Trump targets second World Snooker title

WORLD number one Judd Trump has to wait until Tuesday afternoon to begin his quest for a second World Snooker title against Liam Highfield at the Crucible.

Second seed Trump won the world title two years ago, beating John Higgins 18-9 in the Final, to fulfil years of promise, the first spark of which came back in 2011 when he was beaten 18-15 in the Final by Higgins.

Last year, though, the tournament - which was delayed until August by the coronavirus pandemic - was won by the familiar face of Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The Rocket clocked up his sixth world title to rank alongside Ray Reardon and Steve Davis, and sit just one behind all-time record holder Stephen Hendry.

Of course, Trump - at the age of 31 - has plenty of time yet to win a few more Crucible crowns himself, and he heads into the tournament having won 11 ranking events in the 23 months since his world title.

Unsurprisingly then, the Bristolian starts off as favourite with the bookmakers - and he has expressed his delight at the gradual return of crowds to the Crucible.

Matches at the Sheffield venue will be one-third full as part of a government pilot on the roadmap out of the lockdown in England.

Meanwhile, there are plans for a capacity crowd to be able to attend the Final on May Bank Holiday weekend.

"You miss the coughing and the mobile phones going off," Trump said following the draw on Thursday.

"When you are losing and you get a frame or two behind, it is so much easier to give up because you feel nobody is there to see it.

"When you've got a crowd you sometimes take a toilet break just to get the roar of the fans and get them calling your name to get you back in the game.

"I need the fans there just to bring out the best in me. Just adding more nerves and excitement helps my concentration."

Defending champion, and previously a perennial favourite for the title, number one seed O'Sullivan is at the top of the draw in the opposite half to Trump.

O'Sullivan has already had enough in his locker to deal with snooker journeyman Mark Joyce who, after qualifying at the 18th attempt, was one of only two debutants this year alongside Sam Craigie.

Geordie lad Craigie faces another of the famous Class of 92 in Mark Williams while the third of that remarkable cohort, Higgins, takes on Tian Pengfei, one of five Chinese players in the draw.

Higgins and Williams could meet in the Last 16 with the winner potentially going onto meet O'Sullivan in the semi finals. 

However, three-time winner Mark Selby is in the same quarter of the draw as the Wizard from Wishaw and the Welsh Potting Machine, and so will no doubt have plenty to say about that.

Among the qualifiers, 2015 champion Stuart Bingham will fancy his chances against Ding Junhui who has never won the biggest prize in snooker, and twice runner-up Ali Carter has a good chance against the inconsistent Jack Lisowski.

For sure, there have been a number of big shocks over the years - and there are always a few seeds who are defeated unexpectedly. 

But a strong pedigree at the Crucible generally counts for something as players are required to cope with matches of multiple sessions in a far longer format than in other tournaments across the season.

On that basis, the hugely underrated Barry Hawkins can be expected to have another good run in Sheffield having reached at least the last four stage on five occasions out of six between 2013 and 2018.

The Hawk also heads to the Crucible in decent form with three semi final appearances in ranking events. 

However, the last four is clearly a stage beyond which Hawkins struggles to progress, something with which a bullish Trump has no such trouble.

"I feel my game is there for another win," said Trump. "It is such a long time, 17 days, that you can't peak for every single game.

"You've got to be mentally prepared to go through hell to win the tournament."

Trump takes on the Crucible curse

Year	Defending champion		Defence
1980	Terry Griffiths	R2	lost 10-13 to Steve Davis
1981	Cliff Thorburn	SF	lost 10-16 to Steve Davis
1982	Steve Davis	R1	lost 1-10 to Tony Knowles
1986	Dennis Taylor	R1	lost 6-10 to Mike Hallett
1987	Joe Johnson	F	lost 14-18 to Steve Davis
1991	Stephen Hendry	QF	lost 11-13 to Steve James
1992	John Parrott	QF	lost 12-13 to Alan McManus
1998	Ken Doherty	F	lost 12-18 to John Higgins
1999	John Higgins	SF	lost 10-17 to Mark Williams
2001	Mark Williams	R2	lost 12-13 to Joe Swail
2002	Ronnie O'Sullivan	SF	lost 13-17 to Stephen Hendry
2003	Peter Ebdon	QF	lost 12-13 to Paul Hunter
2006	Shaun Murphy	QF	lost 7-13 to Peter Ebdon
2007	Graeme Dott	R1	lost 7-10 to Ian McCulloch
2011	Neil Robertson	R1	lost 8-10 to Judd Trump
2015	Mark Selby	R2	lost 9-13 to Anthony McGill
2016	Stuart Bingham	R1	lost 9-10 to Ali Carter
2020	Judd Trump	QF	lost 9-13 to Kyren Wilson

JUDD TRUMP will take on Tom Ford - and the weight of history - as he belatedly begins the defence of his World Snooker title at the Crucible Theatre today. 

