Flying high to Shanghai

Suitcases packed, passports at the ready and all aboard the aeroplane to Shanghai.

The global snooker roadshow rolls on next week with the Shanghai Masters; the second of five major ranking events being held in China this season.

Ricky Walden etched his name on the first China trophy, the Wuxi Classic, back in June. But who will come out on top this time?

Such has been the rapid growth of snooker tournaments across the world over the past few years, the impact of travel and distribution of tournaments remains a hot topic. Some players travel better than others. Although this will definitely play a part in what we see in Shanghai, the outcomes of the week will, as always, come down to what the players do with their cues.

We talk about growth of the circuit  and snooker calendar at every opportunity, and the Shanghai Masters is a casing point. When Ali Carter won this title some two years ago, it was the first major ranking event of the season. Now, it is the third.

I am positive this is a big reason why the gap in quality between the very top players in the world and the chasing pack is as small as it has ever been. This makes every tournament  wide open but, with only three players in the 32-man field in Shanghai coming from outside of the top 32 of the world rankings, it really is the case this week.

Only Steve Davis, Robert Milkins and Jimmy Robertson managed to navigate through more than one qualifying round to reach the venue. But the job isn't done yet with them, and a few others, still having to face wildcard matches to make it to the first round proper.

As usual, the overall winner of this title could come from a whole clutch of names.

World number one and now fighting fit Mark Selby returns to Shanghai as the defending champion. He beat Mark Williams 10-9 in last year's final after a controversial decision from referee Eirian Williams.

Selby played a hit and hope shot trying to escape a tough snooker in the 17th frame and it wasn’t clear whether he hit the intended red or fouling pink .

Referee Williams judged it to be red which proved the catalyst for Selby's narrow victory.

It's ironic though that Selby won the title here a year ago fresh from capturing the Paul Hunter Classic. He's already defended that title this season and is line for another double.

Williams is never to be written off abroad. He already boasts eight titles overseas and regularly finds a way to perform despite not being the best fan of travelling.

Ding Junhui will as usual be the home crowd's favourite but has sometimes struggled with the pressure of playing on home soil. He's yet to really produce his best in China outside of the China Open, which he won as his breakthrough event in 2005.

Neil Robertson is another who finds it difficult playing in China. But you'd expect a player with such class to eventually come good.

Mark Allen makes no secret of the fact that he doesn't enjoy China, but still managed to win his first ranking title here earlier this year at the World Open.

Stuart Bingham, Martin Gould and Stephen Maguire have all shown good form to already win a PTC this season, and Judd Trump will enjoy the grand reception the keen Chinese snooker fans will give him and could easily respond by producing his best.

If it's about the form book, Shaun Murphy and Stephen Lee produced arguably the best snooker I saw on my recent trip to Gloucester and Mark Davis has reached the semi-final at each of the last two major ranking events in Wuxi and Bendigo.

Form can be deceiving though. John Higgins has only just started playing again after a lengthy summer break but could well find himself in the mix, such is the strength of his ability to win scrappy.

This rounds up the usual regular suspects when it comes to the bookmakers' favourite but Peter Ebdon and Walden have both won big titles here in the last six months and Barry Hawkins was the winner of the last major ranking event, The Australian Open.

In fear of fence sitting, among this huge lists of names I'm going to tip Australia's Robertson to go all the way this week. A player of his immense talent is bound to come good soon in China. He's not the kind of player to get bogged down by the stats, or be beaten in the mind. He's got one of the best all-round games going, and I like the look of his path to a potential final.

I fancy him to be £75,000 richer in a little over a week.

First round draw:

Mark Selby v Jamie Cope
Stuart Bingham v Tom Ford
Ding Junhui v Mark King / wildcard
Shaun Murphy v Dominic Dale
John Higgins v Jamie Jones / wildcard
Martin Gould v Ryan Day / wildcard
Ali Carter v Robert Milkins / wildcard
Stephen Maguire v Peter Ebdon
Mark Williams v Mark Davis
Ricky Walden v Steve Davis / wildcard
Matthew Stevens v Joe Perry
Neil Robertson v Fergal O'Brien / wildcard
Stephen Lee v Marcus Campbell
Graeme Dott v Jimmy Robertson / wildcard
Mark Allen v Marco Fu /wildcard
Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins

Fan profile: John O'Reilly

It's been a long time but here's the return of the popular fan profile article.

