Mark Allen believes he will cope with the challenge of defending the title when he heads to the Dafabet Masters next week. Allen won the title for the first time a year ago, beating Kyren Wilson in the final. He went on to have the best year of his career in 2018, winning the International […]
Defending champion Mark Allen has drawn Luca Brecel in the first round of the Dafabet Masters at Alexandra Palace next month. The draw has been made for snooker’s biggest invitation tournament, to run from January 13 to 20 in North London. It’s an elite field with only the world’s top 16 players earning the chance […]
via Allen Draws Brecel In First Round Of Snooker’s Masters — finixsportsblog
Ali Carter believes that his new vegan diet will help him tackle Crohn’s Disease as he looks ahead to next week’s Ladbrokes Players Championship in Manchester.
Three-time ranking event winner Carter has suffered from the illness for 13 years and was recently told by his consultant he may need more surgery, a measure he is desperate to avoid.
“I don’t want surgery on my stomach because I don’t believe it’s the answer,” said the 36-year-old. “I’ve had it before and it creates scar tissue, so they want to remove the scar tissue but then I’ll just end up with more.
“So for the last eight or nine days I have been trying a healing diet which involves eating nothing other than fruit and vegetables. I am feeling a lot better and hopefully that will continue.”
Chelmsford’s Carter, who has also battled cancer twice within the past three years and is still having regular check-ups, added: “If I’d never had any health problems I think I would have won a lot more, but it’s something I’ve always had to deal with.”
The two-time World Championship finalist reached the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix last week and is encouraged by his form ahead of next week’s world ranking event at Event City in Manchester, which runs from March 22 to 27.
“It was good to win a couple of matches though I was disappointed to lose in the quarters,” said the world number 28, who won the Paul Hunter Classic earlier this season. “I feel something good is around the corner.
“This is a rebuilding season for me. It was great to win a title and I had hoped to get back into the top 16, but realistically my goal is to do that in time for the Masters next season. I will have no ranking points coming off because I missed a lot of events last season, so that will be the time for me to climb back up.”
Carter faces Graeme Dott on the opening day of the Ladbrokes Players Championship next Tuesday. Other top stars competing for the £100,000 top prize will include Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Mark Allen and Mark Williams.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW and start at just £10, incredible value for the chance to see the world’s best players live. Certain sessions will sell out fast so fans must book quickly. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
Shaun Murphy will hope to win back-to-back ranking titles for the first time in his career when he plays in the Ladbrokes Players Championship in Manchester next week.
Murphy is the man in form having won the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix last Sunday, beating Stuart Bingham 10-9 in a dramatic final. That was his sixth career ranking title though he has never won two in the same year.
The Ladbrokes Players Championship will be staged in Manchester for the first time and runs from March 22 to 27 at Event City.
Televised by ITV4, it brings together the 32 best players from this season’s European Tour and Asian Tour events to chase the £100,000 top prize.
“I can’t wait for the next tournament,” said world number four Murphy, who faces Liang Wenbo on the opening day of the event. “I’ve got a few things to work on this week back on the practice table then I’ll go to Manchester really feeling as if I can mix it with everyone else.
“There’s nothing like the feeling of taking trophies home and I feel I’m on the right road to win more.
“I had been in a slump for a few months and not picked up any silverware. There were a lot of upset journeys back from events, trying to work out what had gone wrong. Eventually I realised where it was going wrong, I have gone back to an instinctive way of playing and it seems to be working.
“I lived in Manchester for eight years, then as soon as I left World Snooker decided to have a tournament there…I’m not sure how to take that! At least I’ll know where all the best coffee shops are. It’s a great location and I think having a big snooker tournament in Manchester is long overdue.”
World number one Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, Mark Allen and Mark Williams are among the other top stars competing for the title.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW and start at just £10, incredible value for the chance to see the world’s best players live. Certain sessions will sell out fast so fans must book quickly. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
Following high demand for tickets for next month’s Dafabet Masters, extra seats will be added to the arena at Alexandra Palace.
The tournament runs from January 10 to 17 in North London and the final on Sunday 17th had sold out, prompting the decision to add extra seating to the sides of the arena. This brings the capacity to a maximum possible of 1958 seats which is the biggest it has ever been for the Masters at this venue.
However sessions are still selling rapidly so fans are strongly urged to BOOK IMMEDIATELY to make sure of seeing the world’s leading players competing for the famous trophy.
And with three days to go until Christmas, if you’re stuck for gift ideas then you’ve found the perfect present for anyone who enjoys live sport.
For ticket visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
A spokesman for World Snooker said: “We have had unprecedented demand this year which is why we have decided to increase the capacity of the arena. This shows how the tournament has grown since we moved to Ally Pally in 2012.
“It’s always a sizzling atmosphere at the Masters and with an even bigger arena it’s going to be an incredible experience to be there live. Make sure you and your friends have something to look forward to in January by booking now.”
Shaun Murphy will be defending the title he won for the first time last year and he takes part in the opening match against Mark Allen on Sunday January 10th at 1pm. The other green baize kings in contention include Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham.
The full draw is:
First round:
Shaun Murphy v Mark Allen – Sunday January 10 at 1pm
Barry Hawkins v Joe Perry – Monday January 11 at 7pm
Judd Trump v Stephen Maguire – Monday January 11 at 1pm
Neil Robertson v Marco Fu – Wednesday January 13 at 7pm
Mark Selby v Ricky Walden – Tuesday January 12 at 7pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Williams- Tuesday January 12 at 1pm
John Higgins v Liang Wenbo – Wednesday January 13 at 1pm
Stuart Bingham v Ding Junhui – Sunday January 10 at 7pm
Quarter-finals:
Thursday January 14 at 1pm: Selby / Walden v O’Sullivan / Williams
Thursday January 14 at 7pm: Murphy / Allen v Hawkins / Perry
Friday January 15 at 1pm: Trump / Maguire v Robertson / Fu
Friday January 15 at 7pm: Higgins / Liang v Bingham / Ding
Semi-finals:
Saturday January 16 at 1pm: Semi final 1 (top half of draw)
Saturday January 16 at 7pm: Semi final 2 (bottom half of draw)
Final
Sunday January 17 at 1pm and 7pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan will face Mark Williams when he plays his first televised match of the season at the Masters next month.
