyler Rees, victory at the European Under-19 Championship in Wroclaw was a new experience: “It is definitely the best win of my career so far,” said Rees, who also reached the quarter-finals of the under-21 event. “I have won events in Wales but that’s the first time I have won in Europe and a big improvement for me.

“For the whole day I played really well, got through a couple of deciders and I think that it was

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a massive improvement in my match play that got me through because last year I didn’t really do very well in that event.”

A fan of Ronnie O’Sullivan, as well as Welsh players including Mark Williams, Matthew Stevens and Ryan Day, Rees first took an interest in the game when he was just nine: “I had a friend that lived opposite me who had a little three foot pool table,” explained Rees. “I played on it and I liked it, so I asked my parents for a pool table for Christmas and started to play on that. Then I went to Terry Griffiths Matchroom in Llanelli and started to play in Sunday tournaments and it developed from there really. I began to practice more and took it more seriously as I went on.”

Rees is now hoping to earn a place alongside Jak Jones on the main tour in the coming years and has already entered Q School, which will take place in Burton upon Trent from 11 May 2016 and see eight players earn tour cards for the 2016/17 season.

Prior to that however, he will also be invited by the WPBSA to take place in the World Championship qualifiers for the first time, following his success in Wroclaw: “It’s unbelievable really!” he added.

“The closer it gets the more I think about it and the more excited I am. At first it didn’t really sink in, but I will be practising for that now and I feel really lucky to be able to play in it.”

Both players agree that the performances of the Welsh players across all three events at the European Championship are evidence of the strength in depth in the Welsh junior ranks at present.

“It is looking good,” said Rees. “Two of the players (Jackson Page and Dylan Emery) in the final stages of the Under-18 event were 14, so for the next few years the Welsh players could definitely dominate those events.”

“It just goes to show that snooker is doing really well in Wales and that the standard is as good as other UK countries,” added Jones.

• For more information on the EBSA European Championships visit www.ebsa.tv

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WELSH OPEN

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PICTURE PERFECT

North Wales is hosting the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix this week, and last month the circuit stopped in the south of the country for the Welsh Open in Cardiff. Here are a few of the best images from the tournament…

1. Welsh favourite Matthew Stevens, who has slipped down the rankings in recent years, shows signs of frustration at the table. He reached the third round before 4-3 defeat against Martin Gould.

2. Presenter Ian Hunt and commentator Terry Griffiths setting the scene for BBC Wales.

3. Bulgarian referee Proletina Velichkova officiated at the final stages of a ranking event for the first time.

4. A cheeky behind the scenes shot of the BBC studio, as it appears from behind the cameras.

5. Ronnie O’Sullivan set tongues wagging throughout the week after he decided to turn down the chance of a 147 on the opening day because he didn’t consider the £10,000 bonus a big enough incentive.

6, 7 and 8. Ding Junhui had no qualms about the 147 prize and he registered that magic number on the scoreboard during his quarter-final match against Neil Robertson. Ding received plenty of support from Chinese students. “They give me power and I want to share victory with them,” he said.

9. Neil Robertson played some superb snooker throughout the week to reach the final...

10. ...but in the end it was O’Sullivan who romped to the title, coming from 5-2 down in the final to beat Robertson 9-5. That left O’Sullivan with 19 consecutive wins in matches in 2016.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

TOP TWEETS Here’s what some of the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix players have been tweeting in recent weeks…

Judd Trump @judd147t

Nice vegan breakfast before Championship League today....

Joke nice sugar puffs Tried to have 1 cookie... Whole pack later…

Neil Robertson @nr147

Hey guys. Can an Apple watch do everything a Fitbit can Thinking of getting back into Warhammer 40K! Haven’t played it for years, so much fun though.

Just seen Deadpool! Ryan Reynolds redeemed himself after Green Lantern there

Shaun Murphy @Magician147

Today’s the day #dentist #rootcanal I completely appreciate the hard work and training that goes into boxing. I just don’t get why we seem to like watching fighting so much?

The all round standard of snooker has never been as high as it is today.

