UK Championship 2021 - 23/11 to 05/12. Eurosport and BBC

ArmaniJeanss

Our second biggest event traditionally. Coverage starts on Eurosport this afternoon with BBC joining in at round 2 on Saturday.

Neil Robertson defending, after beating Judd Trump in last years rather epic final (that missed pink off the spot!)

Draw details in the wiki link below, and day2dayschedule for the first round in the Eurosport link. I'd guess Kyren Wilson in the afternoon, and John Higgins in the evening will be todays TV games.

2021 UK Championship - Wikipedia

UK Championship 2021: Draw, scores, schedule, results, order of play with Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump in action - Eurosport

Brian?

Honestly, the format change has ruined this for me. It’s just like another Home Nations tournament. It used to be a massive deal, but I don’t see it that way anymore.

eric hoone

Murphy in deep trouble 5-1 down

mdwexford

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118210320#Comment_118210320

Yeah the short format has ruined it.

Snooker is meant to be long and drawn out. Swings and roundabouts.

The Worlds is the only proper tournament now.

Joe_ Public

Murphy fighting his way back into a decider. Tense stuff now. Si Juahui was in the final of the first q tour event at the weekend but really, this is a match murph should be winning comfortably. Not been a great season so far.

Joe_ Public

Shaun blew it on the blue! All that hard work comes to nought.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214034#Comment_118214034

He’ll be gutted, must have been just a loss of concentration, not a difficult shot. He had Si Jiahui on the ropes...

Si Jiahui inexperienced alright but some of his antics like constantly bouncing up and down from his chair when his opponent is down taking a shot and taking an absolute age to leave the table to size up what he’s left his opponent after a miss or safety make him a pretty dislikable watch... his coach would want to get a hold of him, he won’t win friends on the tour playing like that or friends / supporters in the audience...

inexperienced he might be but that’s pretty basic levels of courtesy.

referees could be having a word too it’s fairly blatant ..

Joe_ Public

Aaron up in action this morning against Noppon Saengham of Thailand. No live feed available alas. Tough match for the kid, Noppon has a win over John Higgins to his name this season, he can play. Hope for the best anyway.

weemcd

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/24/its-not-fair-shaun-murphy-rails-at-amateurs-in-pro-snooker-after-uk-championship-defeat-by-amateur

Speaking of having a word, someone should have a serious word with Murphy the way he got on here after losing. It's his own fault. He sounds like a spoiled child not getting his way.

ArmaniJeanss

Good to see Shaun doing a heel turn at last, his attempt at being a nice guy lasted longer than I expected but he is now back in his natural zone.

His point is fundamentally flawed isn't it - because all 'professional' means in his case is that he has a tour card. The person without a tour card is called 'amateur', but may still be an actual professional in the sense that their entire income may be from snooker, whether that's scratching around in pro-ams or waiting for slots to open up in pro events when players drop out.

That's my understanding anyway, I don't think it's like golf where the declared amateurs aren't entitled to any prize-money? Joe?

Joe_ Public

Bang out of order from Shaun there. Si is an amateur in name only, just like all the other guys struggling at the basement end of the tour and on the secondary tour, desperate to get back on and start earning a living. Shaun should have a word with some of those guys lower down the rankings, struggling for their future, to remind himself what real pressure is.

Joe_ Public

130 clearance from Aaron to win F4. Think that's his highest yet as a pro. But 1-3 behind at the interval so work to do to get back into it.

Brian?

Max from G Wilson. He’s on fire.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214795#Comment_118214795

I came to this thread to ask about that. It didn't sound good from Shaun at all. If he's a pro and the other guy is an amateur then he should have beaten him pretty easily. Was the amateur sh1t-housing or doing something wrong? Or was he just so poor that he turned the game into a mess that anyone could have won (like Ireland soccer back in the day, playing in Lansdown the day after a 6Nations rugby game)?

Joe_ Public

Aaron loses 2-6, wasn't too hopeful today. Was hoping he'd get a couple more frames on the board at least, at 2-3 there was a flicker of hope but not to be. Think that's his year done now, hopefully regroup and try to lift it for an almighty last effort in 2022!

Glenman

Hendry is playing this evening. That match won't be televised will it?

I wonder what are the odd on him winning the tournament, might be worth a €5 flutter!?!

