Mark Williams will join the world’s elite players next month, as they travel to Guangzhou for the inaugural Evergrande China Championship. The tournament runs from November 1st to 5th and will have a top prize of £200,000, the biggest ever for a tournament outside of the UK. Williams, who is a winner of 18 ranking […]
via Williams Joins China Snooker Championship Line-up — newfanzoneblog
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
The final line up for the 2016 Ladbrokes World Grand Prix has been confirmed, and the draw and format released.
Defending champion Judd Trump will face Mark Williams in the opening round, with that match to take place on the afternoon of Wednesday March 9.
Masters and Welsh Open champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will be up against Michael Holt on the evening of Tuesday March 8, the opening day of the tournament.
The event at Venue Cymru in Llandudno runs from March 8 to 13 and will be televised by ITV4.
The field comprises the top 32 players from a unique ranking list which ran from the start of the season to last weekend’s Gdynia Open.
Tickets for the tournament are STILL ON SALE and fans are advised to book fast as sessions will sell out now that the draw and format have been released. Tickets start at just £10, for details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
John Higgins v Stephen Maguire
Matthew Selt v Ryan Day
Judd Trump v Mark Williams
David Gilbert v Stuart Bingham
Mark Selby v Tom Ford
Luca Brecel v Ali Carter
Joe Perry v Barry Hawkins
Kyren Wilson v Jamie Jones
Martin Gould v Tian Pengfei
Shaun Murphy v Michael White
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Michael Holt
Liang Wenbo v Graeme Dott
Mark Allen v David Grace
Marco Fu v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Ben Woollaston v Ding Junhui
Neil Robertson v Peter Ebdon
Mark Williams insists he is no longer at the same level as Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins as he looks ahead to his defence of snooker’s World Seniors Championship title.
O’Sullivan described the trio as the “OAPs of the sport” after winning the Masters last week, with all three having turned 40 within the past year. Higgins won three ranking events in 2015, while Williams also enjoyed a resurgence, taking the seniors crown on his debut in the event and climbing back into the world’s top 16 with consistent form.
But the Welshman maintains that his best years are well behind him. “We are the old men on the tour but it’s those two who are winning the tournaments,” said Williams. “Ronnie has still got good form and can play to a high standard, so can John.
“Unfortunately I can’t play to the standard that they play to at the moment even though they are not at their best. I just keep plugging along and just getting on with it.”
In fact two-time World Champion Williams is relieved just to be competing on the pro tour having recovered from a rotator cuff injury which threatened his career.
“It feels fine now, for the first time in about two years I can wipe my cue with a cloth and not have any pain,” said the winner of 18 ranking titles, who had surgery last July. “My doctor said I might have been out for 18 months. That would have been a nightmare, but luckily enough I was only out for two or three months.
“It was painful for a year or two, I couldn’t even wipe my cue because I would be in constant pain from my shoulder going down to my elbow, really bad pain and I had it for so long in the end I couldn’t stick it any more.”
Williams will join the likes of John Parrott, Jimmy White, Ken Doherty and Joe Johnson among the 16-man field for the World Seniors event at the Preston Guild Hall.
The tournament will run on the weekend of January 30-31 and the Williams has happy memories of the venue at which he defeated John Higgins to win his third Grand Prix title back in 2003.
“The Guild Hall is my favourite venue,” said Williams. “Even when we used to have the qualifiers there it is one of the best venues I have played in.”
Last year, Williams defeated Fergal O’Brien 2-1 in the final to capture the £18,000 top prize but expects a tougher challenge in 2016 with several main tour players in the draw.
“It’s more difficult now with a lot of top pros in there who are still on the circuit,” he added. “Last year everyone expected me to win it because I was one of the main pros in it. It’s very open this time.”
Televised by Sky Sports, the World Seniors Championship brings together stars of the modern game and past eras.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW and start at just £10, but fans must book fast because they are selling out. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
The full draw and format is:
January 30th
From 1pm
Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond
Mark Williams v Anthony Hamilton
Tony Drago v Robert Milkins
Joe Johnson v Darren Morgan
From 7pm
Ken Doherty v Mark Davis
John Parrott v Dominic Dale
Rory McLeod v Fergal O’Brien
Jimmy White v Gary Lees
January 31st
From 1pm
Quarter-finals
From 7pm
Semi-finals
Final
Former World Snooker Champion Ken Doherty believes that the standard of play with be higher than ever at this year’s World Seniors Championship in Preston.
The tournament at the Guild Hall runs on the weekend of January 30-31 and will feature many of the sport’s great names including Jimmy White, John Parrott and defending champion Mark Williams.
Last year the age limit was lowered from 45 to 40 and Doherty believes that has led to a far tougher field. Six of the world’s top 40 players will be among the 16-man line-up in Preston.
“It has got so much more competitive over the last couple of years because of the change in age limit,” said 46-year-old Doherty, who won the World Championship in 1997. “There are a lot of very good players in it this time. Mark Davis is an extremely tough first round draw, he’s ranked 23rd in the world and we’ve had a lot of battles over the years.
“It’s good prize money and for the winner it’s great to be a world champion at any level. Everyone there is in it to win, and not just to have fun. It’s a great event and I love playing in it every year.”
Returning to the Guild Hall will bring back plenty of memories for Irishman Doherty as he played several times at the Preston venue earlier in his career.
“The Guild Hall is where it all started for me,” he said. “That’s where I went to try and qualify as a professional in 1988, back in the pro-ticket days. I failed to qualify but I won the world amateur title the next year to get my pro card.
