The Dafabet Masters gets underway at Alexandra Palace, north of London, this weekend as the countdown to the World Championship at Easter gains momentum.
The Masters is a valuable tournament in its own right and there are few venues in the UK more suited to snooker than Ally Pally. It doesn’t match the intimacy of The Crucible in Sheffield but has a far bigger capacity for spectators and there have been some famous encounters in the tournament in years gone by.
After the World Championship, it’s the longest-running event on the professional calendar and one of snooker’s unofficial Triple Crown, though is an invitational event and not a ranking one. First staged in 1975, between 1979 and 2006 it was staged at the old Wembley Conference Centre before it was switched to Wembley Arena – it’s been held at Alexandra Palace since 2012.
Masters Finalists Since 1975
Year Champions Runner-Up Final Score
1975 John Spencer Ray Reardon 9-8
1976 Ray Reardon Graham Miles 7-3
1977 Doug Mountjoy Ray Reardon 7-6
1978 Alex Higgins Cliff Thorburn 7-5
1979 Perrie Mans Alex Higgins 8-4
1980 Terry Griffiths Alex Higgins 9-5
1981 Alex Higgins Terry Griffiths 9-6
1982 Steve Davis Terry Griffiths 9-5
1983 Cliff Thorburn Ray Reardon 9-7
1984 Jimmy White Terry Griffiths 9-5
1985 Cliff Thorburn Doug Mountjoy 9-6
1986 Cliff Thorburn Jimmy White 9-5
1987 Dennis Taylor Alex Higgins 9-8
1988 Steve Davis Mike Hallett 9-0
1989 Stephen Hendry John Parrott 9-6
1990 Stephen Hendry John Parrott 9-4
1991 Stephen Hendry Mike Hallett 9-8
1992 Stephen Hendry John Parrott 9-4
1993 Stephen Hendry James Wattana 9-5
1994 Alan McManus Stephen Hendry 9-8
1995 Ronnie O’Sullivan John Higgins 9-3
1996 Stephen Hendry Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-5
1997 Steve Davis Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-8
1998 Mark Williams Stephen Hendry 10-9
1999 John Higgins Ken Doherty 10-8
2000 Matthew Steve Ken Doherty 10-8
2001 Paul Hunter Fergal O’Brian 10-9
2002 Paul Hunter Mark Williams 10-9
2003 Mark Williams Stephen Hendry 10-4
2004 Paul Hunter Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9
2005 Ronnie O’Sullivan John Higgins 10-3
2006 John Higgins Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9
2007 Ronnie O’Sullivan Ding Junhui 10-3
2008 Mark Selby Stephen Lee 10-3
2009 Ronnie O’Sullivan Mark Selby 10-8
2010 Mark Selby Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-9
2011 Ding Junhui Marco Fu 10-4
2012 Neil Robertson Shaun Murphy 10-6
2013 Mark Selby Neil Robertson 10-6
2014 Ronnie O’Sullivan Mark Selby 10-4
2015 Shaun Murphy Neil Robertson 10-2
2016 Ronnie O’Sullivan Stuart Bingham 10-1
2017 Ronnie O’Sullivan Joe Perry 10-7
2018 Mark Allen Kyren Wilson 10-7
Defending champion Mark Allen has been drawn against Luca Brecel in the first round of the Dafabet Masters. Only the world’s top 16 players have the chance to compete for the £200,000 top prize among total prize money of £600,000. The winner will get to own the Paul Hunter Trophy, named in honour of the late three-times winner, for 12 months and competition is likely to be fierce.
Allen won the title for the first time last season, beating Kyren Wilson in the final. Seven-times winner Ronnie O’Sullivan will begin his bid for an eighth title against former world champion Stuart Bingham but is in the same half of the draw as Allen, whom he beat in the final of UK Championship before the Northern Irishman went on to win in Scotland the following week. Allen, however, came out on top when the pair clashed in the Masters last year and has developed into a world-class player. He is a huge 11/1with BetVictor compared to the general 9/4 against The Rocket.
World Champion Mark Williams (a general 12/1) faces Neil Robertson (a general 16/1) in the first round, while Judd Trump (a general 8/1)will take on Kyren Wilson (16/1 with Betfred) in a repeat of last years’s semi-final which Wilson won in the final frame.
Dafabet Masters 2019 Full Draw
Mark Allen v Luca Brecel – Sunday January 13 at 1pm
Ding Junhui v Jack Lisowski – Monday January 14 at 7pm
John Higgins v Ryan Day – Sunday January 13 at 7pm
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Stuart Bingham – Monday January 14 at 1pm
Mark Selby v Stephen Maguire – Wednesday January 16 at 7pm
Judd Trump v Kyren Wilson – Wednesday January 16 at 1pm
Barry Hawkins v Shaun Murphy – Tuesday January 15 at 7pm
Mark Williams v Neil Robertson – Tuesday January 15 at 1pm
Quarter-finals:
QF1 (Allen / Brecel v Ding / Lisowksi): Thursday January 17 at 7pm
QF2 (Higgins / Day v O’Sullivan / Bingham): Thursday January 17 at 1pm
QF3 (Selby / Maguire v Trump / Wilson): Friday January 18 at 1pm
QF4 (Hawkins / Murphy v Williams / Robertson): Friday January 18 at 7pm
Semi-finals:
Winner QF1 v Winner QF2: Saturday January 19 at 1pm
Winner QF3 v Winner QF4: Saturday January 19 at 7pm
Final: Sunday January 20 at 1pm and 7pm
It is sometimes forgotten that Mark Selby is actually the world number one, such has been his poor form since winning the China Championship last September. But there have been signs of a revival lately and he may be pacing himself to peak in time for the World Championship. The format of the Masters should play to his strengths as he tends to warm up gradually and the general 8/1 is possibly disrespectful of his ability given he is in the opposite half of the draw to O’Sullivan and Allen and has already won the Masters three times. A Mark Selby/Ronnie O’Sullivan final can be backed at 8/1 with BetVictor.
Dafabet Masters Snooker Outright Winner Current Best Odds
Ronnie O’Sullivan 9/4
Mark Selby and Judd Trump 8/1
Mark Allen 11/1
Mark Williams 12/1
John Higgins 14/1
Neil Robertson and Kyren Wilson 16/1
Ding Junhui 18/1
Barry Hawkins 20/1
Shaun Murphy 25/1
Jack Lisowski and Stuart Bingham 33/1
Ryan Day 40/1
Stephen Maguire 66/1
Luca Brecel 100/1
(Odds correct at 10.30am January 9)