The 30-year-old Bristolian won his maiden world crown in Sheffield last May in a high-quality, century-laden Final against John Higgins.

But the tournament this year was scheduled for weeks in which the country was gripped most tightly in the clutches of the coronavirus - and so it was postponed on 20 March. 

Arguably, governing body World Snooker was actually a little slow to react to the extent of the crisis and the Gibraltar Open went ahead as scheduled in mid-March despite the withdrawal of several big-name players and some officials. 

Indeed, the shortage of match referees led to near-farcical scenes in which some matches were played without referees, with players respotting balls for their opponents.

Nevertheless, this strangest of events had a familiar conclusion as Trump beat rival Kyren Wilson 4-3 in the Final to win a record sixth ranking title of the season. 

For sure, Trump has only gone from strength to strength since taking the world title last year with his other ranking wins this season coming in the International Championship, the World Open, the Northern Ireland Open, the German Masters, and the Players Championship. 

It is no surprise then that, in the bookmakers' view, Trump starts as a strong favourite at 11/4 to retain his crown ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan (4/1) and Neil Robertson (13/2).

But, with not a huge amount of snooker played since lockdown, this edition of the World Snooker Championships promises to be even more unpredictable than usual. 

Trump faces another threat - that of the Crucible Curse which, for the past 42 years, has dictated that no first-time winner at the venue has gone on to retain the title. 

Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998 have come closest to beating the Curse, reaching the Final before losing to Steve Davis and John Higgins respectively.

However, the fact that only Davis, Stephen Hendry, O'Sullivan, and Mark Selby have won back-to-back titles at the Sheffield venue shows just how difficult it is in general.

They all still fell victim to the Crucible Curse, of course - with Davis one of six first-time champions to be eliminated in their first match of the following year.

As such, Ford - despite his tough draw and failure to win on any of his previous three Crucible appearances - should not discount himself just yet, especially as he has already been able to hold his nerve in qualifying. 

Other highlights of the first round draw include what should be a fast-paced encounter between five-time champion O'Sullivan and Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, both of whom average less than 17 seconds a shot.

Four-time champion Higgins - who has been runner-up in each of the last three years to Selby, Mark Williams and Trump - faces the Welsh Dragon, Matthew Stevens. 

Stevens knows exactly what Higgins has felt over the last few years, having lost both his appearances in Crucible finals in 2000 and 2005 - although he has not been a regular qualifier in recent times.

Two more players approaching veteran age - Williams and Alan McManus - have been paired together, while reigning UK champion Ding Junhui takes on Mark King and Masters champion Stuart Bingham faces Ashley Carty. 

Bingham is one of eight former champions in the draw along with Trump, Higgins, Williams, O'Sullivan, Selby, Robertson and Shaun Murphy. 

By contrast, world number 82 Carty, of Rotherham, is one of five Crucible debutants with his lowly ranking requiring him to come through three preliminary rounds. 

The other debutants are Elliot Slessor, Alexander Ursenbacher, Jordan Brown, and Jamie Clarke - who take on Yan Bingtao, former finalist Barry Hawkins, Selby, and Mark Allen respectively.

Gateshead-born Slessor flies the flag for Tyneside in the absence of Wallsend's Gary Wilson who was beaten by Ursenbacher as the Swiss number one ensures his nation becomes the 19th country to be represented in Crucible history. 

Meanwhile, Clarke - at 89, the lowest-ranked player in the draw - completed this year's line-up as he fended off a comeback from Sunny Akani to become the 16th, and final, qualifier.

The line-up is complete then - but there has already been a result with Kyren Wilson awarded a walkover victory over Anthony Hamilton who has withdrawn. 

Hamilton, who has severe asthma, had criticised the decision by World Snooker to allow 300 spectators to attend. 

"I am absolutely gutted not to be playing," said the Sheriff of Pottingham. "It is the best tournament and the Crucible is the home of snooker.

"It has been a really difficult decision for me. However, due to my health condition, after careful consideration I have decided not to play in the final stages."

If anything, O'Sullivan has been even more critical of the playing conditions, and likened him and his fellow professionals to" "lab-rats". 

O'Sullivan said: "I defy anybody if they have been keeping their distance from people for four months to say, oh right, now you've got to go into a room full of people - unless you have got a death wish, and some people have in many ways and they just don't care.

"So I totally respect where Anthony is coming from, and where other people are coming from - they want crowds in there, they want things back to normal. We have a choice - we don't have to go and play. We all run a bit of a risk.

"I have the option not to play but I've decided to play. Maybe with 5,000 fans I could see it's a bit of an income you're going to lose, but 200 fans, is it really?

"Maybe they have to start doing a test on crowds at some point and I've heard people say they're treating the snooker event a little bit like lab rats - you've got to start somewhere, start with snooker players.

"Less insurance to pay out for Anthony Hamilton than there is for Lewis Hamilton." 

