News auf Snooker-Virus

How world snooker champion John Higgins plots to betray his fans for cash (02.05.2010)

Der News of the World Artikel der den Stein ins Rollen brachte... incl Video...
News of the World

World Championship to remain at the Crucible until at least 2015 (30.04.2010)

Much to the relief of many it was confirmed last year that the World Championship will remain at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield until at least 2014 but today came the news that this deal has been extended by a further year as Sheffield strengthens its claim further to be the number one city for snooker…
Pro Snooker Blog
Sporting Life: Hearn committed to Cruciblee

Gemunkelt wurde schon viel und lange, aber jetzt ist die Tinte unter den Verträgen trocken und damit ist alles auch amtlich: Die Maintour kehrt nach Deutschland zurück! Vom 2. bis zum 6. Februar 2011 werden die German Masters im Berliner Tempodrom als Weltranglisten-Turnier stattfinden. Nach 14 Jahren werden dann also Ronnie, John und die anderen Stars in Deutschland wieder um Ranglistenpunkte kämpfen. Dotiert ist das German Masters mit 300.000 Euro.
Kalbs Snooker Break
Worldsnooker: German Masters

The first World Seniors Championship for 19 years will be staged next season, featuring some of snooker's best known faces.
Seven world champions - Steve Davis, John Parrott, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor, Alex Higgins, Joe Johnson and Peter Ebdon - as well as Jimmy White will be seeded through to the final stages of the over 40s event in November.
Snooker Scene Blog
BBC Sport: Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins to star in Seniors event

John Higgins believes snooker can be squeezed into the summer sporting schedule and insists the players all want Barry Hearn's plans for overhauling the season to be given the go-ahead.
Snooker has traditionally gone into hibernation after the World Championships, with the top players not called back into action for many months.
Sporting Life

We continue our look back at some of the greatest snooker names from the past - this week the abundantly talented Irishman Patsy Fagan.
Eurosport.co.uk

Twenty-Five years have passed since Dennis Taylor's famous victory on the green baize in Sheffield.
As the Snooker World Championships begin again at the Crucible today, Neil Goulding looks back on an iconic moment in sporting history. One pot to win the World Snooker Championship. One more moment of fierce concentration needed to fulfil a lifelong ambition. The kudos of being crowned the Crucible champion within palpable touching distance.
The Star

As Dennis Taylor stood over the snooker table and took aim the world seemed to stand still. It was an easy shot that he’d normally sink 99 times out of 100 but he’d never encountered pressure like this.
Seemingly down and out against the finest player the sport had ever witnessed he’d clawed his way back and stood level with the great steve Davis. Now in the final frame it had all come down to the final black ball.
Daily Express

Gambling isn’t something the snooker authorities like to talk about all that much at the moment.
The World Championships start tomorrow in Sheffield after a year in which suspicious betting patterns and allegations of match-fixing have dogged the sport like never before.
Police are still investigating a match between world number two Stephen Maguire and fellow Scot Jamie Burnett at the UK Championships in December 2008.
Evening Mail

The tournament - worth £5.7m a year to the city - begins at the Crucible Theatre tomorrow amid speculation it could move to China where the sport is booming. But officials are to set to announce the championship will remain in Sheffield until at least 2015.
It was agreed last year it would be held in the city until 2014 but an option to stay another year is to be taken up by the World Snooker Authority, Crucible officials and Sheffield Council.
The Star
The Star: Crucible remains top of the pots
Sporting Life: Crucible Deal set to be announced

The 2010 World Snooker Championship begins on Saturday at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. For just over two weeks, millions across the country will watch to see whether Ronnie O'Sullivan will win a fourth title or suffer another blow-out. But just how many millions?
Twenty-five years ago, 18.5 million people watched the famous black-ball final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis. But audiences have dropped severely, with an average of three million having watched the concluding frames of last year's final, between John Higgins and Shaun Murphy.
Guardian
BBC Sport: Hearn plots snooker revolution

Barry Hearn promises strong hand against any corruption in snooker (15.04.2010)

Barry Hearn, the chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, has vowed to keep snooker free of corruption and to deal "harshly" with any players who step out of line.
Hearn is confident events such as the World Championship, which starts in Sheffield on Saturday, are not vulnerable to match-fixing. But he is aware of rumours within the sport and ongoing cases.
Guardian
Sporting Life: Integrity comes first

Sports promoter Barry Hearn has called on the world’s top snooker players to back his radical shake-up of the game next month after years of what he calls complacency and laziness.
Dawn
Reuters: Hearn wants to wake snooker's sleeping beauty

Dennis Taylor v Steve Davis, 25 years on: Sportsmail remembers snooker's unforgettable midnight drama at the Crucible (15.04.2010)

The night of April 28, 1985, when bespectacled Northern Irishman Dennis Taylor beat the seemingly invincible Steve Davis on the final black of the final frame to win snooker’s World Championship after midnight before a television viewing audience of 18.5million, ranks alongside Gazza’s tears, Redgrave and Pinsent, and
Jonny Wilkinson’s last-minute drop goal as one of sport’s classic ‘where were you?’ moments.
Daily Mail

The eight players who have made it through to the finals of Ronnie O'Sullivan's Future Stars, his joint venture with Rileys to discover new talent, have been announced.
Snooker Scene Blog

Perth snooker player Bobby Cruikshanks landed the Scottish Snooker Open title at the weekend.
The final of the prestigious amateur event at the World of Snooker venue in Edinburgh was dominated by the Fair City life-guard receiving the trophy from East of Scotland Snooker Association honorary president Dr Frank Rushbrook.
Perthshire Advertiser

Barry Hearn remains optimistic the players will approve his plans to shake up top-tier snooker despite the resignation of the influential Lee Doyle from the board of the world governing body.
Doyle, chairman of the 110sport management group which represents stars including Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry, quit as a director of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in protest at Hearn's plans.
Sporting Life
RTE Sport: Hearn optimistic over plans for snooker

WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn has issued the following statement in the wake of Lee Doyle's resignation from the board:

"I welcome Lee’s decision to resign as a Director of WPBSA.
"As a manager of players and promoter of rival events in important territories like China, Lee’s position as a Board Director, where confidential information becomes available to effectively a competitor, has become untenable.
Snooker Scene Blog

Snooker historian Chris Turner looks back on this week in history, a week in which 40 years ago the great Ray Reardon won his first world title.
Eurosport.co.uk

Victory for ailing Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins was making it to the table (09.04.2010)

Snooker legend Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins locked horns with one of his oldest adversaries Cliff ‘The Grinder’ Thorburn last night — just days after leaving hospital with suspected pneumonia.
The Ulsterman lost the match 2-0 in front of almost 1,000 cheering fans — but, for Higgins, even making it to the table was considered a victory.
Belfast Telegraph

Alex "Hurricane" Higgins out of hospital and lined up for The Crucible (08.04.2010)

Snooker legend Alex "Hurricane" Higgins is due to appear at The Crucible today for the start of the Snooker Legends tournament just days after being rushed to hospital with suspected pneumonia.
Last week it was reported that the 61-year-old, who won the world title in 1972 and 1982, was fighting for his life after being rushed to Belfast City Hospital.
However his agent Kevin Kelly dismissed the reports saying the snooker champ, who was diagnosed with throat cancer more than 10 years ago, was just a “little lethargic”.
Independent

