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Bre: Продолжаем делиться новостями А обсуждать их надо здесь Ru

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rusel: A big break - Мне было интересно почитать. В честь Хиггинса назвали конные бега и здесь

Annika: rusel пишет: В честь Хиггинса назвали коня Вот она, настоящая слава. Только не коня назвали, а скачки.

rusel: Annika пишет: Только не коня назвали, а скачки Спасибо за поправку.

rusel: На 43-м году жизни внезапно скончался бывший профессиональный игрок и снукерный тренер Стив Прест. http://top-snooker.com/news/336#add

rusel: Snooker's coming home to Guild Hall здесь

rusel: WM-Finalist Shaun Murphy über die Erfolge von Snooker außerhalb Großbritanniens und die Kritik von Ronnie O’Sullivan, der Sport würde langweilig werden. здесь

rusel: Sajjad, Raees to feature in 6-Red World Snooker GP здесь

rusel: Mark's on cue to live his Shanghai dream

rusel: Bradford is to have its own world snooker championship next summer. World Seniors Snooker Ltd – the baby of Bradford’s former world champion Joe Johnson and his business partner Dave Shipley – are organising an eight-man event on June 5 and 6 at The Clubhouse In Cue Gardens at Odsal. Joe JohnsonThree former world champions have already been confirmed as participants in the 40 and over competition – Alex Higgins, John Parrott and Johnson – and other entrants include six-times world runner-up Jimmy White, three-times semi-finalist Tony Knowles and former quarter-finalists Willie Thorne and Mike Hallett. Johnson said: “This is great news for Bradford and I know the players are looking forward to coming to the club. “We know Bradford is a snooker city as the Richard Dunn Sports Centre has been sold out for past Telegraph & Argus exhibition evenings, and that is only with two players. “It is also just before the World Cup soccer finals but not long after the World Snooker Championships so snooker will be in people’s minds.” Johnson added: “We are confident of getting a main sponsor and TV coverage.” The eighth player in the field has yet to be named but Johnson said: “Ten players will be on site in any case.” The best-of-three frame quarter-finals will be held on the Saturday afternoon, with the first semi-final to follow. The second semi-final will be held on Sunday lunchtime, with the best-of-five frame final to follow. In addition to the tournament itself – the Odsal venue will have a capacity of 400 around the match table – there will also be two sportsmans’ dinners. One will be on the Friday night and the other on the Saturday night, both with a capacity of 80, and there will be a top snooker player on each of the ten tables. It is a mystery as to why a seniors snooker tour has not come off before, as the mix of personalities would be a natural in terms of entertainment and sporting skill. Senior tours are already popular in golf, tennis and motor racing but snooker’s past attempts have either been too ambitious or too flimsy. But Shipley said: “With the backing of Johnson, who has served the sport both as a player and board member, our plans already have instant credibility.” Shipley can be contacted on 07850-734868 if companies want to sponsor the event as a whole (a five-figure sum), be a frame sponsor, an arena advertising sponsor, a sportsmans’ dinner sponsor or an accommodation sponsor. It is hoped that the inaugural event will be the forerunner of a world tour. Johnson said: “I have already had interest from Bahrain – I used to coach Sheikh Abdullah and I coached their national team in preparation for the Asian Games – Malta, China and Thailand.” здесь

rusel: Shehab hoping for 6-Red Grand Prix win By Duane Fonseca, Staff Reporter Published: July 02, 2009, 22:48 Dubai: Mohammad Mustafa Shehab will use next week's 2009 Sangsom 6-Red World Grand Prix to warm up for the World Games of Cue Sports, which will be held in Taiwan later this month. Shehab qualified for the Taiwan tournament and will be part of a group of 16 cueists lining up for the event, which runs between July 22 and 26 in Kaohsiong. First, though, he must wade through a 64-man field, including compatriot Mohammad Al Joker, at the Sangsom 6-Red, which will be hosted at Bangkok's Montien Riverside Hotel from July 7-12. The Bangkok tournament has roped in up to 20 players from the World Snooker Main Tour, including five former world champions, John Higgins (1998, 2007, 2009), Shaun Murphy (2005), Mark Williams (2000, 2003), Peter Ebdon (2002) and Ken Doherty (1997). Players from zones as diverse as Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania have also confirmed and Shehab and Al Joker will have to be at their best to make the knockout stage of the invitation-only competition. "Well with some of the world's top players are lining up, it's definitely going to be tough. Players like Williams, Murphy, Ebdon and Higgins have won World Championships before, and these guys are the star cast in Bangkok. The current world No 1 will also be playing in the event, so you've got to be at your best," said UAE No1 Shehab on his way to practice at the Dubai Police Officer's Club. The pair leave for the Thai capital on Sunday and both are scheduled to play on the opening day. While Al Joker starts his campaign against local boy Phaithoon Phonbun, Shehab's meets England's Joe Perry in the first round. Despite his confidence, Shehab knows anything can happen in 6-Red, widely considered snooker's fast and furious version, and a format that is to snooker what Twenty20 means to cricket. The unpredictable nature of results means a kind of equality prevails among the players, with even the unfancied highly capable of upsetting the favourites. Shehab is banking on that truth. "It's anybody's game really. You play half-way and you have a good chance of winning [and rankings] don't really matter. We've been practising hard and hope to get it right," said Shehab, who is one of the many non-professional players at the event and who was part of the UAE team which successfully defended its Arab Snooker Championship title in Egypt last month. "I finish work and then head to the club for practice, that's the way it has been, but it's not too bad. It's going to be a tough event, but I'm really hoping to gain practice and be fully-prepared for the World Games which start two weeks later." http://www.gulfnews.com/sport/Snooker/10328098.html

rusel: Snooker ace’s gift to Burnley charity champ здесь

rusel: Фотоконкурс Top-Snooker.com На нашем форуме есть много умельцев. Дерзайте!

rusel: GLOBAL SNOOKER AWARDS The popular snooker resource, global-snooker.com, have announced that they will hold an awards evening on October 13th to recognise achievements of snooker players and broadcasters and others involved in the sport. It will take place at the 5-star Celtic Manor Resort. These sort of awards evenings are usually held by the W.P.B.S.A but more recently have been held by the Snooker Writers' Association. It will be the first Global Snooker Awards evening. Hopefully the event will be a success and hopefully attract media coverage and, hopefully, be an annual event. It is possible to put your views forward in who should win the awards, just visit http://global-snooker.com/global-snooker-events-golden-global-snooker-awards-main.asp to take part in the survey. Some money will also be donated to charity, the two charities involved are the Paul Hunter Foundation and the Tenovus Cancer Charity. A golf day, hosted by Mark Williams, will take place on the same day. It is possible to register a team to compete at golf against 'snooker celebrities' at a cost of £1,200 plus VAT per team. A table of ten for the awards evening can be reserved at £1,000 or an individual ticket for just £100 plus VAT. Click on the link above for more information. http://snookerworldblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/global-snooker-awards.html

rusel: Через 17 лет после выхода статьи, зная, как все сложилось, было интересно прочитать. http://top-snooker.com/news/articles/show/438

rusel: Keynsham snooker star Trump has Premier date with Higgins здесь

rusel: Sunday Life: “Snooker: Ronnie’s ‘Rocket’ to rivals..Frank Brownlow talks to Ronnie O’Sullivan13 August 2006Ronnie O’Sullivan last night fired a warning blast at his rivals ahead of the Northern Ireland Trophy – ‘If I’m on form no-one can touch me!’The tournament gets under way today at the Waterfront Hall and its elevation to a ranking event cranks up the pressure on the players.And ‘The Rocket’ didn’t sit on the fence when asked who would win the prestigious opening event to the new snooker season.In an exclusive interview with Sunday Life, O’Sullivan rapped: ‘When I’m on form I’m very, very good and there are only three other players in the world who can possibly live with me.’Everyone knows the quality of John Higgins, Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams. When those three and myself are on top of our game we are better than everybody else.’I need to be more consistent and that’s the key to it really. When I’m good I’m very, very good but when I’m poor I’m just an average player.’O'Sullivan is a real enigma and has in the past threatened to quit the game and many people – including the man himself – feel he should have more than his two World titles to show for his prodigious talent.He candidly admits: ‘I should have won more World titles by now. I could probably have doubled what I have achieved in the game but I’ve had my ups and downs.’I need to get my consistency back and when it comes back I can win more World Championships,’ says the 30-year-old Essex boy.And O’Sullivan knows a good run in the Northern Ireland Trophy can lay the foundations for a good season and another tilt at the World crown.’It’s now a world ranking event so all the top players will be going out all guns blazing to win it. Everybody will be keen to do really well.”We’ve had a long break and I’ve got a new cue so it’s a bit difficult at the moment but I’ve been working hard in practice and things are going okay,” he says.O’Sullivan will face either Alan McManus or Stuart Pettman in his opening match.But he reveals: “I don’t really look at the draws because they’re all tough matches these days. I just turn up and hope to find a bit of form. You get used to playing all the players so you know what to expect.”O’Sullivan has been playing in pool tournaments over the summer to maintain his sharpness.”I like to play a bit of pool in between snooker tournaments. If there’s a gap I’ll play in a few pool events. I don’t treat pool as a job – it’s just a bit of fun,” he says.Snooker has struggled in recent years to emulate its 1980s golden era and O’Sullivan feels the game would be boosted by greater competition for the top prizes.”When John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and myself are not on top of our game there are maybe another five or six players who are very capable of winning tournaments.”Then there are maybe another four players behind them who have an outside chance of winning tournaments.”Plenty of players are capable of winning tournaments but they don’t all do so.”A lot of players say they can win tournaments and some of them have never won anything.”A lot of talking gets done but it’s the results that matter.”The fact is that there are only four people who regularly win ranking events. We are just that little bit better than everyone else.”Some people have won four or five events but that’s nothing to write home about.”Hendry has won 36 or 37, I’ve managed to win about 18 or 19 and so have Higgins and Williams. That says it all really,” he says.And O’Sullivan warns that, in snooker, talk is cheap.”A lot of players say that they are making 147s in practice. But it’s one thing doing it in practice – it’s when you get on the match table that it matters. You have to do it where it matters.”The only one of the up and coming players who seems to do it where it matters is Ding Junhui. He’s won the UK Championship which is a massive tournament and he’s also won the China Open. So he has actually won things and is a force to be reckoned with.”Other players have won maybe one tournament and got to semi-finals and quarter-finals. So that means Ding Junhui stands out from the others because he has proven himself.”I’ve been watching the European Championship athletics this week and some of the British athletes are talking about doing better next year and the year after that – but in my view there’s no time like the present. You should just get on with winning things,” he stresses.And for how long can Ronnie O’Sullivan go on winning things?After much deliberation, he says: “I would see myself staying in the game another six or seven years because hopefully I’ll still be playing top quality snooker by then.”As long as I’m playing well and enjoying it, I’ll carry on playing.”‘The Rocket’ is still aiming for the stars.”Get your own Snooker table отсюда

rusel: How to choose the right Snooker Cue

rusel: Gordon Burn: Pocket Money http://theasylum.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/gordon-burn-pocket-money/

rusel: Shock death of Burnley snooker star Jordan Ullah (15)

rusel: Lee on cue for Snookes

rusel: Grand Prix Snooker Short-Listed For Major Award http://mxmbilliards.com/2009/08/grand-prix-snooker-short-listed-for-major-award/

rusel: Does an expensive Snooker Cue help you play like John Higgins?

rusel: Alan McManus, the former UK snooker champion, has voiced his fears that the game in Scotland is dying at grassroots level, because of the failure of the governing body to devise a proper business plan or address numerous issues over the past decade. вся статья Джон разделяет его мнение.

rusel: А вот и перевод http://www.top-snooker.com/news/476

rusel: Dearth of sponsors has snooker in a back spin Clive Everton: Lack of funds has snooker in a back spin Tournaments and prize money are drying up while players are getting restive здесь и здесь

rusel: Newmarket-based Tattersalls sales company are to break new ground by hosting a charity snooker evening featuring Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan at their sales arena in November. The tournament, which is in aid of the Paul Hunter Foundation. is also set to feature Steve Davis and Sean Murphy and will include appearances by two as yet unnamed faces from the racing world. The evening, which is on November 9 and costs £20 a head, comes in the middle of a busy period for the bloodstock auctioneers who host their showcase sale, the Tattersalls October Sales (Book 1), on October 6. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-1214403/THE-CAPTAINS-LOG-Madame-Lemaire-stands-man-Longchamp-boo-boys-win-day.html#ixzz0RSOg2hWj http://www.newmarketjournal.co.uk/sport/Rocket-Ronnie-to-blaze-charity.5657912.jp Snooker for young people Published Date: 18 September 2009 A NEW snooker project for vulnerable young people has been launched at Abbeydale Picture House in Sheffield. The 'Get Cued In' initiative was launched with the help of the Paul Hunter Foundation, set up in memory of snooker pro Paul who died in 2006, aged 27, from cancer. The weekly sessions, held every Tuesday between 7pm and 9pm, offer coaching as well ADVERTISEMENTas a chance to play a few frames. Clive Jaques, vice chairman of the Abbeydale Picture House Trust, said: "Our target age group is 11 to 16-year-olds so we are trying to create a different atmosphere to your usual snooker hall – it's a very relaxed affair. "We are trying to get kids off the street and playing snooker." http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Snooker-for-young-people.5659234.jp

rusel: Tributes to snooker ace John Dunning FAMILY and friends of John Dunning, Gildersome's former world and UK championship snooker quarter-finalist, have said farewell at his funeral this week. Mr Dunning passed away at his home on Scott Green Drive on September 11. click here

rusel: Local backing can spur me on to victory in snooker Grand Prix, says John Higgins Sep 27 2009 WORLD CHAMPION John Higgins is hoping snooker's Tartan Army can help roar him on to a record fifth Grand Prix title. Higgins and fellow Scot Stephen Hendry are the only players to have won the showpiece event four times and the Wishaw wizard has set his sights on going one better at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. The 34-year-old, who is defending the title he won in the city last year, believes the home support are worth their weight in gold. Higgins said: "The Scottish fans are special because they really get behind you. They drive you on and give you that wee lift when you need it. It's a bit like the Tartan Army with the Scotland football team. "They always turn up in numbers, they are passionate about their snooker and it's a good feeling to have them in your corner." Higgins is the first to admit the Grand Prix holds special memories for him. He was just 19 and a new kid on the block when he first won the tournament in 1994, beating Dave Harold 9-6 in Derby. He made it two titles in 1999 with a 9-8 win over Mark Williams in Preston. John completed the hat-trick six years later at the same venue by hammering Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-2 in a stunning display that included four successive centuries. Higgins did the business for a fourth time last year by beating Ryan Day 9-7 and is desperate to defend his title. He said: "Every title is special but to win a fifth Grand Prix would be amazing." http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/sport-news/other-sport/2009/09/27/local-backing-can-spur-me-on-to-victory-in-snooker-grand-prix-says-john-higgins-78057-21704378/

