Latest news with #WelshOpen
The Irish Sun
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Beloved Irish sporting legend turns singer for charity album despite ‘sounding like a fog horn'
KEN Doherty can build a break on the snooker table with the best of them but can he hold a tune without his voice breaking? Fans are going to find out as Advertisement 2 Doherty does possess the classic northside accent to imitate Luke Kelly and Co Credit: @kendoherty1989 2 Other major honours to his name include victories at the Welsh Open and the Malta Grand Prix Credit: Getty In it, he sings the classic ballad Dublin in the Rare Old Times which was made famous by The Ranelagh native got plenty of kudos from He was, however, rather more harsh in his self-assessment of how he fared. The 55-year-old recapped: "Did something a bit new today in Dublin, recorded a song for a charity album that's coming out in November. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport "Was great fun even though I sounded like a fog horn." Among the supportive messages he received, George offered: "Nice one Ken. Lovely delivery. You've an iconic recognisable Dublin voice. Lovely to hear melody in it." Likewise, Mary praised: "Hey Ken you have a lovely talent you sound incredible." Lastly, Alice kept it short and sweet, adding: "Fair play to ya Ken!" Advertisement Most read in Other Sports In a follow-up exchange, Doherty confirmed that the album will be raising money for the The more run-of-the-mill focus of snooker fans this week has been on the Shanghai Masters. Snooker fans baffled as star who's not won a match all year knocks in staggering 147 break The 2025 edition got under way on Monday and will run for seven days, concluding on Sunday. Luwan Gymnasium in Shanghai, China, is the chosen venue for this sensational spectacle. Advertisement KY'S TRY Yesterday, Kyren Wilson missed out on a slice of history The former world snooker champion came from 3-1 down to beat Chinese world No15 Si Jiahui 6-5 in a final-frame decider in round two. It was a high-scoring, high-quality affair as the Warrior, 33, hit breaks of 120, 114 and 114 while Si, 23, notched in 124, 139 and, in the penultimate frame, a 127. Six centuries is the highest number seen in a professional match which is the best-of-11 frames. Advertisement It had happened twice before – the first time was Trump versus Neil Robertson in the Masters 2016 quarter-finals. And the other occasion involved Aussie Robertson against Leicester's Unknowingly, He was on 97 and about to sink the final black off its spot as the crowd at the Luwan Gymnasium hollered in the background. Advertisement Yet instead of rolling it as he had done countless times in practice and matches, the Kettering cueist turned his head sideward and played an exhibition shot. It was his way of entertaining the fans and some laughed as he went for the audacious attempt, which he missed badly.
Metro
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Resurgent Stephen Maguire tinkers his way to first title in five years
Stephen Maguire has landed his seventh ranking title and first for five years by winning the Championship League in Leicester. The 44-year-old came through the three group stages of the epic tournament, which started on June 30, before beating Joe O'Connor 3-1 in Wednesday night's final. The Scot had to play 10 games to get his hands on the trophy, winning eight of them as he beat the likes of Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Zhang Anda and Matthew Selt along the way to claiming the first title of the season. O'Connor also had a fantastic event, winning all nine of his group stage matches to reach the final, but breaks of 85, 61 and 89 saw Maguire triumph. It is Maguire's first ranking title since the 2020 Tour Championship and comes 21 years after his first at the 2004 European Open. It has been a lean spell on the table for the world number two, although there were signs of life in the second half of last season as he reached the Welsh Open final after starting working with former pro Chris Small. He was then hampered by back trouble, forced to pull out of the World Grand Prix and well beaten in World Championship qualifying by Gao Yang. That issue appears to be behind him, though, and he pockets £33,000 for coming out on top at the Mattioli Arena. 'I'm just relieved, it's been a long month, I feel like I've been up and down the motorway all the time but it's a good reward at the end,' he said. 'Coming in today, there was two groups left, eight players. It felt more important than coming down the last couple of times because we knew somebody was going home with the trophy, there was going to be a winner and seven losers. To be the last man standing so early on in the season, I'm over the moon. 