Reanne Evans has again raised the bar in women’s snooker by winning the world title for a record sixth year running (on Wednesday, April 7).
The undisputed world number one racked up six breaks of more than 40 in a 5-1 demolition of good friend Maria Catalano in the final at Cambridge Snooker Centre. In a blistering display of break building, after losing the first frame, Evans compiled runs of 56, 45, 69, 52, 45 and 62.
Pro Snooker Blog
Snooker Scene Blog: Girls just wanna have funds

World snooker champions will be in line for million-dollar pay days if Barry Hearn's masterplan to revive the sport hits its targets.
That was the message from the World Snooker supremo who was responding to Ronnie O'Sullivan suggesting that such money would never come into the sport.
Sitting to Hearn's right at the launch event for this season's Betfred.com World Championship, which starts on April 17 and offers a top prize to the winner of £250,000, O'Sullivan initially gave his assessment on where snooker might go under Hearn's leadership.
Sporting Life
Sky Sports: Hearn targets big money
Eurosport.co.uk: Hearn confident of securing jackpot

The Betfred.com World Championship was today launched in fine style by the two top seeds this year, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan, at the Royal Automobile Club in London.
The two stars took part in a raft of media interviews and played a frame of snooker for the Killing Cancer charity. The frame itself was not a classic but, at £50 per point they raised £4,000 for a very worthy cause.
Higgins and O’Sullivan joined WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn and Betfred founder Fred Done for a lively press conference as the countdown to snooker’s biggest event continues.
Snooker Scene Blog

Jak Jones, aged 16 from Cwmbran, was crowned 2010 European under 19 champion after an enthralling 6-4 victory over Scotland’s Anthony McGill. There was never more than a frame between the two teenagers until Jones drew clear at 5-4 with a run of 64 and clinched the next frame with two scoring visits.
Worldsnooker

Bei der Team-Europameisterschaft auf Malta haben die deutschen Damen erstmals den Titel geholt. Diana Stateczny und Anne Hirsch hatten auch im Finale keine Mühe und bezwangen Frankreich sicher mit 5:1.
Hirsch, die vom Kegelbillard kommt, hat erst nach der Deutschen Meisterschaft im letzten Oktober mit dem intensiven Snookertraining angefangen. Stateczny hat eine erfolgreiche Karriere als Poolspielerin hinter sich, doch Snooker ist erst seit neun Monaten ihre Spezialdisziplin.
Eurosport

Neil Robertson made the first maximum break of his career during his Sanyuan Foods China Open clash with Peter Ebdon in Beijing. ussie ace Robertson potted 15 reds with blacks and added the colours to complete the fantastic break in the second frame of the last-16 match.
It's the 70th 147 in snooker history and the first since last June, when Mark Selby made one in the Wuzhou International Group Jiangsu Classic. It's only the second maximum made in a ranking event in Asia, following Stephen Maguire's in Beijing two years ago.
Worldsnooker
Sporting Life: Robertson out despite 147

Snooker star Alex Higgins was said to be fighting for life in hospital today after being rushed there with suspected pneumonia. The frail former world champion, who has fought a long battle with throat cancer, was admitted to Belfast City Hospital yesterday with breathing problems. Doctors managed to stabilise the 61-year-old’s condition but it is understood he is seriously ill.
Belfast Telegraph
Sporting Life: Higgins in Hospital
Independent: Snooker ace Alex Higgins rushed to hospital
Guardian: Alex Higgins admitted to hospital

Barry Hearn has revealed radical plans to revitalise snooker, including increasing prize money on the circuit to at least £4.5m from £3.5m for each of the next three years. Hearn has also said he will resign as chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association if the plans are not accepted by its membership at an extraordinary general meeting in early summer.
Guardian
Sporting Life: Hearn unveils Snooker blueprint
Sky Sports: Hearn reveals future plans
RTE Sport: Head honcho Hearn unveils snooker strategy

Reanne Evans is hoping for the joy of six at the women’s world snooker championships which kick off in Cambridge on Saturday (April 3).
The phenomenal 24-year-old, from Dudley, West Midlands, has already claimed a record five straight World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association world titles.
And she has won her last 57 matches on the WLBSA circuit.
Pro Snooker Blog

Barry Hearn is promising 11 televised tournaments plus 12 Pro Tour events each worth £10,000 to the winner and an increase in prize money of at least £1m next season. The new WPBSA chairman wants control of the game’s commercial rights in exchange, although these will revert back to the players if he fails to hit his targets.
In a bullish, at times confrontational letter to the players, Hearn has set out his master plan to revive snooker’s fortunes.
Snooker Scene Blog

The provisional calendar for the 2010/2011 season has been released. Please note this is not necessarily a complete schedule and further dates or events maybe added.
Worldsnooker
Pro Snooker Blog: Provisional 2010/11 Calendar Released

Jester from Leicester hoping to cash in on Hearn revolution
Mark Selby has backed Barry Hearn to rejuvenate snooker and help the top players become household names again.
Selby believes Hearn will have a similar affect on snooker as he has had on darts, where the Premier League regularly fills up huge arenas each week and players play in front of crowds in their thousands.
Snooker has been in the doldrums for the last few years with tournaments, prize money and sponsors all on the decline, but Hearn has taken over and vowed to lift its fortunes.
Sky Sports
Sporting Life: Selby excited by Future under Hearn

Mark Davis has hit back at Barry Hearn’s claims there are too many mediocre players earning a living in snooker. The recently appointed chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association has angered players like Davis with plans to cut the tour from 64 to just 16.
Davis is currently 29th in the provisional rankings for next season and almost guaranteed a place in the top 32 for the first time in his 18-year career.
The Argus

The simple answer to that question would be ‘no’ but that doesn’t fill up half a page on the internet. John Higgins recently told STV in Scotland that he thinks there is an argument for reducing the world final to a single day. Ronnie O’Sullivan said this year that ‘if we can’t play for an hour and find out who is the best then there’s something wrong.’
When 110sport announced their breakaway tour ten years ago I remember Stephen Hendry saying he thought the World Championship should last 12 days and no longer.
Snooker Scene Blog

Three-time snooker world champion John Higgins spoke to STV Sport Centre and revealed he fancies Neil Robertson to become a future champion in the sport.
In a quick-fire Q & A with Gerry McCulloch, the 34-year-old looked back to his heroes in snooker and football, favourite matches and revealed he doesn’t know anything about computers.
STV

Eurosport snooker analyst David Hendon talks about the danger that the BBC could start dropping off their interest in snooker.
Professional snooker owes its rise to the TV big time to the BBC above anything else.
It was the BBC who showed black and white matches, usually featuring Joe Davis, as fillers between racing and other sports on Saturday afternoons in the 1950s.
It was the BBC that brought the viewing public Pot Black in colour, which made household names of the players of the 1970s.
Eurosport.co.uk

Soeben wurde der Termin für die diesjährigen Paul Hunter Classic in Fürth bekannt gegeben. Die Snookerfans wird diese Nachricht erfreuen.

