Fatty Facesitter's Snooker Loopy thread

[Gus Mears]

Qualifier draw is out. The Wind has got a right fucker of a gauntlet sadly - almost certainly will face Marco Fu in his first match and then the winner of that gets Noppon.

Hendry, continuing the worst comeback tour in sporting history, is facing James Cahill which should be good drama because he was married to his aunt. Well, 'good drama' up to the point where he loses in a whitewash.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Gus Mears

[Fatty Facesitter]

That's wounder for Jimmy. Great season though so you never know - would make a run to the big one all the more magical. He'll likely run out of steam but what a season for the 'Wind.

Cahill's fall from grace since beating Ronnie at the Worlds in 2019 is a real shame. Just hasn't ever lived up to his potential. Still time to turn it around at 27 but too many false dawns/false starts. 

Hendry's comeback was purely down to sponsorships more than anything, and the odd bonus of an additional 3k here and there for squeaking through the odd first round as a qualifier. Sadly he's either not been entering, practicing or putting in even remotely enough effort to compete with the even the lowest of the low. One the one hand he's done his time and he's probably quite happy living off of his sponsorships, flogging his merch, punditry money, etc. But what started out as a fun comeback story has fizzled like a floppy cock that doesn't have a hint of flying at full mast. If you're going to do it at least give it some welly. Great player but dull as fuck. As Ronnie once said 'go back to your sad little life in Scotland' 

[Pork Pie]

It would be a dream come true to see Jimmy White at the Crucible in the world championship one more time but I just can't see it happening. He did beat Trump last week which is an achievement but I don't know if he has the energy for the long matches. Snooker may not be the most physical of sports but anyone who's had a 2 or 3 hour game will know it does take it out of you, especially mentally. But I never thought he'd make another UK Championship so you never know.

Hendry isn't making it. He's done everything there was to do and dominated a decade of the sport which even O'Sullivan hasn't done. But watching him knock the balls around on his youtube channel is like watching someone down the snooker club try to put together a 20 break. It'll never happen but I'd love to see Hendry vs White in the first round of the world championship. The match would last longer than a Peter Ebdon shot though.

Hopefully Wilson beats Carter tonight. It'll then be Ding vs Wilson in one of the semi-finals. Seeing Ding hit a bit of form reminded me what a lovely break builder he is. It's a shame we've not seen much of that in recent years from him. 

[Fatty Facesitter]

4 minutes ago, Pork Pie said:

Hopefully Wilson beats Carter tonight. It'll then be Ding vs Wilson in one of the semi-finals. Seeing Ding hit a bit of form reminded me what a lovely break builder he is. It's a shame we've not seen much of that in recent years from him. 

One of my favourite breaks is his 147 attempt against Ronnie a few years back. Was going absolutely bezerk for that. MC legend Rob Walker audibly shouted 'Fuuuuucking heeeeell!!' from backstage when he finished off the last black with the rest. I am proud to say I called the yellow fluke immediately as it missed the pockets too. Shame he fucked it on the green but what an effort. Amazing atmosphere. 

Where does the forum stand on the Crucible? Personally I love it, but I can see them binning it off after the 50th anniversary in 2027. I think that would be a nice way to go 'We've had 50 great years, thank you very much indeed. You can keep the seniors but we're moving on'. I think it's one of those where it'll be sad the day when the day finally comes, but when the first tournament in the new era comes around it'll be put to bed. Could do it at Ally Pally.  

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

I love the tradition of the Crucible but it isn't big enough. I also have very unpleasant memories of getting hosed for car parking in Sheffield city centre. 

The only worry would be that it ends up in China. Perhaps that is less of a worry now all the match fixing shenanigans are out in the open, but it is where the money is for snooker. 

[Gus Mears]

Like Lion, my apprehension is that they'll move it somewhere shite. I'm less worried about China and more about Llandudno or the Brentwood Sports Centre based on recent WST moves.

[Pork Pie]

I don't want them to ever move from the Crucible but I also think snooker needs to move on, have a bigger venue and begin a new era. I've never even been but just watching at home you can feel the atmosphere and the history it holds for snooker is amazing. I don't want it to move but at the same time it's probably going to need to so that the sport can move into a new era. As a massive snooker fan for 30 years I need to make sure I go to the Crucible in the next few years and experience it in person.

