The Rocket - masters the game

What can I say. Coming down from 6-3 and perforing 147 in deciding frame. Not many players can do that.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won his Maplin UK Championship semi-final with Mark Selby in magnificent fashion with a 147 break in the deciding frame WS

Having tied the scores at eight frames all, 32-year-old O'Sullivan showed all the skills that have made him a two-time world champion as he produced a maximum break when the chips were down to power through.

O'Sullivan will play Stephen Maguire in the final. ES

888.com World Snooker Championship

The World Snooker Championship is in it`s first round. I was not able to post this last couple of days but, i watched some of the duels and i can tell you i`m looking forward more matches.

Nice games, young brave players and offensive plays. The complete results can be accessed here.

Yesterday Shawn Murphy didn`t allow any sensation and won over seventeen year old Judd Trump.

This is going to be a period of enjoyment i can assure you on that. I`ll post from time to time something new, but i`ll try to watch as many as possible :)

I would advise the same to you :)

Ding stays home, home

He is Home, but he will literary stay home this week.

Ding Junhui's hopes of winning the China Open were ended by Barry Hawkins.

"I've not won a match all season so this is great result," said Hawkins. "I've been playing well but it's always a case of getting over the line and I've not been able to do that this season.

Maplin UK Champion Peter Ebdon is also going home. He lost against Joe Swail 5-3.

China Open

Its ON, and is already without No 1 Stephen Hendry.

was 3-1 down to Hong Kong's Fu before winning three frames in a row.

The seven-time world champion look to have sealed victory with a 58 break to open frame eight but Fu hit back with a 72 run to take the match into a deciding frame.

And then the world number 22 produced a match-winning break of 63 and will now meet either Matthew Stevens or Chinese wildcard Xiao Guodong.

More results

World Championship qualifying

From March 12th to 15th.

Follow the results, and prepare for the big show.

5 centuries in 9 frames from Stephen Hendry

Legends of Snooker Tour

It live now!!!

And the first magnificent play was made.

Stephen Hendry recorded five centuries in nine frames in an exhibition match against Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The Scot defeated the Rocket 6-3 in the first of six matches comprising the Legends of Snooker Tour.

It was the first time the two players have met since since O'Sullivan walked out midway through their UK Championship quarter-final in December.

4 from 5

This evening i`ve past by eurosport.com/snooker and i`ve captured this screen.



You can see how good week Robertson had on Welsh Open. Grandiose play, no doubt.

Fightback after comeback

Australia's Neil Robertson withstood a superb fightback from Andrew Higginson to win the Welsh Open final 9-8.Robertson went into the match as a heavy favourite against the unranked Englishman and raced into a 6-2 lead.

But Higginson hit back with a series of big breaks to move to 8-6 ahead and within sight of a stunning win.

However, Grand Prix winner Robertson held his nerve with breaks of 92 and 59 to force a deciding frame and took it with two visits to the table.

Robertson on fire

Yesterday:
The Australian stormed to a four frame lead over Hendry and recorded a career best tournament break of 140 in the process. But Robertson was made to sweat for his victory after Hendry won three successive frames to make the score 4-3. In the seventh frame order was restored and Robertson progressed to the last 16.

Today:
Neil Robertson took a tight last frame to pinch a high-quality quarter-final against Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-4 and move through to the last four of the Welsh Open in Newport.

We must admit this boy is on the run, good tactical play. Although I`m a fan of Hendry`s still, i got to admit, yesterdays game was very good. For a moment i hoped that Hendry can come back and turn the game in his favor, but the concentration was not on the desired level

Welsh Open

World Class Snooker

Welsh Open
Dont`t miss it

Another sad result in Malta

Stephen Hendry, lost this afternoon from Alister Carter.

The play was not too good for Hendry, he had his chance in the th deciding frame but one slow ball was not showing any signs of kr to Stephen.

However Carter play was solid and he took the victory 5 frames to 4

Losers in Malta: Ronnie O'Sullivan, Matthew Stevens, John Higgins,

Michael Holt pulled off the best win of his career with a 5-3 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan to move through to the last 16 of the Malta Cup. Holt - who had never previously beaten O'Sullivan - held his nerve to move through to a clash against Mark King.

Ryan Day moved in to the last 16 of the Malta Cup with a 5-3 win over friend and countryman Matthew Stevens. Day, ranked 17 in the world, had moved in to a 2-0 lead before Stevens had even got going.

World number one John Higgins went crashing out of round one of the Malta Cup 5-3, after a fine display by Marco Fu. The Wizard of Wishaw began well having potted the black to win a tight first frame, but soon found himself 4-1 down to Fu.

Maguire sends Ding home

Ding knocked in a break of 68 in the first frame after the mid-session interval to bring the match to 2-3, but Maguire dominated the final two frames to progress.