Beginn: Donnerstag, 26. August 2010 um 10:00
Ende: Sonntag, 29. August 2010 um 21:00
Ort: Fürth
*weitere Informationen sollen in Kürze folgen.
Snookermania

Reanne Evans’ bid for a clean sweep this season on the women’s snooker circuit moved a step closer as she won the Paul Wood-sponsored £1,000 Connie Gough National Championship on Saturday.
The 24-year-old five-time world champion from Dudley defeated Maria Catalano 3-1 in the final at the Stadium Snooker Club, Hall Green, Birmingham. Victory over world number two Catalano, also from Dudley, extended Evans’ impressive winning run on the WLBSA tour to 57 matches.
Worldsnooker
Pro Snooker Blog: Evans edges ever closer to clean sweep

As noted in the comments section of my “Who will stay and who will go” article yesterday, the 72 players who will retain their main tour players as of right have now been decided, click below for confirmation.
Note that my Friday review will follow in due course but that my rankings pages are now up to date.
Pro Snooker Blog

The careers of Jimmy White and John Parrott were on the line, and they fought as though their lives depended on it.
An ecstatic White, 47 and six-time world finalist, strutted off the baize past midnight to huge cheers in Sheffield's EIS Arena after stumbling past part-time postman Mark Boyle 10-8 in a gruelling encounter.
"That was a massive win," said a relieved White in the aftermath of his late-night victory. Meanwhile, Parrott, 45, was left to contemplate a full stint as a BBC TV pundit at the Crucible next month after a demoralising 10-6 defeat to China's 18-year-old Anda Zhang.
BBC Sport

Parrott is on the verge of quitting snooker after failing to qualify for next month's World Championship. The 45-year-old lost 10-6 to Chinese teenager Anda Zhang in qualifying and slips out of the top 64 because of Jimmy White's 10-8 win over Mark Boyle.
Parrott, the 1991 world champion, told the Daily Mail: "If I'm off the tour, it's fairly certain that I'll retire.
BBC Sport
Snooker Scene Blog: Is this an Ex-Parrott?
RTE Sport: John Parrott ponders retirement
Sky Sports: Parrott could call it a day

Eurosport snooker analyst Dave Hendon looks at the decision by the WPBSA to axe the remainder of this year's Pro Challenge Series.
Eurosport.co.uk

The WPBSA has axed the Pro Challenge Series after only four of the seven scheduled events were staged. They say this is because of “low entry levels for the first four events.”
Event four in January was cancelled and events six and seven will now not take place.
Snooker Scene Blog
Pro Snooker Blog: Pro Challenge Series Scrapped

The draw for the last 32 of the Betfred.com World Championship will be made at 11am on Thursday, March 11.
It will be broadcast in all Betfred betting shops. Hopefully, it will also be online.
Snooker Scene Blog

John and Denise Higgins appeared on ITV's All Star Mr and Mrs last Saturday.
Click here to watch the Betfred.com World Champion and his other half trying to earn cash for charity.
Worldsnooker

The future of Scottish snooker looks to be in good hands after three Scots won at the Lt Col Sir Walter Rowley Festival in Prestatyn in Wales last weekend.
Glasgow's Anthony McGill, 19, Musselburgh's Ross Muir, 14, and Joseph McLaren from Clydebank, who is only 13, each won a trophy at the prestigious Star of the Future event.
Previous winners include Jimmy White, John Parrott and Ronnie O'Sullivan.
BBC Sport

For many tour players this week is the biggest of the year as the battle to stay on tour for next season reaches its conclusion. Throughout the week I will be updating this post with news on how the race for the top 64 and top 8 one-year places is progressing and confirming when players are safe or no longer able to survive…
Pro Snooker Blog

On Q Promotions are delighted to announce that 2009’s IBSF World Snooker Champion, Alfie Burden, will be joining the team after he agreed a 4 year deal with the player management company.
Burden will be joining current On Q Promotions players Jimmy White, Stephen Lee, Barry Hawkins, Gerard Greene, Robert Milkins and Michael Wasley and will now be managed by Paul Mount.
Pro Snooker Blog

There is some light at the end of the tunnel for those Scottish players hoping to join the main tour next season.
You may recall the WPBSA withdrew the concessionary place following endless turmoil north of the border which has resulted in two different factions calling themselves the governing body.
But now the Snooker Players Association, a new body designed as a union for players - which had been the original function of the WPBSA - will decide on a process by which to award the place to a Scottish player.
Snooker Scene Blog

Digital magazine for snooker and pool enthusiasts prepares launch (26.02.2010)

Snookered, a free monthly digital magazine aimed at all levels of snooker and pool players, is to launch in August.
It will be presented as a digital turning page magazine and be distributed via email and mobile as well as being available at a yet-to-launch website and through social networks.
Snookered is the brainchild of Chris Haill, who has commercial publishing experience from roles including ad manager on Quantum Business Media's Pub Food magazine and inserts manager for Future Publishing.
MediaWeek

Here's what Steve Davis told the Kerryman newspaper this week about his infamous black ball defeat to Dennis Taylor in the 1985 World Championship final:

"It's only now you can look back on it and realise you were a part of sporting history. I would rank it above the six world titles I won."
Such sentiment seemed unlikely in the immediate aftermath of the final when he struggled to speak at all when faced with David Vine and his microphone.
Snooker Scene Blog

Alle kennen ihn nur als TC, den Erfinder der Paul Hunter Classic und auch als Veranstalter der Snookerstars-Touren. Er brachte Ronnie O’ Sullivan erstmals nach 10 Jahren nach Deutschland. Im Interview wollen wir mehr über den „Mann im Hintergrund“ erfahren.
... Die PHC werden stattfinden! Der Termin wird Anfang Februar bekannt gegeben. Lediglich das Format wird etwas geändert...
Snookermania

The year was 1997 and the political wind in Britain had blown in a new direction, towards Tony Blair’s New Labour. It therefore naturally followed that the WPBSA would appoint an arch Conservative as its new president.
Lord Jeffrey Archer was a former Tory vice-chairman, a novelist and one of the most controversial figures in British public life, having obtained a reputation for, well, not always being particularly honest.
Snooker Scene Blog

HRH The Earl of Wessex, better known as Prince Edward, was joined by Stephen Hendry as he officially re-opened the newly refurbished Sheffield Crucible Theatre last week.
The Prince enjoyed a tour of the theatre’s new facilities, and met Hendry, who has captured the World Championship title a record seven times as the famous venue.
Worldsnooker

Barry Hearn, the 'working-class lad' who wants to breathe life back into snooker (22.02.2010)

"Darts is working-class golf" is one of his. And "at my age I don't stand for office, I get invited". And, perhaps most pertinently given his present preoccupation, "I don't have people fighting against me, I find they give up very easily."
At 62, Hearn is at the top of his game. Though as it happens, without peers as a sporting promoter across 10 sports, he is probably the only one in his game. Sitting at his billiard-table sized desk in the Essex headquarters of his Matchroom organisation, the accounts of several dozen events awaiting his scrutiny, with a stable of supercars purring on the drive outside, he is the picture of success. The serial sporting entrepreneur, chairman of Leyton Orient, chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation, he has more chairs on his CV than the average dining table. And he has just added another.
Telegraph

Worldsnooker.com's focus on Mark Selby continues...