I'm hoping for a Wilson vs Selby final this Sunday. I don't think I've ever seen Wilson play as good as he just did to lead Ding 6-2 going into tonight.

[Pork Pie]

Wilson put in an incredible performance yesterday. If he can keep that up not many players will be able to beat him.

Selby went 3-1 up against Murphy this afternoon and I was thinking it's going to be Selbys day. But it's now 4-4 going into tonight. Murphy has been playing some lovely snooker this season but I really need to start muting the TV when he does his post-match interviews.

[Pork Pie]

White and Hendry are both out. Hendry made a century break in his match and White potted a very good pink and black in one of the frames he won. That's about the only positives.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Young Stan Moody going through in Round 1 was a great feat - I hope he doesn't get swallowed up on the main tour next season by getting lots of smelly first round draws against top-tier opposition as that'll make it really tough for him in terms of staying on the tour for the long term. Very exciting to see a young English prodigy climbing the ranks though. 

I can't believe I'm about to say this and there's a part of me that wants to castrate myself for even doing so - but Shaun Murphy might be a real contender for the big one this year. He's in a rich vein of form and playing ridiculously well. Whatever he's doing off the table is working wonders for him. In a season where the likes of Ronnie have been nowhere near their best, Smurph has been quietly going about his business and using his underrated mentality to put people away. 17 years between World titles - bloody hell. 

 

[Fatty Facesitter]

It's JUDGEMENT DAY, and I'm not talking Rhea Bloody Ripley. 

Over the course of Tuesday/Wednesday, 32 cueists will battle it out for the 16 spots left for the main Crucible draw. There's a mixture of steady old hands and some surprise packages all trying to get through to the Big One. Predictions below (which will become out of date pretty quickly as it's all happening now as I type this).

Jak Jones vs Barry Hawkins
The Hawk is a Crucible thoroughbred with many appearances in the latter stages and someone who tends to perform better in long-form matches, however he's dropped out of the top 16 and finds himself having to go through the rigours of qualification to return to the big stage. Welshman Jak Jones, still quite young in snooker terms at just 29, has had a shite season progressing no further than the fourth round of any competition. However, as I type this, the first session between these two is now complete and Jak leads 5-4. You'd expect the Hawk's experience to come into play to see him over the line - if he does that's a bastard of a draw for whoever he meets from the top 16 in Round 1. 
Prediction: Bazza

Fan Zhengyi vs Stephen Maguire
Maguire is another former top 16 regular who now founds himself out of the elite. He's had a horrendous season - only a Championship League semi-final for a pittance to show for his efforts and multiple early exits. He needs a run at the Crucible for the bank balance and his ranking. Fan Zhengyi is only 22, already a ranking event winner and he also reached the semis of the Champion of Champions earlier this season. This could go either way - Maguire's got a terrible temperament but does have the experience factor over the young gun, who as yet doesn't seem to have been caught up in the betting scandal that his Chinese contemporaries have been thus far...
Prediction: Maguire

Chris Wakelin vs Wu Yize
Wakelin has quietly had a good season, taking home his first ranking title in the incredibly famous and prestigious Shoot Out followed up by a strong run in the German Masters and he's been very competitive throughout. Wu Yize - just 19 - has had some good results too considering his age including a run to the quarters in the European Masters and an impressive 10-2 win over compatriot Tian Pengfei in the previous qualifying round. However, Wakelin is 6-3 at the conclusion of their first session and the former should see the job through from here. Far from an easy draw for whoever he meets from the top 16. 
Prediction: Wakelin

Jordan Brown vs Si Jiahui
Jiahui is another youngster off the Chinese production line with a bright future - he too has made a ranking event quarter final this term and impressively dispatched veteran campaigner Tom Ford 10-5 in the previous round. Jordan Brown hasn't been able to build on his 2021 Welsh Open title victory and ever since has been mostly floundering on the tour trying to rediscover that mojo, though he does have a couple of Championship League semis to show for this season. It's even stevens at the time of writing this masterpiece and I'm going to break from previous predictions and go for Si Jiahui to cause a mini-shock in making it through to the big one. 
Prediction: Si Jiahui

