Dave's Snooker World

Bjorn Haneveer.

2010-09-04T05:32:00.000-07:00

In the spotlight this month is Belgium's most successful ever player, Bjorn Haneveer.

Part one - starting out

I started playing snooker when I was 14 years old. My father was a self-employed carpenter, and on Saturdays I would help him out. In the mornings we would work, then in the afternoon we would go to a pub and play snooker. The first time I ever played I cleared up the colours – I still remember that. read more

Ronnie O'Sullivan will not defend Shanghai title

2010-09-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

Ronnie O'Sullivan says he will not be defending his Shanghai Masters title because he wants to spend more time with his family.

The three-time world champion has ruled out flying to China for the tournament, which starts on 6 September. read more

Your Chance To Qualify For The World Open!

2010-05-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

Wimbledon beating Liverpool to win the FA Cup…Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson…YE Yang flooring Tiger Woods…could you be the talented snooker player ready to join this list of great sporting upsets by beating one of the world’s top snooker players in the new World Open?

This fantastic and innovative tournament will see 32 amateurs join the 96 professional players in an FA Cup-style event with a random draw and matches played over just five frames.

Rileys and other snooker clubs will be staging competitions by the end of July, with the winners to go through to the qualifying phase which will run from August 21 to 24 at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield.

FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO ENTER THESE COMPETITIONS, KEEP AN EYE ON WORLDSNOOKER.COM AND RILEYS.CO.UK IN THE COMING DAYS.

The televised stage will then take place at the SECC in Glasgow from September 18 to 26, when the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson will be competing for the trophy.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn encourages anyone who fancies their chances to have a go in the club competitions and see how far they can go. “It will be fascinating to see how the best amateurs fare against the professionals,” he said. “We could get a rags-to-riches story of an unknown player getting to the business end or giving one of the top stars a shock.”

You can already buy tickets for the final stages in Glasgow. Secure your seats now by calling 0844 395 4000 or visiting www.ticketsoup.com. Or visit www.worldsnooker.com/tickets
THIS EVENT CANNOT BE MISSED!!!

The World Open receives equal funding and support from EventScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.

Improve Your Pool Shot with These Three Tips

2010-05-10T03:42:00.000-07:00

By Paul Richardson

Looking for ways to improve your pool game quickly? Look no further. Here are three tips you can start using today to dramatically improve your pool game.Works for snooker too!

All of these tips will focus on using proper hand and pool cue technique since this is the area most beginners struggle with the most. Improving your hand and cue technique will dramatically improve your game.

Tip #1: Sight the Shot

First things first, before you hit your shot you will want to line up behind the cue ball, visually sight your shot, and then take a few practice swings. Look at where you want to hit the cue ball down the table, and also where you want your pool cue to contact the cue ball. Now, take a couple practice swings doing everything you will when you hit the shot for real, while concentrating on a smooth swing both backwards and forwards. Do not accidentally hit the cue ball when you do this, pull up just short of actually hitting it until you are ready to shoot for real. When you do hit the ball, use the same fluid swing motion you just practiced, hitting the ball where you were looking.

Tip #2: Follow Through

Many beginners make the mistake of pulling their pool cue away immediately after hitting the shot. Try not to do this by again focusing on your swing, keeping it smooth, and concentrate on following through after you hit the shot.

Tip #3: Keeping it Straight

Since follow through is so important, if you want to hit a straight shot that is, here is a tip to help you follow through. Picture yourself not just hitting the cue ball, but a place that is 2-3 inches behind it. Hitting through the cue ball is an easy way to keep your shot straight.

Practice these tips and you will be well on your way to a better pool game quickly!

About the Author:

Paul is a pool enthusiast who likes helping others get better at pool. His latest website helps you find the right pool cue racks for your pool room. Protect your cue stick investment, and look into using pool cue racks today!

History of Pool Tables

2010-04-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, slightly off subject today, but still of interest I think. To play pool, you need a quality billiards table. This is an elevated table with a flat surface, often made of quarried slate that is always covered with cloth. The cloth is usually green, but can come in various colors. It's surrounded by rubber cushions, and was at one time called a billiard board.

