To qualify or not to qualify, that is the question?
With only a week now to the start of the World Championship in Sheffield, some of the players on the tour are battling to reach round one of the tournament. Although perhaps not so well known, this stage provides players who are performing less well on the tour or on the brink of crashing out of the 128, the opportunity to prove their skill set and compete over multiple rounds for a chance to play at the Crucible. Gone are the days when these snooker warriors had to travel to Blackpool or Prestatyn and play in booths over several weeks just to get to Sheffield but the danger will always remain that anyone of them could fall at this crucial stumbling block.
Round one has been going for several days now and some of the well known faces have been playing well. Ken Doherty, Alan Mcmanus and Jimmy White have all managed to step up to the plate with convincing wins with Ali Carter, Ryan Day and Mark King also joining the winners’ enclosure.Aside from the famous faces, a few lesser known ones are creeping through too. One such player is the 21 year old Chinese player, Xu Si. With a 10-2 victory over Sean O’Sullivan, Xu is starting to firm up his shaky place on the tour and as result has pushed his opponent, Sean off the tour.
Much has been said in the press about the two female players competing in the qualifiers.Ng On Yee and Reanne Evans were the players but disappointingly neither managed to get through. Ng was the closest of the two, really putting Alan Mcmanus under pressure, taking the match to 6-6 before Alan kicked into gear and won the remaining, required frames. Had one of these two managed to win, this really would have been a great day for women’s snooker. I am sure that day will come soon but patience is a virtue and all good things come to those who wait.
The World Championship qualifiers are definitely a nervous time for any player, a time where their dreams has be made or simultaneously shattered. With multiple rounds, no player is safe until they have pottted that final ball, in the final frame, in the final round. Until that moment, butterflies will be flying, throats will be drying and palms will be sweating.
Round one has been going for several days now and some of the well known faces have been playing well. Ken Doherty, Alan Mcmanus and Jimmy White have all managed to step up to the plate with convincing wins with Ali Carter, Ryan Day and Mark King also joining the winners’ enclosure.Aside from the famous faces, a few lesser known ones are creeping through too. One such player is the 21 year old Chinese player, Xu Si. With a 10-2 victory over Sean O’Sullivan, Xu is starting to firm up his shaky place on the tour and as result has pushed his opponent, Sean off the tour.
Much has been said in the press about the two female players competing in the qualifiers.Ng On Yee and Reanne Evans were the players but disappointingly neither managed to get through. Ng was the closest of the two, really putting Alan Mcmanus under pressure, taking the match to 6-6 before Alan kicked into gear and won the remaining, required frames. Had one of these two managed to win, this really would have been a great day for women’s snooker. I am sure that day will come soon but patience is a virtue and all good things come to those who wait.
The World Championship qualifiers are definitely a nervous time for any player, a time where their dreams has be made or simultaneously shattered. With multiple rounds, no player is safe until they have pottted that final ball, in the final frame, in the final round. Until that moment, butterflies will be flying, throats will be drying and palms will be sweating.
Comments
Post a Comment