A trip across the Irish Sea is next on the agenda with a fan who predicted a bright future for Paul Hunter and saw one of Ireland's biggest matches live at the Crucible.


Name: John O’Reilly 

Age: 26 

From: Antrim, Northern Ireland. 

Occupation: DJ, club promoter and sales team leader. 

Followed snooker since: The day I was born. 

First live match: It was Mark Allen versus Ken Doherty on Mark’s debut at the Crucible in 2007. Even though it was first match, it is still to this day my favourite game. It was great to see Mark, a player with so much promise, win 10-7 and show he had arrived on the scene in top class snooker. 

Best memory: I was invited to rehearse the players' 'walk on' at the 2011 Wembley Masters. I got to shake hands with Jan Verhaas in front of the crowd. It was very funny. 

Memory that will stay with you forever: I'll always remember turning on the TV to find out that one of the best snooker players ever, Paul Hunter, had sadly passed away. I'll never forget the way that man played snooker. I would actually go as far as saying that he would have been the best snooker player in the world if he had still been with us today. 

Greatest player: This is so easy. Stephen Hendry. Full stop. 

Favourite player: I want to say my good old friend Mark Allen, but I don't want to be biased, so I'll go for Judd Trump. I like his attacking game and I think he's a really nice guy as well. 

Snooker in 10 years' time will... be one of the biggest global sports in and it could also become an Olympic event.

If I could make one change to the game... I would bring it to Northern Ireland. It's a massive shame that there are no tournaments over here because there are so many fans. 

I love snooker because... it's one of the most mind-controlling, temper-testing sports in the world. To win, you must be focused at all times, even when sitting in your chair for long periods of times. It's a massive test, even for the greats of the game.

A Law to himself

If you could bottle up Rod Lawler's determination, you'd have a queue of top players a mile long wanting to buy it.

Call him what you want. Rod 'The Crawler' Lawler or Rod The Plod, but never question that this man has a game made of steel.

Lawler is regularly the butt of jokes for his slow play, but this is doing him a gross disservice. Anyone who watches him regularly will know he likes to attack and go for his shots. That should not be forgotten because of the methodical approach that comes with it. He puts in 100 per cent with every strike of the cue ball.

His first ranking event title here should be warmly received because it supports the philosophy that hard work does pay off.

But, I wouldn't question Rod's quality. En route and during his 4-2 win against Marco Fu in tonight's final, he played some great shots. I lost count of the number of times I saw balls whistling into the middle pockets with ease this weekend.

On top of Fu, Rod beat ranking event winners Stuart Bingham, Dominic Dale and Stephen Lee to show us again that he's a match for anyone.

This is a special moment for Rod, that I'm sure he'll enjoy. This win completes what is one of the most remarkable turnarounds I can remember in snooker.

Brushed up in tonight's triumph it's easy to forget that Lawler was just a whisker away from quitting the game altogether this summer. He'd fallen off the main tour and entered QSchool for one last crack at a return.

Forty-three matches later and he's deservedly holding a professional trophy aloft.

Among his successes this season since regaining his place on the professional circuit has been qualification for the Wuxi Classic, then victory against Stephen Maguire at the venue and progression to the final round of qualifying for the Shanghai Masters.

If you thought this was a good a story then this is just the cherry on the top for a player who has come back fighting for his life.

Don't be fooled by Lawler's bad press. He is a player to be admired. From a position of down and out, his turnaround has been remarkable.

Well played Rod.

Behind Gloucester doors

My visit to Gloucester this weekend has given me the chance to get up close and personal with the stars of the baize.

From the game's top names to the budding young amateurs, I've seen them.  A conversation here, a bit of banter there and dropping in and out of the match tables, there's been plenty to digest.