For their part, World Snooker responded in a statement: “For the Betfred World Championship to be designated as the first indoor sporting event to be held with a crowd within the UK is a fantastic triumph for not only the World Snooker Tour but all of our partners. 

"Independent and government advisers will be on site supporting WST and Sheffield Theatres, observing and assisting in ensuring that the measures which we have put in place are effective.”

But, with the coronavirus continuing to wreak havoc across England and beyond, this will be a World Snooker Championship like no other.

As such, a wise old head like Higgins - who has seen it all before, good and bad - would seem like a solid enough bet to go one better than in the previous three years.

World Snooker final: Selby seals second Crucible title

2016 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL 
 Ding JUNHUI 14-18 Mark SELBY (2)

Session one (2-6): 8-125 (91), 68-70 (DJ 52), 43-101 (76), 0-124 (120), 0-100 (70), 38-77, 68-47, 107-14
Session two (5-4): 22-73, 92-30 (76), 103-1 (103), 93-49 (89), 1-71, 86-0 (86), 82-52 (55), 25-86, 27-67
Session three (4-4): 121–7 (89), 61–56, 11–126 (126), 103–0 (103), 43–75 (52), 9-118 (68), 69-1 (52), 11-75 (55)
Session four (3-4): 0-103 (57), 60-67 (DJ 60), 87-0 (73), 108-0 (70), 103-0 (103), 11–59, 0-74 (74)

WORLD number one Mark Selby sealed a second world title after defeating Chinese opponent Ding Junhui 18-14 at the Crucible in Sheffield.

Selby, known as the Jester from Leicester, made a 74 break in the 32nd frame to take victory at the relatively early time of 10.08pm.

Earlier on in the final, Selby had taken a commanding 6-0 lead - something which came as a surprise as he had endured a tough semi final, including a Crucible record 76-minute frame, against Marco Fu.

Understandably, though, the hitherto fluent Ding was nervous in his first world final appearance and almost shed tears of relief when he finally got on the board after Selby had missed a blue in the seventh frame.

Ding also won the eighth and last frame of the first session to set up what appeared to be a fascinating Sunday evening.

Indeed, the suspense and tension only grew as the 29-year-old Chinese player took three of the first four frames, and four of the first six, to reduce his arrears further to 8-6.

At this stage, Selby - despite having held the lead from the start - was playing well within himself but, in what was to become a theme of the match, the 32-year-old came back and regained control of the match.

The 15th frame became an epic, lasting more than an hour. More than just that though, at least three-quarters of the time was spent with Selby chasing two snookers.

Of course, Selby was quite accustomed to long frames after his record tussle on the previous day against Fu - and, in all, he laid 13 snookers.

And, while Ding prevailed to drag the score back to 8-7, the frame knocked the Chinese Dragon out of his rhythm, and Selby subsequently took the last two frames to lead by three overnight.

Again neither of those were classics and, in another long frame, the 17th and last of the night, Selby wasted two easy chances to end the session by potting the green.

In a role reversal, Ding had put Selby through the wringer, laying nine snookers - but the Jester, his eyes red raw with tiredness by the end, still escaped with a handsome lead.

Ominously, the bank holiday Monday afternoon session threatened to be more of the same slow grind as, despite a promising 89 from Ding in the first frame of the day, the balls then went awkward in the second.

Ding again took it, surprisingly outlasting Selby in a 50-minute ordeal by winning on the final black - the gap was back down to one at 10-9.

Selby, though, knocked in what would be the highest break of the match with a run of 126 to a restore a two-frame advantage.

But then, incredibly, Ding responded with his own century of 103 and the mid-session interval had come sooner than anyone had imagined.

The latter part of the third session, though, went to Selby as he again wrestled control of the match by taking three of the last four frames to lead 14-11.

With only four more frames required for victory, it was no surprise to see Selby start the evening quickly and he took the first two frames to extend his advantage to 16-11.

Nevertheless, the 27th frame really should have fallen to Ding after his break of 60. Selby's 33 clearance, however, meant he had only once previously been in a stronger position in the match, and that was at 6-0 up.

At this stage, there was a genuine concern that Ding might wilt - instead, though, he came out fighting valiantly and breaks of 73, 103, and 70 put the final back in the balance.

Incidentally, the 103 break took the number of centuries at the 2016 World Championship up to 86, level with the Crucible record set last year.

But, unlike this fine tournament as a whole, this final never seemed destined to be a true classic.

Clinical Selby made sure of that, winning a 51-minute frame to go 17-14 up before a carefully-constructed 74 break put the matter beyond doubt.

Just as Leicester City were winning the Premier League, courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur drawing against Chelsea, the Jester from Leicester was making his own big impact on the world of sport.

"It is fantastic," he said afterwards. "It was very special to win it two years ago, but I felt under a lot more pressure now than I did two years ago.