Stephen Maguire booked his place in the last 16 of the Malta Cup with an excellent 5-2 victory over Ding Junhui. He meets Peter Ebdon in the next round after seeing off the challenge of the provisional world number five.

The Rocket crush Ding Junhui in the Masters final at Wembley

Ronnie O'Sullivan produced a vintage display of snooker to crush Ding Junhui 10-3 in the Masters final at Wembley.

There were doubts over the troubled star's participation at the prestigious invitational event after he was widely criticised after walking out of his quarter-final against Stephen Hendry in last month's UK Championship in York.

But the 31-year-old silenced the critics with a resounding victory over the Chinese teenager in which he scored four century breaks.

The 19-year-old took a 2-0 lead with runs of 77 and 109.

But then the Essex star took control, winning four frames in a row thanks to breaks of 55, 99, 128 and 101.

Ding pulled one back by edging a tight seventh frame only for O'Sullivan to hold a 5-3 lead after a fascinating afternoon session following a 116 break.

And the two-time world champion was unstoppable in the evening with a 96 break followed by a 65 clearance to snatch frame ten.

The Rocket was well on his way to his third Masters title, following his victories in 1995 and 2005, when he hammered home a 143 break in frame 11 and following runs of 48 and 49 in frame 12, Ding left the arena with his opponent consoling the visibly upset provisional world number five.

But things got no better for the youngster as O'Sullivan wrapped up victory in quick time before receiving the trophy from Steve Davis.

Ding, who appeared upset by remarks from a member of the audience, said: "I thought he had won the ninth frame of 17 and the match was over.

"It is very different to events like the China Open because the fans go in groups and I felt very alone here. I was a bit annoyed with the man's comments because I couldn't concentrate."

O'Sullivan said: "Ding is one of the rarest talents that I have seen and there is no doubt in my mind that he will become a multiple winner."

147 at 19 , Ding Junhui

Ding Junhui became the youngest player to score a maximum 147 break live on television on Sunday, beating the previous record set by Ronnie O'Sullivan by almost three years.

The Chinese player, aged 19 years and nine months, set the record as he swept aside fellow wildcard entry Anthony Hamilton 6-3 on the first day of the Masters Tournament.

There have been 27 other televised maximum breaks in the history of the sport, the first going back to 1982 when Briton Steve Davis achieved the feat.

"I didn't realise I was the youngest and I am very happy to go into the record books for the youngest scorer of a 147 break - I am feeling really special," Ding said.

"I felt the nerves on the last red to the middle pocket and the final black."

O'Sullivan scored his televised 147 at the world championships in 1997 when he was 22.

Source: Eurosport

Ronnie O'Sullivan is ready

The star met World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker on Wednesday to discuss his actions at York's Barbican Centre.

A spokesman for the governing body described as the meeting as "informal talks, not a disciplinary hearing".

And Walker told Five Live: "I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch with (Ronnie) today. He was relaxed and happy and I think is looking forward to doing as well as he can at the Masters.

"As chairman of World Snooker, I very much see Ronnie O'Sullivan as being an important part of the future."

O'Sullivan added another chapter to his controversial career by walking out while trailing 4-1 to Stephen Hendry in the UK Championship quarter-finals last month.

He later apologised through Doyle's 110sport Management company, but may still face disciplinary action by World Snooker.

Walker told Five Live he will write to the disciplinary committee on O'Sullivan's behalf.

More: BBCSport/snooker

Stephen Hendry

Stephen Hendry MBE (b. January 13, 1969), is a professional Snooker player.

Born in Edinburgh, he was brought up in Fife, where he attended Inverkeithing High School. Stephen now lives in the small town of Auchterarder.

In 1983, aged 14, Hendry won the National Under-16 Championship and also appeared for the first time on the BBC's Junior Pot Black. At 15, he was the Scottish Amateur Champion and also became the youngest ever entrant in the World Amateur Championships. Stephen retained his Scottish title in 1985 and at just 16 years and 3 months old, he became the youngest ever professional.
Hendry first won his first World Championships title in 1990 at the age of 21, becoming the youngest player ever to win the event.

Hendry holds several records. He has scored the most 147 breaks (eight) [1], and was the first player to have scored one in the deciding frame of a match; the final of the 1997 Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge. He has also compiled the most century breaks, currently 698, and he holds the most ranking event titles (36).

He is considered to be the greatest break builder the game has ever seen, having compiled a stunning 698 centuries in professional play as of the 17th December 2006. Unlike Steve Davis who, in the preceding decade, was strong in every department of the game, Hendry relied solely on his long potting and break building which were so formidable at the time that they compensated for his other deficiencies.

Hendry tends to play at a moderate pace, displaying complete ease throughout a frame, and methodically working through the vast majority of break building opportunities.