2008 Masters Qualifying Championship

[Monique]

It starts today ...

The draw can be found as usual on GSC. Thanks Janie!

http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk...ters-quals.htm

and Dave H already has expressed his views regarding the award of the wilcard

http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/200...d-goes-to.html

AND THE WILDCARD GOES TO...

The wildcard for the Wembley Masters will be announced at some point between the qualifiers later this month and the UK Championship.

Therefore, Ricky Walden has to be considered the outstanding favourite to receive an invite.

He did, after all, win the Shanghai Masters with victories over Stephen Hendry, Neil Robertson, Steve Davis, Mark Selby and Ronnie O’Sullivan.

I’d be surprised if Ricky is overlooked but it is not impossible. There are a number of other leading contenders as well.

Judd Trump impressed in a BBC tournament (which of course the Masters is as well) by beating O’Sullivan before losing to John Higgins in the Grand Prix semi-finals.

Liang Wenbo brought his exciting, ultra attacking style of play to the World Championship and got all the way to the quarter-finals.

Former top 16 stars Dave Harold and Matthew Stevens have appeared in ranking tournament finals while veteran Steve Davis has found a bit of form.

But surely Walden is the leading contender for a Wembley place.

And he’s just the sort of player who could do some damage there come January.

:snooker:

[Monique]

and format of play

This will be updated as the tournament progresses.

World Snooker Academy, English Institute of Sport, Sheffield


Friday 21 November 2008

10am

Match 1 – Rory McLeod v Paul S Davison 4-3

Match 2 – Ricky Walden v Stefan Mazrocis 4-2

Match 3 – Anthony Hamilton v Andrew Pagett 4-0

Match 4 – Liang Wenbo v Liu Chuang 4-1


2pm

Match 5 – Jimmy Michie v Daniel Wells 0-4

Match 6 – Barry Pinches v Lewis Roberts 3-4

Match 7 – Andrew Higginson v Chris McBreen 4-0 forfeit?

Match 8 – Gerard Greene v Michael Georgiou 4-0


6pm

Match 9 – Stephen Lee v Simon Bedford 2-4

Match 10 – Barry Hawkins v Wayne Cooper 4-3

Match 11 – Mark Joyce v Peter Lines 4-0

Match 12 – David Roe v Kuldesh Johal 3-4



Saturday 22 November 2008

10am

Match 13 – Stuart Pettman v David Grace 0-4 forfeit

Match 14 – Judd Trump v Matthew Couch 4-0

Match 15 – Dave Harold v Supoj Saenla 4-1

Match 16 – Martin Gould v Li Hang 4-3


2pm

Match 17 – Andrew Norman v Jamie Jones 4-1

Match 18 – Rod Lawler v Jin Long 3-4

Match 19 – Andy Hicks v Jimmy White 4-2

Match 20 – David Gray v Matthew Selt 4-3


6pm

Match 21 – Robert Milkins v Andy Lee 4-1

Match 22 – David Gilbert v Stephen Craigie 4-2

Match 23 – Michael Holt v Atthasit Mahitthi 3-4



Sunday 23 November 2008

10am

Match 24 – Matthew Stevens v Rory McLeod 5-3

Match 25 – Ricky Walden v Anthony Hamilton 5-1

Match 26 – Liang Wenbo v Daniel Wells 4-5

Match 27 – Fergal O’Brien v Lewis Roberts 5-3

Match 28 – Mark Williams v Andrew Higginson 1-5

Match 29 – Gerard Greene v Simon Bedford 5-1


2.30pm

Match 30 – Barry Hawkins v Mark Joyce 0-5

Match 31 – Joe Swail v Kuldesh Johal 3-5

Match 32 – Jamie Cope v David Grace 5-3

Match 33 – Judd Trump v Dave Harold 5-3

Match 34 – Martin Gould v Andrew Norman 5-1


Match 35 – Nigel Bond v Jin Long 4-5

Match 36 – Stuart Bingham v Andy Hicks 5-4

Match 37 – David Gray v Robert Milkins 5-3

Match 38 – Ian McCulloch v David Gilbert 5-3

Match 39 – Ken Doherty v Atthasit Mahitthi 5-4



Monday 24 November 2008

10am

Match 40 – Matthew Stevens v Ricky Walden 5-2

Match 41 – Daniel Wells v Fergal O’Brien 4-5

Match 42 – Andrew Higginson v Gerard Greene 5-2

Match 43 – Mark Joyce v Kuldesh Johal 5-4


4pm

Match 44 – Jamie Cope v Judd Trump 2-5

Match 45 – Martin Gould v Jin Long 4-5

Match 46 – Stuart Bingham v David Gray 5-2

Match 47 – Ian McCulloch v Ken Doherty 3-5



Tuesday 25 November 2008

10am

QF1 – Matthew Stevens v Fergal O’Brien 5-3

QF2 – Andrew Higginson v Mark Joyce 4-5

QF3 – Judd Trump v Jin Long 5-1

QF4 – Stuart Bingham v Ken Doherty 1-5


4pm

SF1 – Matthew Stevens v Mark Joyce 4-5

SF2 – Judd Trump v Ken Doherty 5-2



Wednesday 26 November 2008

10am

Final - Mark Joyce v Judd Trump 1-6

[Rane]

Do anyone know if they are playing best of 11 like in the major tournament ?

I can see that Walden has made a 136 clearance. Good job.

[ja.]

so far its best of 7

[Matt_2745]

Tempted to go over and watch on Sunday, some excellent matches on then.

[Rane]

Walden, Wenbo and Hamilton are through.

[Ekphantos]

No surprises so far....

[Monique]

Rory McLeod is through also after 3h44 for 7 frames... phew!
I have updated the "order of play" above.

[littleminx147]

Daniel Wells has just beat Jimmy Michie 4-0 in less than an hour!! Nice one!!

[Migtsf]

Still doesn’t make sense to me why they didn’t announce the wildcard before and excused him from qualifying. Unless they are waiting to see what is going to happen in UK Championship, what’s the point?

To see how the candidates are going to perform in the qualifications? If that’s the point why not set 2 spots for qualifiers, and forget the wildcard?

And aren’t previous ranking events good enough and a better way to select the wildcard than these qualifications anyway?

Let’s see if I get this right, if they end up giving the wildcard to the runner-up of the qualifications, what was the purpose of that final match?

[Ekphantos]

I'd rather have 2 qualifiers than wild cards in the tournament, but it would be a bit awkward, I guess with the system as it is now, you would have to let the 2 semi final winners go through...
I understand that they want to have wild cards for the tournaments abroad (even though, looking at the success rate, I'd rather not have them there either), but for the masters they could change it.

[Goldspark]

Looks like Chris McBreen didn't even bother turning up.

[In-off]

They only have a qualifying event to stop the lower ranked players moaning

In fact they only originally had wildcards in 1990 to get Alex Higgins in the event after he dropped out of the top 16

[Migtsf]

They only have a qualifying event to stop the lower ranked players moaning

In fact they only originally had wildcards in 1990 to get Alex Higgins in the event after he dropped out of the top 16

Didn't know that. It explains a lot.
Thanks

[In-off]

There's an argument not to bother with them and just have ot for the top 16

That said, they don't do it any harm

I would be absolutely against making the Masters a ranking event. Its prestige comes from the fact that it is for the elite only