"It was a tough final and, with the amount of pressure Ding is under from China alone, to play like that - I can't imagine how he could do that."

Yes - as much as this final was for Selby and his position as a multiple snooker world champion, it was also a massive deal for Ding and the country of China.

Ding was the first Asian in a world snooker final and his appearance came in the context of him having badly lost his way before this year's tournament.

His surprising fall to 17th in the rankings meant he was forced to qualify for the Crucible for only the second time in his professional career.

And, though he commendably knuckled down and won his three qualifying matches with ease, his record in Sheffield - one semi final in nine attempts - was unpromising to say the least.

However, in a first round victory over Martin Gould and a 13-10 triumph over Judd Trump - which sounds more dominant than it was - Ding had played himself into form.

The Jiangsu potter then beat two-time winner Mark Williams in the quarter finals 13-3 with a session to spare and, remarkably, ended up as favourite for his semi final against fellow qualifier, 45-year-old Alan McManus.

Five centuries in the opening nine frames threatened to blow the Scotsman away and, though McManus came back, an audacious attempt at a 147 in the 20th frame - which only failed on the 15th black - showed Ding was always going to have too much.

In much the same way in the Final, Selby capitalised on his status as favourite and his early dominance ultimately proved vital in him joining a pantheon of greats.

Since 1969, only Stephen Hendry (7), Steve Davis (6), Ray Reardon (6), Ronnie O'Sullivan (5), John Higgins (4), John Spencer (3), Alex Higgins (2), and Mark Williams (2) have won more than one world crown.

And, indeed, in an annus mirabilis for sport in the city of Leicester, it seemed destined Selby would add himself to the list.

EARLIER RESULTS

FIRST ROUND
Best of 19 frames

	(1) Stuart Bingham	9-10	Ali Carter
	(16) Stephen Maguire	7-10	Alan McManus
	(9) Ricky Walden	10-8	Robbie Williams
	(8) John Higgins	10-3	Ryan Day
	(5) Judd Trump	10-8	Liang Wenbo
	(12) Martin Gould	8-10	Ding Junhui
	(13) Mark Williams	10-4	Graeme Dott
	(4) Neil Robertson	6-10	Michael Holt
	(3) Shaun Murphy	8-10	Anthony McGill
	(14) Marco Fu	10-2	Peter Ebdon
	(11) Barry Hawkins	10-5	Zhang Anda
	(6) Ronnie O'Sullivan	10-7	David Gilbert
	(7) Mark Allen	10-3	Mitchell Mann
	(10) Joe Perry	9-10	Kyren Wilson
	(15) Michael White	7-10	Sam Baird
	(2) Mark Selby	10-6	Robert Milkins

SECOND ROUND
Best of 25 frames

	Ali Carter	11-13	Alan McManus
	(9) Ricky Walden	8-13	John Higgins (8)
	(5) Judd Trump	10-13	Ding Junhui
	(13) Mark Williams	13-8	Michael Holt
	Anthony McGill	9-13	Marco Fu (14)
	(11) Barry Hawkins	13-12	Ronnie O'Sullivan (6)
	(7) Mark Allen	9-13	Kyren Wilson
	Sam Baird	11-13	Mark Selby (2)

QUARTER FINALS
Best of 25 frames

	Alan McManus	13-11	John Higgins (8)
	Ding Junhui	13-3	Mark Williams (13)
	(14) Marco Fu	13-11	Barry Hawkins (11)
	Kyren Wilson	8-13	Mark Selby (2)

SEMI FINALS
Best of 33 frames

	Alan McManus	11-17	Ding Junhui
	(14) Marco Fu	15-17	Mark Selby (2)

CENTURIES (86) - joint record with 2015
143 Kyren Wilson
141 Barry Hawkins
140 Michael Holt
139 Ronnie O'Sullivan
138 Marco Fu, Ding Junhui
136 Marco Fu, Alan McManus
135 Marco Fu
134 Mark Selby
133 Mark Selby
132 Mark Selby, Ding Junhui
131 Ding Junhui
130 Kyren Wilson
129 Kyren Wilson
128 Alan McManus, Ding Junhui
126 Mark Selby
125 David Gilbert, Alan McManus, Mark Selby
124 Ronnie O'Sullivan
123 Ding Junhui
122 Mark Allen
121 John Higgins
120 Mark Selby
119 Anthony McGill, Alan McManus
118 Ronnie O'Sullivan
117 Anthony McGill, Liang Wenbo
115 Michael Holt, Mark Selby
114 Alan McManus, Marco Fu
113 Stuart Bingham, Ding Junhui
112 Ding Junhui
111 Marco Fu, Martin Gould
110 Ding Junhui
109 Shaun Murphy, Michael Holt, Ding Junhui
108 Sam Baird, Marco Fu
107 Liang Wenbo, Neil Robertson, John Higgins, Alan McManus
106 Judd Trump (2)
105 Shaun Murphy, John Higgins (2)
104 Mark Allen, Robbie Williams
103 Sam Baird, Ali Carter, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Kyren Wilson, Mark Allen (2), Ding Junhui (3)
102 Ali Carter, Mark Williams, Michael White, Marco Fu, Barry Hawkins, Ricky Walden
101 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby (2), John Higgins
100 John Higgins, Ding Junhui (3), Sam Baird, Ali Carter, Marco Fu (2)

Selby takes on the Crucible Curse

MARK SELBY will become the latest man to take on the Crucible Curse when he begins the defence of his first snooker world title today against Kurt Maflin.

