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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

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