UK Champ. 2009 - 1st Round Discussion!

[spike]

Tomorrow's matches - 1pm and 7pm

Shaun Murphy v Gerard Greene
Stephen Maguire v Michael Holt
Mark Williams v Graeme Dott
Mark King v Anthony Hamilton
Mark Selby v Jamie Cope
Ryan Day v Liang Wenbo
Neil Robertson v Tom Ford
Joe Perry v Stuart Bingham

Discuss..

[montoya10]

I thought there were only 4 matches tomorrow

I maybe wrong, though. It has been quite a while since I last checked it

[superaussie]

i have a feeling robbo will struggle as he isnt on a tv table and the cubicle will suit ford as he is based in the qualifiers

[bouver]

O'Sullivan - Stevens : Don't see the value in this match. Stevens played very well in qualy and on his day he's still a class act and considering you're never sure if Ronnie will show up it's a no bet. It still should be a Ronnie win but no value.

Murphy - Greene: Should be easy Murphy win. I don't see him crumbling under the pressure of defending champion.

Wengbo - Day: If Day doesn't perform at his fully best, i can see a Wengbo win here. Provisionally at 14th and with a bag full of confidence after his Shanghai final this asian potting machine can provide the upset here.

Robertson - Ford: Again not a lot of value, i expect a Ford break through any time soon. Robertson should prevail here but i think it won't be as easy as the odds predict.

Selby - Cope: Mark had a HORRIBLE start to the season, dropped provisionally to 15 (only one place above Jamie) and so he needs a win as soon as possible. We all know he likes the longer matches but he will still have to dig deep and find something good to beat Jamie here, who had a very good win in the qualys over the newborn Ken Doherty. So if Mark shows up at full potential, he wins. If he plays like he has been playing this season, Jamie wins... Hard to predict!

Maguire - Holt : Paddy Maguire, Stephens grandfather and biggest supporter passed away earlier this week. Maguire will miss the funeral as he is competing in Telford on Saturday. But the Scot told that Paddy had said the snooker had to come first - no matter what happened. But for me it's too hard to predict how all this will influence his game so this is a no bet for me.

Hendry - Davis :Clash of the champions from the nineties and the eighties. Over the last years Hendry is doing just enough to keep his place in the elite 16, while Davis is here and there putting in a result to hold his slide down the rankings unlike for example John Parrott. A lot of easy misses slipped in Davis' game over the last years but if he can keep that under control he still takes a lot to be beaten. I predict a brave fight from Davis but a Hendry win.

Ding - Dunn: Should be easy win for Ding but again not much value.

Carter - Mcleod: Mcleod grabbed the wildcard for the masters and had a terrific win over Selt in the final qualy, but he still has to prove his worth under the big camera's of the bbc. If he can produce the game he produces away from the spotlights he can be a big scare for Ali. I predict a close match, but experience should but Carter eventually over the line.

Fu - Lines: I don't know enoguh of Lines to do any predictions here, but i heard he played very well in qualys. Anyway, this match is a no bet for me.

Allen - Lee: Lee had a very good win in final qualy over the in form Milkins and scored two centuries doing it. But still i think Allen will be way more he can handle in this match. Allen wins!

Higgins - Walden: I think Higgins was hoping for an easier draw than this. Walden, provisionally at 11, seems to finally starting to play to his full potential. Though draw for the scot but he will come through after a hard fight.

King - Hamilton: This could really go either way and will be mainly determined by form of the day and run of the ball..

Perry - Bingham: Bingham is playing some nice stuff right now and could upset the higher rank player here, but will be close match...

Ebdon - Trump: Maybe if Ebdon slows the game down and uses all his experience to put Judd of his game he can win this, but i see a Trump win here. He likes the attention and big crowds and just breathes snooker. Trump had an awful start to the season but had a good win the qualy and will like his draw. I see a trump victory here!

Williams - Dott : Williams has beaten Dott here last year and i don't see why he shouldnt do it again this year. Dott is trying hard to come anywhere near his form that took him to the worldcrown but just can't get there while Williams is getting back to his former self after couple of rough seasons. Williams wins!


Any reactions???

[spike]

i have a feeling robbo will struggle as he isnt on a tv table and the cubicle will suit ford as he is based in the qualifiers

I think Robertson will win and win convincingly. Tom Ford of course should not be underestimated in anyway, but with the momentum that Robbo carrys from winning the Grand Prix it will stand him in good stead for this tournament as well i feel..

[montoya10]

i have a feeling robbo will struggle as he isnt on a tv table and the cubicle will suit ford as he is based in the qualifiers

Don't get me wrong, but how do you think that there is a connection between the player's play and TV tables? It isn't a qualifying match, so although it is not televised, audience will be there to watch, so I see no reason to struggle..

And I agree with spike, I expect a convincing win for Neil, especially thinking that Tom has been struggling in the venue stages when he made it that far..

[superaussie]

Don't get me wrong, but how do you think that there is a connection between the player's play and TV tables? It isn't a qualifying match, so although it is not televised, audience will be there to watch, so I see no reason to struggle..

And I agree with spike, I expect a convincing win for Neil, especially thinking that Tom has been struggling in the venue stages when he made it that far..

fair comment i hope your right

[montoya10]

By the way, just checked the results section on worldsnooker.com, and it's the same.. But I figured it out, I suppose. They're just listing down the matches to finish that day, so all other matches are appearing on 6 Dec section..

This made me a bit more into the tournament mood, as I was surprised to see just four opening day matches

fair comment i hope your right

And to add something more, if Neil learns/has already learned to deal with different situations, like being put on a non-televised table, playing in a match with poor attendance, digging deep into the frames when the machine doesn't work, all these will actually be tools to his bid to win a world title as a non-UK or non-Irish player.. He is at his peak, you know, if he does not come up with something special to his name in the next couple of seasons, he will probably not be there any time later..

[The Boss]

King will dodge arrows

Mark King v Anthony Hamilton:

I expect King to get through this one. Hamilton tends to let his head drop if he gets off to a bad start and is not as tough as his Robin Hood reputation would lead you to believe. He may make more centuries in the match, but King will prove too gritty overall for the man from Nottingham. King to prevail 9-6

[RocketRoy1983]

I believe we could see a few shocks notably Dott beating Williams.

I hope to see Jamie Cope do well in this one.

[superaussie]

i have heard from different sources that robbo isnt on a tv table but i see world snooker website havnt updated the full order of play for today which would confirm which matches are on tv

[RocketRoy1983]

Id imagine Murphy/Greene will be the first match on TV Aussie.

[superaussie]

Id imagine Murphy/Greene will be the first match on TV Aussie.

and deservedely so roy

[RocketRoy1983]

Indeed. Im backing my old pal to retian it this year although Robertson could challenge him. I dont agree he'l have problems if not on a TV table his too good for that.

[João]

A bit gutted at Williams not having a TV table.

They're showing Murphy vs Greene and Maguire vs Holt.