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118216022#Comment_118216022

Ronnie v Michael White will 99.99% be the main TV game at the start of the program.

If Ronnie can get a quick win (or quick loss), then they'll transfer to one of the other games in the room. Looking at the line-up there's a decent chance that it would be Hendry's game v Thep.

As for Hendry winning out, it's incredibly unlikely on the evidence of basically every shot he's taken since his return.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118216022#Comment_118216022

He's 2500/1 with bet365 , 2000/1 with Boyles for bricks and mortar punters. Probably similar with others... Only see about 6 books quoting outright price on oddschecker - probably because there's some games ongoing atm/// Good luck if you throw your €5 on him.. stranger things have happened.. Jordan Brown was 5000/1 prior to his winning the Welsh Open not so long ago!

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214795#Comment_118214795

Bad form... pretty disrespectful manner to speak about your opponent and then to go blathering on about your injuries and niggles as if you would have won otherwise...

loyatemu

from the way Murphy was going on you'd think Si had just walked in off the street to try his luck. Saying he has no pressure on him! He's at the very bottom of the snooker ladder, playing halfway around the world from his home against a guy who has won millions over the years. Such crap from Murphy.

The Nal

Murphy, who tried to qualify for Golfs 2019 Open Championship.......... as an amateur.

Bit of luck there for Muir, who should have won this frame already, when Selby lost position on the last red... Looks to be a red ball game now..

Don't know how that blue went in! Some great shots by Muir in that last decisive break from him - All 3 in fact before the blue were very very good.. Nice hold off the yellow (from a v thin cut to middle) to get on green, which he potted nicely from almost on the cushion, and then a lovely slow roll pot on the brown, to put him in position to make that decisive blue..

He's had the most luck in the last two frames, but supposedly he should have won the first two, so I guess 2 apiece is a fair score atm...

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118216406#Comment_118216406

Yeah Murphy has gone down a bit in my estimation for those comments. Saying other sports don’t do it! What about the The FA Cup and FAI cup in soccer etc

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/othersport/arid-40751544.html

You would have thought Murphy would have been pleased for Si. Instead he said Si had no pressure! But pressure must have been on Si prize money and match massive for him. Murphy a multi millionaire in contrast.

I think it was just sour grapes from Murphy. Just saw bit of last frame on YouTube. Murphy blew it. Plus why did he not play for a plant from pink to second last red? Looked dead in line straight forward?? I was baffled by that.

https://youtu.be/rrhUZyztVsU

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118210320#Comment_118210320

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118213922#Comment_118213922

Yeah, old format was great. A fella could not turn up and fluke it.. Had to be earned. Felt like a big tournament. Definitely was next after World Championship. They have ruined the UK championship in the last decade, all because of short attention spans or tv schedules???

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118217587#Comment_118217587

According to Clive Everton the bbc had quite a lot to do with the shortening of the format and I trust Clive as an impeccable and authoritative source.

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118217540#Comment_118217540

Agree though that plant definitely not on from what I recall. Looked easily 2 inches off and not possible to make.

AllForIt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118217540#Comment_118217540

..... Plus why did he not play for a plant from pink to second last red? Looked dead in line straight forward?? I was baffled by that.

I think the acute camera angle made it look like it was more set than it actually was.

Anyway yea what Murphy said is just bizarre. I actually don't even know what he's on about.

Looking at the scoreboard, it looks like three or so of the ongoing afternoon matches are "resuming later" ... Currently 5-4 to The Sheriff / Selt - Bingyu 5 apiece, and Hancorn leading Uresenbacher 5-4... Very strange setup.. think there's 8 (?) tables on the go - don't know if they're all in the 'main venue'..

How they think 4+ matches are all going to be finished in time is beyond me, given the distinct possibility of close matches and long drawn out frames.

It's not fair on the players; having to get all fired up, and prepared to go out again at some, likely undetermined time, as of yet, to play at most, 2 frames..

Anyway, on the main table, "normal service resumed" with 'The Rocket' getting a 139 in less time than it took me to type this out 😂

Two total clearances in a row!! One for Yates 😄

Strumms

Michael White just with a poor positional shot after poor positional shot... leaving himself with more then he needs to do onthe following pot, and as I type it cost him again.