Around The Angles April 2015
Editor’s Column Words from your editor, Stephen O’Mara...
April’s edition of Around The Angles takes an in-depth look at the latest buzzes surrounding the world of snooker. We have previews of the 888.com World Grand Prix, hosting some of the game’s top players including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Masters Champion Shaun Murphy, World Champion Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and plenty more. The competition, played in North Wales, could be, for some, the chance to bank their place in this year’s Champion of Champions. We also offer a preview for the biggest event of the year, the World Championships at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. With Mark Selby struggling for form, this could be the incentive for some of the chasing pack to dethrone The Jester form Leicester. Reanne Evans, the ten-time women’s World Champion, has risen into the public eye recently with her invitation to compete at the World Championships this year. The Dudley-born star has not only risen her stock, but also risen some dark truths into the gender gap in the beautiful game. Chris Norbury, the Accrington-born professional, reached his first UK Championship in the 2013-14 season and famously progressed to the second round of the competition. However, the 28-year-old has never competed in the first round of the World Championship and he speaks exclusively to Around The Angles about his Crucible dream. Enjoy!
Contents Page One PREVIEW: 888.com World Grand Prix Page Three/Page Four INTERVIEW Chris Norbury: Sights Set on Sheffield Page Five/Page Six Reanne Evans brings Revolutionary Eye-Opener to World Snooker Page Seven/Page Eight PREVIEW: The Crucible
PREVIEW: 888.com World Grand Prix With the line-up for this year’s 888.com World Grand Prix confirmed, snooker fans across the globe can look forward to seeing some of the biggest names in snooker. Participating in the event, held in Llandudno, North Wales, is UK Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, World Champion Mark Selby, Masters Champion Shaun Murphy along with Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and many more. The tournament will take place at Venue Cymru and will be televised on ITV4, the first event ITV have broadcast since the Champion of Champions in November 2014. The total jackpot for the ranking event is £300,000, with the winner of the event taking home £100,000.
On the inaugural day, Ronnie O’Sullivan will lock horns with Rod Lawler in the evening session. This will be a clash of contrasting styles as O’Sullivan has, in the past, struggled against those who sport a slow, strategic game as opposed to the risk-taking, easy-on-the-eye snooker that The Rocket, as well as others, have showcased over the years. This will be the latest test of Steve Peters’ effect on O’Sullivan who will have to remain patient or keep Lawler off the table completely. On the same day, World Champion Mark Selby takes on Michael Holt in a match widely predicted as a banker for most betting fanatics. The Jester has stuggled for form in recent tournaments but you would have to assume that Selby will return to his World Championship-winning form sooner rather than later.
Neil Robertson kicks off his Grand Prix against one of the most highly rated youngsters of the contemporary game, Luca Brecel. The 20-year-old became the youngest European under-19 champion when he was just 14. Brecel has started to turn potential into solid performances and Robertson may have to play the role of the Master to whom Brecel is the apprentice in this widely anticipated match. Further ahead in the tournament, snooker fans can look forward to two former World Champions facing each other when Shaun Murphy and Peter Ebdon go head-tohead. Judd Trump faces Dominic Dale in the opening round while Ding Junhui begins with a face-off with The Walnut, Ricky Walden.
INTERVIEW Chris Norbury: Sights Set on Sheffield A question and answer with Chris Norbury earths some truths regarding his ambitions for a World Championship appearance after recent successes in reaching the UK Championship and Welsh Open in consecutive seasons. Q: Snooker is a passion often adopted from a family member who is interested in the game, how did you fall in love with the game?
you the thirst to go for the big one in Sheffield in May?
A: “I like to think I’m highly incentivised heading into all the events on the A:”Snooker, for me, much like tour. Some work out better many others on the circuit, than others but the World started at a young age. ProbChampionship is what every ably around 13-years-old. I youngster dreams of playing attended the local working in and hopefully one day promen’s club and the more I gress to the latter rounds to learned to play, the more I try and win.” loved the game - and vice versa.” Q: You co-own a snooker club down in Preston, does Q: Reaching the UK Chamthis provide a good balance pionship and Welsh Open in between heading into big consecutive seasons must give tournaments and going back
to the kind of place where it all started? A: “Of course, I mean, playing at the snooker club is where you develop your love for the game and many snooker players have been documented in saying that their days as a youth playing snooker were a hell of a lot more enjoyable. But I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the club as much as the pressurised atmosphere of a tournament and to become a professional you have to work the two harmoneously.”