Part three – Master of the Masters
It’s still sinking in that I’ve won the Pokerstars.com Masters twice. It’s one of the biggest tournaments – maybe the biggest after the Betfred.com World Championship – so just to win it once was unbelievable.
Worldsnooker

…Mark King, who together with his wife Sally is today celebrating the birth of his third child which according to the 110sport.tv website took place at 9:53am this morning…
Pro Snooker Blog

With tickets for the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship set to go on general sale THIS SATURDAY, let’s revive memories of the magic of the Crucible by recalling the last five finals...
Worldsnooker

The Earl of Wessex was joined by a former snooker champion as he officially reopened the refurbished Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The Crucible, which is famous for hosting the World Snooker Championships, has undergone a £15.3m redevelopment programme.
BBC News

I thought, as we are in a quiet week, I would regale (or bore) you with a story from snooker’s past in the first of what is almost certain to be an irregular regular feature.
The year was 1998. Rex Williams was WPBSA chairman, Clive Everton was banned from press rooms (the latter information is related to the former) and at the UK Championship had to follow a trail of plastic chickens stuck to the floor by sponsors Liverpool Victoria that led from the venue entrance to the arena, never deviating in case he inadvertently ended up in the media centre.
Snooker Scene Blog

Former Grand Prix and Roewe Shanghai Masters champion Dominic Dale talks snooker, singing and salad in his new column on worldsnooker.com...
Worldsnooker

World No 1 Ronnie O'Sullivan has teamed up with Rileys, the UK’s leading cue sports operator, to find a future snooker star. The new scheme aims to tap into snooker talent through a series of ‘Future Stars’ competitions nationwide for under-16s, starting on March 27.
Regional events will produce 120 winners, who then go head-to-head at regional venues until eight players are left standing.
Worldsnooker
Die offizielle Wettbewerbsseite
The Sun: Help me find the new Ronnie
FQ Magazine: Hunt for new Snooker Star

The revival of Mark J Williams continued this weekend as he defeated home favourite Robin Hull to win the Finnish Snooker Challenge yesterday…Cheers to Teo for the information.
Finland might not be there first country that comes to mind when you hear the word snooker but do not let that fool you because as well as some of the top local players, the Finnish Challenge this weekend also attracted a number of professional players including Mark, Matthew Stevens, Ken Doherty and Ryan Day.
Pro Snooker Blog

It's very hard to follow in the footsteps of a famous parent.
Yes, it can bring advantages but the offspring will forever be compared to the father or mother and their own achievements will rarely be taken in isolation. This week at Prestatyn, the sons of both Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry - the two most successful players of the modern era - are taking part in the Pontin's junior festival. Greg Davis has entered the 15-20 age group event while Blaine Hendry competes in the 14 and unders.
Snooker Scene Blog

Snooker historian Chris Turner looks back at a week in years gone by that saw Eurosport commentator Mike Hallett win the last English Professional Championship.
Eurosport.co.uk

Jimmy White may not have experienced success during ranking events recently but he rolled back the years with a maximum 147 break last night against old friend Alex Higgins during an exhibition at the Grimsby Auditorium…
Pro Snooker Blog

Stephen Lee considered walking away from snooker two years ago before choosing to battle on in the sport.
The 35-year-old Trowbridge cueman, who was arrested by West Midlands Police yesterday following an investigation into suspicious betting patterns, was weary of the sport in which he turned professional as a teenager in 1992. Lee has collected more than £1.5million in career prize money but lost his place in snooker's elite group of players when he dropped out of the world's top 16 in 2008, and barring a dramatic return to top form at the World Championship he will not return there for next season.
Sporting Life

World Snooker were today awaiting further developments following Stephen Lee's arrest after a police investigation into suspicious betting patterns. The 35-year-old was arrested by West Midlands Police on Thursday on suspicion of cheating following a joint operation involving the police force and the Gambling Commission.
Lee, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, was released on bail on Friday afternoon after being questioned and was not charged with any offence.
Sporting Life

He’s hitting 61, gaunt, recovering from cancer and not exactly living the good life — but Alex Higgins ardently believes he can still thrill snooker fans with his mesmeric skill.
It’s nearly 38 years since ‘The Hurricane’ started blowing as a professional — he won the world title at his first attempt in 1972 — and time has clearly taken its toll on the Belfast man.
This remarkable close-up picture of the self-styled ‘People’s Champion’ taken by Ulster photographer Cathal McNaughton, highlights Higgy’s wizened face which, like the rest of his body, has become scarily thin over the last few years.
Belfast Telegraph

Former world champion Graeme Dott is dreading the thought of not making it through to the Crucible this year, as he faces a nervy qualifying match in Sheffield next month.
The 32-year-old Scot lifted the World Championship trophy in 2006 with an 18-14 victory over Pete Ebdon, and missing out on the tournament altogether this year is unthinkable.
Sky Sports

Vor allem Ronnie O'Sullivan wurde am Montagabend von den rund 2000 Zuschauern in der Alsterdorfer Sporthalle gefeiert.
In einer stimmungsvollen und hochklassigen Show haben vier Weltstars der Snooker-Szene ihre Fans in Hamburg begeistert. Vor allem der britische Weltranglistenerste Ronnie O'Sullivan wurde am Montagabend von den rund 2000 Zuschauern in der Alsterdorfer Sporthalle gefeiert. Bei der Veranstaltung unter dem Motto „Ronnie & Friends“ waren neben dem dreifachen Weltmeister die beiden Altmeister Steve Davis und Jimmy White sowie der Champion von 2005, Shaun Murphy, zu sehen.
Hamburger Abendblatt

Worldsnooker.com's new columnist Mark King talks about late arrivals and spontaneous dancing...
Worldsnooker

Reanne Evans’ victory in the South Coast Classic took her remarkable unbeaten run on the women’s snooker circuit past the 50 mark.
The 24-year-old defeated world number two Maria Catalano 3-1 in a good-natured final at the Q-Ball Snooker Club, Eastbourne on Saturday. Evans, the five-time World Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association (WLBSA) world champion, has now clocked up 53 straight wins.
Worldsnooker

Older snooker fans will remember that this time of the year (well it was March really but it’s close enough), used to see the staging of the Benson and Hedges Irish Masters, one of the most popular snooker events on the circuit. Whatever happened to the tournament and why was it so well received? Thanks to Dave Hendon of Snooker Scene Blog for the help with this post.
Pro Snooker Blog

Snooker historian Chris Turner looks back at a week in history that saw Jimmy White take the rather bizarre decision to change his name to Jimmy Brown.
Eurosport.co.uk

The International Billiards and Snooker Federation – the world governing body for amateur snooker – is to stage a World Championship for the six reds game in April.
Six reds snooker is particularly popular in Asia. The World Grand Prix, first held in 2008, returns to Bangkok, Thailand in July and is expected to attract a field full of big name players.
Snooker Scene Blog

Sie nennen sich "Sheriff of Pottingham", "Darling of Dublin" oder "Welsh Potting Machine". Was nach Figuren aus einem Märchenbuch oder Mystery-Roman klingt, gehört zur Weltspitze des Snookers, jener populären Variante des Billards, die sich auch in Deutschland konstant steigender Beliebtheit erfreut. Für die Veranstaltung am Montag (19 Uhr) in der Sporthalle Hamburg wurden im Vorverkauf bereits 1700 Karten abgesetzt. "Das zeigt, wie groß die Begeisterung in Deutschland und speziell in Hamburg ist", sagt Veranstalter Thomas Cesal, der sich auf eine ausverkaufte Halle freut.
Hamburger Abendblatt
Welt Online: Snooker-Show mit Weltstar O'Sullivan in Alsterdorf

On Q Promotions are delighted to announce that World number 32 Gerard Greene will be joining the team after he agreed a deal with the player management company.
Greene will be joining current On Q Promotions players Jimmy White, Stephen Lee, Barry Hawkins, Robert Milkins and Michael Wasley and will now be managed by Paul Mount.
Greene commented “I am excited about joining the growing team at On Q Promotions and look forward to a happy future working alongside the rest of the team”
Pro Snooker Blog