I've been keeping some notes along the way from activity on and off the table.

Here are some of my candid thoughts from an action-packed couple of days at the South West Snooker Academy.

Next in Lines

You often hear the phrase 'like father, like son' but in the Lines household it really is the case. Peter first turned professional in 1991 and is still fighting it out on the circuit today. Now his teenage son, Oliver, is bidding to follow in his footsteps, and looks to be well on his way. A 4-3 victory against Joe Perry this weekend will already be a career highlight for him. Oliver was given numerous chances to clinch the match in the decider by an off-colour Perry, but he got the job done. He showed great composure around the table and a level of maturity which bodes well for the future. The delight on his face as he was reunited with his friends after the match was a picture moment. 

Marco's magic

A burst of form from Marco Fu is never a total surprise. Inconsistency has probably prevented the Hong Kong potter from lengthier stays at the top of the game but, at his best, he's always capable of beating anyone. He showed that on Friday again. Within one day at the SWSA he won two matches on the main arena table including 4-2 against this season's two-time UKPTC finalist Stephen Maguire and a whitewash of two-time world champion Mark Williams. Not a bad day's work. 

Rusty Ronnie?

He came, he saw, he had a bash around the main table and quickly retreated home. I don't buy all this rustiness talk. In my opinion, Ronnie O'Sullivan showed a distinct lack of interest during his 4-3 defeat against Simon Bedford. Instead of playing the kind of controlled game that saw him win a fourth world title in his last outing in May, he decided to take on every pot going and came unstuck, despite leading 2-0. The PTCs clearly aren't top of Ronnie's priorities and it really showed here. His performance wasn't in any way a result of under-estimating Bedford or being out of the swing of things, his heart just wasn't it. As an aside, I still believe Ronnie will have plenty of gears to go through in the next event, should he want to.

All hail Swail 

Joe Swail. He's still got it. Reaching the final of the Furth PTC despite next to no practice in the run-up to the event proved he's still a class act and I got the chance to see that first-hand this weekend. He eventually lost to Judd Trump here but his break-building during a 4-1 win against Passakorn Suwannawat earlier in the day was an absolute pleasure to watch. He was timing the ball like a dream. I can't see any way that he won't back on the professional circuit next season. 

On track with Zak

I knew nothing about amateur Zak Surety before this weekend, and still I know very little. What I have learned though is that the boy can play. He barely missed a ball from 2-0 down to beat Jack Lisowski. I'm all for giving credit where credit is due. This is why I was a little surprised and frustrated to see comments on forums questioning whether Jack's defeat could be a bi-product of living and hanging around with Judd. I think these claims are laughable. Jack is progressing just fine and enjoyed his first ranking final this season. It's true that he is at a different stage of his career to best pal Judd but I can't think of many better practice partners for him. Jack could do very little to stop comeback kid Zak here, a player who was unknown to me. A quick google of Zak though and I've found out a couple more things about him. He's from Essex and reached the Snookerbacker Classic semi-final last season. Based on his performance this weekend, that's not the last I'll be hearing about him either. 

Wake up call for Chen Zhe

I've heard many great things about Chen Zhe over the past couple of years. This weekend I got to see him live for the first time and couldn't help but be impressed. He recorded wins against Andrew Higginson, Ian Burns and Surety en route to finals day and looked to me like a player who could go far. His compact cue action reminded me of Ding Junhui. He also displayed a good mix of power and control. In his maiden professional season where he has struggled for results so far, it looks like he could be about to get going. I'd gladly pay to watch him again. 

Mesmerising Murphy

A starstruck fan told Shaun Murphy he was mesmerising to watch as he walked up the stairs to the players' lounge seconds after his first win of the weekend. You cannot deny that Murphy is a classy customer on the baize. His cue action is impeccable. When he's on song he makes a ridiculously difficult game look effortless. He also made the effort to come to chat with all the bloggers around the media desk. It went down well. People remember these kinds of gestures. 