'It gives me a head start [in qualifying] for the Grand Prix and other tournaments, little bit of confidence. It's not the biggest tournament in the world but it's a ranking event so I'll take it.' Maguire has been a rampant tinkerer with cues in recent years, at times feeling it has been to his detriment, but now sees it as a positive. He won the event with a cue he has only been playing with for two weeks, the second piece of wood he used in this tournament alone. 'I'm keeping the cue,' he said. 'Thanks to [manufacturer] Ton Praram. 'I got the cue two weeks ago now, I've used two different cues in this event, so people who say you can't use different cues, they're full of nonsense, but I like this one.' First Group Stage 3-0 Michael Holt3-0 Liam Graham 3-1 James Cahill Second Group Stage 3-1 Zhang Anda3-1 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 2-2 Yuan Sijun Third Group Stage 3-0 Matt Selt3-0 Ben Mertens 1-3 Pang Junxu Final 3-1 Joe O'Connor Speaking at the Crucible in 2022, after beating now world champion Zhao Xintong, Maguire bemoaned his relentless cue swapping. 'I've been struggling with cues for the last few years really. In tournaments I've played with about 30 cues over the last few years,' he said. 'It's terrible, and I think I've paid the price for it with my ranking.' More Trending He kept on changing, though, saying in November last year after qualifying for the UK Championship: 'I'm always messing about with cues and I was messing about with far too many cues. I think I've used 10 cues this season in tournaments. 'I wasn't getting anywhere with it. I went to a qualifier in Sheffield and it's the worst I've ever played as a professional.' The world number 27 has bounced back from that low, despite the continued tinkering, and will go into next month's Saudi Arabia Masters and Wuhan Open with renewed confidence. Which cue he takes with him is yet to be seen. MORE: Stephen Hendry challenges snooker star to bounce back from 'disappointing' season MORE: Ronnie O'Sullivan outlines ambitious plan for after he retires from snooker MORE: Jordan Brown hit 'extreme low' and considered quitting snooker before making vital decision
The Irish Sun
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Snooker star who was suspended for match-fixing says match-fixers should be banned for life
SUSPENDED snooker star Mark King has insisted that any player found guilty of match-fixing should be banned for life. King is currently suspended until March 2028 after being found guilty of fixing a match against Joe Perry in 2023. 2 He was first suspended in 2023 and admits its taken a toll on his family Credit: PA:Press Association 2 The former Northern Ireland open champions was found guilty of match fixing Credit: Getty But the 51-year-old told "If you're guilty, that's it, you should never be allowed to play again." King, who was first suspended by snooker's governing body in March 2023 after suspicious betting patterns were flagged following his 4-0 loss to Joe Perry at the Welsh Open in February that year. Perry was not under suspicion and King has consistently denied the charges. READ MORE IN SNOOKER After losing an appeal in May, he was hit with a staggering £113,000 cost order. In November 2024, the former Northern Ireland Open champion was found guilty and banned until March 2028. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) made it clear that there's no more serious violation than match-fixing, adding they had thoroughly investigated the case. The body said in a statement: "There was strong evidence against King, and this led to action under the WPBSA's Conduct Regulations." Most read in Snooker King admitted the scandal had taken a toll on his personal life, with his wife suffering serious health problems during the investigation. He revealed: "The hardest part of this has been seeing what it's done to my wife. Championship League snooker match awkwardly interrupted by Ice Cream Van "She had a pacemaker fitted not long after it all started, and it's been really tough on her." The Essex player, who once reached No.11 in the world, is also a recovering gambling addict and said the entire ordeal had severely impacted his mental health. While the WPBSA emphasised the support available for players, including counselling and legal advice, King described his struggles. He also admits despite receiving emotional support from close friends like three-time world champion Mark Williams, who called just to check on him, King is still facing financial strain due to his suspension. He said: "I don't have £113,000 lying around. "I'm out of work at 51, and I tried doing a bit of labouring, but it was too much for me." With just under three years remaining on his suspension, King is uncertain about his future in snooker. He concluded: "I don't know what's going to happen. I love playing, love the travel, but I'm still hurt and angry."
