World Championship 2012 – Snooker Betting (April 21 – May 7)

In-form Murphy makes plenty of appeal at the Crucible

Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy © GEPA pictures

John Higgins has won the World Snooker Championship three times in the last five years and four times in total. However, he’s never won back-to-back titles (nobody has since Stephen Hendry landed the sixth of his seven world titles in 1996) and the Scot has been woefully out of form so far this season. Of course, a return to the Crucible could spark a revival but, after defeat by the likes of Li Yan, James Jones, David Morris and Dechawat Poomjaeng since last May’s triumph, no-one in their right mind could view the general 9/1 as any kind of value. Indeed, it would probably come as no surprise if he failed to get past general 150/1 outsider Liang Wenbo in the first round.

Judd Trump was immediately installed as favourite after the draw was made and remains market leader (a best 11/2 with bodog). Last year’s losing finalist is the new golden boy of snooker and is currently ranked second in the world. The 22-year-old won the UK Championship in York earlier this season but has not scaled the same heights since, despite reaching the semi-finals of the Masters. A quarter-final defeat by Stephen Lee in the recent China Open suggests Trump has problems at present and he simply looks too short in the betting. Lee, incidentally, could give supporters a run for their money at the Crucible at the general 28/1 as he’s staged something of a revival this season and ended a six-year barren run this season by winning the PTC in Galway.

Another who is often still in contention in the final week in Sheffield is Welshman Mark Williams. Winner in 2000 and 2003 and still the only left-hander to have won the World Championship, he’s approaching the veteran stage now and hasn’t been at his best in recent tournaments but the format at the Crucible plays to his strengths as he likes to grind down the opposition. He’s well worth a saver at 22/1 on Betfair behind my tip Shaun Murphy.

Ranked an incredible 48 in the world when winning the tournament as a 22-year-old in 2005, ‘The Magician’ has been a regular fixture at the Crucible since and his record this season is among the best on the circuit. His only victory came in the Brazil Open, but he also reached the final of the Masters and at least the last eight of every other ranking tournament in which he’s competed. Murphy is hugely popular with the Crucible crowds and looks a stand-out at the general 16/1 with several of his higher-ranked rivals coming into the event in indifferent form. Of course, no World Championship preview would be complete without mentioning Ronnie O’Sullivan. But can ‘The Rocket’ keep a lid on things for the duration? At the 9/1 with Boylesports, sportingbet and William Hill, quite frankly, it’s not worth the risk.

Bet365 and Boylesports have also opened a book on who, if any, will record a 147 break in the World Championship this year with O’Sullivan a 15/2 chance with the former. England is 6/5 with Betfred and totesport to provide the winner of the tournament with Scotland a general 4/1.