Alan's in the zone

Alan McManus has always had a reputation as a dedicated professional and this was on evidence again this weekend. Never have I seen a player so resolutely in the zone as McManus. He embarked on a serious practice routine and then went away into a quiet corner before one of his matches. He had the look of a man here to do a job and did exactly that as he came out on top of deciders with Matt Selt and Peter Ebdon. 

Burd flying high

There are no characters in the game anymore. How many times have we heard that before? But we all know it's a load of nonsense. When you come to Gloucester you see that clearly. Alfie Burden is one of most colourful characters I've met in the snooker world. This weekend he was laughing and joking, speaking to fans and interacting with the crowds during his matches. And who would blame him the way he's playing? After reaching the semi-final of the last PTC here, this time he enjoyed a 4-1 victory against John Higgins before defeat to Stephen Lee, who I've nicknamed 'The Hoover' for his scoring exploits. It was good to meet Alfie face-to-face after interviewing him for the blog two weeks ago over the phone. A good interview always make you look out for a player, even if they are Arsenal fans. 

Temper, temper

Who would have thought Dechawat Poomjaeng has a bit of a temper? He usually looks so calm and collected around the table. But he really lost the plot in a 4-1 defeat to Swail. As his hopes of a win came crashing to an end in frame five he threw his cue down on the neighbouring table, continued to stomp his feet and eventually conceded the match while Joe was still completing a clearance with the frame already sewn up. 

A rapturous applause

It's important to behave in an appropriate manner at the snooker. Myself and Roland from Snooker Island completely forgot this when watching Martin Gould win a decider against Craig Steadman. As he potted a tricky and pivotal plant, we both burst into rapturous applause and Roland shouted 'get in'. A natural reaction to a class shot, I suppose. The fans around us couldn't believe what was going on with four matches in play at the time. Oops! 

Tales from the Irish

As I watched the friendliest of handshakes at the end of Mark Allen's match with Ken Doherty, I began to think I'd been led up the garden path by fellow snooker blogger Dave from Snooker HQ. He was telling me all day that this was going to be a grudge match. Allegedly this 'feud' dates back to a meeting at the Crucible where Allen beat Doherty comfortably. The 1997 world champion had hoped to dish out the beating himself after claiming Allen showed lack of respect for fellow Irish players during his time as an amateur. True or not, it spiced up the match for everyone here. This win was also to inspire Doherty. He followed it up with the defeat of Ding and a place in finals day. 

What a twit

A weekend at the snooker wouldn't be complete without some dirty laundry being washed in public. We weren't short of Twitter leads to cling to here. Assumably under the influence of a few too many ales Andrew Pagett decided to take a shot at Fergal O'Brien at 1am in the morning when they were due to meet just eight hours later. He tweeted: "I'm steaming!! Rather be down the caravan with @markwilltomorrow than play the slowest player in snooker!! #FOBrian. Talk about egg on his face. He was beaten 4-0 with breaks of more than 60 in every frame. He tweeted after the match: "Gotta be fair fergal played well, 60,70,70,100.... If I took that long over a shot I'm sure I'd pot like that as well #f**kmehesslow." Lucky he's not a professional or he'd be receiving a fine through the post from World Snooker pretty soon. With Fergal going on to qualify for finals day I bet he wishes he'd kept a little quieter.

Some pictures from SWSA

Here are a few pictures from in and around the the Gloucester venue...

Practice tables

Media area

Main entrance

SWSA building

Scoreboards in reception

Souvenir shop 1

Souvenir shop 2

Pink Ribbon trophy

Main arena 1

Main arena 2

Main arena 3

Tournament office

Streamed table

Non-streamed tables

My Gloucester experience

There's a wonderful atmosphere everywhere you go within the South West Snooker Academy (SWSA).

I'm making my first visit to this unique snooker venue this weekend and have been impressed by every aspect of it.

The close proximity of the tables create an intimate atmosphere during the matches. The open-plan communal areas immediately generate a feel of community with players, fans, officials and media mixing freely. The team that look after the academy are not only warm hosts but snooker lovers too.

Combining all this makes for a mini-snooker haven.