“My best memory of playing in Preston was the 1994 UK Championship. I played out of my skin that week and beat the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and James Wattana to reach the final. Then I was involved in a brilliant match against Stephen Hendry, he made seven centuries and beat me 10-5. I couldn’t hold on to him, he was just too good. It’s a great venue, particularly when there’s a big crowd in.”
Doherty has had an inconsistent season so far and dropped to 47th in the world rankings, but he showed signs of his best form in December when he won two qualifying matches to reach the final stages of February’s German Masters.
“I had a couple of good wins before Christmas and hopefully that’s a sign of things to come for the next few months,” he added. “I hope 2016 will be a good year for me on the table. The game doesn’t get any easier as you get older but I still love playing.”
Televised by Sky Sports, the World Seniors Championship brings together stars of the modern game and past eras.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW and start at just £10, but fans must book fast because they are selling out. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
The full draw and format is:
January 30th
From 1pm
Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond
Mark Williams v Anthony Hamilton
Tony Drago v Robert Milkins
Joe Johnson v Darren Morgan
From 7pm
Ken Doherty v Mark Davis
John Parrott v Dominic Dale
Rory McLeod v Fergal O’Brien
Jimmy White v Gary Lees
January 31st
From 1pm
Quarter-finals
From 7pm
Semi-finals
Final
World Snooker is delighted to announce that BetVictor will be title sponsor of the Welsh Open world ranking event for the fourth consecutive year in 2016.
The BetVictor Welsh Open will run from February 15 to 21 at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff. John Higgins won the title last year, against a strong field including the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham and home favourites Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens.
All 128 players will be competing at the Cardiff venue and starting in the same round. And with 12 tables in the arena in the early stages, fans have the chance to see many top players in a single session. The event is televised by BBC Wales with a total prize fund of £324,000.
World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “BetVictor sponsored the Welsh Open for the first time in 2013 and we are delighted that they have kept their support going for four consecutive years. Snooker’s global television footprint has grown dramatically in recent years so this event will provide BetVictor with exposure to many millions of fans worldwide.
“The Welsh Open is one of our longest running ranking events, ever-present on the calendar since 1992. The support for snooker among the people of Wales is fantastic and we look forward to seeing a packed arena. We moved the tournament to Cardiff last year, it proved a great success and I’m sure it will continue to grow in the coming years.”
Charlie McCann, Head of Communications at BetVictor, added: “We are delighted to once again sponsor the Welsh Open snooker tournament next month, won so memorably by John Higgins for a record fourth time last year. The switch to Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena was a great success last year and we are very much looking forward to more of the same this year. Snooker’s TV exposure is a terrific vehicle for BetVictor as a global brand and it is a week that we all look forward to; it is a big year for Welsh sport with Euro 2016 and the Six Nations to come and we bet 14/1 there is a home winner for the first time since Mark Williams won the second of his two titles back in 1999.”
Tickets for the tournament are ON SALE NOW and fans are strongly advised to book early as many sessions are expected to sell out quickly. For full details call 02920 22 44 88 or visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
The draw and format will be available after the entry deadline in early February.
The draw for snooker’s World Seniors Championship in Preston has taken place, with legends including Jimmy White, John Parrott, Ken Doherty and Mark Williams among the line-up.
The popular tournament runs on the weekend of January 30-31 and will be staged at the iconic Guild Hall in Preston for the first time.
The Sky-Sports televised event will see Welshman Williams defending the title against 15 other players aged 40 or over, having captured the title and £18,000 top prize on his debut last year.
Williams faces qualifier Anthony Hamilton in a tough first round draw, while crowd favourite Whirlwind White will meet Gary Lees. The full draw and schedule is below.
Tickets are ON SALE NOW and are selling rapidly so fans are urged to book quickly. Tickets make a brilliant Christmas gift for anyone who enjoys live sport!
For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
January 30th
From 1pm
Peter Ebdon v Nigel Bond
Mark Williams v Anthony Hamilton
Tony Drago v Robert Milkins
Joe Johnson v Darren Morgan
From 7pm
Ken Doherty v Mark Davis
John Parrott v Dominic Dale
Rory McLeod v Fergal O’Brien
Jimmy White v Gary Lees
January 31st
From 1pm
Quarter-finals
From 7pm
Semi-finals
Final
All matches are best of three frames.
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
Jimmy White, John Parrott and defending champion Mark Williams will be among the snooker favourites competing in the World Seniors Championship at the Guild Hall in Preston in January.
The Sky Sports-televised tournament runs on the weekend of January 30-31 and brings together green baize kings of the past three decades, together with current players, aged 40 or over.
Eight players have already been awarded places in the popular tournament:
Mark Williams – two time World Champion who won the Seniors crown on his debut in the event last year
Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White – crowd favourite and winner of ten ranking events
John Parrott – 1991 World Champion
Ken Doherty – 1997 World Champion
Joe Johnson – 1986 World Champion
Peter Ebdon – 2002 World Champion
Nigel Bond – 2012 World Seniors Champion
Darren Morgan – 2011 World Seniors Champion
The field will be made up by eight more players who come through qualifying rounds to be staged in Wigan from December 21 and 22.
Welshman Williams, who beat Fergal O’Brien in the final last season, said: “I really enjoyed the World Seniors, especially lifting the trophy. It’s a lot of fun for the players and fans. I’ve had some special moments at the Guild Hall, it’s a fantastic venue and I’m looking forward to being back there.”
Tickets start at just £10 and fans are advised to BOOK FAST to see this celebration of snooker, as seats are selling rapidly. For details visit http://www.worldsnooker.com.tickets
Tickets for the qualifying rounds at Robin Park in Wigan are free, with fans encouraged to come and watch.
Date: Friday December 4, 2015
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