Britain's least charismatic sportsmen, one skitzo, and a couple of Chinese lads: it's the 2008 Snooker World Championship Thread

FIRST ROUND (best of 19 frames)

John Higgins (Sco) 10-5 Matthew Stevens (Wal)

Ryan Day (Wal) 10-6 Michael Judge (Ire)

Ding Junhui (Chn) v Marco Fu (HK)

Stephen Hendry (Sco) 10-9 Mark Allen (NI)

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Liu Chuang (Chn)

Mark Williams (Wal) v Mark Davis (Eng)

Stephen Lee (Eng) 4-10 Joe Swail (NI)

Ken Doherty (Ire) v Liang Wenbo (Chn)

Shaun Murphy (Eng) v Dave Harold (Eng)

Ali Carter (Eng) 10-9 Barry Hawkins (Eng)

Mark Selby (Eng) v Mark King (Eng)

Peter Ebdon (Eng) 10-9 Jamie Cope (Eng)

Neil Robertson (Aus) 10-4 Nigel Bond (Eng)

Stephen Maguire (Sco) v Anthony Hamilton (Eng)

Steve Davis (Eng) v Stuart Bingham (Eng)

Graeme Dott (Sco) v Joe Perry (Eng)

What were Ronnie O'Sullivan's "lewd remarks" at the China Open?

Anyone fancy a nosh?

-- Dom Passantino, Monday, 21 April 2008 19:05 (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA3l0O8TaOM

NO JIMMY WHITE NO CREDIBILITY

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Liu Chuang (Chn)

Loved this dude in Mortal Kombat

Sad to see human void Hendry go through yesterday. His funny-haircut sporting opponent Mark Allen did cry, though, so that was some consolation.

Remind me when someone gave a shit about snooker this century?

this long long century

We Give A Shit

With 10 winners and 4 runners up since 1990, Scottish people tend to give more of a shit than most. If we want global sporting domination it's that or elephant polo.

There are a few young whipper-snappers in the draw I've never heard of.

We should go back to old school huge matches like this:
1975 Ray Reardon 31–30 Eddie Charlton

you've had your footballing moments this past two years, compared to the rest of us.

Aye, you've got to love that glorious failure we're so good at.

BBC are streaming live coverage of both tables. Does the BBC player have a Boss Key?

Ronnie's up in the next fifteen minutes

for a nosh?

suk mai dik

Watching O'Sullivan play is like having a drink with my ex-girlfriend: half the joy is in trying to figure out if they're manic or depressive at this moment in time.

7-4, Chang's choking out there.

Which I suppose is a common response after being invited to give a nosh.

Noshing aside, Ronnie's looking impatient to get this one over.

That's O'Sullivan 101 though, innit? Man doesn't like a long match.

He's won 10-5, anyway.

Looked like he was only half-interested as well, which I suppose is again par for the course.

Williams in the next round though, you'd think he'll step up for that.

Every year, I forgot how painful watching Ebdon play is.

I'm the only one who cares, huh?

You fucking BEAUTY Ronnie. Amazing. Youtube that bitch ASAP.

Anyone shown up pissed yet?

(No alcoholism, no credibility in the world of Snooker.)

50% of the Pacific Rim Asian population inherit a mutant ADH known as ADH2*2 that leads to faster-than-normal degradation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. ADH deformities are not usually found in Caucasians, Native Americans, etc (Agarwal and Goedde, 1992). Moreover, 45-53% of the Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, and Korean population possess a mutant ALDH2 known as ALDH2*2, which is only 8% as effective as the normal, wild-type enzyme (ALDH*1). This mutant allele of ALDH2 is dominant, as it interferes with the formation of a fully functional ALDH2 tetramer [3]. The result is the accumulation of acetaldehyde. Approximately half of people of Asian descent are considered to be sensitive to alcohol due to this condition. [4] Flushing, after consuming one or two alcoholic beverages, includes a range of symptoms: nausea, headaches, light-headedness, an increased pulse, occasional extreme drowsiness, and occasional skin swelling and itchiness. These unpleasant side effects often prevent further drinking that may lead to further inebriation, but the symptoms can lead to mistaken assumption that the people affected are more easily inebriated than others.

Robertson's not doing so bad on the other table, it would appear. Unless Maguire's going to pieces.

Missed the 147, hopefully the BBC will stick a link up on their site.

Maguire's just stopped the rot.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/7371844.stm

13th black where he frees that last red from the pink and the crowd go nuts = magick.

OMG Ronnie! Yay!!!

Great stuff. That's half a million pounds he's made from his 3 Crucible maximums.

lol @ Liang Wenbo - pots blue to leave Swail needing a snooker at 12-10 - punches air in victory - misses pink - gets snookered - loses frame - loses next frame.

12-12 now and Liang's game is all over the place.

Liang squeezes through war of attrition tight arm decider. Liang was punching the air again before he secured the frame, needs to watch that.

Louis Jagger LIANG WENBO IS AWES!!! 11m ago

Hendry nearly got a 147! leading 3-1

Stephen "On Fire" Maguire.

That's a pretty shitty nickname.

Not as bad as "Does he stay or does he go?" Liang Wenbo

Ronnie and Wenbo trading punches at 2-2. Wish I could watch this one, has the makings of match of the tourney.