While you're inside the academy, it feels as though you're within a specially-designed snooker bubble.

In fact it's unfortunate that this bubble, as far as professional events are concerned, will soon be bursting.

It was announced during the last event here that the academy's contract with World Snooker would end after this season's UKPTC4.

This is disappointing on two notes. Firstly as a snooker fan, I regret not coming here sooner for the pure enjoyment factor. Secondly based on my experience this weekend, it's a great shame to think that such a perfect setting for a PTC event will be lost.

I don't for one minute question the quality of facilities at Sheffield, but there is no way hosting events there provides the same all-round product as here in Gloucester.

In the SWSA we have a venue that can compete with the equivalent events being held across Europe.

With just one professional tournament left here, my advice to any mad-keen snooker fan out there is to get here and have a taste of a great place for snooker.

Just a day in and around the venue, you will get the chance to see many different professionals and amateurs battle it out on the baize and then get the chance to mix with them socially and gain an insight into the life of a snooker player.

Whatever happens between the SWSA and World Snooker, the game still has a bright future in Gloucester. While the venue may not host any more professional tournaments, I have no doubt it will continue to be a first-class base for its players and an excellent venue for amateur events.

Gloucester, thank you for your hospitality.

The Rocket is back

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is back in action this weekend at the UKPTC3 in Gloucester.

When he takes on Simon Bedford on Saturday, it will be the first time he's played in a competitive match since beating Ali Carter to win his fourth World Championship in May.

Picture by Monique Limbos

This gives an already open and exciting tournament some added spice.

Love him or hate him, Ronnie is fantastic at bringing interest to the game. You can expect to see a few extra bums on seats at the South West Snooker Academy this weekend and his participation is also bound to attract some additional media attention to the event.

Even for snooker's most die-hard fans, Ronnie's returns participation always gives a tournament extra appeal, and it was a relief to see him finally sign the World Snooker players' contract last month.

O'Sullivan always said he would take a break from playing snooker after his Crucible campaign, but his well-publicised issues surroundings the terms and conditions of the contract made this somewhat thornier.

In true deadline day fashion, it took him until the final hours of the night before the entry dates of the latest set of tournaments, including the UK Championship, to sign on the dotted line.

He kept everyone holding their breath but finally committing is a sure sign that O'Sullivan still enjoys playing the game and still has the motivation to win.

For clarity, after conversations with Barry he has agreed to the same terms as the rest of the players on the professional circuit.

Ronnie comes back into the fray and is immediately a danger man. His superb performance in Sheffield proved again he is capable of winning any tournament. And he'll be among a handful of players in the running to win every tournament he enters this season.

It's natural that he may be a little rusty in his first outing in Gloucester but I'm sure he'll soon find his rhythm. He knows the old green baize like the back of his hand and will certainly have been putting a few hours in on the practice to get back up to scratch.

Ronnie will be the star attraction of this weekend's snooker but there are plenty others who will be looking to claim some silverware.

I'm positive Judd Trump will be boosted by the return of his Grove partner. Stephen Maguire has made each of the two UKPTC finals already this season and is playing well enough to make it a third. I could go on with the names...

It's also worth remembering that this will be the penultimate professional event held in Gloucester, with the contract with World Snooker already wavered for next season.

The SWSA is a truly great place for snooker and it's important we make the most of the final two tournaments here. I'll be at the heart of the action in the press room and around the tables this weekend.

Follow my tweets @GaryOnCue to hear all the big stories.

Enjoy the tournament.

Aditya Mehta EXCLUSIVE interview: "It was developing into such a great week for Indian snooker that I didn't want to mess it up."

Aditya Mehta has been the talk of the tour for large parts of this season.

Picture by Monique Limbos

Playing the second season of his second spell on the professional circuit, he's enjoying some great success. He's reached the final qualifying round of two events and also qualified for his first professional venue last month.

He's already looking forward to making his venue debut at the International Championship as he hits a great milestone in his career.

His progress this season is great news for him personally and is also helping put snooker on the map in his home country, India.

