Ajaxtalk

O'Sullivan sets sights on US pool

Ronnie O'Sullivan has set his sights on the American pool circuit next season.

The former world champion had threatened to take a year out of snooker after his quarter-final exit from the World Championship last April.

He has since reneged on that threat and will compete in snooker's Betfred Premier League on Thursday.

But he told the Daily Express newspaper: "I'll give pool tournaments in the USA priority over those smaller snooker events if the dates clash."

The 29-year-old insists he is prepared to rile snooker's authorities by doubling up on the lucrative pool circuit in the States.

"I have entered snooker tournaments this year and, despite what I said in April, the game has proved difficult to walk away from," he said. "It's what I do, though it can leave me so low.

"I don't want to play in every one. I have commitments which require me to play in the BBC-covered events.

He does get some stick in some quarters and this may have prompted
"But I definitely won't be going to China - and maybe not the smaller events like the Welsh Open, and the Irish Masters if that's on the calendar again.

"I don't anticipate any problems with the snooker authorities. No one can force you to play in a tournament.

"If it came to it, I'd say 'all right then, I won't play in any of the BBC events, any of the Sky events, I'll hand my contract in and go off to America to play pool for a year'."

His first American event will be in Orlando in November but he warned he did not expect the same support he receives in the UK.

"It's a whole new challenge and I'll get no favours while I'm learning." he added. "Who I am and what I've done in snooker won't matter."

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Relieved Davis makes 100th final

Steve Davis survived a scare to reach his 100th final by beating Stephen Hendry 9-6 at the UK Championship.
The Englishman came into the evening session 7-1 ahead, but he began to wobble under severe pressure in York.

Playing below his best, Hendry did just enough to close the gap to 8-4 and then rattled in a superb break of 130.

The Scot took the 14th frame as well and was on course to take the next, but he missed an easy black and Davis clinched the match with a cool 66.

In a battle of snooker legends, breaks were at a premium early on, but Davis showed more tactical nous to move into a commanding lead.

Without sealing frames in one visit, he dictated proceedings with his tight safety play, leaving Hendry scratching around for difficult long pots.

Hendry got into the match after the break and started to find his usual fluidity among the balls.

But just as he looked set to close to 8-7, he failed to sink a simple black and Davis needed no second invitation to progress to the final.

The "Nugget" now faces Ding Junhui or Joe Perry in the final.

"It's a double bonus for me - I've reached 100 finals and beaten my nemesis," said Davis.

"I owed him one. I owed him about 30 actually. This afternoon I've never seen Stephen play so badly against me or against anyone.

"He didn't look like potting a ball and it was a shock.

"I played a really great frame to go 8-2 up and everything was going nicely, but I botched chances in the next two and then Stephen started playing better.

"I had a couple of smelly shots that were missable and I left him in to score big each time."

Hendry revealed he had been indecisive when he missed the key black.

"I changed my mind about what shot to play and it's a fatal mistake to make," said the world number two.

"I fancied winning the match in the end because I had started to play better, but Steve deserved to win. He played well this afternoon."

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Controversial Hann quits snooker

Quinten Hann effectively called time on his snooker career on Tuesday when he resigned from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

The Australian has not played this season after newspaper allegations last May that he agreed to accept £50,000 to lose a match at the China Open.

A hearing into the claims is set for Friday, but the world number 22 has said he will not attend.

His decision means he is removed from the rankings and loses all his points.

A WPBSA statement confirmed: "The independent hearing board initially set 29 November as the date for the hearing, but was told Mr Hann would not be medically fit to attend.

"The hearing was rescheduled for Friday, 17 February. Mr Hann has now informed the WPBSA he does not intend to be present. The hearing will go ahead in his absence.

"A further statement will be issued once the hearing has taken place and there will be no further comment prior to the hearing."

The decision of the 28-year-old from Melbourne looks to have brought down the curtain on a career in which he was never far from the headlines.

He missed six tournaments in 1999-2000 after breaking his collarbone in a motorcycle accident and was also in the wars a few months later when he broke his foot during a parachute jump.

In 2002 he conceded a frame with 13 reds remaining in a match against Stephen Lee, and at the World Championship that year he was accused of unsporting conduct for breaking off pool-style in his victory over Paul Hunter.

Two years later Hann had to be separated from opponent Andy Hicks at the end of his 10-4 World Championship defeat, and beat fellow professional Mark King in a boxing bout a few months later.

His private life has been troubled too. In 2002 he was cleared of raping a 21-year-old student, while last year he was acquitted of sexually assaulting a singer and actress.

It is understood Hann is now contemplating a future on the American pool circuit.

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Last-frame drama sends Hendry out

Nigel Bond clinched a thrilling 10-9 win over Stephen Hendry after potting a re-spotted black at the Crucible. Bond led 6-3 overnight and made it 7-3 only for his Scottish rival to win the next five frames for an 8-7 advantage.

The first-round match eventually went down to the final frame, Bond sinking the black but then going in-off to leave the scores tied at 48-48.
With the nerves starting to jangle, Englishman Bond sank the respotted black to beat the seven-time champion.