Stephen "fucking dire" Maguire has scored 20 points so far and is 0-3 vs Joe Perry.

I think Joe Perry could easily kick the shit out of everyone else in the draw.

http://www.worldsnooker.com/profileimages/UK%20Champs%20Joe%20Perry_02.jpg

Wenbo is fantastic to watch, he plays like he's about seven years old, except he can actually pot.

Aye, even in the nail-biters at the end last night he was going for ridiculous doubles.

Stephen "fucking dire" Maguire has scored 21 points so far and is 0-4 vs Joe Perry.

4-4 in Ronnie vs Wenbo match, only one frame without at least a half century break in it.

Maguire is rekindling his flames and has pulled a couple back.

Great Welsh commentary, I just like that accent ("he went for the caanon")

Ali Carter - fekking HELL!

I think of him as a sort of McEnroe; McEnroe "only" won seven Slams (next to Borg's 11, Sampras's 14, Federer's 12 and counting), was frequently diabolical (in behaviour, in attitude, in performance), went on a sabbatical at age 27 and was never as good again, but no one else could do what he did and, when he was on, no one could live with him. What Ronnie just did to Hendry was like McEnroe rolling through 11 straight games (from 4-5 to 7-5 6-0 2-0) vs Lendl at Madison Square Garden in '85.

Why is there a TV screen under the table?

BTW, trying to find out if that's a standard feature of the table I came across this picture of Ronnie: http://www.bce-uk.com/Images/Ronnie.jpg from http://www.bce-uk.com/default.htm and this Riley (the official table is the Riley Aristocrat) folder (they only have one folder online, the 2004 one) featuring only pictures of Paul Hunter. :-/

Why is there a TV screen under the table?

Or what IS that thing? A kind of mirror?

LOL @ Dennis Taylor and his "Can Joe Perry get carter, Clive?"

Why is there a TV screen under the table?

Or what IS that thing? A kind of mirror?

I think that's where the rack is kept. I do agree that it looks like a delusion though.

Carter vs Perry 16-15 at the moment...

And Perry losing the last frame due to a mobile phone going off. Fantasticg game, best of the tourney so far.

That mobile phone... People! He's coming back strong in the current frame though

oooooo

What a miss from Carter..

What a miss from CarterPerry..

-- willem, Saturday, 3 May 2008 21:49 (12 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

Jeez, now Perry misses

haha

Full scale war of attrition here.

What a miss from CarterPerry..

-- willem, Saturday, 3 May 2008 21:49 (12 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

-- Dom Passantino, Saturday, 3 May 2008 21:50 (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

What a messy shot from Perry...

Carter looked like he had the yips on that last red.

Neither of these guys will be able to live with Ronnie in the final, right?

But I think he's got this wrapped up now.

xp

No. But this is a great semi-final.

xp

Too short!

or not

Did it

Amazing match. Amazing.

Yup, all good and beautiful. I hope Carter can get it to double figures in the final - Ronnie implodes but I think he's probably unstoppable once he battles through to the one table stage at the world championships. Maybe Maguire at his very aggressive best might have put a measure of pressure. We will never know.

Great to see Ronnie getting it together again. I think of it as a kind of miracle whenever it happens. And against Hendry, who was, in terms of consistency, innovation and cold calculating excellence up there w/maybe only Federer (maybe Woods, but Golf isn't set up as one-to-one combat).

So, what do the bookies say? Anyone for 18-17? 18-0?

(both for Carter, obv.)

Boy, this horse racing is great, isn't it? I've already seen 3 fall down and I've only been watching for 20 minutes

Poor Ali - this is gonna be a massacre no matter how well he plays, isn't it? :-(

if he wins healdine

Carter beats the Devil

Carter looks and is playing like he's just compiled and posted the top 100 video games for a forum.

Ronnie will want to beat him good for taking half his 147 prize money.

"a packed crucible crowd" - eh?

lol streaker

I said 18-10 yesterday, should have shoved a fiver on it.

Big celebrities in the audience: Dickie Bird and Dave "Devilfish" Ulliot. It's like a Las Vegas heavyweight fight, it really is.

And Damien Hirst as well.

OK, looks like we're in the final frame here.

Stick a fork in it.

O'Sullivan 18 - Carter 8

Sports Personality of the Year?

He's got my vote.

It's over! What now? I miss it already! :-(

Hamilton seems to be bottling nicely so I guess we just need Pete Murray to make a second round exit from Wimbledong and Ronnie's home free.

He just drank a bottle of Highland Spring in one gulp.

He just self-zinged his skitzness as well.

He's 20/1 to be Sports Personality of the Year, same as Amir Khan.

Yes, just behind that 13 year old diver :/

Paula Radcliffe getting a shiny Olympic medal would bank it for her so unless she fucks up her drug plan again wilts in the heat I think she'll get it. Or possibly Khan if he gets a world title before then.

No footballers spring to mind but if one of the English boys has a big showing in the Champions League final they might come into the reckoning, though I think they are probably still being punished for not getting to the Euros.

Radcliffe will choke, I'd bet the house on it.

Apparently Bill Werbeniuk had to drink 9 or 10 pints just to steady his hand enough to play a practice frame.