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Ricky Walden
This is very, very tough to call. Both have progressed through the Judgement Day phase on several occasions and both are good players in different ways - Thepchaiya is fast-paced and aggressive on his day, but Walden's a crafty veteran and always has a knack of getting himself out of trouble. Theppy leads 5-4 after the first session but I reckon this one will go the distance - one of the toughest to call of the batch but I'll go with Un-Nooh purely out of favouritism and because he's currently got a slender lead!
Prediction: Theppy

Graeme Dott vs Matthew Selt
This one's a bit of a bastard to call as well. Dott, World champion in 2006, has been around the block and back but has struggled to make it through to the latter stages of many competitions this season. Matthew Selt is a tough opponent at any stage, let alone a final qualifying round, and this season he's appeared in the semis or the final of each Championship League phase - not a massive set of tournaments by any means but with events cancelled this season and with the Chinese events still on hold, it all counts. Selt leads 5-4 as it stands, but you can never count out 'Pot the Lot' - so expect this one to go the distance as well. 
Prediction: Selt by a hair, which ironic as neither of them have any...

Noppon Saengkham vs Zhang Anda
I've always liked Noppon - a very underrated talent with a decent CV in terms of Crucible scalps. He's had some great runs this year reaching the semis of the British Open and the World Grand Prix, and more recently the fourth round of the WST Classic. By contrast, 31-year-old Zhang Anda has had nothing to crow about this season with his results, but he's already won two rounds to get to this stage of the quallies and he currently leads Noppon at the end of their first session, so he's gunning for quite the payday. Noppon's a classy operator though and I expect him to not only pull through, but to be a potential surprise package for the Big One depending on the draw. 
Prediction: Noppon

Anthony McGill vs Cao Yupeng
It's been a mixed bag for Crucible regular McGill - quite a few early exits, but a run to the semis in the Northern Ireland Open and a run to the quarters of the World Grand Prix mean it hasn't been a total disaster for the Scot. He's made it through to Judgement Day by the hairs of his arse by limping over the line against an unfancied John Astley in a decider in the previous round. Cao Yupeng's biggest claim to fame so far is being banned for two years for match-fixing. The deviant. McGill leads 5-3 heading into the second session and he'll surely go the distance now. He's had crap seasons before and still gone deep at the Crucible, so you wouldn't bet against him doing so again. 
Prediction: McGilly 

Matthew Stevens vs David Gilbert
A pretty poor season for the two-time Crucible finalist Stevens, consistently crashing out in tournaments early doors and sinking to 54 in the rankings. He does arrive at Judgement Day off the back of two wins in the qualification process including a 10-3 spanking of compatriot Jamie Clarke, so perhaps he's been saving his best for the big spectacular. It hasn't been much better for the Angry Farmer - a run to the Northern Ireland Open quarters scant consolation for losing his top 16 placing. He easily (and sadly) dispatched Norfolk's Barry Pinches in the previous round 10-3, but this will be a sterner test. This one might go the distance on the count of a lack of form or quality, but I'll plump for Gilbert on the basis that he's got better recent World Champs pedigree.
Prediction: Angry Farmer 

Mark Davis vs Joe Perry
I like this one - two old gunslingers. Davis, I believe, is fighting to keep his tour card, and the bottle he's shown to win the previous rounds 10-8 against tough opposition in Michael Georgiou and Lyu Haotian respectively could stand the 50-year-old in good stead. Perry though is different gravy and still capable of mixing it up with the best. Nothing major to shout about other than a run to the quarters of the UK Champs at the back end of last year, and he too had to squeak through 10-8 in the last round against a game Sanderson Lam. But Perry has more pedigree at the event and should take this one. 
Prediction: Gentleman Joe

