Snookerbacker : https://www.snookerbacker.com/?msclkid=52f18ffdc1cd11ec9519daae91f5bc55 :
— snookerbacker @ 11:32 am
A venue like no other (photo courtesy of Steven Hallworth)
As quick as a flash we now head into the second round at The Crucible, the first round has produced some excellent performances, most notably for me from the maestro Mark Williams and the two youngsters Zhao Xintong and Jackson Page.
Having been to Sheffield for the opening day there was a palpable air of excitement and relief to be back to normality amongst the snooker community. I think that’s definitely feeding into the atmosphere inside the arena. Unfortunately this has not put a stop to the constant and frankly tedious debate every year about moving it somewhere else.
It only ever seems to be the players that have underperformed there that raise this issue. Even the previously tongue-in-cheek criticism aimed at the venue by Mark Williams has been corrected by the man himself who having watched his second round opponent Page from the balcony seats proclaimed it the best venue for snooker on the circuit with a ‘great view form (sic) anywhere #youfogetuntilyouwatchfto@insode (sic)‘
So we can now look forward to the Last 16 which includes as you’d expect several matches that ‘could be finals’ in any other event, so let’s see who is battling it out from here on in.
As ever, click on the match to take you to the Head to Head record courtesy of the excellent Cue Tracker.
TABLE ONE
Mark Selby v Yan Bingtao (Friday 2.30pm, Saturday 10am and 7pm)
There are plenty who are already writing off Selby’s chances this year and have been quick to point out his errors in his opening match. But that is kind of what Selby does here, he never really looks like steamrollering anyone, particularly in the early rounds, he just gets the job done and to me his workmanlike performance against Jones saw off a very dangerous player playing his C game, not many other players here can do that. Yan had an early scare against Chris Wakelin and was impressive in the way he accelerated away when the pressure was on, he’s also beaten Selby on their past three meetings so clearly this is one that the Chinese player will fancy his chances in. Yan is aiming to make the Quarter Finals for the first time in his career while Selby looks to make the one-table situation for the third year on the spin. Even though I flagged up Selby as the winner in the preview, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Yan managed to send him packing here, but if Selby can come through this test, he’s still bang in contention for a fifth title.
Prediction: Yan 13-9
Jackson Page v Mark Williams (Thursday 1pm, Friday 10am and 7pm)
A superb first round performance by both Welshmen earns them the right to clash over the best of 25 here. The man Williams refers to as his ‘fourth son’ blew Barry Hawkins away in Round One in one of the most impressive Crucible debuts for many years. The established wisdom of keeping your distance from your opponent and playing your cards close to your chest has been thrown to the wolves with these two. They remain joined at the hip in and around the venue, the only cards being kept close being the ones they gamble their evening meals together on. Williams himself was awesome in the first round and if he keeps up that form he will take some stopping. As one shrewd pundit said the other day, the close proximity and relationship between the two won’t phase Williams one bit when it comes to going into battle, all the risk is on Jackson in that department. But my guess is that part of Williams’ legendary laid back temperament will have rubbed off on him and I expect this to be a no-holds barred affair. Just by virtue of MJW’s vastly superior experience and tactical acumen he’ll probably win, but it will have precious little to do with the unconventional preparation that both of them have undertaken.
Prediction: Williams 13-10
Kyren Wilson v Stuart Bingham (Sunday 10am and 7pm, Monday 1pm)
Contrasting first round matches for these two against Chinese opponents saw Bingham come through unscathed and unchallenged against Lyu while Kyren had a battle royale with Ding. They met at this stage in 2017 when Kyren raced off into a 5-0 lead before being pegged back to 8-7, before eventually winning 13-10. I think Kyren is a better player now than he was back then, in particular in the break-building department which is the area that in my opinion has elevated him into the upper echelons of the game. Bingham is another who hits tons for fun so the bet in this match is most definitely the overs on the centuries market. In terms of a result, given what I have just written there is nothing to suggest history won’t repeat itself and Kyren won’t prevail again, though they have had two very close matches since at the Masters, each winning one. Could be a cracker this one.