Like the game of pool, no one is exactly quite sure when the first pool table was made. As early as 1470, however, King Louis XI of France had one. It had no pockets but only a hole in the middle of the table. That's not surprising since in the early days pool was played by kings and noblemen. Owning a pool table was a luxury in those days since it was often imported and expensive to make.

The working classes had their own homemade versions of pool tables to enjoy the game. But since these were made of wood, they didn't last long and often warped in no time at all. Early pool tables had no uniform size or shape, however most were square in shape. Quickly though by the 15th century, pool tables were a common sight in taverns and public places all over France.

The modern pool table was the brainchild of table maker John Thurston of England. He invented the slate bed in 1826 and gave the table a smoother surface. Marble was utilized by some but it was costly. Billiard slate was heavier than wood and made pool tables more durable.

In 1845, Thurston began to make the billiard cushions from vulcanized rubber, leather and cork. Interestingly enough, this came after he experimented with hair, shredded fabrics and feathers to stuff these cushions. The discovery of vulcanization in 1843 changed everything. Eventually, the green pool table cover was also improved with different fabrics, and became the basis of modern pool tables.

By Tabitha Oscorp

Steve Davis insists he is not thinking about winning the World Championship for a seventh time

2010-04-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

Steve Davis insists he is not thinking about winning the World Championship for a seventh time despite stunning defending champion John Higgins 13-11.

"I am not looking there," he told BBC Sport. "It is one round at a time, one frame at a time, one ball at a time."
The 52-year-old, the oldest player to reach the last eight since the late Eddie Charlton, then 53, in 1983, plays Australian Neil Robertson on Tuesday.
"It's just another match, that is the only way I can look at it," he added.
"Neil smashed me up here last year [10-2 in the first round]. I don't want to look any further.

"I have got a couple of days off then I am back again, and it is business as usual."
Nevertheless, Davis admitted he had a "great feeling of pride" after holding himself together in the crucial final moments, after Higgins had drawn level at 11-11.
"In one respect it is fantastic," he said. "But on the other hand, it is only the second round and there is a long way to go in the tournament. But for the time being, I will savour it."
The Davis-Robertson quarter-final will start at 1000 BST on Tuesday, 27 April, and conclude on Wednesday afternoon.
"Steve is a legend in sport in general, he is almost like those Olympians who go to four Olympics," said Robertson after sealing a remarkable comeback from 11-5 down to beat qualifier Martin Gould 13-12.
"What more can Steve do on and off the table? He is a great ambassador to our sport."

richoho

Robertson insisted Davis's victory was "not that much of a surprise to me" and that he would not take victory for granted, despite hammering Davis 10-2 in the first round last year.
"He has come close to beating John [Higgins] before when he was the best player in the world [Higgins beat Davis 13-11 in the second round of the 2000 World Championship]," Robertson told BBC Sport.
"It is a pleasure to be competing with him and and great to see someone like Steve, who has achieved so much in the game, continue to put in the practice.
"It is fantastic to see him beat John. Some people say it is a young man's game but most of the top players are in their 30s and Steve is in his 50s. He is an inspiration to people in a lot of sports, not just snooker."
Davis revealed that an email suggestion to a website he runs giving advice to players had provided the focus for his technical tune-up leading into the tournament.
"A gentleman emailed me and said I was moving my head on the shot, and he was right," he explained.
"Sometimes you miss the obvious things and in the build-up all I've been doing is concentrating on keeping my head still.
"Under enough pressure other parts of your body move and perhaps your cue, and it's worked. It's made me a better player in practice and bit more solid in matches.
"Keeping my head still was my one thought in the closing stages."

Fastest 147

2010-04-24T06:18:00.001-07:00

Steve Davis triumph!

2010-04-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

Steve Davis has completed one of the most incredible wins of his career by upsetting the odds to eliminate defending world champion John Higgins 13-11 in an epic second-round contest.