Andrew Higginson vs David Grace
Now this is interesting - Higginson, technically an amateur, has competed since the very first qualifying phase at the EIS. He's faced some tricky sorts as well - Andy Lee, Louis Heathcoate and the fancied Joe O'Connor have all succumbed to the Scot. 'Amazing' Grace has slipped to 66 in the rankings but does arrive in ok form having reached the fourth round of the WST Classic and having won in the second and third qualifying rounds in tight encounters against Sean O'Sullivan and the fancied Sam Craigie, the latter being a bit of a surprise result. Logic dictates that Grace should take this, but I'd love to see an amateur reach the Big One having done a Shawn Michaels by going from the beginning and winning to earn a spot at the showcase of the immortals! He hasn't made to the Crucible since 2012...
Prediction: Higginson

Hossein Vafaei vs Jackson Page
Decent season for the Prince of Persia though his wait to break into and stay in the elusive top 16 goes on for now. One of the classiest operators in this phase and someone who all of the top 16 will be desperate to avoid in the main draw. 21-year-old Jackson Page has a bright future and has picked up some decent wins here and there this season. He also took down Martin Gould 10-6 in the previous round and arrives in good form after a decent run in the WST Classic. But I can't see past Big Hoss for this one. Iran Number One! Hack! Puh! 
Prediction: Prince of Persia

Elliott Slessor vs Zhou Yuelong
Crap season for Slessor and the Geordie is close to losing his tour card. Yuelong, still only 25, has been a consistent performer all season which includes two ranking finals. I think he'll make short work of Slessor here and this could be one of the more one-sided victories during this phase. 
Prediction: Yuelong

Anthony Hamilton vs Jimmy Robertson
Another one I really like and another tough one to call. The Sheriff of Pottingham has been around for donkeys, pre-dating even the famous class of 1992 (he turned pro in 1991!) and at 51 is still holding his own at 42 in the world. A relatively consistent season by his standards with a few early-round progressions keeping his head above water in the rankings, and he imposed law and order on Oliver Lines by breaking his heart in a decider in the previous round. It's been a similar story this season for Robertson and he had a good run in the German Masters again a few months back. My heart says Hamilton, my head says Robertson...
Prediction: Went with my heart. Up the Sheriff

Xu Si vs Pang Junxu
Crap season with nothing to crow about for Xu Si, but his compatriot Junxu arrives in inspired form - in the last two big tournaments he reached the semis of the Welsh Open and then the final of the WST Classic. He took down the Darling of Dublin Ken Doherty in the last round fairly comprehensively and I expect he'll do the same again here - this 23-year-old is a tidy prospect and definitely one to watch.
Winner: Pang Junxu

Ryan Day vs Scott Donaldson
A very good season for 'Dynamite' Day who has played some great stuff this term along with taking the British Open crown. A player who's always either just inside or just outside the top 16 but always extremely consistent. Also bagged a maximum against Selby in the Tour Championship a few days ago. It's been a crap year for Donaldson, but he did reach the fourth round of the WST Classic and has consistency from winning two previous qualifying rounds to get to this point. I can only see this going one way - Day is a bastard hard draw for any of the top 16 and he's perfectly capable of going deep at the Crucible if he can keep his head. 
Prediction: Dynamite

I look forward to revisiting these predictions when it turns out I've gotten every single one of them wrong. Fuck you all. 

Edited April 11, 2023 by Fatty Facesitter
Edited some typos, but later on when the results come in I'll be editing my predictions as well to make it look like I know what I'm talking about.

[Gus Mears]

That's cracking work @Fatty Facesitter. Looking forward to an evening in front of the box, one of the better 48 hours of snooker in the year.

Walden vs Thep pick of the round. Two very different players, though I think Walden's craftiness will win the day. Hussein better get through, already down one of my favourites with Yan Bingtoa in the clag 😢

[Just Some Guy]

Andrew Higginson is English.

Otherwise, top write up.

We should have a UKFF Crucible prediction game.

[Pork Pie]

Really enjoyable post and I mostly agreed with your predictions. I did think Fan stood a good chance against Maguire though. I'm disappointed for Hawkins. Seems like such a nice guy and he's a great player but it's just not been his season. It's good to see Walden getting thourgh. 

I'm off work tomorrow so looking forward to watching the final judgement day.

[The Gaffer]

Yeah excellent write up cheers @Fatty Facesitter!

Buzzing about the tournament as it's the first proper self indulgent time sink I've had since becoming single again. The Un-Nooh match was terrific last night. Such a satisfying potter, that lad.