The Curse, which has affected even the greats like six-time winner Steve Davis and seven-time champion Stephen Hendry, has ensured no first-time winner has successfully defended their crown.

Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998 have come closest to this achievement, reaching the Final before losing to Davis and John Higgins respectively.

But the fact that only Davis, Hendry and, more recently, Ronnie O'Sullivan have won any sort of back-to-back titles at the Sheffield venue shows just how difficult it is.

Indeed, it would be a surprise if Selby was to break the mould. It is not that the Jester from Leicester has turned into a bad player - but his status as the defending champion will always lend itself to a bit of extra pressure.

And that is not always something he has dealt with, as he has admitted himself.

Still, it would be a massive shock if Selby lost in the first round to World Championship debutant Maflin who - though born in Lewisham - lives in Oslo and represents Norway following naturalisation.

Instead, Selby's biggest threat in the top quarter of the draw would appear to come from fellow-Englishman Shaun Murphy.

The 2005 world champion cued beautifully to win his first Masters title at the Alexandra Palace in January, eventually thrashing Neil Robertson 10-2 in the Final.

Murphy also seems to have an altogether much more relaxed outlook on life after a rollercoaster start to his career.

For, when the Magician won his world title 10 years ago, he was aged just 22 - becoming the second-youngest champion after Hendry.

He was also only the third qualifier ever to win and had been 150/1 with the bookmakers at the start of the tournament.

The success did not last - and was even considered in some quarters to be a complete flash-in-the-pan until the 2008-09 season brought him a UK Championship title and another Crucible final appearance.

Still, though, the lack of a second world title drove him to the verge of quitting, something he openly admits in a revealing interview on the BBC Sport website.

"There were a few dark years when I wasn't practising enough, was doing too many golf days and charity events," said Murphy.

"Then when I started putting the hard work in, banging balls in all day long, day after day, I still wasn't getting anything for it.

"Losing 6-1 to Mark Selby in the semi-finals of the Masters last year was almost the final nail in the coffin. I could have easily walked away from snooker there and then."

But, without much of a fall-back plan, Murphy persisted - and victory in the Masters meant he completed snooker's prestigious Triple Crown.

Another run of form like that over the next 17 days and the Harlow-born 32-year-old will be a massive threat - he is my tip to emerge from the top quarter.

The second quarter is dominated by the presence of Australian Robertson - the only former world champion of the section.

By his standards, the Aussie has not had a particularly great season with the Wuxi Classic - played last June - his only ranking title of the campaign.

He also seems to have got into the nasty habit of giving his opponent the initiative early on in his matches.

In the Final of the Masters, he was blown away by Murphy before he even had a chance of getting into the game.

Similarly, the Thunder from Down Under found himself 5-0 down to Graeme Dott in the fourth round of the UK Championships in York before a stunning comeback to 5-5 ultimately failed.

At least, in this respect, the marathon format at the World Championships favours Robertson - and he also has a good record against his likely second-round opponent Ali Carter.

A place in the semi finals is the least Robertson would expect of himself - but, on current form, it would be difficult to see him going past this stage.

Quarter three is headed nominally by world number three Ding Junhui - but, with only one quarter final and one semi final in eight previous Crucible appearances, the Chinese has little World Championship pedigree.

Instead, Higgins leads the way in the section with four world titles - though his overall reputation is little recovered from the infamous News of the World sting operation.

Judd Trump, then, is the talent who most people will be keeping their eye on for a run deep into the tournament - and, as the last player to start his campaign on Wednesday night, the 2011 runner-up will be itching to get under way.

In the bottom quarter, Welsh friends Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens have been paired in what promises to be an entertaining repeat of the dramatic 2000 World Championship Final, won 18-16 by Williams.

The section, though, is dominated by five-time champion O'Sullivan who, like Trump, is another relatively late starter this year.

O'Sullivan is also inevitably the bookmakers' favourite - but, following his defeat in the Final last year, the Rocket seems to have arrived in Sheffield to less of a fanfare than usual.

His absence from the China Open last month for unspecified "health reasons" suggests his mind may not be as firmly on the game as it could be.

And, in a recent interview with the Guardian, he was typically enigmatic about his future, both in the short-term and the long.

