UK Championship

Four times previous winner Ronnie O’Sullivan is a best 11/4 with Blue Square, Paddy Power and 888sport to win the UK Championships again in Telford over the next week following his demolition of Shaun Murphy in the final of the Premier League last weekend. When in the mood, there is no doubt that ‘The Rocket’ is in a class of his own. But the draw hasn’t exactly been kind to the man from Essex, who once famously walked out of a quarter-final match against Stephen Hendry at the Telford International Centre. Also in O’Sullivan’s section of the draw are holder Ding Junhui (18/1 with Boylesports), the fast-improving Tom Ford (a general 150/1) and a back-to-form Matthew Stevens. The Welshman, 70/1 with Boylesports and Eurosport) has qualified for all 12 ranking tournaments this season and has shown an increased maturity of late. World Open champion and world number one Neil Robertson could easily emerge unscathed from the bottom half of the draw so an each-way bet on the general 8/1 could return a dividend but, for the winner, we are going to concentrate on the second quarter. John Higgins couldn’t have wished for a more successful return to the big time after serving his controversial ban. The Scot won a tournament in Germany on his return to action and reached the final of another in the Czech Republic. Clearly his exile has blunted neither his ability nor enthusiasm and Higgins will feel he has a point to prove in Telford this week. At a best 10/1 with Boylesports and sportingbet, bookmakers are erring on the side of caution but with probably only Mark Selby barring a possible quarter-final place, there are worse investments this week. Of the remainder, Mark Williams (12/1 with extrabet) and Shanghai Masters winner Ali Carter (18/1 with bwin) are worthy of respect but we’ll stick with Higgins to continue his renaissance.

Pukka Pies UK Championship
Telford
December 5 – 13

Shaun Murphy, Mark Williams, Stephen Maguire and Mark King have all safely made their way through the second round of the UK Snooker Championships in Telford. The tournament, otherwise less-glamorously known at the Pukka Pies UK Championship, brings together the best in the world to try and claim this coveted title. The tournament is regarded as snooker’s second most important ranking event, as it rewards players with extra ranking points to that of other tournaments. The UK Championships is a long tournament, with all matches being the best of 17 frames. When it comes to the final on December 13th, it will be contested over the best of 19 frames.

Shaun Murphy began the defence of his title after beating Gerard Greene 9-5 in his opening match. One of the most interesting games of the first round however, is the meeting between the veteran Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. The two have come together many times over the years, with Hendy largely having the upper hand. Davis is there at the televised event, courtesy of coming through final qualifying round, and now the popular 52-year old will relish the chance to pit his wits against another of snooker’s great legends. The legend that is Steve Davis will no doubt draw a lot of UK Championship betting behind his appearance, and it will be good for the game to see him back on TV in a major tournament.

Steve Davis won the UK Championship four times in a row in the eighties between 1984 and 1987, with a total of 6 victories in the decade. His last win in 1987 being the final time that he achieved glory at the prestigious event. But now the Romford Slim, as he was famously dubbed by vociferous Geordie commentator Sid Waddell, is back and looking in good shape. The Steve Davis vs. Stephen Hendy match takes place on Sunday with sessions at 1pm and 7pm. Hendy won the UK Championships five times himself, twice against Davis, and the last time he claimed the title was in 1996.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, always in the snooker headlines for one reason or another, will start his campaign against Welshman Matthew Stevens. Stevens won the UK Championship in 2003, and had to come through qualifying to set up his first round clash with four times winner O’Sullivan. Rocket Ronnie O’Sullivan is still ranked as the World’s Number One, and the main threat to him in this tournament should be the defending champion Shaun Murphy. The draw however, looks to have favoured O’Sullivan in his quest to win back the title of the UK Championships, after he lost the title to Murphy last year. O’Sullivan’s opponent Stevens also had to come through qualifying to get to the televised stage of the tournament, and he did so with a 9-1 thrashing of Adrian Gunnell 9-1.