Following the completion of the China Open qualifiers this week there is just one more tournament to play this season for the vast majority of those players battling for their main tour places. With those World Championship qualifiers just weeks away I have attempted to summarise as best I can who looks safe, who looks doomed and who are the players right in there with a chance of survival. Click below for all the information…
Pro Snooker Blog

This new feature on worldsnooker.com will focus on one player each month, giving an insight into his life on and off the table. First up is Pokerstars.com Masters champion Mark Selby.
Worldsnooker

We continue to look back on some of the great snooker names from the past. This week: Terry Griffiths.
Eurosport.co.uk

The World Series event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia scheduled for March 6-7 has been cancelled. Organisers say this is because Eurosport have been unable to obtain the necessary licenses to broadcast from the Middle Eastern kingdom.
The same scenario has occurred for golf tournaments in Saudi so I am not disputing this explanation. However, the fact remains that World Series has failed to deliver on its early promise.
Snooker Scene Blog

Masters champion Mark Selby has been honoured at a civic ceremony in his home town of Leicester.
The world No.7 lifted his second Wembley title last month after a thrilling comeback against Ronnie O’Sullivan. Selby was 9-6 down before winning the final four frames to clinch a famous win and the coveted trophy.
Mark Selby
Worldsnooker: Selby’s Pride Is Crystal Clear (08.02.2010)

Was war das für ein Start von John Higgins im gestrigen Finale der Welsh Open gegen Ali Carter. In der Art und Weise, wie der „Wizard of Wishaw" da mit 5:0 in Führung gegangen ist, hätte er auch jeden anderen Gegner zu einem staunenden Zuschauer degradiert. Da war er wirklich ein Zauberer. Das war das beste Snooker, das ich seit langem gesehen habe - eine Augenweide, ein Genuss, die schiere Brillanz.
Eurosport

World Snooker is delighted to announce Sanyuan Foods as the new title sponsor of the China Open.
The world ranking tournament takes place at the Beijing Students University Stadium from March 29 to April 4. Peter Ebdon will defend his title against the world’s top players, including Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Chinese hero Ding Junhui.
The event will be known as the Sanyuan Foods 2010 World Snooker China Open.
Worldsnooker
Sky Sports: Hearn gains China backing
Sporting Life: China Open lands new backing

Scottish star Stephen Hendry believes China's Ding Junhui will be a future world champion. Hendry will meet Ding next weekend in Beijing at the 188cup.com Challenge, a two-day, 25-frame battle where the East's most successful player meets the all-time great.
And just as Roger Federer reckons Andy Murray is too good a player not to win a Grand Slam event, so Hendry - owner of a record seven world titles - says Ding's time will come.
Sporting Life

John Higgins believes he can clinch the number one ranking for next season before heading to Sheffield for this year's World Championship.
The 34-year-old Scot triumphed at the Crucible last May and is a long way ahead of second-placed Ronnie O'Sullivan in the provisional rankings, with 51,360 points to his rival's 41,855 tally.
Higgins' victory over Ali Carter in the final of the totesport.com Welsh Open on Sunday served to increase his lead over O'Sullivan, who he knocked out in the semi-finals in Newport.
Sporting Life
Wales online: John Higgins targets number one spot
Eurosport.co.uk: Higgins closes in on top ranking

With just two events remaining this season it is now certain that either John Higgins or Ronnie O’Sullivan will finish up as world number one in the rankings. Following John’s latest triumph tonight I have had the calculator out and think I have worked out what John has to do to make absolutely certain of it…
Pro Snooker Blog

Die Saison 2009/10 macht nach den Welsh Open eine kleine Zäsur — weiter geht es erst Ende März mit den China Open. Werfen wir also nach zwei Dritteln erneut einen Blick auf die Lage im Provisional Ranking.
Snookerblog

Stephen Maguire today criticised the miss rule after he was called for ten successive misses - four off the record - when snookered on all the colours in his totesport.com Welsh Open semi-final against Ali Carter.
"It's a stupid rule and could have cost me the match," said Maguire, who trailed 5-2 at the time but ultimately won the frame despite giving away 40 points in fouls.
Snooker Scene Blog

It’s unlikely but not impossible that Ronnie O’Sullivan can overhaul John Higgins at the top of the provisional rankings by the end of the season.
Ronnie could do with Graeme Dott beating Higgins tonight but, whatever happens in Newport, he could go into the Betfred.com World Championship within striking distance of the Wishaw Wizard.
O’Sullivan’s 5-0 demolition of a very poor Jamie Cope today means he is now 7,105 points behind Higgins.
Snooker Scene Blog

Die Snooker-Weltrangliste weist den Briten Ronnie O’Sullivan als ihren Führenden aus. Der beste Snooker-Spieler der Welt gibt sich am 7. Februar in Wels die Ehre und nimmt dabei gleich ein paar seiner Freunde mit.
Ein Jahr lang zieht der 34-jährige Ronnie O’Sullivan durch die Lande. In acht Städten macht „The Rocket – Die Rakete“ Station, um mit seinen Freunden das Spiel seines Lebens den Menschen näherzubringen. Snooker – eine Form von Billard, bei der mit einem Holzstock verschiedenfärbige Kugeln in Taschen versenkt werden müssen – prägt das Leben des Engländers, der seit seinem 18. Lebensjahr den Queue zu seinem Arbeitsgerät gemacht hat.
Nachrichten.at

Welsh snooker star Dominic Dale set a new record time for jogging a mile around a snooker table at Newport Centre yesterday. He completed the mile in the record time of 12 minutes 47 seconds for Sport Relief.
For Sport Relief 2008, fellow player Mark Selby managed to set a time of 18 minutes and 16 seconds for completing 113 laps.
South Wales Argus

Snooker legend Stephen Hendry will face reigning UK champion Ding Junhui in an East v West Challenge (25.01.2010)

SEVEN-times world champion Stephen Hendry won’t be distracted from his bid for the Welsh Open title this week – despite having millions of other things to think about.
For Hendry will next week fly to Beijing for the East v West Challenge with Chinese No.1 Ding Junhui – in front of an estimated TV audience of 250 million!
Ding ended 2009 by taking the UK Championship title, second only to the world championship, having already this season reached the final of the Grand Prix in Glasgow.
110Sport
Homepage zum Event

Mark Allen enters the arena to Robbie Williams’ Let Me Entertain You in snooker’s brave new world.
Barry Hearn, one of sport’s great showmen, has taken over the running of the game and one of his first moves was to have the players stride to the snooker table to music, like well dressed boxers heading to the ring.
Allen adopted Robbie’s anthem for last week’s Masters at Wembley Arena and is currently toying with whether to retain it for this week’s £225,000 Welsh Open, the penultimate ranking tournament before the World Championship.
Belfast Telegraph

Sport Relief is back in Wales with the return of the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile in Cardiff on 21st March and some of snooker’s biggest names are already rising to the challenge.
After his victory against Steve Davis in the totesport.com Welsh Open qualifiers last Friday, home favourite Dominic Dale is set for a challenge of a different kind.
Worldsnooker

Shropshire’s top snooker star Adrian Gunnell has vowed to keep fighting as he looks to rediscover his winning touch. The Telford potter’s latest setback came as he lost 5-2 to China’s Liu Song in the third round of qualifying for the Welsh Open, which starts in Newport on Monday.
Thursday’s setback followed on from his defeat in the qualifying stages of the UK Championship last November.
Shropshire Star

As a snooker fan for a number of years now I have seen thousands of missed pots but every now and again I stop to wonder…why? A stupid question perhaps but one that as a non-player of the game I feel is perhaps worthy of exploration…
Pro Snooker Blog

