The Welsh Open: Tournament preview

The Welsh Open has long been the poorest relation in the set of snooker's ranking events.

This year was shaping up as being different with rankings ahead of this year's World Championship at stake, but with the event in desperate need of winning back some respect, it couldn't come at a worse time.

Just a week after the German Masters, where European fans flooded through the doors and players contested in front of largely capacity crowds, attendances at Newport are likely to be low.



The event has suffered from dwindling crowds for many years, and I can't see it being much different for the early part of the week at least. People in the snooker world love to make comparisons, and you just know the Welsh spectator numbers will immediately be pitched against those in Germany.

That's not particularly fair considering the Welsh Open has been on the calendar for many years, while the German fans were lured in by the prospect of its first ranking event in 14 years. Standing the test of time is much tougher task.

I hate to criticise the Welsh Open. But the reality is that snooker has to be selling. One of the problems as to why it isn't in Wales, is Newport itself. It's not the most glamorous of venues, and although it has its usual gang of loyal followers, many snooker fans would rather watch the event on television.

There's no doubt Cardiff is a better venue. But it's also more expensive. With extra crowds not guaranteed by a move, there's little option but to stick it out in Newport.

It's going to be hard week for the Welsh Open. I fear it may come up against much criticism and scrutiny. Although it's the third longest ranking event on the calendar, it's also the worst paid, with the winner fetching only £30,000.

While bad vibes will inevitably circle, what happens on the baize could help create a deflection. And all the problems aside, this year's event is threatening to be a cracker.

Firstly, there's the prospect of a homegrown winner. Williams is the man of the moment right now. He's made it to both of the last two ranking event finals, and took home the trophy from Berlin last week.

While I came in for slight criticism for calling him the most in-form player ahead of the German Masters, his performances on the continent cannot be questioned. There was definitely no fortune in him making that final. His long potting is back to its lethal best and he's playing like a man with the world number one ranking on his radar.

Despite having won this event twice already in his career in 1996 and 1999, the Welsh players historically struggle on their own turf. There's that added pressure of playing in front of your home crowd, which takes its toll. While Williams has the temperament to play under pressure, stringing together back-to-back ranking titles in a period where the game is so competitive, would be some feat.

Secondly, the tournament will kick-off with two home hopes and their final qualifying matches. Ryan Day locks horns with one of the game's eternal greats Jimmy White, while Matthew Stevens is against Anthony Hamilton. These are two mouthwatering opening matches, which are likely to give the event a jump start. We shouldn't forget that Dominic Dale has qualified too.

Thirdly, there's top 16 rankings up for grabs ahead of the Crucible.

Stuart Bingham, Marco Fu, Jamie Cope, Mark King and Ricky Walden, Day and Stevens are all still in the running to win a place in the elite just when it matters.

Then finally, there's the prospect of some of the game's veterans playing at the venue.

Nigel Bond, Rod Lawler, Marcus Campbell and Dave Harold have all secured a place in the first round. It's good to see the older faces back at the business end.

Full draw:

John Higgins v Jack Lisowski
Ricky Walden v Dave Harold
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ryan Day or Jimmy White
Shaun Murphy v Matthew Stevens or Anthony Hamilton
Ali Carter v Barry Hawkins
Peter Ebdon v Dominic Dale
Mark Allen v Rod Lawler
Ding Junhui v Marcus Campbell
Mark Williams v Marco Fu
Jamie Cope v Rory McLeod
Stephen Hendry v Joe Perry
Stephen Maguire v Gerard Greene
Mark Selby v Stuart Bingham
Mark King v Michael Holt
Graeme Dott v Jamie Burnett
Neil Robertson v Nigel Bond