With former world billiards champion and fellow countryman Pankaj Advani making his tour debut this season and qualifying for the International Championship as well, discussions around India's snooker hopes have been on the tips of everyone's tongues.

Aditya took some time to talk to On Cue about his recent resurgence and a potential bright future for the game in India. 

Firstly Aditya, congratulations on your success. How does it feel to finally qualify for your first venue and see all your hard work come to fruition?

It's an excellent feeling. Every time I was asked about my goals, I always said that my first big aim was to qualify for a venue. I think it shows you have arrived as a snooker player, but I hope it's just the beginning. Now I want to focus on getting there consistently.

WIN V.I.P tickets to watch the Premier League

Love snooker? Love the Premier League?

Here's your chance to win two V.I.P tickets to a play-off night of your choice.

You could soon be going to watch four of the world's top players on the old green baize.

The lucky winner will be able to pick pick from a fun-filled night of snooker in Carlisle, Banbury, Southampton, Malvern, Penzance, Guildford, Doncaster or Durham.

Now in its 27^th season, the PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker is one of snooker’s longest running invitation events and a regular fixture on the calendar since 1987. It's played over ten Thursday evenings from August to November - all aired live on Sky Sports - and reaches its climax in the two-day finals weekend in Grimsby on 24 and 25 November.

The ten man line-up of the Premier League is made up of the winners of all last season's major events in the calendar. Each play-off night takes four players in a variety of UK venues, battling it out over the best of six frames to earn those big money points for admittance to the finals. 

For your opportunity to WIN a pair of V.I.P tickets, just answer the question below...

Who did Ronnie O'Sullivan beat in last year's Premier League final?

A. Judd Trump

B. Shaun Murphy

C. Ding Junhui

Email your answer to oncuesnookerblog@gmail.com

The prize of two VIP tickets to any of the future Premier League Thursday night events will include...

- Back stage access
- Tour of the set and photo opportunity
- Two prime view seats
- Limited edition PLS t-shirt

This competition closes on Friday 7th September at 10pm.

Boring, boring Selby just isn't fair

Boring, boring Selby wins the Paul Hunter Classic.

That's the angle many people would have you believe after the world number one retained his title in Furth. Although I respect everyone's opinion, I can't go along with this.

The real story here, in my opinion, is that one of the sport's top players rekindled his form, returned to the winner's circle and sent out a message that he's back in the race for titles.

I believe Leicester's Mark Selby is somewhat wrongly labelled a negative player on the baize, but he's not the world number one for no reason.

You don't have to believe Selby is the best player in the world, but the ranking points he's accumulated over the past two years means he deserves to sit at the top of the tree.

Selby's excellent all-round game is built on excellent safety, patience and knowing exactly when to push the boat out. He doesn't play kamikaze shots but plays a measured game that allows him to compete with anyone.

I don't think this should be mistaken with negativity. When a chance comes along, he can score as heavily as anyone. In fact, he holds the record for the most number of centuries in a single season and has scored the most hundreds in a single match at the Crucible.

He might not be rash, but he most definitely is clinical.

That's why it's a joy to see him back on form. Selby was back to his solid best in Germany and showed that he's over the neck injury that has stifled him since the build-up to April's World Championship.

It's neither easy nor enjoyable playing Selby in a big game. He makes it tough for his opponents and showed why in Germany.

He looked back in the zone and back in the mood for the rest of the season.

He deserves an extremely big congratulations for defending a very competitive title. It was surely only a matter of time until Selby started playing the kind of snooker we know he's capable of.

He's a tough match player. He can front run a match and also come from behind. I'm sure he will be in the hunt to win more titles.

Love him or hate him, he's going to be around at the top end of our game for plenty of years to come yet.

Selby wasn't the only star this weekend though. Runner-up Joe Swail showed he's still got it. After falling off the professional circuit last season, he returned with very little practice to show he can still deliver.

Then there were the incredible German fans. They packed out the arena all weekend long and laid bold claim to being the most enthusiastic fans in the world. There's no way the players can't enjoy playing in Germany.