Rivalry is the stuff of sport, certainly in the newspapers where slanging matches, particularly in the football world, fill many a column inch. Neil Robertson commented last year that he thought snooker players were too friendly with each other. Of course, some are more friendly than others.
It’s 20 years now since Alex Higgins threatened – within earshot of the then WPBSA chairman John Spencer – to have Dennis Taylor shot if he ever went back to Northern Ireland.
Snooker Scene Blog

World Snooker is delighted to announce Totesport.com as the new title sponsor of the 2010 Welsh Open, which takes place at the Newport Centre, 25th-31st January.
The Welsh Open, a ranking event since 1992, attracts the greatest players in the World. Former Welsh Open champions include Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and last year’s winner Ali Carter.
The new agreement will initially be for one year and the event will be known as the Totesport.com Welsh Open. The tournament will be broadcast on BBC Wales, Eurosport as well CCTV (China), Now TV (Hong Kong) and Showtime Arabia.
Worldsnooker
Snooker Scene Blog: Hearn gets Spomsors for Welsh Open (21.01.2010)
Sporting Life: Totesport.com to sponsor Welsh Open (21.01.2010)
Foul4: Totesport.com Welsh Open (21.01.2010)

Ahead of Liang Wenbo's Totesport.com Welsh Open qualifying match, worldsnooker.com caught up with the 22-year-old Chinese ace to find out more his life away from snooker...
Worldsnooker

Nottingham's Michael Holt says Barry Hearn's appointment as chairman of the WPBSA can only be good for the game and hopes it will revolutionise the sport.
Hearn has already made changes as he looks to raise the sport's profile and increase its appeal to the public. The Masters tournament was the first to have walk-on music for the players and Holt says there is more to come. "I'm really hopeful and have a spring in my step for the first time in a while," Holt told BBC Radio Nottingham.
BBC Sport

I got the feeling at the start of the final session of the Masters snooker final between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby on BBC Two at the weekend that Virgo had not been entirely comfortable with what had gone before the first ball was struck.
Obviously snooker doesn’t do the business in terms of audience that it once did, and there are moves afoot to 'jazz it up’, but it isn’t darts. If it were, the commentary would be bizarre, a lot of people with silly hats would be in the audience and several tattoo artists would be booking a cruise for their summer holidays.
Telegraph

Two top player agents have been appointed to the new-look board of the World Billiards and Snooker Association under the chairmanship of Barry Hearn.
Pat Mooney, who manages John Higgins and Graeme Dott, will join Shaun Murphy's manager Brandon Parker on the board of directors. Mooney is the man behind the World Series of Snooker event, while Parker promotes the Paul Hunter Classic which takes place in Germany.
Both have been welcomed on to the board by Hearn, who is looking to revolutionise the sport to attract greater interest from spectators, sponsors and broadcasters alike.
Sporting Life
Snooker Scene Blog: Hearn´s board take shape
Worldsnooker: WPBSA Board Announcement
Sky Sports: Agents join WPBSA board
Eurosport.co.uk: Hendon: Hearn makes board move

New snooker chief Barry Hearn says he has big plans to crack the European market after revealing that Berlin may host a new ranking event next February.
Hearn also wants shorter formats and more of the "razzmatazz" that packed Wembley crowds saw at the Masters. "The basis of the game is good," he told the BBC, after Mark Selby's 10-9 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan on Sunday.
"It just needs a few simple things to freshen it up. Europe is right up there at the forefront of my plans."
BBC Sport
Guardian: Barry Hearn to meet BBC and outline vision for snooker

Snooker historian Chris Turner looks back at a week in which former world number eight Bill Werbenuik passed away.
Eurosport.co.uk

Ronnie O'Sullivan has written off Mark Selby's chances of claiming the World Championship after seeing the same inconsistency in the PokerStars.com Masters champion that he suffers from himself.
Selby regained the Masters title with a thrilling final-frame victory at Wembley Arena, but O'Sullivan feels the 26 year-old blows too "hot and cold" to win over the course of the 17-day tournament at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.
O'Sullivan, 34, believes he has at least three or four years left before considering retirement but also doubts he will add to his three world titles.
Telegraph
Independent: Rocket: Selby 'too hot and cold' for World assault (19.01.2010)

World No.1 Ronnie O'Sullivan will be offered the chance to win the sport's ultimate shoot-out.
Snooker's new supremo Barry Hearn is bringing in a single-frame tournament that will provide the ultimate test of nerve.
Last night's Pokerstars.com Masters final was best-of-19 frames - but the new event would leave no margin for error. Hearn (above) said: "I love my one-frame shoot-out idea, it's wonderful and will appal traditionalists.
"You get the top 64 players in one room, 2,000-3,000 people in the arena, and you have a party. They have 12 minutes per frame, a 20-second shot clock, and the winner gets £32,000."
Mirror

Die Nachricht schlug gestern (Freitag) Abend ein wie eine Bombe: Die britische Presse berichtete, dass Barry Hearn bei einem Pressegespräch in London am Rande des Masters ein neues Weltranglisten-Turnier in Deutschland für die nächste Saison angekündigt hatte. Später sickerte sogar noch durch, dass an den Februar 2011 und Berlin gedacht sei. Die Begeisterung war natürlich groß. Auch ich würde mich riesig freuen: Seit Jahren predige ich an allen möglichen und unmöglichen Stellen, dass Deutschland reif für ein Weltranglisten-Turnier ist und dies der logische und notwendige nächste Schritt sein muss. Bei aller verständlichen Begeisterung muss ich nun aber leider doch einen großen Schluck Wasser in den Wein schütten.
Eurosport

Germany will host a world ranking event next season according to new WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn, who briefed the media at the Pokerstars.com Masters at Wembley today.
Snooker is high in popularity in Germany and continental Europe is likely to be one of Hearn's main areas of interest as he attempts to breathe new life into the sport.
Snooker Scene Blog
Guardian: Stephen Maguire finds his former form at the Masters

Luca Brecel, the oustanding Belgian teenager who won the European under 19 title last year, has signed for 110sport, snooker's leading management group.
Brecel, 14, joins the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and Peter Ebdon, who are all represented by 110.
"Luca is a prodigious talent and has the potential to become a really top player in a few years. It goes without saying that we will do everything to give Luca every opportunity to progress in his career," said Lee Doyle, chairman of 110sport group.
Snooker Scene Blog

It seems absurd to many that Ronnie O’Sullivan could be so down on himself despite what looked to most of us like an excellent performance in battling back from 3-0 down to beat Neil Robertson 6-4 in the Pokerstars.com Masters yesterday.
Ronnie said that he was playing his best snooker at 15 or 16. Can this really be true? My colleague Phil Yates, who spent many a week at the qualifiers in Blackpool when O’Sullivan turned professional in 1992, certainly believes he was every bit as good then as he is now.
Snooker Scene Blog

Eurosport Yahoo! spent 60 seconds with the king of the jungle Jimmy White and learned which fellow snooker pro he would least like to be stuck in a lift with.