Metro
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Jordan Brown hit 'extreme low' and considered quitting snooker
Jordan Brown hit the lowest point of his career last year and considered quitting snooker entirely, before making a phone call which he feels has turned everything around. The 37-year-old struggled for results all last season, falling early in almost every event and the disappointments began to affect him off the table, more so than ever before in his career. The Northern Irishman was struggling for form and confidence so much around Christmas time last year that he felt his future may lie away from snooker. 'Last season was by far the worst I've ever experienced,' Brown told Metro. 'I went through a very difficult time on and off the table, because it does affect your mental health, your mental well-being. 'You're questioning your future in the game, because I had so many bad performances last year, so many bad results, I don't think I got past the second round, and it's hard to take. 'It drains your confidence big time, you feel like you can't buy a result, it's very hard to describe, you just feel like you can't play the game anymore. It even got to the stage last season where I was even playing bad in practise and I just had a bit of a mental breakdown around Christmas time. 'Honestly I considered not carrying on, getting a job, because things got that bad. I get a bit emotional talking about it now, but that's what the game can do to you. Bad result after bad result, it takes a toll on you.' It is not just the disappointment of losing games of snooker that gets to players, but clearly professionals are relying on wins to earn money and a bad run can cause great financial stress as well. 'It was an extreme low, the lowest point of my career, it takes a toll on your mental health, and there's only so much you can take,' Brown said. 'When you're not winning, you're not earning enough money to cover bills, and to cover expenses, and you're having to rely on family it's not a nice position to be in. 'Thankfully I've got a good family around me, I've got good friends around me, who have helped me through the difficult times. Hopefully I can turn things around.' After struggling through to the end of last season the former Welsh Open champion decided he needed a fresh approach and outlook, so called in some help. Fergal O'Brien only retired from playing last year but is quickly earning a reputation in the coaching world and as a great man to have in your corner, as evidenced by fellow Irishman Aaron Hill who has signed him up and is reaping the benefits. Brown has now done the same as one of his practice partners in Antrim and says he is quickly enjoying a more positive mindset as a result. 'I made the phone call to Fergal, I just had to do something to change things up, I was prepared to do anything,' he said. 'I felt like I was just doing the same things all the time. I needed a change in my structure and a change in mentality,because I didn't really have a good attitude. I soon found out when I first started working with Fergal. 'I took a little bit of inspiration from how well Aaron was doing in the later part of last season. He nearly reached the Crucible, got to the quarters of Germany. 'I'm just thinking, if it can work for Aaron, it could work for me and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.' A former top 16 player, ranking event winner and Masters finalist, O'Brien can help with the technical side, but Brown says his input has most keenly been felt in his head. More Trending 'It's mainly the mental side, because obviously Fergal's got bags of experience, 30-odd years of being there on tour, he's bought the T-shirt,' said Brown. 'It's just a different way of thinking out there. Rather than have a negative attitude. I just needed to change a few things up, and already I can see the benefits. 'We're on the right track now and there are bigger and better things to come. It's early doors, but I can see the progress.' MORE: Chris Wakelin: A massive part of me thought I'd win the World Championship MORE: Liam Davies on perfect start to season, beating a hero and snooker's rising stars MORE: Mark Allen replaced in Shanghai Masters draw after withdrawal for personal reasons
Wales Online
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Stephen Hendry comments on Shaun Murphy's snooker rule change proposal
Stephen Hendry comments on Shaun Murphy's snooker rule change proposal Snooker icon and Eurosport pundit Stephen Hendry has thrown his support behind Shaun Murphy's latest call for a rule change, but only under specific circumstances Stephen Hendry isn't totally against Shaun Murphy's suggestion (Image: Alex Pantling, Getty Images ) Shaun Murphy has found an ally in Stephen Hendry following his plea for a snooker rule change. The reigning Masters champion is well known for voicing his bold views and regularly suggesting ideas to enhance the sport's appeal. Murphy is particularly keen on the idea of adding a spot to the cue ball to indicate the level of spin applied during play. While spots are common in other cue sports, they are notably absent in snooker. The Magician has used a spot on the cue ball on his YouTube channel, where he shares coaching techniques and strategy advice. He said during one video: 'I'm going to keep using the spotted cue ball because we're getting some really good feedback about that. 'You guys are loving seeing the spin, how the spin manipulates the cue ball and what it's actually doing. It's great that you can see it with one of these. Article continues below 'You know what? I actually think we should be using one of these in tournament play. "I think that you should be able to see this when we're playing. Think about this, snooker, currently, is the only table sport and cue sport that doesn't use one of these. "They are using it in billiards, they're using it in nine-ball, they are using it in everything. Maybe it's time that snooker moved on, just so you guys can see what's happening." Murphy has called for snooker to make several changes (Image: Getty ) Now, snooker legend Hendry has weighed in on the subject. When asked by Neil Robertson for his thoughts on the idea on Hendry's Cue Tips YouTube channel, the seven-time world champion said he would be in favour of it being applied at certain tournaments - but crucially not all. 'I think there'd be room for it in one tournament but I wouldn't like to see it rolled out in everything,' explained Hendry. 'A lot of players wouldn't like it because they'd see the unwanted side they put on the ball.' Article continues below Murphy has also suggested a host of other changes to shake up the sport, including implementing a shot clock and axing the foul and miss rule. He stated at this year's Welsh Open: "I just find it so weird that we have a rule in the game that allows players to have a sighter. In my opinion, the miss rule needs to be taken out of the game altogether. I don't like the rule at all." Meanwhile, Murphy began the new season with a crushing 5-0 victory over 14-year-old tour newcomer Michal Szubarczyk to qualify for the televised stages of the Wuhan Open in late August.