GorgonaJS: Snooker is caught behind the black ball and must adapt or die http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/other-sports-news/snooker-is-caught-behind-the-black-ball-and-must-adapt-or-die-1.924823

rusel: Открытый Чемпионат Мира по покеру - 2009 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/international-poker-open-2009-outright-betting-market-open-at-boylesportscom-62557677.html Джон и Кен примут участие.

rusel: Еще одна новая шотландская надежда. Stonehouse snooker ace Rhys tipped for a top career Oct 15 2009 by Andrew McGilvray, Hamilton Advertiser A YOUNG Stonehouse snooker ace has been tipped for the top... by one of the country’s best coaches. Jim Donnelly, who operates from Glasgow’s famous Q Club, rates 15-year-old Rhys Clark in the same bracket as Alan McManus, Jamie Burnett and Drew Hendry тут не поняла– and believes he can be as good as world champ John Higgins. Jim reckons his young student will be the nation’s next top cue ace and said: “Rhys is doing very well and I’ll be looking for a lot from him over the next couple of years. “He has great temperament and his mannerisms when going round the table are exceptional. He’s really good; he looks the part, plays the part, and is a quick learner. While a lot of players take on what I tell them, Rhys will ask lots of questions, and he picks things up very quickly as well. “I think Rhys is the next player in Scotland who could make it big and he’s on the same road as John Higgins, Alan McManus and Drew Hendry.” Jim added: “Rhys comes to the club to train and does so alongside some of the biggest names in the sport. I want him to get comfortable playing alongside these guys. “It’s almost a ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ situation where I don’t want him to be fazed if he comes up against these guys in competitions, and I want them to get a fright – that this young guy can play as well as they can and could even beat them. “It remains to be seen if Rhys will carry this through, and only time will tell, but if he does then he can be a top player.” Rhys recently won the under-16 championship and, after reaching the final of a senior open event at the Q Club, is also ranked second in the under-19 charts. Last month the Hamilton College student was also given his first Scotland cap at a home international in Wales. Although his three wins from five games couldn’t inspire an historic triumph, the buzz from the event was all about the lad from Hazeldean Farm. Proud mum Jane (48) said: “Everybody was talking about Rhys’ performances. “Rhys has been playing snooker for two-and-a-half years since a friend of mine took him to a snooker and pool club in East Kilbride. “We’ve always had a pool table in the house and Rhys has always been good at it but he wanted to try snooker and really took to it – he’s progressed steadily ever since.” Jane added: “He does have ideas about turning professional. “This isn’t just your usual teenager trying something and getting bored of it, Rhys wants to make it to the top.” http://www.hamiltonadvertiser.co.uk/hamilton-lanarkshire-sport/other-sport/2009/10/15/stonehouse-snooker-ace-rhys-tipped-for-a-top-career-51525-24932565/

rusel: John Higgins -v- Ken Doherty: Snooker Exhibition in DCU this Wednesday 21 oct. DCUSU are proud to present a snooker exhibition with John Higgins and Ken Doherty. On 21st October John Higgins and Ken Doherty will take part in a snooker exhibition in the Venue, in the DCU student centre. Here is a round up of what will happen on the night Both pros will play 2 amateurs each. John Higgins to play an extra frame which will be auctioned on the night. Ken Doherty will play an extra frame which will be done by a draw. So both will play three amateurs each. After a 15min interval there will be a best of 7 match between the John and Ken. It is sure to be a great night so don’t miss out. This is the only time this will happen in Dublin this year. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=62586561

rusel: Ronnie O’Sullivan On Course For His Sixth Premier League In A Row Mercurial is the word to describe Ronnie O’Sullivan. The Essex potter is the most naturally gifted player ever to appear in snooker, with the possible exception of Alex Higgins, but he doesn’t always show it at the main events. Everyone knows that when O’Sullivan is in form no one lives with him and in snooker’s Premier League he proves that time and time again. The format of a series of round robin matches suits him because more often than not, his talent will win out. O’Sullivan may be beaten in one-off encounters but over a league system, the Rocket’s skills will usually place him at the top. He’s lifted the Premier League title five times in a row now (seven times in all) and he’s in position to make it six on the spin. After five weeks of the 2009 event the Rocket Ronnie has two wins and a draw from his three encounters, which take place over six frames. There are seven competitors and the top four in the league qualify for semi-finals. At the moment his closest pursuer is the player who came through a long qualifying competition to win his berth, the young English player Judd Trump. He lost his first match to Aussie Neil Robertson- recent victor at the Grand Prix- but came back strongly to beat the legendary Stephen Hendry and former winner Marco Fu. The seven man field is completed by World Champion John Higgins and former world title holder Shaun Murphy. Murphy is pointless after opening losses to O’Sullivan and Higgins. The Premier League has been running now since 1987. When it began snooker was at the height of its 1980s boom and the great Steve Davis won the first four events, reflecting his dominant position in the game. Stephen Hendry took over that mantle and won the crown six times. Davis, Hendry and O’Sullivan- modern snooker’s three greatest players- have taken this pot seventeen times between them. The other winners have been Ken Doherty (twice), Jimmy White and Marco Fu. World champions like Mark Williams and John Higgins have never been able to capture this prize. The pair have lost five finals between them. Given his past performances and a track record that indicates only the highest quality performers tend to win this event, O’Sullivan is inevitably a hot favourite to annex the Premier League for the eighth time. The Rocket is odds-on with all the bookmaking firms but after his efforts at the Grand Prix, Neil Roberson has attracted attention as a value alternative. Trump’s early promise has seen his odds tumble but an O’Sullivan –Higgins final would surprise no one. Whatever his frame of mind this seems to be a competition that always motivates Ronnie O’Sullivan and that has to be good for snooker as a sport, as he remains the biggest crowd-puller in the game. http://blog.partybets.com/200910193868/ronnie-o%E2%80%99sullivan-on-course-for-his-sixth-premier-league-in-a-row/

rusel: Referees Make Tour Debut Several referees have gained valauble experience by making their debuts on the World Snooker Tour at the Masters qualifiers at Pontin's, Prestatyn. Daniel Holliger from Switzerland, Dominik Haug from Germany, and Molly Newbold, Peter Bennett, Rob Wright and Steve Fletcher from England have all refereed on the professional circuit for the first time this week. Pictured left-to-right are: Eirian Williams, Molly Newbold, Jan Verhaas, Daniel Holliger, Peter Williamson, Dominik Haug, Greg Coniglio, Peter Bennett, Rob Wright and Steve Fletcher. http://www.worldsnooker.com

rusel: SNOOKER: Four snooker legends are aiming to pocket a new title at the Plymouth Pavilions next July. Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, John Parrott and Cliff Thorburn will be playing each other for a new Pavilions Legend 2010 title. The event, on Saturday, July 24, will be hosted by another superstar from the past, John Virgo. Higgins is one of the most recognizable players from the past – he won his second world championship 28 years ago. Canadian Cliff Thorburn is the only overseas winner of the world championship, while Jimmy White, who still competes on the main tour, is probably one of the most popular players the game has ever had. Parrott is a former world and UK champion. One audience member will be selected to partner one of the legends in a doubles match. Pavilions marketing officer Rob Maltby said: "This is every snooker fan's dream to have all their favourite legends in one room. "I'm sure it will be a fantastic evening." http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/sport/Legends-grace-event/article-1510348-detail/article.html

rusel: Number One

баск: rusel пишет: Number One А у меня не открывается....

Shecat: 14 Nov 09 Number One By matt2745 Categories: Cliff Thorburn, Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, World Snooker, john higgins, ronnie o'sullivan and snooker Of all of the snooker facts and stats in existence, one that always surprises me is that since the world rankings came into existence in 1976, there have been just seven different players who have held the coveted top spot. Here I take a look at both the players over the years who have come close to adding their names to the list, as well as the players best placed to become the eighth number one… As you can see from the famous faces above, the magnificent seven are: Ray Reardon (1976-81, 1982/83) Cliff Thorburn (1981/82) Steve Davis (1983-90) Stephen Hendry (1990-98, 2006/7) John Higgins (1998-2000, 2007/8) Mark J Williams (2000-2002, 2003/4) Ronnie O’Sullivan (2002/03, 2004-06, 2008-10) All world champions at some point or another, it is hard to doubt the talent of any of those seven players. It is however surprising (to me at least), when considering the likes of John Spencer, Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and the many other skilled players who have picked up a cue down the years, that none of them had at least one season at the top. Indeed I also find it incredible that of the seven who have made it, five are still playing and they are all ranked inside the world’s top 25! So who has come close to breaking their stranglehold down the years? Alex Higgins finished second on the list in both 1976/77 and 1982/3, only to be denied the top spot in the latter due to a ranking points deduction due to a disciplinary issue. Dennis Taylor and John Spencer also came close in the early days of the rankings, while Australia’s Eddie Charlton was also a consistent presence, spending five consecutive seasons ranked at number three. So near, yet so far for Jimmy White (Global Snooker) Moving into the 1990’s, Jimmy White unsurprisingly spent a couple of seasons ranked in second place, while 1991 world champion John Parrott remained there for three. Following that point though it was the ‘big four’ of Hendry, Higgins, O’Sullivan and Williams who began to dominate not only the top spot, but the top four. The likes of Ken Doherty and Peter Ebdon were always there or thereabouts, but apart from the 2006/7 and 2007/8 seasons in which Ken had a real chance to take top spot, they never really came too close. Although Hendry and Williams have now faded however, age in particular catching up with Stephen, Higgins and O’Sullivan are still going strong and having shared both the number one spot and indeed the World Championship trophy for the last few years, do not look like slowing down in a hurry. Higgins is well clear at the top of the provisional rankings and barring a dramatic loss of form, looks likely to reclaim top spot for the third time in 2010/11. The dominant duo – Higgins and O’Sullivan But they cannot go on forever and the question of who will be the next new number one is a very interesting one indeed. Will it be one of the players currently well established such as Shaun Murphy or Stephen Maguire, or will it be another young talent such as Mark Allen or Judd Trump, who both have yet to claim titles, but appear to have the natural ability to be a top player. Right now I suspect that the obvious choice is Murphy as not only has he demonstrated in the past that he can perform well on a very consistent basis, but having already won the World and UK titles he can also win the biggest tournaments. Elsewhere the in-form Neil Robertson has also shown strong form during the past year or so, while Mark Selby despite having endured a difficult 2009, is likely to return to winning ways at some point soon. Whoever the next new top dog is, they will certainly be joining an illustrious list…

баск: Shecat , спасибо!

rusel: Graeme Dott: snooker's great overachiever

rusel: THE 2000s: THE BEST FINALS

rusel: HIGGINS WANTS 'GENIUS' HEARN IN CHARGE

rusel: Preston back in the frame for big name snooker Preston is back in the frame for televised snooker after Sky TV staged an event in the city. The Guild Hall was for many years synonymous with the sport, and was the scene of all five of former world champion Steven Hendry’s UK Open triumphs. And at the end of October Hendry returned along with current world champion John Higgins, 2005 champion Sean Murphy, and recent Grand Prix winner Neil Robertson to play Premier League snooker in an event broadcast live on Sky Sports. Paul Humphreys, Publicity Officer for the Guild Hall and Charter Theatre hailed the event a success. He said: “The fact that Sky TV have come along can only be good for us. “Even though we’ve not had snooker here for four or five years, there is a constant flow of people who come into the Guild Hall and ask us when snooker is coming again.” Despite sluggish early sales figures, the city’s snooker fans responded well to the event, with 90% of the 785 tickets sold and plenty of spectators paying on the door. The night began with Scot John Higgins defeating Australian Neil Robertson 4-2, and ended with Steven Hendry winning a tense final frame against Sean Murphy to level the clash of the former world champions at 3-3. Paul Humphreys believes the event can act as a springboard for future live snooker after Glasgow-based sponsors moved the Grand Prix, Preston’s last televised event, north of the border after 2005. Humphreys added that the event was a chance to “refresh people’s memories that we are still a cracking venue. He added: “We get nothing but good feedback from the players – they love it. They miss coming here. “Fingers crossed the people of Preston will see snooker live again soon.” http://www.clicklancashire.com/sport/other-sports/124354-preston-back-in-the-frame-for-big-name-snooker.html

rusel: NEW WORLD TOUR PLANS UNVEILED 26/11/2009 WORLD Snooker today unveiled plans for an unprecedented new World Snooker Tour. Together with IMG they hope to take advantage of the increased global interest in snooker while developing the games professional circuit in a way similar to golf and tennis. The new concept envisages of minimum of 15 professional ranking tournaments plus invitation events being played during the first season – it is anticipated the first World Snooker Tour events will be phased in for the start of next season. World Snooker and IMG, who currently produce the BBC’s snooker coverage and manage World Snooker’s International Broadcast rights, will work closely with independent promoters worldwide in the planning of the World Snooker Tour with the aim of replicating the success of established tournaments in the UK and China. World Snooker Chairman Sir Rodney Walker believes that the announcement represents another big positive step for snooker. “We have brought forward today’s announcement of the proposed World Snooker Tour in response to misleading, inaccurate and downright untruthful comments about the sport which have been made in the past few months. In the last five years, the sport has progressed from an uncertain financial position with a history of turmoil, to a sport with financial stability, renewed long-term worldwide broadcast contracts and new sponsorship agreements,” he said. “Together with IMG we believe the time is now right to build on these underlying strengths to put in place a World Snooker Tour. We hope the players and promoters will recognise the opportunities of being part of this ambitious plan and help in bringing it to fruition.” http://www.110sport.tv/NewsItem.aspx?Id=171 Перевод на топ-снукере.