One of the best things about sport is the constant sense of renewal. Every point, every game, every four-yearly cycle of self-delusion brings fresh hope. But not for snooker. After 80 years of proud professionalism, the game is unlikely to exist in its current form for much longer. By 2020, it could be an amateur sport again.
Such is the view of Ronnie O'Sullivan, who ought to know. He should be part of the solution to snooker's sliding popularity, the only remaining colourful character in a sport that has never seemed greyer.
Guardian
Snooker Scene Blog: Snooker´s life expactancy shortened by observer

Steve Davis and Jimmy White will be among the star names battling for a place at the Crucible when the qualifying rounds of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship return to the English Institute of Sport – Sheffield.
The qualifiers run from February 26 to March 9, with 16 lucky winners going through to the televised stages of the world’s greatest snooker tournament at the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in April.
Worldsnooker

Ronnie O’Sullivan didn’t even need to pause and consider the question. He had just admitted that the magic which lifted him on to a plateau of snooker genius in his twenties had gone.
The natural follow-up was to ask whether he believed it would come back. Barely had the last syllable dropped when his answer kicked in, the starkness brutal in its simplicity.
‘No, I don’t think it will,’ said the Rocket. ‘It won’t stop me trying but I’m not going to be a slave to it like I was for 17 years to try to get back that feeling, the repetitiveness and consistency that I used to have.
Daily Mail

World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan has welcomed the influence of renowned promoter Barry Hearn on snooker. Hearn became the new chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association last December.
He has secured a deal with online poker site Pokerstars.com to sponsor the Masters, and O'Sullivan said: "There will be a lot less red tape now.
"It will give an opportunity to be a bit more flexible, give room to work and will encourage new sponsors."
BBC Sport
RTE Sport: 'Rocket' ready for Hearn era

Ronnie O'Sullivan has taken inspiration from Usain Bolt as he enters the new decade with a new approach to his snooker.
The 'Rocket', like Jamaican sprinter Bolt, has no peers in his sport, but his drive for perfection has contributed to the psychological demons the 34-year-old has needed to deal with since turning professional in the early 1990s.
After threatening to the quit the sport on several occasions, O'Sullivan's love for snooker is well and truly alive, albeit with an emphasis on entertaining rather than crushing all opponents.
"Usain Bolt has proved you don't have to be so intense about everything you do," said O'Sullivan.
Sporting Life

The new chairman of snooker's governing body wants a revolution – and Jimmy White's Masters wild card is just the start
Barry Hearn had a dream about a snooker tournament the other night. There was a ball, with a chip in it, and when it was potted someone's seat in the audience vibrated and they won a thousand pounds. A huge smile creeps over the face of the new chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association as he ponders the idea. "I wonder if I could get a chip in a ball …" says Hearn, salivating at the thought as he gazes out over the Essex fields at Mascall House, his mansion home turned business premises.
Guardian

Ronnie O'Sullivan is road testing a bizarre new purple cue ahead of the defence of his Masters title at Wembley.
The 34-year-old has been given the coloured cue by his sponsors Premier Inn and has been using it in the run-up to the tournament, which starts on Sunday.
Using an unconventional piece of equipment is not linked to the appointment of Barry Hearn as the new chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association - but O'Sullivan believes it the type of initiative the new head of the sport will look to promote.
Sporting Life
Pro Snooker Blog: Deep Purple
Worldsnooker: Purple Patch For Ronnie?
Telegraph: Ronnie O'Sullivan tests new purple cue for defence of his Masters title

Snooker historian Chris Turner looks back at a week which saw Stephen Hendry produce the first 147 in a final-frame tournament decider.
Eurosport.co.uk

2009 started in usual fashion with Ronnie O'Sullivan making a winning start to the year, but it would be John Higgins who conquered the world again at the Crucible as the two men battled for supremacy throughout the campaign.
The Scotsman won his third world title against Shaun Murphy as defending champion O'Sullivan suffered a shock defeat in just the second round against Northern Irishman Mark Allen.
Sporting Life

That’s quite enough blogging for one year.
In 2009 the blog had more posts, more comments and more readers than ever before. It was sometimes right, sometimes wrong but always certain.
It’s also been fun despite the problems that have afflicted the sport. Ultimately, for all the political intrigue, for all that passions often get inflamed, snooker is only a game and being around the circuit and the people on it is first and foremost an enjoyable way to spend time.
Snooker Scene Blog

Snooker-Weltmeister Ronnie O'Sullivan steht vor einer schwierigen Entscheidung: Soll er seinen Masters-Titel in Wembley im Januar verteidigen oder lieber für drei Wochen ins Big-Brother-Haus einziehen. Laut Buchmacher "Paddy Power" stehen die Siegeschancen im Big-Brother-Haus besser."Celebrity Big Brother", das Promi-Big -Brother in England, beginnt am 3. Januar 2010 und dauert drei Wochen. Das Masters findet parallel vom 10. bis 17. Januar statt.
Neben O'Sullivan alias "The Rocket" werden gerüchteweise auch Pamela Anderson und Lindsay Lohan als Mitbewohner genannt. Der produzierende Fernsehsender Channel 4 hat bis jetzt aber noch keinen Teilnehmer bestätigt.
Eurosport

Eurosport commentator David Hendon gives us his round-up of the best and worst snooker moments in 2009 and what to watch for in 2010.
Eurosport.co.uk

John Higgins predicts ‘new dawn’ for snooker under Barry Hearn (08.12.2009)

John Higgins, the world champion, is optimistic that Barry Hearn will rejuvenate the beleaguered sport.
There are only seven major tournaments in the current calendar compared to a record high of 14 tournaments in one season and with prize-money having also fallen with a lack of sponsors having been attracted for big events, it is little surprise that Higgins set up his own rival World Series of Snooker Tour to provide extra competition.
However, a long-awaited change took place last week when Sir Rodney Walker and two more World Snooker board directors were given a vote of no confidence and forced out of the top positions in the sport.
The Herald
Daily Express: John Higgins says scotland can take on World

White and Williams to launch snooker’s Twenty20 vision in Wales (07.12.2009)

SNOOKER stars Jimmy White and Mark Williams are set to take part in a major new initiative.
‘People’s Champion’ White Welsh ace Williams, John Higgins, Ken Doherty and Mark Selby are among a select 16-man field hoping to increase snooker’s appeal. Oneforseven Wales 2009 sees players compete against each other in a cumulative points competition at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Cardiff, on December 21. The winner will pocket £14,707.
It has been created by leading snooker internet firm Global-Snooker.com and is predicted to change the face of the game, much like Twenty20 has done with cricket.
Wales online

Barry Hearn relishing chance of taking game back to the glory days (06.12.2009)

Discontent has been replaced by optimism, concern for the future has given way to realistic hope. There is a Barry Hearn buzz about the Pukka Pies United Kingdom Championship at Telford, even though snooker’s chairman-in-waiting has yet to formulate any concrete plans.
After player power removed Sir Rodney Walker and two fellow board members last week, Hearn will be ratified as chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) on December 16. The only certainties thereafter are change, enthusiasm and openness.
Times

Nachdem Sir Rodney Walker sowie seine Kollegen Mike Dunn und Jim McMahon auf der Jahreshauptversammlung der WPBSA aus dem Vorstand abgewählt wurden haben die verbliebenen Vorstandsmitglieder Lee Doyle und Hamish McInnes Barry Hearn und Steve Davis in das Führungsgremium des Verbandes berufen.
Damit entsprachen die beiden dem erklärten Willen der Spieler auf der Jahreshauptversammlung. Barry Hearn, erfolgreicher Geschäftsmann und seit Jahrzehnten der Manager von Steve Davis, hatte erst wenige Wochen zuvor seine Bereitschaft erklärt, den Vorsitz zu übernehmen.
Eurosport