Current World Snooker Rankings
1. Ronnie O’Sullivan
2. Stephen Maguire
3. Shaun Murphy
4. John Higgins
5. Allister Carter
6. Ryan Day
7. Mark Selby
8. Marco Fu
9. Neil Robertson
10. Stephen Hendry
11. Mark Allen
12. Joe Perry
13. Ding Junhui
14. Peter Ebdon
15. Mark Williams
16. Mark King

Steve Davis v Stephen Hendry
Even though Steve Davis has seemed to have gained more popularity since he become a TV pundit on the game and the pool circuit, it is great to see him back at the table in the UK Championships. His personality during his reign was of a boring machine, but his witty demeanour in his commentating and pundit roles has made people see him in new light. It would be nice to see him progress and make his mark in the tournament again, but Hendy is still in the World Top 10 for a reason. His is still a phenomenal and dangerous player, even though his is not the force he once was.
Davis to win: 9/4 at SkyBet
Hendry to win: 2/5 at Boylesports

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. Matthew Stevens
The ambidextrous mercurial snooker talent that is Ronnie O’Sullivan can be a frustration and a joy to watch. When he is on top of his game he is untouchable, when he is not, he can still destroy opponents, even if his head may not be entirely in the game. Matthew Stevens has dropped a long way from his glory days, and while this could prove to be a great first round clash, O’Sullivan, as long as he is fresh, should still have enough form and quality to progress.
O’Sullivan to win: 1/3 at SkyBet
Stevens to win: 3/1 at Stan James

UK Championship Betting: Outright Winner Odds
Ronnie O’Sullivan – 4/1 at Bet365
Shaun Murphy – 6/1 at SkyBet
John Higgins – 7/1 at Totesport
Stephen Maguire – 9/1 at Totesport
Ding Junhui – 12/1 at 888Sport
Mark Selby – 14/1 at Ladbrokes

UK Championship first-round draw: (results in brackets)
Shaun Murphy (9) v Gerard Greene (5)
Ding Junhui v Mike Dunn
Mark Allen v Stephen Lee
Ali Carter v Rory McLeod
Marco Fu v Peter Lines
Mark Williams (9) v Graeme Dott (2)
Joe Perry v Stuart Bingham
Stephen Maguire (9) v Michael Holt (6)
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Matthew Stevens
Peter Ebdon v Judd Trump
Stephen Hendry v Steve Davis
Mark Selby v Jamie Cope
Ryan Day v Liang Wenbo
Mark King (9) v Anthony Hamilton (2)
Neil Robertson v Tom Ford
John Higgins v Ricky Walden

Given the format, it was no surprise to see Ronnie O’Sullivan capture his fifth straight Premier League title in Norfolk last week. The world number one brushed aside Mark Selby in the final in Norfolk in what is snooker’s equivalent to 20/20 cricket and is a general 5-2 to successfully defend his crown in the Maplin UK Championship, which gets under way at the Telford International Centre on December 13th.

The Chigwell Rocket is undoubtedly head and shoulders above his contemporaries when in the mood. But, in an interview published only this week, didn’t sound entirely happy with his lot at the moment stating that he’d never have the passion to equal Stephen Hendry‘s seven world titles. O’Sullivan could easily win this tournament in a canter but, in all honesty, I’d have to say betting on the outright winner in this is fraught with danger and it may be more profitable to try a tasty 5-1 treble on this weekend”s first round matches.

Ken Doherty is one of those kicking off proceedings and he looks a good bet at a general 8-13 to beat a woefully out-of-form Graeme Dott, while up-and-coming Judd Trump should see off Mark King at around 4-7. On Sunday, I like the look of Andrew Higginson against Peter Ebdon. The Widnes cueman had a disappointing time of it last season but has strung together a few decent frames in tournament qualifying of late, suggesting something of a revival is on the cards. At 7-5 with Boylesport, he looks a fair price to beat a former champion who’s been on a downward spiral for a while now.

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