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Metro
2 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
The players who had dream and nightmare first weeks of the snooker season
The snooker season got underway in low-key fashion over the last few days, but it has already seen some players make an ideal start to their campaign and others face early worries. The Wuhan Open qualifiers begun on June 22, with the British Open qualifying starting straight after on June 25. Both qualifying events were held at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester behind closed doors, so they won't necessarily live long in the memory, but could prove vital in the world rankings over the season. Winning the opening match in the Wuhan Open is worth £4,500 and the winner of the event will pick up a very healthy £140,000. The British Open is a small step down, with £3,000 won in the first round and the champion claiming £100,000. A number of players have started in perfect fashion, winning both their qualifiers and will be booking their trips to Wuhan and Cheltenham. Others will already be reckoning with gaps in their calendar when those events come round after suffering back-to-back defeats over the last week. There was a dramatic and brilliant start to the campaign for Marco Fu, the 47-year-old who has really struggled for results in recent years but still has some of the old magic in there. He had a really tough draw against Chris Wakelin to get to Wuhan but knocked in three centuries to win 5-3, then bounced back from 3-0 down to beat Stephen Maguire 4-3 and make the British. Louis Heathcote also picked up two wins from tricky draws, impressively downing Wu Yize 5-2, then edging out Jordan Brown 4-3. There was also a brace of victories for Stan Moody, the 18-year-old who continues to make great strides in the game, beating Antoni Kowalski to reach Wuhan and then Zhou Yuelong to make it to Cheltenham. 12-times women's world champion Reanne Evans has started the campaign ideally, with wins over David Lilley and new professional Lan Yuhao. There was also a pair of victories for the likes of Liam Davies and Jackson Page, two young British stars who will hope to move up a level this season. Zak Surety also kept up the good form he finished last season in, with wins over Gong Chenzhi and Zhao Hanyang, while Ben Woollaston, Lei Peifan, Matt Selt, Joe O'Connor, Noppon Saengkham, Matthew Stevens, Jak Jones, Ben Mertens, Xu Si, Chang Bingyu and Jack Lisowski all landed two victories. A number of players came away with a win and a defeat from the two sets of qualifiers, which they will be able to live with, but two losses will sting for those who came away without a victory. Ricky Walden was a notable name to lose on both outings, beaten 5-4 by David Grace to miss out on Wuhan, then downed 4-2 by Joe O'Connor in the British. The 42-year-old is down at number 49 on the end of season rankings and these early setbacks will be a concern. Fan Zhengyi is another to have gone winless in two games, losing 5-3 to Ben Mertens and then 4-2 to Robert Milkins. The former European Masters champ remains an unpredictable force, capable of brilliance but really lacking consistency. A number of the players who won their way onto the professional circuit through Q School, Q Tour or other routes had difficult starts and are still looking for their first victories of the campaign. Liam Pullen may well be the most frustrated of them after both his matches went to deciding frames and he lost both, beaten 5-4 by Jimmy Robertson and then 4-3 by Mertens. While it can't be considered a nightmare as he chose to do so, Luca Brecel is also winless so far after failing to turn up for his Wuhan Open qualifier and then pulling out of the British Open. The early-season action continues on Monday with the start of the Championship League, a sprawling event which runs all the way until July 23. Many of the big names are not playing in the tournament so there is a good chance for some of the lower-ranked players to either continue a strong start to the campaign or turn around a difficult one. Ishpreet Singh