Davis, 52, is the oldest man to reach the Crucible quarter-finals since Eddie Charlton, then 53, lost to Davis at the 1983 tournament.
Higgins - who was 1-16 ON to beat his boyhood hero - trailed 9-7 entering this morning, but quickly drew level aided by a 115 break in frame 18 - his 100th century at the esteemed venue.
Davis hardly played a shot in the first two frames, but showed all the courage, resilience and character that helped him claim six world titles in the 1980s - the last of which was an 18-3 drubbing of John Parrott in the 1989 final.
Higgins missed two key blues as Davis kept his cool to restore his two-frame overnight advantage in moving 11-9 clear.
The Scot, dubbed the Wizard of Wishaw, responded swiftly to his predicament as breaks of 59 and 56 allowed him to level.
The tension was mounting. Higgins was clearly not as his scoring best, while Davis was failing to capitalise on the chances that came his way.
Davis, 25 years on from his 18-17 loss to Dennis Taylor in the 1985 final, looked nervous on any ball from distance, but did enough to fall over the line in a scrappy 23rd frame and leave himself one frame away from the last eight.
Higgins made a strong start in the next, but broke down 42 points ahead. Davis scrambled his way into the frame before he settled the match by doubling a wonderful brown and nudging the blue over a bottom pocket.
He rolled in the blue and pink to end Higgins' bid for a fourth world title as the packed Crucible audience roared their delight.
Davis will face Martin Gould or Neil Robertson in the last eight. He last reached the quarter-finals in 2005 when he lost to Shaun Murphy.
Second session report
Steve Davis clung on to his lead over John Higgins in the last 16 of the World Championship in Sheffield, taking the final frame to end the second session 9-7.
Higgins, who struggled for rhythm in the opening session and began the second one 6-2 down, started well.
A 78 break, his third half-century of the match, secured him the frame before Eighties kingpin Davis welcomed the opportunity to clear up and gain some potting practice.
However neither player really found their rhythm after that. For every cross-doubled red and superb safety there was a simple miss or botched attempt at defence.
The unique pressure of the Crucible Theatre was getting to them, despite Davis's six triumphs there and Higgins having won three times, including last year.
Higgins found form on the colours to move to 6-4 before a Davis moment of magic, producing a steady 83 clearance to get the Crucible believing once more.
There was another one to follow as he nudged the brown free while potting the yellow, sank the green then doubled the frame-ball brown to move back four frames ahead.
Higgins emerged with the next frame after a low-scoring battle before a brilliant 106 - his first century of the match and 99th at the Crucible - closed the gap to two.
The scoreline then read 8-7 thanks to two pieces of incredible fortune: first Higgins left a red over the bottom-left pocket but unintentionally snookered Davis down the length of the table; then when the Ginger Magician came off the long cushion to pot it, he watched in disbelief as the cueball rolled into the right-centre bag.
Davis - playing in the Sheffield showpiece for the 30th time - looked likely to be pegged back in the final frame of the afternoon when he touched a red while trying to pot the black.
But Higgins missed an easy red over the bottom-left pocket and a 55 run ensured an advantage for 52-year-old cueman Davis heading into session three on Saturday.
First session report
Eighties legend Steve Davis played some of the best snooker of his career to take a 6-2 lead over world number two John Higgins in their last-16 World Championship match in Sheffield.
If that seems a trifle overstated, think again - the now-grey-haired Ginger Magician's safety play was flawless while his potting percentage of 95 compared more than favourably with the low-eighties of the provisional world number one.
And it was a real tactical battle from the second frame, once Davis had put the first to bed with a half-century and substantial second visit.
The first notable miss of Higgins's session arrived early in that second, but Davis could only reach 15 before being forced to find the baulk. The Scot prevailed on this occasion thanks to a break of 60, with Davis attempting to draw the frame out by taking almost two minutes on one shot amid a slew of safeties from both players.
Davis retook the lead following another mammoth frame, with a 48 run breaking up the sludgy contest which ended 83-7. The next was just as hard-fought, with both players enjoying good fortune and bad before Davis's cueball dropped into a corner pocket to allow Higgins to clear up ahead of the interval.
With Stephens Maguire and Lee racing through their first-round match on the other table - to the detriment of the latter - the comparison could not have been starker. But those fans who remained in place to see the partition rise - all of them, in fact - were then treated to a spectacle between two sporting warhorses.
For had Higgins been playing someone else, he could have ended the day ahead despite his wayward potting. Davis, who made a 72 in the fifth frame, made sure that every ball counted - and the usually unflappable Wizard of Wishaw was cowed enough to miss even a simple black from close range.
Fifty-two-year-old Davis built a 35-point in the next only for Higgins, a winner of 21 ranking tournaments to Davis's 28, to move past 50. However he missed a cut along the cushion which fell safe, leading to more defensive work. It was Davis, ranked 23, who emerged from it with the pot - and held his nerve to clear to the pink. A long look down at the table after it dropped betrayed his anxiety in the now-unfamiliar high-pressure surroundings.
Then came the moment that had the Crucible on its feet. A long red set up a break with the rest of them wonderfully positioned, and Davis went on to record his first century of the season - a 102 - before missing the yellow.
With one frame remaining in the session, the pressure was on Higgins to reduce the arrears. A final duel ensued as the stopwatch passed the three-hour mark, Davis passing 50 to force the Scot to look for a snooker.
The six-times Crucible champion fought to escape several excellent attempts, while an attempted double - which would have put the frame to bed, and placed the red safely as an insurance - jumped out of the centre-right jaws.
One escape almost saw the red drop into that same pocket, prompting another of those rueful smiles, while perhaps the easiest all was the one he missed. And as quickly as the opportunity formed in Higgins's mind, it disappeared once more. Going for an ambitious long yellow, he brought the white back up the table - and into the top-left pocket.
A brilliant long yellow from Davis then similar green on his next visit saw Higgins concede, while the Crucible dreamed of a seventh title for their favourite son. It is early days and they are long odds, but on this evidence he has what it takes to go a long way.