Photograph:: Monique Limbos
Q: Accrington is where you live and Accrington Stanley is the team you support, as well as the co-owned snooker club being in Preston. Does the global nature of the profession prove difficult and does it interfere with home life? Q: It changes quite often really. There is never a sustained period where you feel like you don’t want to be at home or on the tour, because both have their pros and cons that can be looked forward to escaping from and equally looked forward to coming
back to. I’ll always have my feet on the ground and will never be allowed to forget where I have come from, wherever the game takes me. For sure, though, missing this and that because you are away on the tour does grow tedious but snooker is my job and it’s certainly something you get used to. Q: And finally, at 28-yearsold, the peak of most professionals arrives around this time. With consecutive qualifications to the UK Championship and Welsh
Open, on top of a victory over somebody with Marco Fu’s stature, do you believe this could be a real turning point in your career? A: “I would like to think so. Everybody dreams of making it to televised events and winning titles but I have my own personal goals and as long as my feet are on the ground and I’m enjoying my snooker then anything can happen once you reach the table. It’s mainly about a positive, clear mindset, the rest will fall into place.”
C H R I S N O R B U RY: FAC T F I L E D e f e at e d Ma rc o Fu i n the Bulgarian Open October 2014
Reached his first UK C h a mpi on s h ip i n 2 0 1 3 a n d s e c u re d a v i c t or y ov e r Ma r t i n g ou l d i n
of f a s h o c k w i n a n d pro g re s s t o t h e s e c on d rou n d .
Hi s h i g h e s t r a n k i n g i s 5 2 i n t h e Wor l d . Hi s f i r s t y e a r on t h e
after he finished fifth in the Challenge Tou r R a n k i n g s of 2004/05.
Reanne Evans brings Revolutionary Eye-Opener to World Snooker It was announced earlier in March that Reanne Evans had been invited to the World Championship in Sheffield at this year’s tournament. Evans was relatively unknown to those outside of snooker and the Dudley-born star has plenty to boast. She is a ten-time World Champion, winning the last ten WLBSA World Championships. The women’s number-one also played along side Neil Robertson to gain the WLBSA World Mixed Doubles Championship. But it is Neil Robertson, amongst others, who she will be wishing to cause upsets against at this year’s Betfred World Championship in Sheffield. After 61 straight wins, including a 4-3 victory over reigning champion, John Higgins, at the 2009 Six-red World championship, Evans was awarded a wildcard on the professional Main tour for 2010/11. This allowed her to enter all ranking events at the qualifying
stage - the first woman to do so since Allison fisher in the 1994/95 season.
following round. A dream tie for a woman trying to ply her trade in the men’s game. However, Evans was selected Although arguably her biggest as one of four participants achievement came in the 2006 to undergo a further match women’s World Championto cement her spot in the ship when she took home the following round - a feature crown while also seven-andopenly scrutinised by many a-half months pregnant to the in the game. Evans failed in Northern Irish professional, her battle against the Chinese Mark Allen. It is well docuyoungster, Zhu Yinghui after a mented that Evans regards 5-2 loss. this as her biggest achievement in snooker, although Now, Evans has her chance to she will be looking to write go for glory once again as she more chapters into the history prepares for the biggest qualibooks by being the first wom- fying process of her illustrious an to compete in the World career to date. Championships at the Crucible. However, the ascension of Evans has earthed some dark Evans almost had a taste of truths about the gender gap in a top clas in the 2013 Wuxi the beautiful game. Classic, a competition she earned the right to qualify for Should Evans be victorious by gaining enough Q-School in just one of her qualifying victories to enter the tournamatches, of which she would ment at the qualifying round have to win three to progress as an emateur. Evans was the to the first round, she would victor in her qualifying match pocket £6,000. This jackpot against Thailand’s Thepchaiya surpass the prize money she’s Un-Nooh and was scheduled earned in the last five years of to play Neil Robertson in the winning multiple World titles
Photograph: Monique Limbos/Snookerimages
with her biggest prize totalling £1,500 and one of her World Championships earned her just £450.