Chadha 5-1 Yao PengchengElliot Slessor 5-4 Oliver LinesRicky Walden 4-5 David GraceChris Wakelin 3-5 Marco FuAnthony McGill 2-5 Jimmy WhiteWu Yize 2-5 Louis Heathcote Matthew Selt 5-4 Sunny Akani Xu Si 5-1 Chris TottenJak Jones 5-0 Oliver BrownJamie Jones 5-4 Liu WenweiBarry Hawkins 5-1 Julien LeclercqNoppon Saengkham 5-0 Robbie McGuiganZhou Yuelong 5-2 Lan Yuhao Stan Moody 5-2 Antoni Kowalski Mark Williams 5-0 Chatchapong NasaMark Davis 4-5 Liam DaviesJoe O'Connor 5-4 Jiang JunBen Woollaston 5-1 Ken DohertyMark Selby 5-1 Alexander UrsenbacherMichael Holt 5-3 Liam GrahamDavid Gilbert 5-1 Cheung Ka Wai Haris Tahir w/o Luca Brecel Daniel Wells 4-5 Chang BingyuStuart Bingham 2-5 Liam HighfieldSanderson Lam 1-5 Zhao HanyangZhang Anda 5-2 Steven HallworthJimmy Robertson 5-4 Liam PullenLei Peifan 5-3 Ng On YeeAaron Hill 5-1 Sam Craigie Kyren Wilson 5-0 Connor Benzey Liu Hongyu 5-3 Ian BurnsJack Lisowski 5-3 Amir SarkhoshRyan Day 5-1 Jonas LuzShaun Murphy 5-0 Michal SzubarczykJordan Brown 5-1 Duane JonesGary Wilson 5-2 Gao Yang Lyu Haotian 5-3 Bai Yulu Martin O'Donnell 1-5 Haydon PinheyTom Ford 5-2 Mateusz BaranowskiDavid Lilley 4-5 Reanne EvansNeil Robertson 5-0 Leone CrowleyHe Guoqiang 1-5 Artemijs ZizinsYuan Sijun 5-1 Xu YichenLong Zehuang 3-5 Dylan Emery John Higgins 5-2 Huang Jiahao Scott Donaldson 5-4 Mitchell MannPang Junxu 5-4 Hatem YassenThepchaiya Un-Nooh 5-0 Fergal QuinnZak Surety 5-1 Gong Chenzhi Fan Zhengyi 3-5 Ben Mertens Jackson Page 5-3 Ross MuirAli Carter 5-2 Florian NuessleRobert Milkins 1-5 Wang YuchenSi Jiahui 5-2 Bulcsu ReveszStephen Maguire 5-1 Kreishh Gurbaxani Matthew Stevens 5-2 Sahil Nayyar Chang Bingyu 4-2 Kreishh GurbaxaniJak Jones 4-1 Gong ChenzhiNoppon Saengkham 4-1 Liu WenweiLiam Davies 4-2 Jimmy WhiteMartin O'Donnell 4-1 Sahil NayyarOliver Lines 4-1 Stuart CarringtonUmut Dikme 4-3 Michal Szubarczyk Anthony McGill 4-3 Dylan Emery Ashley Carty 4-2 Alexander UrsenbacherBen Mertens 4-3 Liam PullenMitchell Mann 4-3 Wang YuchenMatthew Stevens 4-2 Huang JiahaoYuan Sijun 4-3 Jamie JonesDavid Lilley 4-2 Liam GrahamJoe O'Connor 4-2 Ricky Walden Antoni Kowalski 4-0 Chris Totten Reanne Evans 4-1 Lan YuhaoLei Peifan 4-0 Mateusz BaranowskiRobert Milkins 4-2 Fan ZhengyiLeone Crowley 4-0 Hatem YassenMatthew Selt 4-0 David GilbertXu Yichen 4-2 Oliver BrownStan Moody 4-2 Zhou Yuelong Jackson Page 4-2 Elliot Slessor Gao Yang 4-2 Fergal QuinnMarco Fu 4-3 Stephen MaguireHe Guoqiang 4-0 Farakh AjaibSunny Akani 4-0 Steven HallworthXu Si 4-0 Florian NuessleRyan Davies 4-3 Jimmy RobertsonHaris Tahir 4-3 Ken Doherty Long Zehuang 4-3 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Bulcsu Revesz 4-1 Robbie WilliamsScott Donaldson 4-2 Ishpreet Singh ChadhaRobbie McGuigan 4-2 Lyu HaotianAmir Sarkhosh 4-1 Mink NutcharutJack Lisowski 4-3 Liam HighfieldIulian Boiko 4-2 Connor BenzeyBen Woollaston 4-2 Julien Leclercq Allan Taylor 4-2 Chatchapong Nasa Zak Surety 4-2 Zhao HanyangLiu Hongyu 4-0 Ng On YeeCheung Ka Wai 4-1 Jonas LuzIan Burns 4-1 Michael HoltStuart Bingham 4-2 Ryan DayLouis Heathcote 4-3 Jordan BrownSam Craigie 4-1 Yao Pengcheng Bai Yulu 4-2 Artemijs Zizins MORE: Sam Craigie feared for snooker career after neck surgery but now feels better than ever MORE: Snooker chiefs reveal fines for Ding Junhui and Seniors champ for disciplinary issues MORE: Three major World Snooker Tour events move to new TV channel
BBC News
03-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Passenger sees Mount Etna erupting from plane window
A Devon man has said it was "fascinating" to watch Mount Etna erupting during his flight home - a day after his wife had run up the volcano. Jon and Jo Meek, from Moretonhampstead, had been visiting Sicily for the European Masters Off Road Running Championship. Mrs Meek - who was sleeping while her husband watched the plumes of smoke from his window - ran in the competition which took place the day before the eruption."I can't actually believe it because you fly out for one race and if the volcano had erupted and we couldn't race I would have been pretty gutted," she said. "Literally the day before, I ran up to the cable car station and back down