GorgonaJS: Doherty gives backing to new snooker plan Thursday, 26 November 2009 21:11 Former snooker World Champion Ken Doherty has given cautious backing to World Snooker's plan to more than double the number of ranking tournaments in a massive restructuring of the sport. The proposed new tour is to be modelled on the success of tennis and golf with countries such as Brazil, America, Germany, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands, Thailand, India and Australia among those being looked at as potential venues. The joint venture between the sport's governing body World Snooker and IMG would see up to 15 tournaments take place each year, along with several invitational events. However, the timing of the announcement is viewed as suspicious by some with elections to the sport's governing body - voted for by the players - scheduled to take place next week. Speaking about the plan on RTÉ Radio's Sport At Seven, Doherty said: 'It came it as a big surprise and, without being too cynical, I hope it's not just a ploy to get a few votes because of our AGM, which is on next week. '(It comes) after Barry Hearn throwing his hat in the ring a couple of weeks ago saying that if the chairman was ousted he would certainly, if the players supported him, take over the chairman's role. Now World Snooker has announced that we would have 15 tournaments.' But the 1997 World Champion was broadly in favour of the new proposal. He said: 'It would be fantastic if it happens because it's what the players want. This year we have only six ranking tournaments so to have 15 would be a huge bonus.' With tournaments currently costing up to £400,000 to stage, Doherty added that the scale of the tournaments would also be key to determing whether the players would give the new plans their backing. He said: 'But on the other hand, is it a ploy? We don't know. I think the proof is in the pudding. We have to wait and see where the tournaments are and what they are going to go for. You could say you were going to have a ranking tournament for £5,000 but that wouldn't make any sense.' http://www.rte.ie/sport/snooker/2009/1126/dohertyk.html

GorgonaJS: Snooker's ruling body releases plans for 15-event world tour Clive Everton guardian.co.uk, Thursday 26 November 2009 15.27 GMT Sir Rodney Walker's prospects of re-election as chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association at its annual meeting next Wednesday were apparently boosted today when WPBSA and the powerful sports agency IMG issued a joint release on "an unprecedented new World Snooker Tour". This would encompass "a minimum of 15 ranking tournaments" – as opposed to this season's six – "plus invitation events, phased in from next season". Dissatisfaction with the current WPBSA board's governance of the game has grown significantly in the last year but only last week did an alternative emerge when Barry Hearn, known chiefly recently for revitalising darts, said that in the event of Walker not being re-elected he would be prepared to become chairman. IMG recently ceased to be WPBSA's exclusive sponsorship agents for BBC events (for which they hold the BBC production contract) after an argument over commissions for Betfred becoming the world championship sponsors. As reported by the Guardian last week, 110sport Management, of which a WPBSA board member, Lee Doyle, is chairman, received a £37,500 commission from WPBSA for securing Betfred. IMG remains WPBSA's agents for producing and selling overseas highlights packages but, over the years, has not enjoyed the friendliest of relationships with Hearn. "It is interesting that this release was issued only six days before Sir Rodney Walker and two of his colleagues come up for re-election at the AGM. Voting intentions signified to us indicate that Sir Rodney is under serious threat," said Pat Mooney, manager of John Higgins, the world champion, and spokesman for the Snooker Players' Association, a new union which WPBSA refuses to recognise. "It is tempting to see the content of the release as another 'jam tomorrow' approach to the players. It commits neither WPBSA nor IMG to anything. It is full of phrases like 'plans for', 'the intention is', 'the new concept envisages', 'it is anticipated'. Neither does it say that IMG would not help the WPBSA if there was a change of chairman." http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/nov/26/world-snooker-tour

GorgonaJS: darrus: Продолжение интервью - транскрипт, за ошибки извиняюсь There is a lot of support for Barry Hearn. I think, a lot of players are discouraged by the lack of opportunities and they're looking at other sports, particularly darts that Barry Hearn is involved in and how much it has grown over the last like couple of years and he's done a fantastic job. And snooker is struggling quite a lot with the lack of sponsorship. We're lucky that the BBC are very supportive, are very comfortable in the sport and they keep their support there year after year. Because it still commands big audiences on TV and that's what keeps the sport going. It's a big decision for a lot of snooker players, they're under a lot of pressure voting for the chairman and also for two other members of the board who are up for reelection. So it's important times for snooker at the moment. http://www.diary.ru/~snookersupreme/p86713973.htm

GorgonaJS: Snooker legend Steve Davis admits morale in sport is 'desperate' as top players consider taking other jobs! 27th November 2009 Steve Davis has claimed morale in snooker is 'so low' and suggests some established players are contemplating working elsewhere due to a lack of finance. World Snooker host just six major tournaments a year - and Davis believes the lack of prize money on offer means some cuemen are pondering a change of career. The six-times world champion said: 'The morale amongst players has been so low recently, it's so desperate. 'Players ranked in the 20s and 30s are thinking about getting jobs because they are not getting the prize money out of only six events a year. They have really lost confidence ... we're all very, very worried.' World Snooker intend to have at least 15 ranking events on the calendar, plus invitational tournaments, in a venture which is being carried out in conjunction with events management company IMG. However, Davis is wary about the ability of World Snooker - whose annual general meeting takes place next week - to lift the fortunes of the sport. The 52-year-old told BBC Radio: 'The problem is, when something comes up that sounds great, the players are in such a weak situation that they may jump at any chance. 'It sounds credible but you need someone who's got nous in the business world to negotiate on your behalf and I'm not sure we've got the right people in. 'This announcement is on the back of the fact that there's an AGM and a lot of players are very frustrated there are only six ranking tournaments to play in a year. 'Suddenly the board are looking at ways to try to get votes because it's a real possibility there will be a "no confidence" vote on the board.' Davis believes Barry Hearn, who helped him break into the sport he made a huge impact on - particularly in the 1980s - could be the man to raise the profile of the sport. He continued: 'Interestingly, Barry Hearn has said he'd be happy to resurrect snooker like he's done to darts, if enough players want him to. 'But we're in a situation where there's a lot of political manoeuvring going on. 'This tour is not the board's idea - it's an outside operation who have decided that perhaps it could work. 'It's worth exploring but the bottom line to players would be "who do you want doing the negotiating for you?" 'Do you want the (World Snooker) board - which has got down to six ranking tournaments for the season, or Barry Hearn - who has turned darts into a multi-million pound sport? 'There has been a lot of disquiet by a lot of current players about the board, nothing personal, just whether they are competent enough.' The proposed expansion would include more overseas tournaments in countries where the sport is well received but has until now had a low profile. But Davis warned: 'The idea isn't of the board's making. It's possibly something that could be on the horizon but the trouble is if the board are trying to make it sound like their own idea then they're wrong. 'It needs to be explored because if there was the possibility of 15-20 events around the world of different standing the players would obviously jump at it.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1231417/Snooker-legend-Steve-Davis-admits-morale-sport-desperate-players-consider-taking-jobs.html

Shecat: Феррет, админ TSF, прислал ссылку на эксклюзивное интервью с Хирном. 25 competitions a year over weekends all over the country! well that is just the start, read our interview with Barry for all the latest information right from Mr Hearn's base camp, its not rumor, its not made up, just the facts. Odrl has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - EXCLUSIVE Interview with Barry Hearn - in the General forum of The Snooker Forum This thread is located at: http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board/showthread.php?t=20952&goto=newpost

rusel: Snooker: John opens window of opportunity здесь

rusel: WPBSA Statement New Board Of WPBSA Being Constituted. Following an AGM, held in Sheffield today, at which Sir Rodney Walker, Jim McMahon and Mike Dunn were not re-elected to the board of the WPBSA, and at which no other individual stood for election, the remaining board members, Lee Doyle and Dr Hamish McInnes, will now co-opt further individuals to the board, as a matter of priority. The first such appointment will be a professional player, as governed by the constitution of the WPBSA.

rusel: Why snooker has to change... Barry Hearn can take the sport onwards and upwards

rusel: Gym’ll Fix It For Snooker Stars Six leading snooker players based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield enjoyed a break from their practice routines to do some fitness training at The Valley. Gym consultant Cat Kirwan persuaded Ding Junhui, Peter Ebdon, Ken Doherty, Judd Trump, Liang Wenbo and Daniel Wells to visit the health and fitness centre, located inside the English Institute of Sport. Cat said: “The players wanted to take advantage of the great fitness facilities at EIS Sheffield, so I was only too happy to refer them for a spot of training at the Valley. “They train in the Academy quite often so it’s a brilliant way for them to take time out and help maintain their fitness levels, especially with the Pukka Pies UK Championship just around the corner." www.worldsnooker.com

rusel: PHIL TAYLOR has urged snooker players to follow wherever new chief Barry Hearn leads them because there will be gold at the end of the rainbow. Darts legend Taylor, 49, is a multi-millionaire from his success in Hearn’s PDC darts series. And he claims that if players are prepared to put their trust in the ‘Great Innovator’, they will soon reap the rewards. There has been a real buzz behind the scenes at the UK Championship this week, with players eagerly awaiting developments. Many leading stars had complained of being unable to earn a decent crust with just six tournaments a year. That led to players ejecting previous chief Sir Rodney Walker from office. Hearn has pledged to bring in “death and glory entertainment” involving shorter formats and Taylor said: “My message to the snooker players would just be to put their trust and faith in him. “There might be some of the players wondering what could be ahead and whether it will all be to their benefit. “He will come up with some ideas that might sound a bit crazy at first but he knows exactly what he is doing. “The bloke is an innovator and there could be good times ahead for snooker.” World champion John Higgins is keen to spread snooker to new countries, such as Russia, Germany and the Czech Republic. And he will be the star turn in an experimental format this week, the inaugural six-red world championship staged by Ken Doherty in Killarney, Ireland. Higgins said: “Hopefully it will bring in the youngsters, as the normal form is very hard for some young kids.” http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/145912/-Hearn-will-lead-game-to-pot-of-gold-

rusel: Glory The world champ said: "I'm starting to feel good about my game but you don't know how long that lasts so you have to make the most of it "The pressure nowadays is torture because the standard we are playing is so high and you're trying for your life.

rusel: Хендон - обзор года

баск: Why snooker won't survive the decade [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jan/10/future-of-snooker?]click here[/url] не получается нормально ссылку дать И Хендон об этой статье [url=http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/2010/01/snookers-life-expectancy-shortened-by.html?]click here[/url]

rusel: ЗыСан поместил статью, перевод с топ-снукера Председатель WPBSA Барри Хирн рассказывает об идее нового снукерного шоу. Барри Хирн: «У них (игроков) будет 12 минут на фрейм, 20 секунд на удар, после фола биток выставляется с руки – они не успеют даже испортить воздух. Мне нравится идея однофреймовой перестрелки в течении двух дней. Это прекрасно и, несомненно, приведет в ужас традиционалистов». «64 игрока в зале, никаких тренировочных столов – они умеют играть. У каждого игрока будет свой номер, 2000-3000 тысячи человек в зале и получаем вечеринку. Там будет продаваться пиво, людям старше 35-и лет вход запрещен, бесплатный вход для девушек - все, что вы пожелаете. Два человека из зала называют два случайных номера, и эти парни выходят на арену». Проигравший получит 500 фунтов стерлингов, а победитель – в два раза больше. «Есть два выхода: один – для победителя, второй, позорный – для проигравшего. Проигравший в первом раунде получит 500 фунтов стерлингов – неплохо для одного фрейма, победитель всего турнира – 32,000. Выиграть может кто угодно». «Неудачник должен уйти опозоренным. Под звуки гонга выйдет Мрачный Жнец, накроет его своим плащом и уведет вниз по Дороге Стыда. Это грубо и замечательно, а болельщики, уходя домой, будут говорить: «Даже и не верится, что я видел такое». «Я хочу попробовать, будет ли это работать. Здорово, если да. Если нет - неважно - попробуем что-нибудь еще».

june-july: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1567055?UserKey= O’Sullivan: Selby will not win world title Masters Winner’s chances dismissed Published: 19/01/2010 RONNIE O’Sullivan has written off Mark Selby’s chances of claiming a world snooker championship title after seeing the same inconsistency in the Masters champion that he suffers from himself. Selby regained the Masters title with a thrilling 10-9 final-frame victory at Wembley Arena on Sunday, but O’Sullivan feels the 26-year-old blows too hot and cold to win over the course of the 17-day tournament at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. The Rocket, 34, believes he has at least three or four years left before considering retirement but also doubts he will add to his three world titles. “As far as winning world titles, that is mission impossible for me,” he said. “I’m too hot and cold to go in with any confidence in doing it. “I don’t think Selby has the game either to win a world title because of the same reasons. That is why it is tough, you are up against players who have that relentless game.” The inconsistency of both players was illustrated during Sunday’s final, although O’Sullivan did not let it affect him as it has previously in his career. “I’ve been playing like a plum for 17 years,” he said. “I’ve had my struggles and a lot of people have put it down to depression or my demons but it has nothing to do with demons. Miracle “The hot and cold snooker did and does make me depressed. I felt myself getting sucked in during the final but said ‘’’don’t go there, you’ve had a good week’. I don’t have those expectations anymore. “It’s sad for me because if I was able to put my finger on it and get it right I would smash up all these players – I would demolish a lot of them. “For me to win three world titles is a miracle in itself. “If I didn’t have my problems with the game over the years maybe I could have possibly chased (Stephen) Hendry’s record of seven, but I’ve just got to be happy that I’ve had quite a successful career when I’ve either been really good or really poor.” The 2010 Masters could prove to be a watershed for snooker, with O’Sullivan’s change in attitude coming at the same time as Barry Hearn’s influence on the sport increases. Hearn, appointed chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association last month, started by instigating players walking on to music. Selby said: “It’s good. It gets you excited and motivated for the match. “The walk-on is the only difference because Barry’s only been here for a limited amount of time. “The longer he stays with us, you’ll see the changes then. It’s good because it brings out characters.” Ага, это у него хобби - после финалов, Марику что-нибудь приятное сказать, "любит" он его очень. Думала, что же он на этот раз выдаст...