World Seniors Snooker Championship

2010-04-20T03:59:00.000-07:00

This is going to be an annual event pitting the greatest players from the Golden Age of Snooker against each other for the right to call them self the World Seniors Champion.

This year’s tournament will include six former World Champions: Steve Davis, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor, Alex Higgins and Joe Johnson and the People’s Champion Jimmy White. The final place will be contested between Peter Ebdon and the winner of the qualifying tournament. The players will be competing for a £50,000 prize pot.
The inaugural World Seniors Snooker Championship will be held at Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford on 5-7 November 2010. Matches will be played over three frames in the quarter finals, five frame in the semis and seven frames in the final.

The World Seniors Qualifying event will be held in Cue Gardens, Bradford on 28-30 May. The players set to feature include Tony Knowles, Tony Drago, Mike Hallett, David Taylor, Dave Harold, Darren Morgan, Nigel Bond and Joe Swail. The format will be the same as the main event.
Joe Johnson, one of the key people behind this new event stated: “I have been working very hard to pull this concept together and I am glad that with World Snooker’s help we are making it a reality. I cannot wait to get out on the floor and battle it out with my old friends and adversaries. Snooker fans have been crying out for this type of event and I am sure that we will do our best to put on an entertaining Championship.”
General admission and hospitality tickets will be available for both the Qualifiers and the World Seniors Snooker Championship.

Latest scores and order of play from the Crucible

2010-04-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

Latest scores and order of play from the Crucible

Date: 17 April-3 May 2010 Venue: The Crucible, Sheffield
Coverage: Live coverage each day on BBC Two, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website (UK only), updates on BBC Radio 5 Live. Full TV schedule

Saturday's results (First round - best of 19 frames)

1900 BST:

John Higgins (Sco) 10-6 Barry Hawkins (Eng)

77-30, 1-101 (51), 0-70 (69), 24-90 (51), 83-8 (61), 69-0, 0-84 (84), 52-64 (64), 96-1 (52) 70-25 121-0 (121) 65-23 75-18 (67) 63-41 114-0 (114) 73-1

Other scores:

Mark Selby (Eng) 6-3 Ken Doherty (Ire)

1-64 107-0 (103) 51-75 107-14 (106) 90-0 (90) 64-56 (Doherty 54) 17-78 87-0 78-0 (78)