Now aged 39, O'Sullivan knows there might not be many more chances for him to catch Davis and Hendry.

Nevertheless, with his standing in the game already assured in his own right, this is undoubtedly something for the writers and pundits to obsess about, rather than O'Sullivan himself. 

World Snooker: Champion O'Sullivan tames his chimp - and so have I

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN returned to Sheffield this week with a chance of joining Steve Davis and Ray Reardon on six world titles by winning a third successive crown at the Crucible.

Often associated with being an underachiever in his younger days, victory at the end of the 17-day marathon would give O'Sullivan's talent a more deserved standing in the snooker record books.

After all, only Stephen Hendry - who won seven world titles between 1990 and 1999 - would then have more in the modern era.

O'Sullivan, seeded number one as defending champ, began his campaign by beating Finnish qualifier Robin Hull 10-4 on the first day of competition to set up a meeting with Joe Perry in the last 16.

Looking further ahead again, O'Sullivan could play Shaun Murphy or Marco Fu in the quarter finals, but, of course, nothing is for certain in Sheffield where some big names have already dropped out.

Debutant Michael Wasley has caused the biggest stir so far, beating world number two Ding Junhui in a final frame decider.

Ding had been tipped to do well after winning five ranking events this season, the first player to achieve this feat since Hendry in 1990/91.

But his record at the Crucible remains disappointing with only one semi final and one quarter final appearance from his eight attempts.

Four-time champion John Higgins also went out at the first time of asking to compatriot Alan McManus - who, at 43, set up a golden oldie last 16 tie with 44-year-old Dubliner Ken Doherty.

Doherty, champion in 1997, rolled back the years, winning each of the last seven frames of his match to beat number six seed Stuart Bingham 10-5.

Meanwhile, Stephen Maguire was another seed who failed to make it through as, like Ding, he also lost in a final frame in which Welshman Ryan Day was the winner.

By contrast, seeds Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy survived their last frame shootouts against Michael White and Jamie Cope, respectively.

And so, at this early stage, O'Sullivan's odds with all the major bookmakers have actually shortened further so that he is already odds-on to retain his title again. 

Undoubtedly, O'Sullivan will pay no heed to that - but it is often said, with some justification, that his biggest opponent is himself.

Indeed, this is something which he acknowledges in his second autobiography, Running, a title intentionally chosen as it demonstrates how athletics has become his new addiction.

Always a keen runner in his youth, O'Sullivan explains how his regular runs have replaced his previous addictions to drink and drugs, and how they have helped him cope with his troubles away from the table.

These have been numerous - most notably, though, O'Sullivan refers to his breakdown following his father's murder conviction and the painful break-up with the mother of his children.

The latter even forced O'Sullivan into a self-imposed exile immediately after his 2012 triumph - "I couldn't balance work, family and the custody battle, and work had to give".

Incredibly, when he returned after his year out, he won at the Crucible again - but he remains a troubled genius with a genuine love-hate relationship for his sport.

Matters are improving, though - and, while much of this is to do with O'Sullivan's running, it can also be attributed to his work with Dr Steve Peters which began in 2011.

O'Sullivan describes how his psychiatrist has got him on a much more even keel during his matches and tournaments - and, indeed, in life generally - with theories from his book, The Chimp Paradox.

I have not read The Chimp Paradox myself (yet!) but I understand exactly what O'Sullivan means when he explains about the brain having a rational section to it - the human - and emotional, but often highly irrational, section to it - the chimp.

Both are required to make us who we are - the emotional, irrational side can do damaging things but, without it, we would be automatons.

The key to success is to harness them both so that you can more easily accept who you are as a person.

Nevertheless, for sufferers of low self-esteem, like O'Sullivan and myself, this can be really difficult with the chimp regularly chirping ideas of self-doubt.

But, just as O'Sullivan has worked with his therapist to challenge the negative beliefs about himself, I am able more easily to do this myself - or at least find a way of coping with bouts of anxiety and the uncomfortable physical sensations which come with it.

I still get a tight chest and a lump in the throat when I am feeling anxious about something, and I still get this quite regularly for pretty irrational reasons.

However, I have much more ability to prevent this from spiralling into outright panic as it used to.

After all, I know that it is only a surge of adrenaline - and it will pass. And that, once it passes, I am almost always absolutely fine - whether I am at work or with friends or anything, really.

There is still work to be done - in terms of challenging underlying beliefs about myself so that I am more confident, look after myself better, and worry about things less generally.

I am much better than this time last year, though, when I was in a very dark place having given up this blog and been signed off work for two months with - as the doctor's note put it - "emotional exhaustion and extreme anxiety".

O'Sullivan dedicates a chapter in his book to his own various heroes - and it is fair to say that he is a snooker hero of mine.

I love watching him play and especially when he is in full flow like he was in the Masters this year, beating Ricky Walden 6-0 in one match inside an hour's playing time.