rusel: Taken For A Ryder Two-times World Champion Mark Williams enjoyed a trip to Celtic Manor, venue for golf's 2010 Ryder Cup, on Tuesday...but snooker was on his mind as he looked forward to next week's Welsh Open. The left-hander from Cwm, one of Wales' all-time greats, tested his swing in the Golf Academy and chatted to media about his current form. At last week's Pokerstars.com Masters, Williams showed signs of the game which took him to No 1 in the world rankings, reaching the semi-finals before losing a fantastic match 6-5 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. "The pleasing thing was that I showed some consistency, rather than playing one good match then one bad one," said the 34-year-old. "It's a shame there were no ranking points at the Masters, but next week at the Welsh Open there will be so I want to have another good run. It's a very strong field as usual and there should be good crowds." Williams has no doubt as to the identity of the man to beat. "Ronnie is the best player in the world, head and shoulders," he added. "I don't care what he says in his interviews, he is playing brilliant snooker. It's up to the rest of us to catch up with him." See BBC Sport Wales' interview with Williams at 10pm this Friday on BBC Two Wales. http://www.worldsnooker.com

rusel: Olympic Coverage Is Snow Joke For Rob Snooker’s Masters of Ceremonies Rob Walker is set for 16 days of consecutive commentary at the Winter Olympics in Canada. Rob jets off to Vancouver next Monday for the event which runs from February 12 to 28, and will be working for the BBC throughout. “It’s 17 days long and I’ll be commentating for 16 of those. I’ll be doing three races a day, each lasting between 45 minutes and two and half hours, so it’s a full schedule,” Rob told worldsnooker.com. “It will be my first time at the Winter Olympics. To be honest, before I got started on my research, I didn’t know that much about winter sports. So for the past couple of weeks I’ve been working really hard to brush up on my knowledge. “I’ll be covering Nordic Combined, which is where the skiers do a jump first, followed by a race. They are ranked on the start line of the race, depending how far they have jumped. I’ll also be doing some cross-country skiing, both classic and free-style. As well as the Biathlon, which is cross-country skiing, interrupted by shooting, where they have to drop their poles, get their hands steady and then fire at a target the size of a golf ball, 50 metres away. “I spent a week learning all the rules, the origins of the events and the past Olympic results. I’m now spending all of this week watching past events and getting information on who the main contenders are. A lot of the favourites are Scandinavians with difficult names, so I’m spending a day with an experienced commentator from Eurosport who will help me with that. "I fly out there next Monday. I’ve never been to Canada before so I’m intrigued to see what it’s like and really looking forward to it. It’s a great opportunity to get hands on in one of the very best sporting events. “The BBC will focus on the British interest for their network coverage, like the Scottish team in the curling. So most of my stuff will be on the red button. Apparently there are concerns about the weather – either not enough snow or too much fog – so it’s possible that some events will have to be rescheduled and I might have more time on BBC1. “However it doesn’t matter to me whether there is one person or two million listening to me, I still have to treat it exactly the same. The Australians are not sending a commentator and they have some good athletes in my events so my commentary will also be going out live down under on FoxTel.” Rob, who has become a familiar face for snooker fans since he joined the circuit three years ago, added: “I love commentating. It’s the closest you can get to actually competing in the event yourself. You real feel the ups and downs the athletes are going through.” http://www.worldsnooker.com

rusel: Steve Davis visit sends children snooker loopy Interesting snooker star Steve Davis proves he's still a big hit at Aughton visit

баск: Snooker star John Higgins and wife Denise win £30k for charity on TV show

баск: [url=http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/2010/03/alan-chamberlain-resigns.html?]ALAN CHAMBERLAIN RESIGNS[/url] ALAN CHAMBERLAIN RESIGNS Alan Chamberlain, the circuit's longest serving referee, has resigned with immediate effect. Chamberlain, 67, has officiated on the professional circuit since 1983 but decided to hang up his white gloves on Monday a day before the end of the world qualifiers. I understand he was exhausted by the long hours the refs were required to work for little financial reward. Alan refereed the 1997 World Championship final, was a long time official at the Masters and took charge of many other big occasions. Like many referees, there were moments of controversy too but he was regarded as a very safe pair of hands and his sudden resignation has shocked his fellow officials. He will continue to referee at the Championship League.

june-july: Glasgow On Cue For New World Open Очень заманчиво все это звучит.

june-july: Ура! Турнир в Берлине подписали на бумаге. Будет проходить в Темподроме, там же, где и показательные обычно, и даже билеты уже продают.

rusel: Я оставлю здесь, а то тему не все читают. Revealed: the tale behind the snooker sting that leaves Higgins in the fight of his life By Nick Harris 3 May 2010 As serious doubts persist today over the professional future of the world’s No1 snooker player, John Higgins, sportingintelligence can reveal key details about the mechanics of the News of the World sting that led to the Scot being filmed in Ukraine last Friday apparently agreeing to accept bribes for losing a single frame at each of four unspecified future events. On the one hand the details give an insight into the extraordinary planning and cost of a NotW investigation, this one led – as is so often the case – by its investigations officer, Mazher Mahmood. On the other hand, scrutiny of the methods used by Mahmood, as well as close examination of the apparently damning NotW evidence against Higgins and his manager, Pat Mooney, will form part of an investigation into the affair, due to start on Tuesday. That investigation will be undertaken by snooker’s governing body, the WPBSA, to ascertain how Higgins and Mooney found themselves in Ukraine talking about losing frames for cash. Higgins faces harsh punishment, including a long ban from snooker, unless he can adequately explain how he came to be talking about losing games. The case will not be probed by the Gambling Commission or the police because the NotW has not alleged that any money has changed hands or that any matches or frames have been fixed. With no bets to look at, there is no suggestion of criminal wrong-doing in this case. There are also grey areas about precisely how, when and where the NotW reporters wanted frames lost, and how much money they would pay, and when. Barry Hearn, the WPBSA’s chairman, has said today that Mooney has “no future in snooker”. Arguably the most damning part of the case against Mooney and Higgins is they failed to report an approach from would-be fixers to Hearn as soon as they got back to Britain. As Hearn said today: “One of the reasons I was so upset with the video evidence etcetera was I didn’t get a phone call. If someone approaches [a player], and I can’t stop people outside approaching players, what I can say is it’s their responsibility to report that instance immediately so the authorities are aware and can act on them.” The WPBSA investigation will be led by David Douglas, a former Metropolitan Police detective chief superintendent who joined the WPBSA board last month. He is expected to get full co-operation from the News of the World. The NotW’s reporting on Sunday said the paper “sent an undercover reporter to meet [Mooney] after being tipped off by a sports insider worried that Mooney and Higgins could be involved in match-fixing”. There is no further information on the identity of the “insider” or their motives. Mooney and Higgins have worked together since 2007 to establish new snooker events in “non-traditional” markets to help “grow the game” in an era when it has suffered badly from a lack of tournaments, sponsors and prize money in the wake of the withdrawal of tobacco advertising. The events staged by the pair have been known as the World Snooker Series (WSS), and as the NoTW said on Sunday, the paper’s team “were posing as businessmen interested in organising a series of events linked to the World Snooker Series”. Sportingintelligence can reveal Mahmood initially made contact with Mooney posing as a businessman called Marcus D’Souza, who claimed to be the ‘Senior Project Co-Ordinator’ for a fictional company, Alfa Equity. Mooney was led to believe that Alfa Equity was a subsidiary firm of a real company, Alfa Bank, which is in fact the largest private commercial bank in Russia. Alfa Equity isn’t a subsidiary because it doesn’t exist. The News of the World and / or Mahmood, created a website for this fake company, Alfa Equity, which is linked here. The Alfa Equity home page boasts: “Founded in 1990, Alfa Equity is one of Russia’s largest privately owned financial-industrial conglomerates, with interests in oil and gas, mining, commercial and investment banking, asset management, insurance, retail trade, telecommunications, media, water supply and water disposal, as well as other industrial-trade and special-situation investments.” All this is untrue, but was key to establishing Mooney’s trust in the operation. Also key to the sting was a fake news story on the Alfa website about Alfa buying a (fictional) Chinese clothing firm, a company later said to be seeking marketing opportunities via sporting events, like the WSS that Mooney and Higgins promote. This untrue story about the Chinese firm was placed on the website next to other (true) stories about other firms, wholly unrelated to Alfa but linked via presentation to seem like they were associated. Alfa’s HQ on the website is given as a real address in Moscow. Sportingintelligence has established the premises at the address given is a serviced office building, but as Alfa does not exist, it is not based there. The website is bilingual, available in English or Russian. On another page, there is a Current Investment Projects portfolio. This features real projects and real companies, claiming Alfa invests or has invested in them. These firms’ real details have been used under false pretenses without the companies’ knowledge. Sportingintelligence knows some of these firms are investigating how and why their details have been used in this way. Alfa Equity does not invest in these firms because it doesn’t exist. Another page on the website for the fake Alfa firm gives contact details for the (fake) Moscow HQ, as well as names and email addresses for a variety of contacts, including Marcus D’Souza, aka Mazher Mahmood, who used the email address marcus@alfa-equity.com for correspondence with Mooney. ‘Marcus D’Souza’ approached Mooney via email saying he worked for Alfa Equity, apparently a rich and successful firm with established links to companies including a (real) diamond exploration firm, (real) property developers and the (fake) Chinese clothing firm, and that Alfa wanted to get involved in organising a series of events linked to WSS. On this basis Mooney met D’Souza / Mahmood in Edinburgh to talk about specifics. During around seven hours of a first meeting, details were discussed for snooker events (involving and backed by Alfa and related fake firms) in Kiev, Warsaw, Prague and Copenhagen. Mooney and D’Souza / Mahmood had dinner, and alcohol was consumed until the early hours. A second Edinburgh meeting followed a similar pattern. The upshot was an agreement for Alfa to be involved in staging four events, with detailed agreement on fees due to Mooney for consulting, and appearance money for players. Mooney is understood to have had formal agreements for these events drawn up with a London law firm. Provisional schedules even included details about the involvement of Eurosport as a proposed broadcaster. D’Souza / Mahmood is understood to have agreed to all this, posing as the partner-elect in these future “exhibition” events. He used the fake ‘Marcus’ email address to send communication about event plans back and forward. According to the NotW coverage, one of its reporters (Mahmood, though this is not stated) raised the issue of match-fixing at a meeting with Mooney, who discussed the subject in general terms. A reporter is later quoted as saying “It’s exhibition matches” that were being talked about. There does not appear to be anything specific about what Higgins was required do in precise terms, ie where and when, or how he would be paid. The NotW’s coverage can be accessed in full on its wesbite (linked here), and it speaks for itself. The point of this article is to place the case in some context, although sportingintelligence has limited access to full context. The WPBSA investigation should be able to access full records of all covertly taped and filmed meetings as well as be briefed on the NotW’s methods. Higgins never met any the NotW sting team prior to Kiev last week. Initially, Mooney and Higgins were meant to visit Kiev in the week starting 11 May, to visit a proposed venue for one of Alfa’s proposed events. When Higgins lost in this year’s world championship earlier than expected, the Kiev trip was brought forward to last Thursday-Friday, 29-30 April. Mooney and Higgins arrived on separate scheduled flights and were met by private cars on the tarmac off the plane and fast-tracked through customs. This gave the impression of local high-level backing for the proposed event. It must be assumed the NotW arranged this VIP treatment somehow for the purposes of its investigation. Higgins and Mooney visit the proposed venue for the fictitious event the NoTW’s “businessmen” said they wanted to stage, met local players, and then discovered from D’Souza / Mahmood that another senior Alfa official they had been expecting to meet was unavoidably absent, apparently on business in China. Instead they were introduced to another Alfa official (another undercover reporter), “Jaroslav” , and a man called Nikail. At some stage on Thursday, the NotW team apparently made it clear to Mooney that they were not just businessmen wanting to stage events (as originally claimed) but were, or had links to, a shady gambling syndicate. The story in the NotW on Sunday does not make clear how this information was imparted, or when, but there is a section in the article that quotes a reporter saying (verbatim below, any lack of clarity is as in the original): “And, as I say, the places these guys (the syndicate) are gambling. They’re not gambling BetFair, they’re not gambling in Ladbrokes, they’re gambling in places that you and I haven’t even heard of . . . it’s not about the love of snooker . . . they want to gamble and make a few quid.” Nowhere does the News of the World claim Higgins had any prior knowledge of a deal to lose any frames prior to the fateful (filmed) meeting last Friday. In fact the first “spread” in the NotW’s Sunday coverage says: “The idea agreed earlier by Mooney was for Higgins to deliberately lose four frames. Now the player himself had to rubber-stamp the details…” Mooney and Higgins are both expected to tell the WPBSA investigation that the first Higgins knew of any approach to lose any game was when Mooney told him about it on Friday just before the meeting. Both men have already gone on record via statements (Higgins) and an interview widely quoted in today’s media (Mooney) that they had been “spooked” by the unexpected appearance of ‘Jaroslav’ and ‘Nikail’, and by the non-appearance of the Alfa executive who was supposedly in China. Both Higgins and Mooney have said they agreed they would say whatever was necessary to “get out” of the meeting that followed. It was taped. It lasted about 10 minutes. Edited sections are on the NotW website, and a still photograph from the footage showing Higgins shaking hands with a reporter was used in the paper. The WPBSA’s investigation intends to find out what really happened, and why. . ссыль