Afterwards, Bond said even he was shocked by the way that he gained revenge for his defeat by Hendry in the 1995 final.

"Some incredible matches crop up at the Crucible every now and again and this was another," he said.

"I'm just delighted to be on the winning side. Stephen has given me a few pastings and it's payback time.

"I was shaking when I potted the black the first time. As soon as I hit the shot I knew the white was going in."

Hendry was literally speechless after his five-frame winning streak in the middle of the match failed to see him through to the second round.

In the post-match news conference he spoke two sentences.

Asked if it was a cruel way to lose he replied "I suppose", before ignoring a question about his performance and just shrugging when he was asked about the table.

When asked where this defeat ranked among others in his career, he responded "Along with all the rest."



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S Hendry (Sco) 9-10 N Bond (Eng)
80-43 26-56 0-75 (75) 63-46 6-84 16-71 18-62 16-82 (51) 65-13 (52) 65-66 (65, 66) 56-53 74-27 (61) 62-41 79-20 (52) 70-6 (70) 7-103 (52) 74-5 27-61 48-55 (respotted black)

Jinne schreef:Jeetje ziekelijk lange frame in de finale. 75 minuten om 1 van 18 de frames te winnen. Gelukkig kwam ik er pas aan na een uurtje in.

Ze maken het vanavond nog af, right?

Dogged Dott wins epic world final

Graeme Dott defeated Peter Ebdon 18-14 in a monumental contest to win the World Championship at The Crucible.
Dott went into the last session leading 15-7 but Ebdon won six successive frames to reduce the deficit to two.

Runs of 66 and 68 took Dott to within one frame of victory and, although Ebdon had chances to win frame 32, it was Dott who fell over the line first.

It was the longest final in Crucible history, surpassing even the Dennis Taylor-Steve Davis classic in 1985.

After the match Dott, who lost the 2004 final to Ronnie O'Sullivan, admitted he thought his title chance was crumbling in the face of Ebdon's thrilling fightback.

"I thought it was slipping away from me," he said. "Before that frame I went and washed my face. I really thought my chance had absolutely gone.
After that I decided to quicken up the pace and felt really comfortable."

Meanwhile, Ebdon, champion in 2002 and a beaten finalist in 1996, paid generous tribute to his conqueror.

"Graeme is tough, dogged and resilient and everything you would expect a world champion to be," said the Dubai-based Englishman.

"He outplayed me for three sessions and some of his safety play was brilliant. He thoroughly deserves his victory."

Scotland's Dott, who has never won a tournament before, resumed 11-5 ahead on Monday and took the opening frame with a 56 clearance.

Ebdon looked relaxed as he took the next with a 78 clearance, his second-highest break of the final to that point.

But normal service resumed in the next with both players spurning opportunities to take the frame and Ebdon just nicking it with a run of 28.


The Crucible crowd dig in for an epic 27th frame

Frame 20 must have rocked Ebdon, who had a number of chances to win it after Dott broke down on 62 but was unable to hold his nerve.

Dott took the next with a 65 clearance after Ebdon missed a black into the middle pocket and the Scot took another scrappy frame, the last of the session, to establish an eight-frame lead.

But Ebdon came storming back after the restart, knocking in a 117 break, the highest of the final, to make it 15-9.

He proceeded to win the next three frames to make it 15-11 at the mid-session interval.

Both players climbed into the trenches for frame 27, which turned out to be the longest in World Championship history at 74 minutes.

Dott moved into a lead of 40 before a tense - and lengthy - safety exchange, punctuated by missed long potts, ensued.

Dott and Ebdon took turns missing the green before Ebdon mustered the composure to mop up and make it 15-12.

Ebdon then went from marathon man to sprinter, rattling up a run of 84, before Dott claimed his first frame of the evening courtesy of a 66 break.

Ebdon won the next frame to make it 16-14 before Dott inflicted a huge psychological blow by taking the next.

Ebdon had made a 51 break before running out of position and Dott, digging deep into his reserves, replied with a run of 69 to move to within one frame of victory.

On taking the frame, Dott let out a primeval roar, but Ebdon looked far from rattled at the start of frame 32.

However, looking well set, Ebdon contrived to miss a pink into the left-centre pocket and Dott was back in it.

Ebdon had other chances, but a missed red into the corner pocket opened the door for Dott, who held his nerve and cleared up - even finding time to kiss the trophy along the way.



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Peter Ebdon (Eng) 14-18 Graeme Dott (Sco)

First session: 79-12 (63) 53-62 (Ebdon 53, Dott 62) 1-91 (56) 48-70 9-71 (66) 67-32 (62)

Second session: 6-78 20-53 20-53 16-63 66-25 124-6 (89) 47-72 65-51 5-61 16-92

Third session: 0-75 (56) 100-0 (78) 67-44 41-75 (62) 31-90 (65) 49-70

Fourth session: 117-22 (117) 66-51 (51) 67-29 70-38 (66) 66-59 84-0 (84) 16-78 (66) 99-17 61-69 (Ebdon 51, Dott 68) 31-70

JC schreef:Heb je hem nog af gekeken, Jinne?