We’re living in record breaking times

Mark Williams @markwil147

I can say I turned pro at the same time as the best player ever, and 27 years on he’s still the best in the world. Awesome @ronnieo147 HUMAN CENTIPEDE 3. #heregoes

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Mark Allen @pistol147

Well done to @scottquigg fighting 8 rounds with a broken jaw. Warrior!!

Maybe next time @RealCFrampton he’ll throw a punch before the 5th I’m a rockstar!! Nice meal and 2 drinks and now I’m in bed watching Only Fools and Horses. Calm down will ya Ok, soToni & Guydid cutmyhair butimagine my surprise when I got told it was £44 for a trim. Ha ha, 1stand lasttime for me I’m afraid

Michael Holt @hotmanholt

Warning to anyone who will get within 20yards of me for today – I reek of garlic #GarlicyPasta #Bruschetta #TableForOne He’s 3 blacks better than the 2nd best ever. Anyone who disagrees is clueless or biased. #TheRocket

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04/03/2016 18:52

Stephen Hendry 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994 1995, 1996, 1999

Steve Davis 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987 1988, 1989

John Higgins 1998, 2007, 2009, 2011

Neil Robertson 2010

Stuart Bingham 2015

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013

Cliff Thorburn 1980 Alex Higgins 1982 Dennis Taylor 1985 Joe Johnson 1986 John Parrott 1991 Ken Donerty 1997 Mark Williams 2000, 2003 Peter Ebdon 2002 Shaun Murphy 2005 Graeme Dott 2006

Mark Selby 2014

Played on by World Champions for over 35 years.

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SNOOKER QUIZ How much do you know about the green baize game? Test your knowledge with these 20 teasers. Answers at the bottom of the page.

How many official 147 breaks have been made this season?

2.

At which famous track did Kyren Wilson win a high-speed motor race against three other players in a challenge organised by World Snooker in 2014?

3.

Which two players contested this season’s German Masters final?

4.

Which city in Poland hosted a European Tour event just a few days ago?

5.

Name the venue in Manchester which will host the Ladbrokes Players Championship later this month.

6.

Who did John Higgins beat in the final when he won his first world title in 1998?

7.

From which Australian city does Neil Robertson hail?

8.

Liang Wenbo has reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship just once… in which year?

9.

In which year did Mark Selby reach his first ranking event final?

10. How many times has Mark Allen reached the final of a Triple Crown event (World Championship, UK Championship and Masters)?

11. How old was Judd Trump when he made his first competitive 147 break?

12. Who were the losing semi-finalists at the World Grand Prix last year?

13. Name the pictured player.

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14. How many times has Matthew Selt qualified to play at the Crucible?

15. Which player is married to his stepmother’s sister?

16. In which year did two players make a maximum break during the final stages of the World Championship?

17. Who is the current Six Red World Champion?

18. Which province in China does Ding Junhui come from?

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19. Which player’s home town is Maasmechelen?

20. Which referee took charge of the World Grand Prix final and the World Championship final last year?

Answers: 1. Four 2. Silverstone 3. Martin Gould and Luca Brecel 4. Gdynia 5. Event City 6. Ken Doherty 7. Melbourne 8. 2008 9. 2003 10. One 11. Fourteen 12. Martin Gould and Stuart Bingham 13. Tian Pengfei 14. Two 15. Ryan Day 16. 2008 17. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 18.

Jiangsu 19. Luca Brecel 20. Olivier Marteel

1.

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04/03/2016 18:53

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TOURNAMENT CALENDAR

From the click of the balls to the roar of the crowd…there’s nothing quite like seeing snooker live. And if the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix has given you a taste for more then you’re in luck because there are more major tournaments coming up in the UK…

March 22-27

Ladbrokes Players Championship Event City, Manchester For tickets visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

April 6-13

Betfred World Championship qualifiers Pond’s Forge Sheffield For tickets call 0114 2233777 or visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

April 16 to May 2

Betfred World Championship The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield For tickets call 0844 65 65 147 or visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets

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