rusel: Snooker blackballed By peter sharkey Published: 05/05/2010 A new Sports Betting Integrity Panel met for the first time last week. Ironically, given what has subsequently happened to the game’s already delicate reputation, snooker was not represented. The panel agreed to approach the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) – a call one fancies has already been made. Snooker is desperate to attract sponsors seven years after the ban on tobacco advertising came into effect, so newspaper articles alleging that three-time world champion Scot John Higgins agreed to cheat for payment by throwing frames could not have come at a worse time. Monday’s world champion-ship final, with Neil Robertson becoming the first Australian to win the title, should have provided a sponsorship springboard for the WPBSA. Instead, the game’s reputation has been undermined by the suspicion that players might be open to bribery. Higgins’s career could effectively be over after he was recorded allegedly offering to throw frames in future tournaments. Snooker’s recent history has been peppered with allegations of corruption, starting with the 1995 world championship, when Peter Francisco lost a first-round match against Jimmy White. Betting was suspended even before the match began after a suspiciously large number of bets were made on the final score being 10-2 to White – which is precisely how it ended. A WPBSA panel investigated and Francisco was handed a five-year ban. Five years later, allegations surfaced that Quinten Hann had agreed to lose a match in the China Open against Ken Doherty for a sizeable payout. He was fined £10,000 and banned from the game for eight years. At the same time, Neil Robertson claimed fellow Australian Hann asked him whether he would agree to fix a match for £30,000. Hann allegedly asked the question after he had been approached by an under- cover journalist with a £50,000 offer to throw a match in the China Open. In April last year, leading players Stephen Maguire and Jamie Burnett were questioned by police over allegations of betting irregularities in their match in the 2008 UK championship. In February of this year, former world number five player Stephen Lee was arrested and bailed by West Midlands police investigating suspicious betting patterns. Lee has denied any involvement with cheating or betting irregularities and no charge is expected to be brought. Yet, irrespective of the volume or intensity of allegations, there remains a nagging suspicion that not everything happening on the green baize is above board. Snooker is worth around £25million a year to bookmakers, a comparatively small market, although major televised matches, such as Monday’s final, attract considerable sums. More than £1million was traded on Betfair, the world’s largest betting exchange, on Monday’s match alone. None of the rumours or accusations trailing behind the game assists professional snooker’s cause. Sponsors, in particular, want to avoid being associated with bad publicity at all costs. When a leading sportsman is revealed as a wrong-doer, the damage to the sponsor’s brand can have a devastating effect. Guilt by association is not something sponsors envisage as their ultimate return on investment when signing agreements. Consider, for example, how long it has taken professional cycling to extricate itself from the mire and become a mainstream sport with great sponsorship appeal. As cycling proved, the damage to brands is all the more severe when leading players are involved. Sporting stars such as John Higgins act as icons for their sport. They come to symbolise the aspirations of both grass-roots players and those climbing the ladder of success. They act as symbols of what is achievable by the ordinary player, a status which turns them into prized commodities for marketers who can utilise their image to transform perceptions of a particular product or service through sponsorship. But just as positive changes to a brand’s image can be effected through sponsorship, when a sportsman transgresses, his actions can succeed in tarring a whole sport (and its sponsors) with the same brush. Whatever the outcome of the investigation into the Higgins allegations, snooker has once again had its reputation called into question. For sponsors, reputation is everything and, unless the sport is deemed to be beyond reproach, sponsors will tend to avoid being associated with it. This is particularly bad news for Barry Hearn, chairman of snooker’s governing body, who declared that a decision regarding the weekend’s allegations will be forthcoming within days. Already, questions have been raised about Hearn’s future within the sport – especially as he is viewed as a possible saviour for snooker. He has admitted that the revelations are a body blow to his plans to revitalise the sport. But Hearn’s longer-term involvement appears vital. Even before Sunday’s revelations, snooker had slumped into its worst commercial position since becoming mainstream TV entertainment more than 30 years ago. The BBC’s seminal decision to cover the 1978 world championship inspired a tournament circuit from which players were able to earn fortunes. But more recently, tournaments have featured a marked lack of sponsors, fewer ranking events and lower prizemoney. Betfred, in the third year of its £2.6million, four-year deal for the world championship, has yet to decide what it will do after next year’s tournament ends, despite enjoying wall-to-wall television coverage for £650,000 a year. Ironically, as prizemoney and sponsorship income have plummeted, so many established professionals regularly play exhibitions to packed houses on the continent. In the short term, snooker players who want to earn steady money still have the exhibition circuit. In the long term, Hearn and his colleagues at the WPBSA will be hoping that snooker’s decline is not terminal and that the game is some way off going the same way as professional cycling did in the 1990s. One wonders if anyone would bet against that. ссыль

rusel: A scandal in snooker points to wider worries about match-fixing May 6th 2010 | From The Economist WISE punters bet on simple outcomes of big matches. That is the lesson of the latest corruption scandal to hit international sport. On May 2nd the News of the World, a British Sunday tabloid, published an account of a sting operation in which John Higgins, the world’s top-ranked snooker player, and his agent Patrick Mooney, appeared to agree to accept bribes in return for losing specific frames in future contests. Mr Mooney has resigned from snooker’s governing body. It has suspended Mr Higgins, who denies wrongdoing and has vowed to clear his name. Corruption in sport, like betting on it, dates back to ancient Greece. But technology and globalisation make it easier for the two to combine. Wealthy punters can place big bets on events involving ill-paid sportsmen in faraway places. Gangsters then find rich pickings in nobbling the participants. In November the European football authority, UEFA, launched a big inquiry involving 200 matches and teams from 11 countries. In February it banned a Bosnian referee for life and suspended two other officials. Many blame the betting industry, which offers wagers on not just the outcomes of contests, but also on virtually random events within them, such as the number of yellow cards issued in a football match, or the number of no-balls bowled during an innings in cricket. Such side-bets can allow a crooked player or referee to cash in by pleasing a match-rigger in a way that is all but invisible even to a suspicious outsider. Equally vulnerable are games with no wider significance, such as those played by likely losers in qualifying rounds, or end-of-season league matches. Reputable bookmakers in places such as Europe insist that they are the victims of such abuse, not its abetters. Their profits depend on fair play, they point out: dirty work means more profit for the match-riggers and less for them. They blame complacency among the sports authorities for the problem. Investigating corruption properly and publicly implies that it exists, which disillusions fans and deters sponsors. Too often sports administrators prefer to see, hear and think no evil. What works best is a combination of tough disciplinary codes and easy ways for sportsmen to notify the authorities if they are approached by match-fixers. That would make cheating a riskier bet. www.economist.com

rusel: John Virgo speaks about John Higgins expose

rusel: WORLD SENIORS SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP – QUALIFIERS See some of the greatest players from the Golden Age of Snooker battle against each other for the right to call them self the World Seniors Champion. 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, Nigel Bond, Joe Swail plus another to be announced. Former World Snooker Champion, Joe Johnson, one of the key people behind this new event stated: “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. There are only a limited number of tickets available so fans should book their seats now!” worldsnooker.com

rusel: However, Hearn has no doubts over the validity of any results at the World Championship this year. "I have none whatsoever because I have no proof, I have no innuendo even," he said. "People will speculate but so far we have had no instances whatsoever of any unusual betting patterns during this event. "We have no evidence whatsoever of any player that we didn't think was giving 100%, and I'm very confident that is the case within this tournament. "While the rules are the same for a small event as a big event, the integrity issues remain exactly the same. But I've seen nothing to suggest any impropriety during this event at all." Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/higgins-investigation-continues-456244.html#ixzz0nKO41Dy3

GorgonaJS: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/robertson-and-higgins-lined-up-for-500000-pot-20100508-ukw2.html Robertson and Higgins lined up for $500,000 pot

june-july: Snooker players to be banned from all betting in wake of John Higgins allegations Игрокам запретят делать ставки на снукерные матчи (в любой форме, в том числе на высший брейк, что до сих пор позволялось).

rusel: Series to launch snooker's 'brave new world' Snooker supremo Barry Hearn takes another step towards his "brave new world" next month with the launch of the Player Tour Championship. The new series is made up of 12 three-day events, each worth £50,000, while the televised stages of the series next March will offer an additional £200,000 in prize money. Six of the 12 events will take place at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, starting with the series opener from June 25-27, while the remainder will be held in continental Europe. "The Player Tour Championship forms the backbone of our brave new world for snooker," said renowned promoter Hearn (pictured), who is also chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.. "It plugs the gaps between the main ranking events, providing plenty of opportunities for the professionals, which is what they have been crying out for." World ranking events will be available for main tour players, while an order of merit will determine the top 24 players who go through to the televised stages. "I’m particularly excited about the new Order of Merit," added Hearn. "This will create extra interest among fans and media as players battle to get one of those 24 spots in the final stages. "It will be like the race to get into the Ryder Cup team in golf, with players sweating over every pound." Hearn is confident the new series will attract the very best players in world snooker, who will be required to play a minimum six PTCs to be eligible for the televised stages. "I hope that all of the leading stars will enter these events, and with a lot of money and ranking points available, there is every incentive," Hearn explained. "I’ve used a similar model in darts and it’s worked fantastically well. "I’ll also be fascinated to see how the events go in Europe. The new series provides World Snooker with a strong structure through which to enter new international markets." Eurosport

rusel: Мнение Хендона о скоростном турнире. It’s good news that Sky Sports are to broadcast another WPBSA event after losing faith in the governing body six years ago. The new Sky Shootout promises to be a fast-paced, glitzy and above all gloriously tacky affair in which snooker – so often seen by outsiders as deadly serious – will play second fiddle to entertainment. There will be a 20-second shot-clock – with no time-outs – and frames will be adjudged to be over after 12 minutes, although it isn’t clear how exactly this will work or what would happen if, for instance, the frame scores were tied at this point. WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn has already intimated that he wants a ‘Grim Reaper’ to accompany the losing players out of the arena and that the crowd should be encouraged to get involved. The top 64 will all be invited, the draw will be random and prize money will double each round, meaning a top prize of £32,000, as Hearn says not bad for three days’ work. The tournament runs from January 28-30 next year at a venue to be confirmed. A big city, possibly Manchester, is likely. Players will be able to choose their own outfits and be encouraged to project their personalities. One frame snooker is nothing new. Pot Black brought the game to the British public’s attention in the 1970s and Darren Morgan won a one-frame knockout event in 1991, although the WPBSA bizarrely made the final a best of three. Sky don’t want a ranking event – or at least not a lesser one – so the sport should welcome their willingness to show any snooker. However, a 20 second shot limit was originally trialled for the Premier League and it was found that the players could not cope. Some shots require extra consideration, even for Ronnie O’Sullivan and the other fast players. Playing ultra-quickly does not guarantee high quality snooker. In fact, it could produce quite the opposite. However, as a spectacle there’s no doubt the new Shootout will be a fun affair. Snooker needs a range of tournaments and formats to appeal to different audiences. Too many events look the same, feel the same and, frankly, are the same. And if the new Shootout persuades Sky to take more snooker in the future then it will have done its job – despite the inevitable howl of protests it will bring from dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists.

rusel: [url=http://www.pdc.tv/page/NewsdeskDetail/0,,10180~2057228,00.html]Уитлок гордится Робертсоном[/url]

rusel: Carlisle boy tipped for top by ex-snooker champion Steve Davis

rusel: Goffs may host new snooker tournament Thursday, 3 June 2010 07:41 Snooker chief Barry Hearn has revealed he is in negotiations to bring a newly-formed Senior snooker tournament to the legendary Goffs venue in 2011. Goffs hosted the Irish Masters between 1979 and 2000 and Hearn is hoping that some of the sport's most famous faces can once again return to County Kildare. Speaking on RTÉ's Sport At 7 radio programme, Hearn said: 'I'm talking to Goffs, I want to stage the Pro Tour Chamionships in Ireland in March. 'I hope we can return to what was an iconic venue for snooker. 'People know the senior players from the "good old days" and they have got a role to play in this. 'They're still characters, they are still people that sell tickets and want to see and there is a place for them in the game.' Hearn concluded: 'Lets see if we can see tickets, lets see if we can sell TV rights because I think they have a lot to offer. http://www.rte.ie/sport/snooker/2010/0603/goffs.html

rusel: Buy A T-Shirt Signed By Snooker Stars Here's your chance to buy a t-shirt signed by some of snooker's most famous names...and raise money for a fantastic charity in the process. Killing Cancer was adopted by World Snooker as its official charity during the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship. They're raising awareness of a treatment called Photodynamic Therapy which is extremely effective on certain cancers. Click here for more information. And they've got 50 limited edition t-shirts available, signed by Mark Allen, Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne, Terry Griffiths, Neal Foulds, John Parrott, Cliff Thorburn and Hazel Irvine. (интересно, как Аллена раскручивают. ) They cost just £20, ideal as a gift or a souvenir from snooker's greatest tournament. Or there are unsigned t-shirts available for £5. The cost includes postage and packing. To buy one, just send a cheque or cash to: T-shirts, Killing Cancer, Lodge Farm Cottage, Grafham Road, Huntingdon, PE28 0DB. Please state which size you require: small, medium, large, XL or XXL. Please include your phone number with the order as your first choice of size may not be available. http://www.worldsnooker.com/wuxi_classic_news

rusel: Snooker: Ronnie O’sullivan Makes Sensational Draw Fix Claim Судя по тексту, статья старая.

rusel: Дейлиэкспресс пишет под надсловом "Ваше здоровье" JIMMY WHITE: HOW IGNORED SIGNS OF CANCER I WOULDN'T have been my own first choice as a pin-up for national Men’s Health week but I think a lot of men are like me. when we’re in our 20s and 30s we think we are indestructible. It never occurs to you that your body might one day not be able to stand up to the punishment you give it and in any case you tend to feel worrying about your health isn’t what real men do. If I’d been left to my own devices I know I wouldn’t be here now. It was pure chance that I needed a medical for an insurance policy and the doctor who was giving me the once over was a young guy of about my own age and not a woman. If the GP had been a woman I don’t think I would have mentioned the lump on my left testicle I’d noticed a few weeks earlier while having a shower. Even then I only mentioned it as an afterthought almost after the medical was over. “oK,” he said. “Get undressed again and let’s have a look.” He didn’t mess about. I had plenty of money at the time and he got me an appointment the very next day with a consultant at a private clinic. “Make sure you keep it, Jimmy, because you need to make sure this isn’t something serious,” he told me. The consultant examined me and said: “You’re coming in for an operation tomorrow. Make sure you don’t eat or drink anything for 12 hours before.” Again, as I suspect a lot of men do when they come face to face with the fact that bad health can happen to them too, I broke down. It was such a shock to realise how close I’d come to ignoring the lump, maybe hoping it would go away or perhaps trying to convince myself it wasn’t anything that really mattered. I was only 33 and I had four young daughters. I found myself thinking: “I love life and I don’t want to die.” However, even as I made my way home to my wife Maureen and the girls, I went straight back into doing the thing men do. they think if they pretend everything is OK it will be. the operation was set for 24 hourslater and yet I said nothing to Maureen about it. I didn’t want to worry her so I carried on as if everything was normal. It was less than an hour before I had to set off for the hospital that I finally told her. It suddenly struck me there was a very small chance something might go wrong and I might not survive the operation and I really ought to let her know what was going on. She wasn’t happy and it wasn’t just because of the seriousness of what was wrong with me. the operation went well but it was clear it had been done not a moment too soon. the surgeon removed not just one malignant growth – there were two of them and they were particularly nasty ones that would have spread very quickly. Given how long it would have taken me to go and see a doctor I suspect my chances of survival would have been slim. As it was, our son tommy tiger was born three years later. obviously I was thrilled by his arrival and he played a big part in helping me change a fairly unhealthy lifestyle. I suddenly found although I still had to be out, usually late into the night playing snooker at competitions and exhibitions, I wanted to be around in the afternoons to be with him. However, what I also say often to my mates, my son is living proof something like this can happen to you and you come through it with everything still in full working order. I think worries on that score are what stop a lot of men from getting themselves checked out. I still go for regular checks to make sure my cancer is in remission. MY lifestyle has slowly got healthier as the years have caught up with me, if only because I just can’t drink all night any more without needing three days to recover. I don’t drink beer or spirits at all. If I have a drink these days it’s a drop of wine or even better, champagne, a treat rather than the old quantity before quality attitude I used to have. It was really brought home to me how lucky I’d been when my big brother Martin died a year after my operation. A year after that my mother lillian died. then my oldest brother tommy began a long battle with lymphoma, another form of cancer. It does seem there’s a weakness in the family although our father tommy died only three years ago at the ripe old age of 88 – so I guess the message is we’re a strong bunch as long as we look after ourselves. Someone who has had a great influence on my lifestyle is Ronnie o’Sullivan, another snooker player with a misspent youth who now goes for a long run every day. I don’t think I’ll be doing that but he has helped me learn to like salad. Possibly the best break my health has had in recent years has been my stint in the jungle in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me out of Here! I lost 22lb in the space of three weeks which amazed me. It was worth all the discomfort just for that. I have put a few pounds back on but I am still about a stone lighter than I was and it feels great. of course the bush tucker diet isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time but what every man can do is take a bit more notice of what his body is saying and talk about anything that worries him to someone who can put his mind at rest instead of pretending it’s not happening. If I was going to give one piece of advice to other men about how to look after themselves it would be this: you can ask to see a particular doctor when you make an appointment. that way you can choose someone you know you’ll feel comfortable with so there’s no excuse for not getting yourself checked out. Jimmy White is backing the Men’s Health Forum charity to encourage men and boys to be more physically active. To learn more about Men’s Health Week which started yesterday and runs until Sunday, visit www.malehealth.co.uk and www.menshealthforum.org.uk