I could also watch the sheer perfection of his record fastest maximum break over and over again - and I obviously hope he can produce something like that and win again this week.

Whatever happens, though, I just hope he continues taming his chimp - and I can keep mine in check too! 


FIRST ROUND
Best of 19 frames

	Ronnie O'Sullivan (1)	10-4	Robin Hull
	Joe Perry (16)	10-7	Jamie Burnett
	Shaun Murphy (9)	10-9	Jamie Cope
	Marco Fu (8)	10-7	Martin Gould
	Barry Hawkins (5)	10-4	David Gilbert
	Ricky Walden (12)	10-7	Kyren Wilson
	Mark Davis (13)	5-10	Dominic Dale
	Ding Junhui (4)	9-10	Michael Wasley
	Mark Selby (3)	10-9	Michael White
	Ali Carter (14)	10-8	Xiao Guodong
	John Higgins (11)	7-10	Alan McManus
	Stuart Bingham (6)	5-10	Ken Doherty
	Judd Trump (7)	10-8	Tom Ford
	Stephen Maguire (10)	9-10	Ryan Day
	Mark Allen (15)	10-4	Michael Holt
	Neil Robertson (2)	10-2	Robbie Williams

SECOND ROUND
Best of 25 frames

	Ronnie O'Sullivan (1)	13-11	Joe Perry (16)
	Shaun Murphy (9)	13-8	Marco Fu (8)
	Barry Hawkins (5)	13-11	Ricky Walden (12)
	Dominic Dale	13-4	Michael Wasley
	Mark Selby (3)	13-9	Ali Carter (14)
	Alan McManus	13-8	Ken Doherty
	Judd Trump (7)	13-7	Ryan Day
	Mark Allen (15)	7-13	Neil Robertson (2)

QUARTER FINALS
Best of 25 frames

	Ronnie O'Sullivan (1)	13-3	Shaun Murphy (9)
	Barry Hawkins (5)	13-12	Dominic Dale
	Mark Selby (3)	13-5	Alan McManus
	Judd Trump (7)	11-13	Neil Robertson (2)

SEMI FINALS
Best of 33 frames

	Ronnie O'Sullivan (1)	17-7	Barry Hawkins (5)
	Mark Selby (3)	17-15	Neil Robertson (2)

CENTURY BREAKS (56)
140 Neil Robertson
137 Ricky Walden, Neil Robertson
136 Ding Junhui, Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan
135 Michael Wasley
134 Stephen Maguire, Barry Hawkins
133 Mark Selby
131 Ronnie O'Sullivan
132 Neil Robertson
130 Ryan Day, Neil Robertson
124 Ronnie O'Sullivan (x2), Marco Fu
118 Ronnie O'Sullivan
117 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump
116 Marco Fu
115 Barry Hawkins
113 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson
112 Shaun Murphy, Ricky Walden, Ronnie O'Sullivan
111 Jamie Burnett, John Higgins
110 Ali Carter, Mark Selby
109 Ricky Walden, Marco Fu, Mark Selby
108 Michael Wasley, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson
107 Alan McManus, Ryan Day, Judd Trump
106 Dominic Dale, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Barry Hawkins
104 Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby
103 Michael Wasley, Neil Robertson, Ronnie O'Sullivan
102 Robin Hull, Neil Robertson, Ali Carter, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan
101 Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson
100 Neil Robertson

CENTURY MAKERS
12 Ronnie O'Sullivan
10 Neil Robertson
4 Barry Hawkins, Marco Fu, Mark Selby
3 Shaun Murphy, Ricky Walden, Michael Wasley
2 Judd Trump, Ali Carter, Ryan Day
1 Dominic Dale, Alan McManus, Jamie Burnett, Ding Junhui, John Higgins, Robin Hull, Stephen Maguire

World Snooker: Trump fairytale faces Final test

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011
SEMI FINALS
(Best of 33 frames)

Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui (5) 17-15
John Higgins (2) beat Mark J Williams (3) 17-14

JUDD TRUMP will become the second-youngest World Snooker finalist when he takes on three-time champion John Higgins at the Crucible tomorrow.

Bristolian Trump, 21, held his nerve to defeat China's Ding Junhui 17-15, hours before Higgins reached his fourth final by beating Mark Williams 17-14.

Both semi finals were exhilarating and played to a magnificent standard. It was clear that each of the players merited a place in the last four.

The Trump-Ding tie opened up with a century apiece before Trump took control by winning four of the next six frames to lead 5-3.

Ding reduced his deficit to one frame at the start of the second session with a 91 break but Trump then won the next two frames to open up a three-frame advantage.

From then, though, Trump really struggled and failed to show the extravagant style which had been evident in his earlier matches.

Ding dominated the afternoon with five straight frames to turn his two-frame deficit into a 9-7 lead.

It was a magnificent turnaround and there were fears that Trump would not be able to turn the tide when Ding's 64 break made it 10-7 at the start of session three.