Prediction: Wilson 13-12
Snookerbacker
April 20, 2022
Betfred World Snooker Championship Round 2 Preview
Filed under:— snookerbacker @ 11:32 am
A venue like no other (photo courtesy of Steven Hallworth)
As quick as a flash we now head into the second round at The Crucible, the first round has produced some excellent performances, most notably for me from the maestro Mark Williams and the two youngsters Zhao Xintong and Jackson Page.
Having been to Sheffield for the opening day there was a palpable air of excitement and relief to be back to normality amongst the snooker community. I think that’s definitely feeding into the atmosphere inside the arena. Unfortunately this has not put a stop to the constant and frankly tedious debate every year about moving it somewhere else.
It only ever seems to be the players that have underperformed there that raise this issue. Even the previously tongue-in-cheek criticism aimed at the venue by Mark Williams has been corrected by the man himself who having watched his second round opponent Page from the balcony seats proclaimed it the best venue for snooker on the circuit with a ‘great view form (sic) anywhere #youfogetuntilyouwatchfto@insode (sic)‘
So we can now look forward to the Last 16 which includes as you’d expect several matches that ‘could be finals’ in any other event, so let’s see who is battling it out from here on in.
As ever, click on the match to take you to the Head to Head record courtesy of the excellent Cue Tracker.
TABLE ONE
Mark Selby v Yan Bingtao (Friday 2.30pm, Saturday 10am and 7pm)
There are plenty who are already writing off Selby’s chances this year and have been quick to point out his errors in his opening match. But that is kind of what Selby does here, he never really looks like steamrollering anyone, particularly in the early rounds, he just gets the job done and to me his workmanlike performance against Jones saw off a very dangerous player playing his C game, not many other players here can do that. Yan had an early scare against Chris Wakelin and was impressive in the way he accelerated away when the pressure was on, he’s also beaten Selby on their past three meetings so clearly this is one that the Chinese player will fancy his chances in. Yan is aiming to make the Quarter Finals for the first time in his career while Selby looks to make the one-table situation for the third year on the spin. Even though I flagged up Selby as the winner in the preview, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Yan managed to send him packing here, but if Selby can come through this test, he’s still bang in contention for a fifth title.
Prediction: Yan 13-9
Jackson Page v Mark Williams (Thursday 1pm, Friday 10am and 7pm)
A superb first round performance by both Welshmen earns them the right to clash over the best of 25 here. The man Williams refers to as his ‘fourth son’ blew Barry Hawkins away in Round One in one of the most impressive Crucible debuts for many years. The established wisdom of keeping your distance from your opponent and playing your cards close to your chest has been thrown to the wolves with these two. They remain joined at the hip in and around the venue, the only cards being kept close being the ones they gamble their evening meals together on. Williams himself was awesome in the first round and if he keeps up that form he will take some stopping. As one shrewd pundit said the other day, the close proximity and relationship between the two won’t phase Williams one bit when it comes to going into battle, all the risk is on Jackson in that department. But my guess is that part of Williams’ legendary laid back temperament will have rubbed off on him and I expect this to be a no-holds barred affair. Just by virtue of MJW’s vastly superior experience and tactical acumen he’ll probably win, but it will have precious little to do with the unconventional preparation that both of them have undertaken.
Prediction: Williams 13-10
Kyren Wilson v Stuart Bingham (Sunday 10am and 7pm, Monday 1pm)
Contrasting first round matches for these two against Chinese opponents saw Bingham come through unscathed and unchallenged against Lyu while Kyren had a battle royale with Ding. They met at this stage in 2017 when Kyren raced off into a 5-0 lead before being pegged back to 8-7, before eventually winning 13-10. I think Kyren is a better player now than he was back then, in particular in the break-building department which is the area that in my opinion has elevated him into the upper echelons of the game. Bingham is another who hits tons for fun so the bet in this match is most definitely the overs on the centuries market. In terms of a result, given what I have just written there is nothing to suggest history won’t repeat itself and Kyren won’t prevail again, though they have had two very close matches since at the Masters, each winning one. Could be a cracker this one.
Prediction: Wilson 13-12