rusel: Есклюзив про смонтированные кадры http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/06/18/exclusive-forensic-analysis-points-to-‘cut-and-paste’-in-higgins-‘match-fix’-sting-video-180608/

rusel: A big break for Crucible lighting

rusel: немного о клубе, где будут проводиться квалы Уорлд Оупен. The Q Club You might have thought that a snooker and pool club that has welcomed John Higgins, Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins and Steve Davis through its doors would be pretty happy with its profile. But the Q Club, in Glasgow’s Charing Cross, found that the Glasgow’s Favourite Business award has done even more to spread the word. The distinctive award is displayed behind the bar, where everyone can see it. “It’s been really good for us, and we’ve had a great response to it from established members and new members alike,” says Sanjay Sharma, who runs the club with his uncle Lake, and his younger brother, Vikas. “We were all delighted to have won - it really meant a lot to us, knowing that so many people took the time and trouble to vote for us.” The club was opened 20 years ago, in 1980, by Lake’s father, Sagli. He had originally bought the premises for use as a centre for the Asian community, but when that plan didn’t materialise, a family friend who lived in Leeds, and played snooker, suggested using it as a snooker club. Sagli knew nothing about the sport, but he went down to snooker star Willie Thorne’s club in Leeds to examine the set-up there. Thorne himself came up to Glasgow to help Sagli establish the new venture. At the time, the family recalls, Glasgow only had dingy public snooker halls. The Q Club was the city’s first licensed club and, despite an original membership fee of £28, it managed to attract no fewer than 600 members in its first week. The club currently has some 4,000 members - but the fee is only £10. Earlier this year, a second Q Club was opened, in Victoria Road, on the South side. The Q Club has been chosen to host one of the pre-qualifying competitions for the new World Open, on Sunday, July 25. Both the Charing Cross and Victoria Road clubs will be used. The tournament is the idea of snooker lynchpin, Barry Hearn, and the inaugural World Open will take place at the SECC in Glasgow in September. Hearn recently told our sister paper, The Herald: “It will be like the FA Cup and will feature plenty of youngsters who have never been in front of the television cameras before.” The pre-qualifiers will give amateur players the chance to mix with professional names. The winner of the Q Club event will join 19 other winners at the professional qualifying rounds in Sheffield in August. At the SECC, the players will compete for the trophy and a prize fund of £500,000. Said Sanjay: “We’re delighted to have been chosen to host one of the pre-qualifiers. There was a lot of hard work involved in getting it, as there were only 20 venues across all of the UK. It has made us really proud.” Forty players have signed up so far. “We’re hoping to get up to 60, which would be excellent,” added Sanjay. “We’ll have all the best players in Scotland, and we understand there will be players coming up from down south as well.” вся статья

rusel: Anti-crime set to pocket top award A snooker scheme for youngsters which cut crime and anti-social behaviour in Church has chalked up a national award nomination. The Tilley Awards recognise crime fighting projects where police, community safety groups and the public work in partnership to tackle community problems. More than 110 projects entered this year’s awards and the Snooker Youth Club project was one of just 11 finalists from across the country. And the scheme has received the backing of six-times snooker champion Steve Davis for all the work it does in the community. Prior to the project, the Church ward saw high levels of criminal damage and anti social behaviour and residents believed that young people from the area were responsible. Consultation showed a lack of local provision for young people and that they wanted somewhere to go that was relatively unstructured and gave them an opportunity to socialise. The partnership was led by multi-agency team ‘YNOT’ in partnership with the Paul Hunter Foundation, and former world snooker champions attended to lend their support. Steve Davis, said: "This fascinating project could be replicated across the whole country. It’s not just about snooker; it’s about educating and inspiring young people.2 Up to 40 young people now attend the snooker club each night and so far the initiative has seen a 13 per cent cut in anti-social behaviour and 27 per cent reduction in criminal damage. Lancashire Youth Offending Team has also reported a 73 per cent drop in first time entrants into the criminal justice system. Hyndburn Inspector Andy Winter said: "This is a fantastic achievement for YNOT and I congratulate them on their nomination for this national award. "It really goes to show that partnership working really can provide huge successes in a community." PC Rob Flanagan, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: "I’m particularly delighted that community workshops have revealed an improvement in perceptions of young people and that young people have a more positive view of service providers locally." http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1301911_anticrime_set_to_pocket_top_award

rusel: Барри Хирн отвечает на вопросы по радио 5 In it he talks about John Higgins, the integrity of the sport and players needing to work harder and embrace the internet

rusel: Willie Thorne talks with the RTN

rusel: Alex Higgins would stride into view looking like a gigolo and moving like Rudy Nureyev . . .Higgins would stride into view looking like a gigolo and moving like nureyev, bow-tie longing to be unloosed So Alex Higgins has died. A great snooker player, a self-hurt man. He was only 61 but after the life he'd had, few were surprised at his passing -- although very, very many are genuinely sad. He'd endured throat cancer and couldn't really eat, even when his sister mushed his food up and tried to feed him at the sheltered accommodation where he lived alone. He'd no teeth, no ease, perhaps no passion to go on. Friends who'd raised over £12,000 to pay his medical expenses will use it to give him a good send off on Monday. Crowds are expected to attend his funeral at St Anne's Cathedral and then in Roselawn Cemetery. After that, books of condolences will be collected in Belfast and Derry, naming the unexpectedly deep sympathy the loss of 'Hurricane' provoked. Higgins comes from the age of vinyl, where he's a collector's edition by any standards. The soundtracks are badass guitar epics like 'Drag Racer' and tinkly piano ragtime by Winifred Atwell. The sights are old-style British television, when families gathered round to watch Pot Black or the World Snooker Championships and you came down for school in the morning to find your da asleep in front of the TV. Higgins was the prince of that stage. He'd stride into view looking like a gigolo and moving like Nureyev. Frilled shirts, dazzling cuff links, a bow-tie longing to be unloosed. Lithe as a panther, wary too, he'd eye up the baize then chase opportunities as a hunter stalks prey. Cigarette poised on lip, smoke vividly unfurling between him and the camera lights, he'd pause, wait, then play so fast and so close to the balk you'd hear the commentator gasp. And pock! He'd done it -- again. Cue crowd erupting, from the edge of their seats. He was obviously gifted but his craft was hard-honed. You got a sense of a man for whom snooker's dynamics were a physics, full of variables and calculations to be weighed and measured, then mastered brilliantly. He'd grafted and learned his trade in poolhalls and urban dens where it was always dark, even in the afternoons. Night clung to him, making him intense, magnetic and wholly televisual. Chasing rainbows was his thing. The snooker colours were red, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and then that black, which won him two World Championships and made him a fortune at exhibitions. But the money disappeared as fast as he earned it. He drank, gambled, lived a rococo life with cars and girlfriends and all those props people think they need when they're out of sync with themselves. Higgins was catapulted into celebrity without a roadmap. He became its stooge. There was no template for how to behave, as there hadn't been for his compatriot George Best. The soundtrack of his excesses was how Johnny Cash sings in 'Hurt', the Nine Inch Nails song where you harm yourself to see if you can feel. Some people said he and others put cocaine where the chalk should be on their snooker cues but Higgins almost invited demons to become his friends. Apart from his mother and three sisters, his relationships with women were too fraught to last, although he married twice and fathered two children. Some women were drawn to his damage, perhaps hoping they could heal him, but he wasn't for turning. No love was enough. Nothing was. Volatile was the polite word. Abusive was another. One of his lovers attempted suicide. Another, former escort Holly Haise, stabbed him three times after a violent row in 1997. He claimed to love women but bedded so many that none really counted, except his daughter Lauren, whom he'd raised up like a trophy when he won the Worlds in 1982. In his autobiography and in Kevin Burns's True Lives documentary for RTE, Higgins reflected on life and wondered why he was broke. "I can't understand it," he told interviewer Des Cahill. "For the simple reason I was so good for the game." He was great for the game. Higgins's unpredictability, his genius as a player/performer, made snooker so watchable that BBC won millions of viewers on its back. While Margaret Thatcher rose to power and began decimating traditional industries like mining, snooker became the working class revenge. Here were skilled players (without a pedigree, in her sense) who fought like matadors, while ice cubes clattered in vodka glasses and carcinogenic substances behaved with all the political incorrectness of a working man's club. The BBC got such a rush to the head they tried to turn the game into a sport, which meant losing the booze and the fags. Viewer ratings never recovered. More measured times require more measured behaviour than Higgins managed. His descent was spectacular, as documented by the way illness attacked his once-perfect body. The last photos are tragic. Only his eyes held the magic from way back when. Higgins's intensity was double-edged. It made him great and it made him impossible. He observed no limits, so he fascinated as much as he repelled. Those who know the rewards of living sensibly sometimes wonder what it's like on the other side. click here