after being told that there was in fact no jackpot, he made a maximum break up until 140 and refused to pot the black before being ushered to by the referee.
line. However, Reanne Evans has her sights set on being the catalyst for change in women’s snooker and given the staggering difference between her Being dubbed the “Female £1,500 jackpot for winning Trailblazer”, Evans, 29, is still the World Championship, the living iwth her mother as she Such behaviour divided same year Ronnie O’Sullivan cannot simply afford to move opinions, some saw it as pocketed £250,000 for his out and make a living through classic Ronnie, others saw it Crucible victory, you would snooker alone, something she as the epitome of arrogance. have to say this is a long time has openly spoke about being But when paralleled with coming. Regardless of her findumbfounded by. the inability to earn a living ish in this year’s World Chamfrom being the top woman in pionshp, whether she proOver the years, Ronnie O’Sul- snooker, it beggers belief. gresses after competing with livan has questioned World the 128 hopefuls in qualifying Snooker for their lack of mon- The agenda of Reanne Evans or falls at the first hurdle, ey put into the men’s game has far more layers than pro- Reanne Evans has surfaced and scrutinised the depleting gressing into the first round true issues in the women’s prizes in the professional of the World Championship. game and it is surely time for game. Famously, The RockBridging the gender gap, in all World Snooker to intervene et questioned a referee as to sports, has been a feature in and allow women, such as the what the jackpot was for a the last decade, with progres- ten-time World Champion, to 147 back in the 2010 World sions in women’s tennis and earn a living from professionOpen against Mark King, women’s football leading the al snooker.
The Crucible: Historic World Championships around the corner, with plenty of questions to answer
With the 2015 Betfred World Championship only a few weeks away, we take a look at who we think are the six favourites heading into the biggest tournament on the snooker calendar. JUDD TRUMP
Many snooker fanatics have been waiting for Judd Trump to take the next step and start winning big events. This year could be Trump’s year. With two final appearances in the UK Championship and the Champion of Champions, along with a huge ranking victory in the Australian Open, the 25-year-old could be ready to step up to the plate. Psychology has often been a hinderence for Trump, who is yet Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA to emulate his flamboyant style of play in his character.
DING JUNHUI
It’s quite the mystery what has happened to Ding Junhui after his record-equalling campaign last season, when he won five ranking events, equalling a record set by Stephen Hendry. Ding has crashed out in the first stage of four tournaments this year including the Masters, the German Masters, the Welsh Open and the Indian Open.
Photograph: Steven Paston/Action Images
Struggling for form is a position we have not seen Ding Junhui in for a long time and it will be interesting to see if he bounces back on the biggest stage of them all.
MARK SELBY The World Champion has endured a turbulent season thus far, although the misfortunes at the start of the season appear to have turned full circle. After a win in the German Masters and a semi-final finish in Shanghai, Selby could well be finding his feet at exactly the right time. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA
Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
SHAUN MURPHY Shaun Murphy has rediscovered the form that gained him his shock World Championship in 2005. Having already won the Masters to complete his career Triple Crown and becoming the first man to make three maximum breaks in a calendar year, Murphy could well set the standard at this year’s World Championship.
NEIL ROBERTSON
Neil Robertson has had a strong season thus far, winning the Wuxi Classic and making it to the final of both the Australian Open and the Masters. A semi final finish in the Champion of Champions tournament has also contributed to the strong form of the Thunder From Down Under. Along with Murphy, Robertson edges the majority of the pack with his current form. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/PA
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN
With Ronnie O’Sullivan recently breaking Stephen Hendry’s record of career centuries, the question on everybody’s lips is whether Ronnie has the determination to equal Hendry’s record of seven World Championships. The Rocket is currently on five and has cemented his status as the best the game has ever produced, it is up to him now whether he has the drive to be the World Champion once again. Even without the drive, he’s still pretty good. Picture: Action Images
DON’T MISS OUT ON THE 2015 BETFRED WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!