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The Players Championship line-up

Postby SnookerFan

The field of 16 top snooker stars has now been confirmed for the Coral Players Championship in Preston, which runs from March 4 to 10.

Only the leading 16 players from the one-year ranking list have qualified for the £380,000 world ranking event at the iconic Guild Hall. The ITV-televised tournament is the second of three events in the 2019 Coral Snooker Series.

Top stars in action in Preston will include Coral World Grand Prix champion Judd Trump, five-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, world number one Mark Selby, World Champion Mark Williams, four-time Crucible king John Higgins, Mark Allen, Neil Robertson and many more.

The first round matches are below (seedings in brackets):

Mark Allen (1) v Stephen Maguire (16)
David Gilbert (8) v Stuart Bingham (9)
Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Barry Hawkins (12)
Mark Selby (4) v John Higgins (13)
Neil Robertson (3) v Joe Perry (14)
Mark Williams (6) v Ali Carter (11)
Kyren Wilson (7) v Jack Lisowski (10)
Judd Trump (2) v Jimmy Robertson (15)

http://www.worldsnooker.com/coral-playe ... confirmed/

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby SnookerFan

I'm not entirely convinced these should be ranking events either, but I won't moan on about it like I did with the Shoot-Out.

At least this is snooker under proper rules affecting players ranks.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Ash147

SnookerFan wrote:I'm not entirely convinced these should be ranking events either, but I won't moan on about it like I did with the Shoot-Out.

At least this is snooker under proper rules affecting players ranks.


Hearn should just make everything a ranking event at this point. Somehow the CoC and Shanghai Masters don't give you ranking points, but the PHC and Shootout do. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby SnookerFan

Ash147 wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:I'm not entirely convinced these should be ranking events either, but I won't moan on about it like I did with the Shoot-Out.

At least this is snooker under proper rules affecting players ranks.


Hearn should just make everything a ranking event at this point. Somehow the CoC and Shanghai Masters don't give you ranking points, but the PHC and Shootout do. It makes no sense whatsoever.


I get why the Shanghai and Masters aren't, because they are now essentially invitational tournaments.

I disagree with the Shanghai Masters being invitational. It's always been ranking, but then Hearn had a falling out with the Chinese lot who wanted the matches to be longer, so stripped it of it's ranking event status and just invited who he wanted in a compromise/sulk.

I kind of wonder why these top-32, top-16, top-8 tournaments are ranking however. I know that they're on the one year list, and anybody can get into them, yada yada. But if you're going to have a tournament where you only invite the top players, then you might as well make The Masters a ranker. It still feels like double rewards to me.

Saying that, I don't mind as much as I do The Shoot Out. It won't stop me from watching. The ShootOut for me feels like a non-snooker tournament that affects snooker players ranking. They might as well make the entire tour compete in a 3-cushion billiards tournament, and tell them it's a ranking event.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby The_Abbott

Dan-cat wrote:I think Joe 'not that much of a gentleman at all really' Perry should step aside and let Teppy play, because he actually stands a chance.


I thought he was called "Gentlemen" because he's always hanging around the Gents

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Alex0paul

SnookerFan wrote:Remind me. Are first round matches best of nine? Eleven?


11

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby SnookerFan

Alex0paul wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:Remind me. Are first round matches best of nine? Eleven?


11


<ok>

I'm thinking next year, I may go up early and watch those. It's like a mini-Masters.

Kind of depends whether it's in Preston, or somewhere else.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Ash147

masterdoctorgenius wrote:Tough match for Ronnie vs Barry. Could win but could lose as well if he sustains the rubbish form he has since new year.


You'd better hope Ronnie wins the coin toss.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby D4P

masterdoctorgenius wrote:Tough match for Ronnie vs Barry. Could win but could lose as well if he sustains the rubbish form he has since new year.


I fully expect an early exit for Ronnie at the PC, and probably at the Tour Championship as well (unless he decides that he wants to win the inaugural playing of that event). He hasn't shown much interest in winning lately, and he's been talking about how he ideally wants to limit himself to 35-40 matches per season.

He has already played 36 matches this season. First-round losses at the PC and TC would bring him to 38, and 5 matches at the WC would bring him to 43. Going deep at the PC and/or TC would take him way over his ideal number...

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Andre147

Alex0paul wrote:What a load of old rubbish


I agree.

What ROS sometimes says we can take with a pinch of salt... that number he suggested is rubbish. If he applies himself he has every chance to win.

I can see him reaching the FInal, the players he can face until then are not exactly in top form either. I did say I expected him to win either this or Tour Champs.

I'd like if he won the latter, longer proper format. He already has won the Shanghai Masters this season which also had a proper format, the Tour Champs is slightly longer, and more importantly a ranking event.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby D4P

Andre147 wrote:I did say I expected him to win either this or Tour Champs.


I thought so too earlier in the season, but that was before Kamikaze Ron showed up and Match Snooker Ron disappeared for the time being...

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Ash147

SnookerFan wrote:
Ash147 wrote:I think Ronnie probably pulled that 35-40 number of matches out of his bottom.


That makes a change.


pmsl

Very true. I wish he'd just let his snooker do the talking.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby D4P

Ash147 wrote:I think Ronnie probably pulled that 35-40 number of matches out of his bottom.


While I don't expect him to literally stick to a particular number and not exceed it under any circumstances, it's obvious that he's serious about limiting the amount of snooker he's going to play.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Ash147

D4P wrote:
Ash147 wrote:I think Ronnie probably pulled that 35-40 number of matches out of his bottom.


While I don't expect him to literally stick to a particular number and not exceed it under any circumstances, it's obvious that he's serious about limiting the amount of snooker he's going to play.


The other day I heard him saying how he wants to play in more tournaments. He's constantly contradicting himself, but he's always been like that.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby D4P

Ash147 wrote:Very true. I wish he'd just let his snooker do the talking.


To be fair, he is (by far) the most interviewed snooker player in the game. People ask him the same questions over and over, and he gets criticized when he gives robotic answers and also when he gives colorful answers.

I'm inclined to believe that he often says what he's honestly feeling at the time, with the caveat that his feelings can change from one interview to the next...

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby D4P

Ash147 wrote:The other day I heard him saying how he wants to play in more tournaments. He's constantly contradicting himself, but he's always been like that.


I think his schedule this season is what we'll see from him going forward. He'll play the big invitationals, the Home Nations (which he might skip here and there depending on fatigue), the Triple Crown events, and the ITV events, while skipping all of the events that require playing numpties in qualifiers.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Lucky

SnookerFan wrote:I'm not entirely convinced these should be ranking events either, but I won't moan on about it like I did with the Shoot-Out.

At least this is snooker under proper rules affecting players ranks.



Did you not like the shootout then.........you never said.

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby D4P

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Will the breakaway tour lads still play in these events?


Kamikaze Ron has taken the place of the breakaway tour, for the time being...

Re: The Players Championship line-up

Postby Andre147

D4P wrote:
Ash147 wrote:Very true. I wish he'd just let his snooker do the talking.


To be fair, he is (by far) the most interviewed snooker player in the game. People ask him the same questions over and over, and he gets criticized when he gives robotic answers and also when he gives colorful answers.

I'm inclined to believe that he often says what he's honestly feeling at the time, with the caveat that his feelings can change from one interview to the next...


I do agree, but other times he just says things to wind people up and to get media attention.

Like you say, he changes his mind from one interview to the next.