O’Sullivan is yet to compete on the World Snooker tour so far this season but he’ll be back on the major stage at Alexandra Palace in January. The Rocket has won the Masters five times but he’ll face a tough task in the opening round this time having been drawn against two-time World Champion Williams. That match will take place on Tuesday January 12 at 1pm.
Shaun Murphy won the Masters – snooker’s most prestigious invitation event – for the first time last year and he has been drawn against Mark Allen, with that match to launch the tournament on Sunday January 10 at 1pm.
Newly crowned UK Champion Neil Robertson takes on Marco Fu while World Champion Stuart Bingham faces China’s Ding Junhui. UK Championship finalist Liang Wenbo will make his Masters debut against John Higgins.
The full draw and format is below.
Shaun Murphy v Mark Allen – Sunday January 10 at 1pm
Barry Hawkins v Joe Perry – Monday January 11 at 7pm
Judd Trump v Stephen Maguire – Monday January 11 at 1pm
Neil Robertson v Marco Fu – Wednesday January 13 at 7pm
Mark Selby v Ricky Walden – Tuesday January 12 at 7pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Mark Williams- Tuesday January 12 at 1pm
John Higgins v Liang Wenbo – Wednesday January 13 at 1pm
Stuart Bingham v Ding Junhui – Sunday January 10 at 7pm
The BBC-televised tournament runs from January 10 to 17 with tickets ON SALE NOW and fans must book fast because certain sessions are selling out rapidly. For details call 0871 620 7052 (calls cost 10p per minute from a BT landline plus network charges) or visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
Mark Allen won his first title in 15 months by beating Ryan Day 4-0 in the final of the Victoria Bulgaria Open in Sofia.
World number ten Allen dominated the final in the Bulgarian capital to take the 25,000 Euro top prize at the season’s fourth Kreativ Dental Clinic European Tour event. The 29-year-old from Antrim won his first title since last year’s Paul Hunter Classic.
Allen also earns a place at the 188BET Champion of Champions, which starts in Coventry on Tuesday, and will face Barry Hawkins on the first round on Friday.
Two-time ranking event winner Allen had a disappointing 2014/15 season but has since been reunited with coach and mentor Terry Griffiths and showed signs of a return to form in reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters and quarter-finals of the International Championship. And he has now added to his silverware collection having won seven matches in Sofia.
Breaks of 65 and 76 put him 2-0 up on Welshman Day and he made a 56 in the next before securing it on the final pink. Day, who was trying to win a title carrying ranking points for the first time in his career, had chances in frame four but couldn’t take advantage and Allen cleared from yellow to pink to secure the trophy.
“I’m very happy to get another tournament win under my belt,” said the Northern Irishman. “To win 4-0 in the final is a good way to do it and shows my game is in good shape. I haven’t been too happy with my performances this season even though I’ve been winning matches, but now I’m getting closer to where I want to be.
“To get a place in the Champion of Champions is a massive bonus and I’ll be going into next week with a lot of confidence having won here.”
The Kreativ Dental Clinic European Tour is a series of six events across the continent, with the top 24 on the final Order of Merit to qualify for the Players Championship. The next event is the Gibraltar Open from December 9-13.
Results (last 16 onwards)
Last 16
Sam Baird 4-3 Jimmy Robertson
Judd Trump 4-2 Fergal O’Brien
Mark Selby 4-2 Dominic Dale
Ryan Day 4-3 Mark Joyce
Mark Allen 4-0 Michael Holt
Mike Dunn 4-0 Daniel Wells
Mark Williams 4-0 John Higgins
Shaun Murphy 4-1 Stuart Carrington
Quarter-finals
Baird 4-1 Trump
Day 4-0 Selby
Allen 4-3 Dunn
Williams 4-3 Murphy
Semi-finals
Day 4-2 Baird
Allen 4-0 Williams
Final
Allen 4-0 Day
Daqing in the north-east of China will host a world ranking event for the first time this season when the 2015 International Championship comes to the city.
The tournament will run from October 25 to November 1 at the Baihu Media Broadcasting Centre in Daqing, in the west of China’s Heilongjiang province.
The International Championship is the richest snooker event staged outside the UK, with total prize money of £657,000 and the winner to collect £125,000.
Ricky Walden won the title last year by beating Mark Allen 10-7 in the final. The event was first staged in 2012 in Chengdu, won by Judd Trump in that year and Ding Junhui in 2013.
The qualifying round will be staged in Barnsley from September 30 to October 3, with all players needing to win one match to go through to the last 64 at the venue. However the defending champion (Walden), World Champion (Stuart Bingham) and the top two Chinese players will have their matches held over to Daqing.
Miles Pearce, World Snooker’s Chief Representative in China, said: “We are delighted to bring a major snooker event to the wonderful city of Daqing for the first time. There is an incredible level of support for snooker throughout China so it’s important to continue to the grow the sport through holding events in new cities.
“The World Snooker International Championship has rapidly become one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar and will be contested by an extremely strong field. Alongside the promoter CCTVSE we look forward to delivering another top class sporting event.”
The draw will be announced after the entry deadline of September 16th.
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