rusel: REVEALED: Why John Higgins was cleared of match-fixing (because the evidence, including a statement from Mazher Mahmood, told the full story) David Douglas, the former high-ranking Metropolitan Police officer who investigated match-fixing allegations against the world No1 snooker player John Higgins, has spoken in detail for the first time about why he concluded Higgins never intended to fix any match. Higgins was banned earlier this month for six months, and fined £75,000, for talking about betting and for failing to report an approach about illicit gambling. Two other charges relating to fixing and corruption were dropped. Almost inevitably, the stigma of being accused by the News of the World on 2 May of “shaking hands on a disgraceful deal to fix a string of high-profile matches after demanding a £300,000 kickback” means mud will stick, regardless of an independent tribunal’s findings. But Douglas has now detailed how his findings were based on specific and detailed evidence that led him to his conclusions. Some of Douglas’s reasons for concluding Higgins was innocent of any fixing or intent were voiced yesterday as the snooker authorities launched an integrity unit to clean up the sport and make it “whiter than white”, although sportingintelligence now publishes them verbatim for the first time (see below). Additionally, Douglas has explained to sportingintelligence why he believes it was right both for him and for an independent QC, Ian Mill, to conclude Higgins knew nothing about any frame-fixing plot until the moment he was ushered into a room in Kiev on 30 April, where Higgins said whatever he felt necessary to get out, an explanation Douglas and Mill both also believed, again based on an extensive study of evidence. Douglas outlines how his investigation had access not only to every audio and video recording taped during the lengthy News of the World sting on Higgins and his former business partner, Pat Mooney, but also to a “full statement” from the NoTW’s investigations editor, Mazher Mahmood, which helped him reach his conclusion. Asked (in a press conference by a Radio 5 Live reporter) about the NotW’s apparently damning video of Higgins and Mooney talking about losing frames on 30 April, Douglas said: “I think you’re right in using the word that it was ‘apparently’ damning evidence, and I the first thing I’ll say is that when we investigate any complaint then we’re not just going to focus on what’s in the headlines, or what’s in the newspaper or what’s on television. It’s about doing a full and thorough investigation.” Asked whether the video tapes were edited in order to paint Higgins in a much worse light, Douglas said the NotW had given him access to unedited material where he could see the whole context of what happened, and that the tribunal also had access to this. Douglas was satisfied the footage he saw unedited in private was the full footage. He added: “Obviously when it goes on television, we all know that certain things get edited and moved around. That’s why I’m not particularly interested in what went out on the television [from the NotW website], I’m only interested in the original footage.” This was the first official acknowledgement that the NotW ‘evidence’ as presented to the public on its website had been “edited and moved around”, as opposed to unedited and wholly representative of events as they actually happened, within full context. The full text of questions and answers to David Douglas on this subject is below. Douglas in fact praises the News of the World for their cooperation in his investigation, saying they provided him with a room at News International for viewing every piece of evidence, and says: “Mazher Mahmood made a full statement about everything that happened”. That last sentence suggests that even Mahmood himself could point to no evidence of Higgins’ involvement in any fixing plot prior to the fateful 30 April meeting, understood to have been only around 11 minutes long, and which in any case reached no firm conclusion about what exactly was to be fixed, or how anyone was to be paid. Douglas concluded that the NotW “are very clever at what they do”, to the extent that Higgins entered the final, fateful meeting believing there was a bona fide “huge sponsorship deal on the table”. Douglas says: “Therefore when it comes to the final [meeting] you realise John was going in as a rabbit in the headlights. And therefore I’m absolutely confident, absolutely confident, backed up by Mr Mill, that [the tribunal verdict] was the right interpretation.” . Q&A with David Douglas about his investigation and findings in the John Higgins case (Questions 1-4 from yesterday’s press conference; questions 5-6 from post-conference interview) QUESTION 1: Some observers will be puzzled why, given the apparently damning evidence contained in the News of the World tape, which led Barry [Hearn] to suspend John [Higgins] in the first place, what the rationale was for withdrawing the most damaging charge against him, namely that he was prepared to fix frames for money. Why was that charge withdrawn without the evidence being tested? DAVID DOUGLAS: I think you’re right in using the word that it was ‘apparently’ damning evidence, and the first thing I’ll say is that when we investigate any complaint then we’re not just going to focus on what’s in the headlines, or what’s in the newspaper or what’s on television. It’s about doing a full and thorough investigation. And that’s what the players deserve as much as anything else. If allegations are going to be made against them, they deserve to have it fully investigated and that’s what we’ll do, and that’s what I like to think we did in the case of John Higgins. So when you look at everything that happened, the News of the World did a full undercover operation on Pat Mooney and John Higgins. It went on for a long time. And in actual fact when you look at what John did, and what the evidence shows, it shows that John knew nothing about the corrupt throwing of frames etcetera until literally he was just going into the final meeting in Kiev on 30 April, literally as he was just going in there. So when you look at what the evidence said and what charges that could support, then we go where the evidence takes us, it’s as simple as that. Now when you look at the judgement that Mr Mill, who’s a very eminent QC, made at the end of the case, he quite clearly states that having looked at all of the evidence – and Mr Mill had access to all of the tapes, all of the video tapes, all the audio tapes from the News of the World, he had the statements from myself, Mazher Mahmood who made a full statement, John himself, Pat Mooney, everything – he said that he was in no doubt that the WPBSA were right, on the evidence, to charge John with what we charged him with. We will charge people with the offences we believe they committed, and what the evidence shows. We won’t charge people on what we believe other people might be saying about them. . QUESTION 2: There were suggestions that the tape was edited in order to put Higgins in a much worse light than was justified. Is there any truth in that? And if it was the case, why was it not clearly aired in the tribunal hearing? Clearly that would have been to Higgins’ benefit, if he could have demonstrably shown that actually what he apparently said – and he went into great detail about he was going to launder the cash, and joked at the beginning about cameras in the room, this was ostensibly very damning stuff. If he could have shown that there was a much fuller picture that did not come to light in that edited video, if indeed it was edited, that would have been better for him. Why was that not aired at the tribunal? DAVID DOUGLAS: In fact it was aired [in full], before the tribunal, because we were under very strict disclosure rules, as in every investigation. And in fact both respondents, Mr Mooney and Mr Higgins, and Mr Mill QC more importantly, who sat as the chair of the tribunal, had access to all of the material beforehand. The News of the World on a number of occasions allowed me to go into their offices to check that it started where it started, finished where it finished – and I was entirely happy that it [the raw footage] was unedited footage. Obviously when it goes on television, we all know that certain things get edited and moved around. That’s why I’m not particularly interested in what went out on the television [from the NotW website], I’m only interested in the original footage. And when you looked at that [unedited footage], it was clear that it was a continuous recording of everything that happened. Mr Mill was given access to that, and the respondents were given access to that, so you could follow it all the way through. So when Mr Mill made his judgement, he knew exactly what had happened. He knew exactly what was said before the ‘meaty’ part of the conversation in Kiev. He knew what happened afterwards. He knew about the meetings that had led up to Kiev. So he could put the judgement of John into context. And that’s the most important thing of all. Sentencing is a really difficult thing, not just in sports arbitration. You look at any Crown Court trial, and there’s never agreement on what the sentence is at the end of the case, partly because sentencing is a judgement. Fortunately we had one of the best QCs in the country to make that judgement for us, a hugely impressive man, Mr Mill. And also because whoever makes that judgement has access to all of the material, and that’s the key thing. He spoke to John, he spoke to Pat Mooney. He had the ability to check everything for himself. . QUESTION 3: Is there a problem about how to prove guilt [in actual fixing cases]? Most professionals would agree that it’s very easy for a top pro to just miss a pot, to just lose position, to play a poor safety shot. It’s equally difficult to prove that they intended to do so. If a player can say ‘OK you caught me saying damning things on tape but I was in fear of my safety’, how are you actually going to make a charge stick, in reality, however tough the rules are? DAVID DOUGLAS: It’s difficult, no doubt about it, especially proving dishonesty, because it’s a state of mind. With the John Higgins and Pat Mooney case it was slightly different because it was a discussion about what was going to happen, so it’s not something that has happened where you’re looking at the evidence subsequent. But you’re right, in snooker and darts it can be a game of millimetres . . . but in my view you’ll never prove a case just on whether a player missed or didn’t miss a shot. It’s all of the surrounding circumstances. I won’t go into all the things you look at, but you have to look at – Where was the money going on that game? Who was talking to who beforehand? What was said at the time? What happened afterwards? It’s like any criminal case. You don’t have [just] one piece of evidence that proves it for you, you have to put it all together. And that missing by a millimetre is only one part of the equation. . QUESTION 4: In reality that’s going to be very difficult to do? DAVID DOUGLAS: It is difficult. There’s no doubt about it. I’m not saying this is easy. I’m not saying investigating corruption issues is going to be straightforward now that we have Monitor Quest on board. It’s going to be as difficult as it ever was. All I’m saying is that now we have a much better chance of actually proving that because we have the people with the skills to look at that financial profiling, all the telecommunications data, we have people on board now with all the experience. . QUESTION 5: There are people who think that a longer ban [for Higgins] may have been appropriate. DAVID DOUGLAS: I’m entirely comfortable with the investigation leading to the sentence that happened. To me, it’s about investigating thoroughly, and then putting that in front of an independent person. Ian Mill QC – and Lord Stevens and I have seen a number of QCs over the years; we had a court full of them in the Diana inquiry, very eminent people – and Ian Mill QC is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever seen, legally. He had a total grasp of every fact, right down to paragraph numbers, page numbers, the whole thing. He had a chance to speak to John Higgins, to Pat Mooney, he had all the legal submissions. What I’m saying is that [therefore] my view is whatever sentence Ian Mill comes out with is right, because he’s an eminent QC. It would actually be impertinent for anyone else to say ‘You’ve heard all the evidence, you’ve got a lot of experience in sports arbitration, we’re unhappy with your judgement.’ Part of the battle that we have is that people will have seen the News of the World headline, they’ll have seen two minutes on television [a reference to the 3min 37sec edit of Kiev meeting shown on the NotW website], and our investigation is actually about everything but the two minutes. The two minutes is there, it’s on television, everybody’s seen it. The investigation is about everything else so you can put that into context. And I’ll repeat the point, and this was shown by all the evidence: that John was literally walking into that final meeting when Mr Mooney said to him ‘By the way, they may bring up throwing a few frames, just go along with it’, or words to that effect. You put yourself into John Higgins’ shoes when you’re walking in there, with a huge [fictional] sponsorship deal on the table. The News of the World are very clever at what they do, very clever indeed. And what I’m saying is the context is there, and that’s what Mr Mill looked at. . QUESTION 6: People who don’t necessarily understand the scope of your investigation, the layman who just saw the NotW video on the website and the headlines, will probably have doubts forever about John Higgins. Can you elaborate just quite how detailed your investigation was – the scope of what you checked – so that you believed Higgins’ version of events? DAVID DOUGLAS: Because I was allowed to look at ALL of the evidence. Whatever you think of the News of the World, they were helpful [to me]. I was given a room at News International to go through all of the material, all the audio tapes, all the video tapes, all the different angles, everything, start to finish, unedited. I had to go through all of that. And in addition to that, Mazher Mahmood made a full statement about everything that happened. But also when I asked them for things like receipts, copies of invoices, hotel bills, they provided all of that. So there’s a whole load of evidence around this, and what I also had which isn’t in the public domain was Pat Mooney’s statement, and John Higgins’ statement, and when you look at those, it’s very easy to see what happened. To be fair to Pat Mooney, he said ‘Hands up, I didn’t tell John about this until we were just about to go in.’ Clearly there was no collusion between them. They have fallen out. The entire thing, the whole thing [relationship] is fractured. Pat, to give him his due, said John knew nothing about this. And then, because I’ve listened to all the audio tapes, it’s not about 30 April in Kiev, [I know] it’s about Edinburgh on 8 April, it’s about Kiev on 29 April, and you hear conversations going on specifically out of the hearing of John Higgins, so he’s not to brought into this, because they know, fundamentally, they knew he was honest. And therefore when it comes to the final [meeting] you realise John was going in as a rabbit in the headlights. And therefore I’m absolutely confident, absolutely confident, backed up by Mr Mill, that that was the right interpretation. http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/09/21/revealed-why-john-higgins-was-cleared-of-match-fixing-because-the-evidence-including-a-statement-from-mazher-mahmood-told-the-full-story-210901/

rusel: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/snooker/8127073/John-Higgins-in-the-spotlight-as-WPBSA-sets-up-confidential-hotline-over-snooker-corruption.html

rusel: алкогольные впечатления Хендона с турниров

rusel: АААААААААААААААА какая статья!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Хирн: "Игроки должны подтянуться." Наказания будут драконовскими, потому что я не хочу брать пленных. Это в адрес тех, кто не соблюдает дисциплину, в т.ч. не играет в полную силу или не посещает работу без уважительных причин.

rusel: На топ-снукере появился перевод. http://top-snooker.com/news/1120

rusel: На топ-снукере перевод статьи Сейда Полное ППКС!

GorgonaJS: На всеобщем собрании переизбрали нынешний состав правления. Hendon

rusel: GorgonaJS пишет: На всеобщем собрании переизбрали нынешний состав правления. Hendon На Уорлдснукере резалты голосования. Я их забила в Обсуждении новостей.

rusel: Barry Hearn wants to jazz up snooker, as he has already done with darts. But is he fighting a losing battle? The time was when snooker used to boast a rich variety of contrasting characters, straight from a Damon Runyon short story. There were the grinders, the likes of Cliff Thorburn, Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry; the dashers, speaheaded by Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan; and, in the 1980s at least, men such as Terry Griffiths and Dennis Taylor, who looked as if they had seen plenty of life beyond the green baize and were plainly human beings, not automatons. Sadly, though, the sport has lost a lot of that allure, on the evidence of this week's proceedings at the UK Championship in Telford. There have been plenty of close encounters, but most of these have turned into wars of attrition purely as a consequence of the deficiencies of the central characters. Wednesday evening's quarter-final clash between Shaun Murphy and the reigning world champion, Neil Robertson, was typical of why the tournament has thus far been a snooze. At one point, Murphy attempted to leave a snooker behind the brown and misjudged his effort terribly, whereupon his Australian opponent followed suit with another glaring gaffe, as the duo seemingly did their best to gift opportunities to their opponent. The Scottish contingent have hardly glittered either, or at least apart from John Higgins, who has bounced back from his six-month suspension withoit missing a heartbeat. Hendry, a seven-times world champion, who has carried on too long - like Michael Schumacher in F1 - was in such pitiful form at the beginning of the week that his two matches resembled car-crash television. You could hardly bear to watch, and yet there was something horribly compelling about the sight of a man who used to compile century breaks as if it was simplicity itself, but nowadays has so much trouble with his cueing action that it is similar to the "yips" in golf or the "dartitis" which afflicted Eric Bristow. The darts comparison is interesting in another sense. Barry Hearn, a fellow with the populist instincts in sport that Simon Cowell posseses in music, has dramatically transformed the fortunes of those who ply their trade on the oche. There are competitions all over the world, genuine superstars in the guise of Phil "The Power" Taylor, who will be gunning for his 16th world title later this month, and features on the shortlist for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award. and Raymond van Barneveld, who is detemined to hunt down the Englishman and end his supremacy. Darts has changed into different formats, introduced shorter matches, racked up the decibel level, and is in positively rude health again. Yet one doubts whether Hearn can achieve similar success in snooker, a game which doesn't lend itself to crowds whooping and hollering, addicted as it is to hushed auditoriums and participants weighing up every conceivable option before playing the percentages, as we witnessed in the protracted battle between Higgins and Graeme Dott, which finished 9-8, but was scarcely a triumph for either man. It hardly helps that the game's most marketable individual, O'Sullivan, spends so much time moaning about how snooker "does his head in"; Taylor, in contrast, has a twinkle in his eyes, as if recognising how lucky he is to be at the forefront of darts' second coming. Why shouldn't he be happy? He has grown rich through a combination of his own sublime skill and Hearn's shrewd eye for the man chance. So has O'Sullivan, but if he can't get excited by snooker, then why should the paying customers flock to the new events on the calendar? All in all, 2010 might prove a watershed for snooker. It was the year we lost Alex Higgins, who, whatever his faults, embodied the showbusiness values which thrilled the punters. It was also the year when John Higgins returned from a ban as if he had never been away, and exposed the shortcomings of most of the rest of the field. The rwo events are unconnected. But they hint at the difficulties facing Hearn in sexing up a pastime which has become a job for the main player http://sport.stv.tv/world-sport/215116-has-snooker-gone-to-pot-for-good/

rusel: With John Higgins enjoying a day's respite prior to attempting today to convert his 36th appearance in a ranking final into his 22nd title, the second semi-final of the UK Championship here saw Mark Williams, seeking his third UK title eight years after his second, take a 5-3 interval lead over Shaun Murphy. Earlier in the week, Williams described his win over Stephen Hendry as "the worst I've ever played as a professional" but managed to raise his game when it was most needed to end the giantkilling run of Mark Joyce, the world No 60, 9-7 in the quarter-finals. Yesterday, Williams performed rather better and Murphy rather worse than he did in eliminat-ing Neil Robertson, the worldchampion, in the last eight. Out of the blue, Murphy won the 2005 world title as a 150-1 qualifier but, following his triumph at theCrucible, sank back somewhat unobtrusively into a group of leading players until he won the UK title here two years ago. Some of the gloss was taken off his capture of the 2009 Premier League title by Ronnie O'Sullivan's admission that he had competed in the Norwich Half Marathon on the morning of the final – "to test myselfphysically ad mentally" – and hehas become the most forthrightcritic of behaviour he considers inappropriate for a player ofO'Sullivan's standing. "Pathetic and unprofessional" was Murphy's assessment of O'Sullivan at first declining to pot the last black to complete a 147 in September's World Open until the referee persuaded him to do so. "It was disrespectful to the peoplewho had paid to watch him play,"he said. Murphy is not the only player who believes that the circuit revolves around O'Sullivan to an unacceptable degree, although he cannot reasonably complain that he played in front of a handful of spectators this week while the other side of the arena was packed to see O'Sullivan, who remains the game's top box-office attraction. More legitimately, Murphy criticises O'Sullivan and other leading players who have not supported the new Players Tour Championship. Murphy has played in all 12 of the minor ranking events the PTC comprises, topping its order of merit, while O'Sullivan withdrew from 10, some without prior notice, an omission likely to lead to disciplinary action. Barry Hearn, the chairman and majority shareholder of World Snooker, is particularly keen for top players to support PTC events in Europe, a project in which, he says, "we're all in this together". "David Cameron says that and it's true," said Murphy, a committee member at his local Conservative club. "In snooker it's about time some of the people who can row do some of the rowing." click here

rusel: Snooker: Widnes ace Andrew Higginson sets sights set on reaching top of snooker world rankings

rusel: Барри дает советы, как сделать футбол белее белого. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/snooker/2010/12/17/barry-hearn-let-s-clean-up-football-the-same-way-we-have-cleaned-up-snooker-86908-22789480/ Тоже предлагает горячую линию...