However, Trump was happy to prove the doubters wrong by reprising his attacking approach for the rest of the third session.

It paid dividends as he won five of the next six frames to go 12-11 ahead with breaks of 67, 77, 61, 102 and 123 but Ding then drew level again with a run of 87.

Resuming at 12-12, Trump attempted to regain control of the match once again by winning the opening two frames.

But Ding responded with a knock of 138, the joint highest break of the tournament, before making a brilliant clearance to come from 53 points down to level the match back up again at 14-14.

Ding then hit yet another century to hold the lead for the first time in the session but the threat of defeat only seemed to spur the indefatigable Trump on further.

Frame 30 should have also been won by Ding but Trump recovered a 48-point deficit before using that momentum to push on.

Trump went to within one frame of victory with a 68 break before compiling an outstanding 105 break to seal victory in typically audacious style.

Ding will be disappointed that he has failed to become the first Chinese player to reach the Final but he can be pleased that he went beyond the last 16 for the first time.

If nothing else, Ding has surely disproved the theory that he could not handle the Crucible pressure by producing some fine performances including this one in the semi final.

His time will come but, for now, the focus is undoubtedly on the Trump fairytale.

To be honest, the youngster could not face a trickier opponent than world number one Higgins but the Scotsman also had to work very hard for his place in the Final against the experienced Mark Williams.

Williams, who won the world title in 2000 and 2003, started their semi final brighter and led 5-3 at the end of the opening session.

The Welshman made it 6-3 and the start of session two before the next six frames were shared to ensure Williams would take an advantage into third session.

Higgins was in damage limitation mode and made sure he won a scrappy 16th frame to leave his arrears at just 9-7 meaning, somehow, he had tied the second session at 4-4 despite being thoroughly outplayed.

Williams would end up paying for not taking greater advantage of his dominance but the punishment for his profligacy did not come immediately.

The players split the opening four frames of the third session, putting Williams 11-9 ahead - but, from then on, it was all Higgins and the Wishaw man took four successive frames to lead 13-11.

Williams needed to respond, and he did, winning two of the opening three frames. This run included a break of 105 which featured 14 reds and 13 blacks but Williams was denied the maximum after going in-off having potted the 14th black.

Higgins was also playing well, though, and he showed his level had not dropped either with a brilliant run of 123 to go 15-13 up.

Williams reduced the lead back to one frame with another fine break, this time of 84, but Higgins edged frame 30 to put him within sight of victory.

Another scrappy frame followed and Higgins looked set for victory until Williams began to compile of 64 break.

After missing several chances on the final red, though, the Welshman could do nothing as Higgins cleared up to reach yet another Final.

However, Williams should not be too disappointed with his efforts this year in Sheffield.

Having tumbled worryingly down the rankings just a couple of years ago, his place in the semi finals confirmed a return to form this season and Ebbw Vale man will surely win further titles before the end of his career.

This time, though, Williams can only watch on as the legendary master Higgins and the flamboyant apprentice Trump slug it out over a maximum of 35 frames for snooker's greatest title.


EARLIER RESULTS:

QUARTER FINALS
(Best of 25 frames)

Judd Trump beat Graeme Dott (9) 13-5
Ding Junhui (5) beat Mark Selby (4) 13-10

Mark J Williams (3) beat Mark Allen (11) 13-5
John Higgins (2) beat Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) 13-10

SECOND ROUND
(Best of 25 frames)

Judd Trump beat Martin Gould 13-6
Graeme Dott (9) beat Allister Carter (8) 13-11


Ding Junhui (5) beat Stuart Bingham 13-12
Mark Selby (4) beat Stephen Hendry (13) 13-4


Mark J Williams (3) beat Jamie Cope (14) 13-4
Mark Allen (11) beat Barry Hawkins 13-12


Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Shaun Murphy (7) 13-10
John Higgins (2) beat Rory McLeod 13-7

FIRST ROUND
(Best of 19 frames)

Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson (1) 10-8
Martin Gould beat Marco Fu (16) 10-8
Graeme Dott (9) beat Mark King 10-7
Allister Carter (8) beat Dave Harold 10-3

Ding Junhui (5) beat Jamie Burnett 10-2
Stuart Bingham beat Peter Ebdon (12) 10-8
Stephen Hendry (13) beat Joe Perry 10-9
Mark Selby (4) beat Jimmy Robertson 10-1

Mark J Williams (3) beat Ryan Day 10-5
Jamie Cope (14) beat Andrew Pagett 10-7
Mark Allen (11) beat Matthew Stevens 10-9 
Barry Hawkins beat Stephen Maguire (6) 10-9

Shaun Murphy (7) beat Marcus Campbell 10-1
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Dominic Dale 10-2
Rory McLeod beat Ricky Walden (15) 10-6
John Higgins (2) beat Stephen Lee 10-5