2008 Masters Qualifying Championship

[MalJackson]

stevens is the worst deciding frame player in the history of the sport

[In-off]

Ricky Walden has won a ranking event!

Why the hell should Matthew Stevens get the wildcard?

[leeroygor]

I hope he does InOff. but he won't. these are the cases.

Wenbo... WS Love him. Doubtful
Harold.... Nth Ireland Finalist. Doubtful
Davis..... Been Consistent & BBC would want him involved. Possible.
Doherty... Same reasons as Davis. Possible
Williams... twice winner of the Masters. Doubtful
Trump..... should get in anyway i think via this tourney.
Stevens... Bahrain Finalist & Former Winner of the Masters & Provisionally well back into the 16... He is a possible.
White.... WS not got a sponsor and need to draw the crowds and the revenue... possible
Walden... Only player this season so far to win a ranking event outside of the 16 (luckily as MalJackson says beating hendry, selby, davis, robertson & O Sullivan) ...doubtful

My Choice Walden (For Obvious Reasons) My Expectation White or Stevens.

[In-off]

Number of matches Matthew Stevens has won at Wembley since winning the title NINE years ago: 1

He doesn't deserve it

[Goldspark]

Mark won the 2001 European under 19 championship, beating along the way both his English team mates Ben Woollaston and Judd Trump, before beating David Donovan in the final.

He was in the middle of his A-Levels at the time and it was quite funny to see him studying his Maths homework while most of the players were off enjoying themselves.

So Judd Trump competed in the Euro Under 19s when he was 12?

[Rane]

When is the wild card nominated ?

Even though he doesn´t really fullfill the expectations to him, I think Cope could be amongst the contenders as well. He surely should be good for one or two centuries if he gets the chance.

At the moment I would vote for Walden.

[Monique]

Well at the risk of getting eggs and rotten tomatoes on my face ... I'd love to see Mark Joyce win it today. The guy has made a tremedous run here and deserves some recognition for it. As it is extremely unlikely he gets a wildcard ...

For those who might be interested in knowing a bit more about him, Dave H devoted a post on his blog to ... his neihgbour

RE: JOYCE

The final of the Masters qualifying tournament is between Judd Trump and Mark Joyce.

Most snooker fans know all about Trump by now but what of Joyce?

He hones his talent at the Masters Snooker Club in Walsall, the former practice base of ex-top 16 stars Martin Clark and Alain Robidoux.

Joyce attended a grammar school, which is itself unusual for players of a sport not renowned for their academic application (indeed it used to be said that prowess at snooker was the sign of a misspent youth).

He first rose to prominence when he won the European under 19 title in 2001 at the age of 17.

In 2006, Joyce won the English Amateur Championship, the oldest title in snooker, and after a good run on the PIOS was promoted to the professional ranks.

In his first season he managed to stay on, which is about as much as a rookie can hope for. He had been helped by Robin Hull’s withdrawal from the World Championship, which gave Joyce a walkover into the last 64 and, of course, a lot of ranking points.

Last season, he secured a television debut against Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Royal London Watches Grand Prix. He lost 4-0 but the ranking points helped him improve from 73rd to 59th in the standings.

He also lives about a mile from me. The West Midlands has long been a snooker hotbed and it’s good to have another player from the region doing well after Clark (from Sedgley) and Steve James (Cannock), both of whom are long since retired.

http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/2008/11/re-joyce.html

[Rane]

Seems like Monique doesn´t have to worry about rotten tomatoes Trump gets the best start 2 - 0,

[Monique]

Seems like Monique doesn´t have to worry about rotten tomatoes Trump gets the best start 2 - 0,

I wasn't too worried anyway: tomatoes are good for the skin and eggs for the hair!
Yes very strong start from Judd Trump. Looking at the scores I wonder if he attempted a 147 in frame 2...

[MalJackson]

trump 5-1..........

[Theguywithaplan]

Trump has won 6-1

[Rane]

And he wins 6 - 1. Could we call this his final breakthrough, or do he need a ranking title before he is there ?

[Theguywithaplan]

Just looking at the entire stats for the tournament, it's looking good for Judd because he has won 30 out of 38 frames.

[Monique]

Judd Trump wins 6-1 ... well done Judd!

And well done to Mark Joyce for getting that far. Not many were expecting him there.

[MalJackson]

stevens vs trump would of been much better

useless attempt from joyce