rusel: Widnes ace Andrew Higginson sets sights set on reaching top of snooker world rankings WIDNES whirlwind Andrew Higginson is well on his way to becoming one the world’s most feared and respected snooker players. The 33-year-old West Bank potting-machine returned home from the last 16 of the televised UK Championships with his reputation strengthened following a hard- fought nine games to five defeat at the hands of outstanding world number one Neil Robertson. Higginson is now 23rd in the snooker world rankings after having disposed of former World Champion Peter Ebdon and Dominic Dale at the tournament in Telford. But he is not content to stop there and now has his sights set firmly on breaking into the top 16. Not before a well-earned festive break though. Higginson said: “I was pleased to get to the last 16 and to be beating Dominic Dale in the qualifying round really set me on my way as he’s been there and done it. “Ebdon beat me two years ago so it was in my mind that I owed him. When he’s on form he’s the most dangerous player around and nothing on the table is safe. “It wasn’t the greatest match but I remember thinking that if I kept close to him I would win, which I did. “I’ve played Robertson six times now and the score between us is three all. “He doesn’t like playing me but he has always won the big games that everybody sees! “He played the best snooker of his life and didn’t miss a ball in the first seven frames, so what can you do? “I was just glad to pull it back from 7-0 to 9-5 to avoid a whitewash.” He added: “But it doesn’t faze me playing the top players as all of them are beatable and I’ve proved it in big matches. “I’ve beaten one of the greatest players ever in John Higgins on the big stage and made maximums on the telly. “Some people think I’m mad but I go into every tournament trying to win it! “I’m going to have some time off next week then get back on the practice table.” Over the past year or so Higginson has begun to show the type of consistency to back up his confident claims, after having finished in the top 16 of the last three major snooker championships; the Shanghai Masters, the World Open in Glasgow and now the latest UK event. And while admitting that life on the road as a professional snooker player can be a lonesome affair at times, Higginson is happy to have made some good friends- as well as good progress, on the world circuit. “I enjoy the travelling and have got to see some great parts of the world, like China and Europe. “Sometimes its demoralising when your in your hotel room just waiting. But there’s a bit of a gang of us now, who go and have a game of darts or go out to eat and drink “People are going to think I’m a right name dropper now– but the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Alan McManus, Steve Maguire, Graham Dott and Marcus Campbell are all great blokes. “John Higgins is too and its been a shame to see him go through what he’s been through lately – as he was put in a really awkward position (regarding a charge of bringing the game into disrepute following match-fixing allegations). “Ricky Walden from Chester is probably my best mate on the tour. “I’m quite laid back and try to have a laugh with them all when we’re playing too as it helps me to relax and play better but others have a different approach and you have to respect that.” Higginson will head to Sheffield tomorrow to take part in a qualifying match for the German Open in Berlin in January. He will also take part in the PTC Order of Merit Grand Finals in Dublin in March after finishing 20th out of 400 competitors from around the globe.

rusel: I was thinking about a robbery to get money to gamble

rusel: Loveable Cockney crooners Chas ’n’ Dave could not have put it more perfectly when they sang the line “Snooker loopy nuts are we”. The catchy hit record appeared to sum up the mood in the 1980s of the British public, who appeared to be captivated by the green baize game and the characters in waist coats who played it. Chief among the protagonists of that golden era of the sport was Dennis Taylor. The Irish star was already a household name due to his famous ‘upside down’ glasses, but he was propelled onto a different stratosphere the moment he was crowned snooker world champion in 1985. His 18-17 win over Steve Davis in the final at the Crucible Theatre has been billed as the greatest ever. Taylor’s famous black-ball final frame victory certainly captured the hearts of an intrigued audience as a conservative estimate indicates that more than 18 million people tuned in to watch the drama unfold well into the early hours of the next day. Taylor admits, even now, hardly a day goes by without somebody tapping him on the shoulder and asking him about his greatest moment. The 62-year-old Irishman may have long since retired as a professional, but recollections of him holding aloft his cue after sinking that final elusive black and his finger-wagging triumphant celebrations live long in the memory. Taylor, who lived in Blackburn for more than 30 years, said: “Somebody is always going to mention it wherever I go. I never get fed-up talking about it. It’s something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. “It the final that everybody remembers.” While the final was remarkable for its black ball ending, it perhaps overshadows Taylor’s amazing comeback against Davis. The Nugget, who at the time was the world number one and already a triple world champion, was a red-hot favourite going into the final against the 36-year-old Taylor. After the opening session of the final, Davis was justifying his billing as the favourite as he won every frame to go 7-0 in front. However, from looking like he was heading for a humiliating defeat, Taylor dug deep and somehow clawed his way back. Davis still appeared to hold the upper hand, though, when he forged ahead to lead 17-14. But Taylor refused to accept defeat and fought back once again to take the final into the deciding frame. Beset by tension and nerves, both players were unable to stamp their authority on the final frame as it turned into a scrappy affair. Once again, Taylor found himself behind in the score and Davis needed just the brown to leave his bespectacled opponent needing snookers. However, Taylor downed a marvellous long brown before knocking in the blue and pink. He tried to double the black a couple of times before finally getting a chance to sink it after Davis failed in his attempt to cut the black in the bottom left pocket. Said Taylor: “My fightback was just all about determination. I was 8-0 down, 9-1 down. “I was two down with three frames to play. but I still felt I could win it. “With the final frame, the two of us, Steve and I, had never been in that situation before. “I tried a double...treble on the black. “The one Steve missed which left me on was a lot more difficult than people think. “It’s fair to say I took a lot more time on that final shot than I would have normally took.” Back when Taylor was world champion, the sporting landscape in the UK was a lot different. Football had an image problem and was in the doldrums due to hooliganism. And 24-hour sports channels such as Sky Sports were a figment of the future. With so much snooker on terrestrial TV it meant players like Taylor, Alex Higgins and Jimmy White, to name just a few, became superstars. The players certainly played up to the cameras and Taylor admits the game is a lot more serious now than it was back in his day. The increase in prize money means players are much more detached from the watching public. “You’ve got to remember there was only four television channels when we played,” he said. “We used to get nine or 10 million watching us and there was 18.5million for the final in 1985 between me and Steve. “There is more money in the game now. This year’s winner of the World Championship won £250,000 where as I got £60,000 when I won it. “I think it’s a trend in all sports. There’s not the same characters like a McEnroe in tennis or a Lee Trevino in golf. “But I think anybody would love watching Judd Trump or Ronnie O’Sullivan play.” While the game has evolved since Taylor’s day, he still feels he and all the other stars of his era would be able to compete in the modern game. “There’s not a lot of difference between today and my day,” he said. John Higgins has won four world titles and he is very similar to the great Ray Reardon. “He’s a very good tactician and if you make a mistake, he will come in and take advantage just like Ray used to. There will never be a better way to play the game. “Stephen Hendry is the greatest that’s ever played. “John Higgins is in the top three or four. “Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis are the top two but Higgins is going right to the top. “But I think the younger players nowadays go for more longer pots than what we did 30 years ago.” Taylor admits he is a big fan of this year’s beaten world finalist Judd Trump, who lost 18-15 to Higgins. He added: “Judd Trump has been a revelation. I have been quoted in many of the national papers has saying he is the greatest potter the game has ever seen. “John Spencer was one of the greatest potters in the game and you go through to Alex Higgins, Jimmy White Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams – all great potters – but Judd’s the best of the lot. “But it was a great final. John Higgins did remarkably well. Judd missed a tricky blue which could have seen him go four frames ahead. “But he’s great for the game. He looks like he’s out of a boy band with his hair cut. “Hopefully it will encourage more youngsters to take up the game.” Taylor’s famous glasses were a by-product of his loss to Welshman Terry Griffiths in his only other appearance in the World Snooker final in 1979. He added: “I should have won it in 1979. I beat the great Ray Reardon, Steve Davis and went on through to the final. “I was 15-13 up in the final but eventually lost to Terry Griffiths 24-16. “I remember I had a pair of contact lenses in and they were hurting my eyes but I kept them in. “After that I got the old glasses made. “I had pretty bad eye sight and I used to take my glasses off to play. “But certainly without the glasses, I would never have won the World Championship in 1985. “They’ve become quite famous, even in places like Tokyo when I went there – people were asking about these famous glasses.” Taylor will be going back to his former hometown next Friday when the Snooker Legends Tour arrives at King Georges Hall, in Blackburn. Some of the game’s former greats such as Jimmy White, John Parrott, Cliff Thorburn and John Virgo will be back back on the table hoping to entertain the crowds. Taylor admits he is particularly looking forward to returning to Blackburn. He said: “I lived in Blackburn for 32 years. I moved there because I got work there. I lived with my aunt in Darwen. “The last time I played there in the Snooker Legends Tour, I won it. “I beat Jimmy White in the final – I hadn’t played in over 10 years. “There was 700 watching and it was good to get out there and play in front of an audience and compete and have a bit of fun as well. “Like I say I played well the last time I played in Blackburn. I think I hit a 70 and 100 break. “I didn’t think I would be able to knock a century break in again after not playing for over 10 years.” http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/other-local-sport/dennis_is_still_snooker_loopy_1_3358284

rusel: SCOTLAND'S top sports management firm have gone bust after winning £709,000 of taxpayers' cash to sell snooker to China. Bosses of Stirling's 110 Sport Group - who represent the world's top snooker stars - called in the liquidators days ago. An insider yesterday claimed the scheme to sell online snooker coverage to Chinese customers - backed by Scottish Enterprise with a fortune in public money- brought on the firm's financial collapse. He said: "It was an idea built on sand. Quite simply, there was no way that sufficient numbers of people in China would pay to view snooker on their mobile phones. "The big question is why Scottish Enterprise handed over £709,000 of public money on such a scheme." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2011/05/15/taxpayers-lose-700k-after-sports-agency-try-to-sell-snooker-to-chinese-and-goes-bust-86908-23131727/

rusel: Emirati team hope for winning break at snooker's World Cup Bangkok reaffirms its sport tourism credentials

rusel: Snooker review 2011

rusel: О Криссе Смолле. http://www.scotsman.com/sport/snooker/snooker-chris-small-launches-coaching-career-after-long-lay-off-1-2622471

rusel: http://www.eurosport.ru/vladimir-sinitsin_blog46/blogpostfull_post460266.shtml?function

Лапка: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker/joe-jogia-snooker-star-says-1727410 .. и что дальше..

rusel: http://snookerhq.com/2013/03/06/and-were-back/

Lady Unfogettable: Вроде бы сюда. http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Snooker-Leicester-s-Ben-Woollaston-reveals-lucky/story-18769721-detail/story.html#axzz2RBinwhUV

rusel: http://sporta.bg/?load=OtherSports%3A%3AArticle&sportId=68&id=1060269 КАК БОЛГАРИЯ ПРИВЛЕКЛА РОННИ О`САЛЛИВАНА Президент болгарской федерации по снукеру Олег Велинов рассказал сайту Sporta.bg, как он сумел убедить Ронни О`Салливана выбрать PTC VICTORIA BULGARIA OPEN одним из 10-ти турниров, на которых он будет играть в сезоне 2013-2014. Как известно, у Ракеты спонсорский договор, согласно которому он должен выбрать 10 соревнований для участия, и именно наше РТС будет его дебютом для новой компании. "С Ронни О`Салливаном получилось несколько сложно. Он сказал, что едет в Болгарию, что ему понравилось здесь. Доволен условиями, которые мы, как организаторы, ему предложили, будет участвовать в "Шоу Слави" в пятницу. Я тот, кто привел в ход все по его прибытию. С другими игроками не было никаких проблем. В снукере есть одна звезда, и это - Ронни О`Салливан, остальные вообще не ведут себя, как звезды, это вполне нормальные люди. Не будем забывать, что это - Ронни О`Салливан, он может заболеть и не сесть в пятницу на самолет," - все таки предупредил Велинов. "Турнир для меня будет успешным, если опять до финала дойдут два сильных игрока из топ-16. Так будет лучше всего. Если Ронни в финале, еще лучше. Ронни будет играть предельно мобилизираванно, потому что не будет просто терять время на участие в таком малом количестве турниров. Так что он будет стремиться извлечь максимум из наградных фондов. Это его первый турнир в настоящем сезоне. Я поехал в Крусибл и там встретился с Ронни после его полуфинала с Джаддом Трампом. О`Салливан пригласил меня встретиться и поговорить. После того, как я поехал к нему в Чигуелл, мы все обсудили за 30-40 минут, договорились обо всем. Коммуникация шла с ним на прямую, что хорошо, т.к. не было мениджеров. Полно людей, которые хотят его представлять, но не представляют. Звонят и говорят: "Я его представляю в той или другой части света,"-но в сущности, только хотят положить в карман комиссионные. На самом деле точно в тот момент у Ронни не было мениджера, он появится только в начале июня," - закончил интервью о посещении Болгарии Ракетой президент федерации.

rusel: A Young Man's Game?

rusel: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/sport/10846829.UK_Snooker__York_bonus_is_target_for_three_time_champion_John_Higgins/ http://www.espn.co.uk/snooker/sport/story/262927.html http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker/john-higgins-says-future-snooker-2875008 http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker/uk-snooker-championship-stephen-maguire-2881271

Лапка: BREAKING NEWS!! @BarryHearn reveals where the 2014 UK Championship will be held http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0ZdPsmlXnk не смотрела, но возмущаюсь...

rusel: Звезды снукера на благотворительном гольф-матче. Деньги - в фонд Пола Хантера. http://www.accringtonobserver.co.uk/news/hyndburn-goes-snooker-loopy-6560376 Фотки - супер!

Лапка: http://elitesnooker.com/threads/4058/ Перевод прессконференции Хирна.

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