Snooker looks poised for a darts-style revamp over the coming months, with promoter Barry Hearn ready to lead the revolution. Hearn is expected to be appointed chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), after Rodney Walker was voted out of the position last week.
Walker stood for re-election, but was unable to gather enough support at the association’s agm in Sheffield to keep his job. No candidate opposed Walker, so his failure to get reelected is proof of the level of hostility against his leadership.
The Post.ie

John Higgins, three-time world snooker champion, got talking about the future direction of his sport on Friday. He had a lot to say. Always has. Not only is Higgins one of the finest tacticians ever to pick up a cue, he is also one of the sport's most passionate characters. So you ask him about the change that's required in his sport and he hits you with a story about the place that made him great, the Mecca of his game.
"See the Crucible," he says. "People always talk about the importance of keeping the World Championships there. Spiritual home and all that. Even the likes of Steve Davis says keep it at the Crucible. I'm the opposite. I'm thinking, if other countries want to host our biggest event, we're not a big enough sport to turn them down, are we? We need to change our thinking."
Scotsman

Snooker ace Ronnie O'Sullivan is behind today's window as Eurosport-Yahoo! counts down the days to Christmas with a special advent calendar; a ranking of the decade's greatest sporting stars.

Each day we open the next window on the calendar to reveal a sporting great from the last 10 years, and on December 24 we name the star at the top of the Christmas tree! Scroll to the bottom of the page to find out how it works.
Eurosport.co.uk

Mark Selby answers questions from Eurosport-Yahoo! readers, including how to make snooker more popular in a country where the sport is not established.
Eurosport.co.uk

Below is a letter sent today to WPBSA members.
At the AGM on Wednesday 2 December 2009, Sir Rodney Walker, Jim McMahon and Mike Dunn were not re elected to the board of directors. The result of the poll voting was as follows:

Following the AGM we thought it would be useful to explain the legal process that needs to be followed in relation to the new board of the WPBSA.´
As no other person stood for election at the meeting, that left Lee Doyle and Dr Hamish McInnes as the two remaining directors.
Worldsnooker

Following Wednesday’s AGM, at which Sir Rodney Walker, Jim McMahon and Mike Dunn were not re-elected to the board of the WPBSA, remaining board members Lee Doyle and Dr Hamish McInnes staged a meeting on Thursday at which Barry Hearn and Steve Davis were co-opted on to the board.
A further meeting will be held on December 16 with the intention to officially ratify Barry Hearn as Chairman of the board.
Worldsnooker

Shropshire’s Adrian Gunnell today admitted he is “ashamed to call himself a professional snooker player” after a dramatic shake-up of the sport’s governing body.
Just 48 hours before the UK Championship, the second biggest tournament, begins at Telford International Centre, Sir Rodney Walker has been ousted as chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
Shropshire Star

We continue to look back on some the great snooker names from the past - this week: Doug Mountjoy.
Eurosport.co.uk

Ronnie O’Sullivan hailed yesterday’s ‘blood on the baize’ as a “great day for snooker” after the way was cleared for Barry Hearn to take over the sport. Chairman Sir Rodney Walker and two other WPBSA directors were summarily removed from the board in a shock re-election vote in Sheffield.
Record numbers of players, including world champion John Higgins, attended to give their scathing verdict on just six ranking tournaments a year and falling prize money. And the majority now want
Daily Express

Barry Hearn has pledged to give snooker the shake-up many of the sport's top players have demanded.
The promoter is poised to become the next chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), after Sir Rodney Walker was ousted from the position at the governing body's AGM.
Leading snooker stars such as world champion John Higgins and Crucible runner-up Shaun Murphy have been highly critical of the snooker authorities, bewildered by the fact there are only six ranking tournaments remaining on the calendar.
Evening News

Die Ära von Sir Rodney Walker als Vorsitzender der World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) ist beendet. Auf der Jahreshauptversammlung versagten ihm die Mitglieder das Vertrauen. Auch Jim McMahon und Mike Dunn wurden auf der Versammlung nicht wieder in den WPBSA-Vorstand gewählt. Walker und McMahon bleiben aber vorerst Direktoren von World Snooker Limited, des kommerziellen Armes, der zu einhundert Prozent im Besitz der WPBSA ist (sofern sie diese Ämter jetzt nicht sofort niederlegen). Die meisten Reaktionen unmittelbar nach der Entscheidung lagen zwischen Genugtuung und Jubel. Aber Achtung: Damit wird noch nicht sofort alles besser. Es gibt vielleicht Chancen, aber die Zukunft von Snooker ist schwierig. Risiken sind nicht zu übersehen.
Eurosport

Barry Hearn has issued the following statement following the AGM:
"Obviously I am delighted with today’s decision of the voting Members of the WPBSA and I relish the opportunity to revitalise the sport of snooker in the ensuing months ahead.
"There is a lot to be done and I can’t wait to get really involved, but there is still the question of my actual appointment to the Board being legally resolved.
"I am sure this will happen in the next few days and then the fun starts!
"At this stage all I can promise the membership of the WPBSA is total transparency, coupled with a regular supply of truthful information.
"Today is the beginning of a new era in snooker – we start NOW."

Following an AGM, held in Sheffield today, at which Sir Rodney Walker, Jim McMahon and Mike Dunn were not re-elected to the board of the WPBSA, and at which no other individual stood for election, the remaining board members, Lee Doyle and Dr Hamish McInnes, will now co-opt further individuals to the board, as a matter of priority. The first such appointment will be a professional player, as governed by the constitution of the WPBSA.

Sir Rodney Walker is in danger of being replaced as the head of snooker's world governing body by Barry Hearn today.
Wakefield-born Sir Rodney, 66, is standing to be re-elected as chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association at the annual meeting following criticism of his leadership of the organisation he has headed since 2004.
Yorkshire Post

World champion John Higgins has backed promoter Barry Hearn’s plans to revolutionise snooker as the sport’s leading players prepare to vote today on the future of the game.
Higgins leads a whole host of top players, including six times world champion Steve Davis, Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby, who want Hearn on board because he believes the Englishman's entrepreneurial skills could herald the start of a golden era.
The Press and Journal

There hasn’t been a WPBSA AGM so eagerly anticipated by the snooker world in a decade.
Tomorrow at 12pm in Sheffield, a city more used to on table battles, players will meet to decide whether to keep things as they are now and hope for a turnaround under the current regime or take a chance on a new way forward. The last crucial vote was an EGM to remove the board shortly after the rejection of the Altium deal in 2002. The board survived 48-36.
Snooker Scene Blog

Shaun Murphy wants Barry Hearn to step in if Sir Rodney Walker leaves (01.12.2009)

Shaun Murphy has pleaded with Barry Hearn to step in and save a “dying” sport if current supremo Sir Rodney Walker is booted out. World Snooker chairman Walker is standing for re-election at the WPBSA annual meeting tomorrow. But an expected routine reappointment has become a highly charged player vote of confidence on Walker’s record at the helm.
The civil war is a distraction for Murphy, who cannot wait to start the defence of his Pukka Pies UK Championship title on Saturday in Telford.
Daily Express
Sporting Life: Mark Selby welcomes Hearns plans (01.12.2009)
Daily Record: Barry Hearn right man in the frame for top snooker job, says Scots boss Mooney (01.12.2009)

	For	Against
1. Mike Dunn	25	34
2. Jim McMahon	24	35
3. Sir Rodney Walker	25	34
4. Auditors Appt	46	13
5. Auditors Remuneration	46	13