* match resumes Monday 1430 BST

Mark Allen (NI) 8-1 Tom Ford (Eng)

66-59 (66, 59), 89-0 (57), 64-53, 71-64, 62-8, 86-6 (86), 67-39, 6-110 (107), 122-0 (122)

* match resumes Sunday 1000 BST

Michael Holt (Eng) 2-7 Joe Perry (Eng)

57-67, 112-8 (112), 36-71, 62-72 (Holt, 62), 64-65 (64, 65), 1-62 (62), 59-11, 38-72, 8-73 (55)

* match resumes Sunday 1900 BST

Zhang Anda (Chn) 4-5 Stephen Hendry (Sco)

19-71 (60), 48-61, 1-74 (73), 4-71, 83-0 (83), 70-39 (69), 81-1 (64), 18-57, 21-60

* match resumes Sunday 1900 BST

Sunday 18 April (best of 19 frames)

1000 BST:

Marco Fu (HK) v Martin Gould (Eng)

Mark Allen (NI) v Tom Ford (Eng)

1430 BST:

Mark Selby (Eng) v Ken Doherty (Ire)

Ali Carter (Eng) v Jamie Cope (Eng)

1900 BST:

Joe Perry (Eng) v Michael Holt (Eng)

Stephen Hendry (Sco) v Zhang Anda (Chn)

Monday 19 April (best of 19 frames)

1000 BST:

Marco Fu (HK) v Martin Gould (Eng)

Mark Williams (Wal) v Marcus Campbell (Sco)

1430 BST:

Ali Carter (Eng) v Jamie Cope (Eng)

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Liang Wenbo (Chn)

1900 BST:

Mark Williams (Wal) v Marcus Campbell (Sco)

Mark King (Eng) v Steve Davis (Eng)

Tuesday 20 April (best of 19 frames)

1000 BST:

Ding Junhui (Chn) v Stuart Pettman (Eng)

Ryan Day (Wal) v Mark Davis (Eng)

1430 BST:

Neil Robertson (Aus) v Fergal O'Brien (Ire)

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Liang Wenbo (Chn)

1900 BST:

Mark King (Eng) v Steve Davis (Eng)

Peter Ebdon (Eng) v Graeme Dott (Sco)

Wednesday 21 April (best of 19 frames)

1000 BST:

Ding Junhui (Chn) v Stuart Pettman (Eng)

Ryan Day (Wal) v Mark Davis (Eng)

1430 BST:

Neil Robertson (Aus) v Fergal O'Brien (Ire)

Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Stephen Lee (Eng)

1900 BST:

Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Gerard Greene (NI)

Peter Ebdon (Eng) v Graeme Dott (Sco)

John Higgins defeats Barry Hawkins to reach snooker World Championship second round

2010-04-18T00:32:00.001-07:00

The three-time winner, defending his title this year, booked his place in the second round of the Betfred.com World Championship after recovering from 5-3 down to beat Barry Hawkins 10-6.

Higgins had some troubling moments on his way to triumphing 12 months ago, having to win deciding frames against Jamie Cope in round two and Mark Selby in the quarter-finals before defeating Shaun Murphy for the trophy.

When Hawkins edged the morning session it appeared Higgins would again have his work cut out.

But the 34-year-old returned in the evening with greater focus in his mind and more conviction in his cueing, which brought him three century breaks. Hawkins had little to offer in response.

Having pinched the final frame of the first session to trail by only 5-4, Higgins resumed with a break of 63 and followed that with a confidence-boosting 121.

He had the chance to set an early marker for the top break prize but missed the blue and the chance to post a 139.

He took the next frame too, and a break of 67 then extended his advantage to three.

The earlier potting efficiency which had carried Hawkins into his surprise lead was ebbing away, and heading into the mid-session evening interval the 30-year-old Englishman knew his chance of a first Crucible win was going in the same direction.

Hawkins has now made five visits to the World Championship, losing in the first round every time.

He briefly threatened a revival when he pulled back to 8-6, but Higgins then assembled a break of 114 to move within a frame of the last 16, and he made no mistake from that point, showing clear relief as he punched the air after overcoming a tricky opponent.