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Dragon Dancer.
Thanks for puting up the draw. This is so so tough, so might look for the outright winner after first round. The top half of the draw looks a pin job and in these sprints its really down to the run of the ball. Full coverage is on sky from 10 in the morning until 11.30 at night and as the weather looks to be near freezing for the duration of the tournament in england I wont miss many matches. ![]() Ding looks value at 15s from the easier half of the draw so will probably get sucked in there again, will I ever learn?? ![]() |
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Will try get to few days myself,was at the quarters and simi's last year,always great to get to watch live snooker!!
Much better marketing this year,hope its better attended this year although simi's and the final were all but sold out last year,not bad when you see the disasters attendance in China last week. |
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Think the attendance in China was down to the astronomical prices they were charging.
As the OP says, looks a reasonable draw for Kurt, and it's about time he had something go his way after the way the WSA treated him and the other boys all those years ago. Can't see how he beats Bingham though if they both advance. I shall be backing Mark Allen again. |
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Im not sure I would like the multi table set-ups now, so think watching on tv is where I will be and just concentrate on the single match.
China is something else and multi millionsa are glued to their tvs and perhaps like me they feel these vaste arena's will never attract the big audiences. Even when Ronnie played in the Masters at Wembley the arena was never full, less than 2000 attended and capacity was almost 40000. |
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China was pathetic.In a country that is supposed to be snooker mad i find it bizarre the small attendance,even if it was pricey.
All but empty arena all the way up to the simi's,very strange.Anyone know how much entry was? In Galway you can get a full days action for 15 euro,super value if you ask me. |
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Chinese are nuts about snooker - a geezer I knew went out there twenty years ago to coach the National team, and they were nuts about it then. They will take over the game, without question.
Clive Everton said during the Haikou semi-final that they had been charging £60 per session, and they would be charging £100 for the final. |
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Even at £60 it should have been pretty full,but very steep.Who in gods name is marketing the game to allow this to go on.German event had super crowds,not rocket science to reduce the price and you will fill the house and everyone is a winner.Crazy stuff.
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Really? I would balk at paying £60 to watch a bunch of second-raters, Mark Allen aside. The price works out at about 560yuan, which according to a site I've just looked at is slightly less than the monthly rent on a one-bedroomed apartment outside the city centre. So, and I know this is a rather simplistic equivalence, you would be paying over a monkey to watch a day at the Masters!!
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Well shows your clearly not a snooker fan as you think apart from Mark Allen all the rest are second rate
.My main point is the marketing of the game in China needs serious attention as how can you have such a discrepancy between prices for snooker event there compared with western Europe.Seems daft to me. Anyway,will see if i can afford 15 euro to watch second rate snooker next week . |
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I don't think any of the current players are any good. At least Mark Allen played well there though, which is why I excluded him from criticism.
As for how good they are, Judd Trump is world number one, despite having no discernible safety game and Mark Selby, who cues like an amateur, is world number two. In his prime, Hendry would have given them both 28 and smashed them to pieces. |
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I think the tables are breeding a type of player that is less rounded than the slower conditions did.
Mentally I am sure they are weaker and the towel seems never far from their reach, to throw in when their opponant puts them under the slightest pressure. Of course they have all been brainwashed into thinking they are superior players than yesterdays and its "so hard today" has become their get out card. It was great to see Allan MacManus get through to the tv stages and thats a player in his younger days that would have given these guys a workout that they would not have survived. Allan and Milkins are the 2 that have impressed me most in recent tournaments and with a little run on their side at the crucial times could be the main players next season. Marks destruction of Higgins was a Hendry type blast from the past and in the final when things did not go his way he did show some patience and good bottle at times and if he can just improve that side of his game to a level above at Sheffield then for me he is the man. Trump is great in snatches but keeps showing why he has taken so long to break through and he needs to be playing a player that his game impresses. Mark Selby should never be discounted but again it took him too long to break through, but then again a tougher type of player made their living at snooker in those more thoughtful snooker days. |
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Think the standard is every bit as high as years gone by,just far more competitive these days,no walkovers as was the case 20 years ago.For sure top players were better 10 years back but lower ranked players better now.
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£110,000 or 123.000 Euro for the winner makes it one of the biggest prizes in Snooker. On that basis expect the bigger name players to be the cream left at the top as most big tournaments. Neil Robertson will go at least to the semis and is a great bet to win outright. Mark Allen won't want to be around the Republic on St Patricks final day when the tri-colors will be flying so lay him early rounds. Stephen Maguire will relish a Paddys day final and is in great form.
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First to win 4 frames is a very nervy affair as it showed in the early rounds of the welsh, so I would expect a few shocks.
Certainly the value will be backing the player with the bigger odds and Cheltenham will be a huge distraction for me, but good luck to all, especially if your dabbling in both. |
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Of the first round games like the look of Ben Wollaston to beat an out of sorts Mark Williams @13/8.Solid plater is Ben,good value.
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Im going for Lisowsky to beat Selby tonight 3.6 seems a reasonable price for a player that has a history of decider frames with Mark so if there is any fear it could be Marks.
I think Tom Ford is worth a £5 @ 6/4 to win the opener. I took the 100.1 about Lisowsky for a couple of quid and as laughable as that is a shock result is almost guaranteed in this format and its more than time for new faces to start bossing the game. Anyway good luck all. |
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Class start from Gould.
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Steal gifted twice by Gould after a 68-0 lead.
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Feck me, he needs some new glasses! That NEVER passed the black!
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80 break from Ford after THAT miss from Gould; leads 2-1
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Scrappy frame, 2-2
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Gould misses a sitter and lets Ford in 3-2.
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gsm
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Gould misses a black when on for a decent chance of leaving a 1.01 in real trouble.... All over, 4-2, and Gould really only has himself to blame....
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Li Hang to beat Barry Hawkins now
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That Ford match is going to be typical.
Like playing on a sheet of ice. |
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Not seen much of Hang before, but on the evidence served up here, I'm not impressed!
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Three of the worst safety shots I've ever seen in this frame.
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Lol hes terrible
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How did he manage to break down that time?
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what a shabby event...atmosphere like a morgue
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Hard to get excited by this TBF.
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Robertson's long game looks well off judging by his first two cracks.
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Bitty from Burnett and pretty awful from Robertson; 1-0 to Burnett.
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Robertson a bit unlucky with a kick but not playing at all well. Burnett 2-0.
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Missed the third - had to do the school run. Robertson took it.
Burnett in 36-0 up.... |
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Brilliant double to the corner pocket gets Robertson in after Burnett led 44-0. Some quite superb shots thereafter. Playing much better now, but kicks are a regular occurrence. 2-2.
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cmon burnett crawl over the line please
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burnett.....words fail me
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