as part of the race and we thought absolutely nothing of the volcano."The couple were separated on the plane and were both sat on opposite sides of the aircraft. "I have to confess I was fast asleep on the airplane... but Jon however had a great view," said Mrs Meek. Mr Meek said the experience was "exciting" but had the race been 24 hours later Mrs Meek would "have been in the thick of it". "I was just lucky I was sat in a window seat and overlooking it as we flew off so it's an amazing sight," he said. "I think it was just fascinating... it's exciting to watch."When we took off and I had the view over it I looked over and she was fast asleep so she slept through the whole thing," he added.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Accountant wins gold at World Athletics Championships
A financial accountant has won two gold medals at the World Masters Athletics Championships. Suzy Wise, who works at South Hampshire College Group, triumphed in the hammer throw and weight throw events at the championships in Florida. She also secured a silver medal in the discus throw. Suzy represented Great Britain in the 35 to 39 age category, competing against athletes from Australia, the USA, and the UK. Over 4,000 athletes gathered in Florida (Image: South Hampshire College Group) In total, more than 4,000 athletes from 80 countries participated in the Florida Championships. Suzy said: "I love competing and was really happy with my performance at the championships, where I truly gave it my all. "These events not only provide me with the opportunity to test myself on the global stage but also give me the chance to travel and explore different parts of the world. "I believe it's really important to maintain your passions outside of work and these kinds of successes really make all the hard work pay off." Suzy has been competing in athletics since the age of 14 and has achieved significant success in county championships. In recent years, she has made her mark on the international stage, winning silver and bronze medals at the 2024 European Masters Athletics Championships. READ MORE: New £1.55 million tech programme to boost firms in the south east She is also a qualified coach and divides her spare time between training, competing, and coaching. Suzy added: "I suppose I started quite late in my athletics journey compared to others, but discovered a solid community at Luton Athletics Club, which helped instil a lifetime passion for the throwing sports. "I've been able to dedicate more time to training as I've got older, which has helped me get stronger and fitter as a result. "As long as I'm able and still enjoying it, I think I will always continue to be involved in athletics in one way or another, whether it's competing or coaching others." Jodie Taylor, group culture and engagement lead at South Hampshire College Group, said: "Suzy truly embodies one of our core values 'aspirational' and we wish her the best of luck in her upcoming competitions." Suzy is now preparing for the 2025 European Masters Athletics Championships in October and the 2026 World Masters Athletics Championships next summer.
BBC News
09-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Robertson sweeps Bingham to win second World Grand Prix
Neil Robertson claimed a clean sweep in the World Grand Prix final as he beat Stuart Bingham 10-0 to win the event for a second Australian won all eight frames in the opening session and wrapped up victory against fellow former world champion Bingham when play resumed in Hong gave the 43-year-old his 25th career ranking title and moved him back above Mark Selby to seventh on the all-time winners £180,000 top prize for the World Grand Prix, which was being held outside the UK for the first time, also lifts Robertson from 19th to 11th in the world rankings and effectively secures a seeding for the World year Robertson failed to qualify for the World Championship for the first time since 2004 after dropping out of the world's top it was announced in October that Hong Kong would be hosting its first ranking event for 35 years, Robertson said the former British colony "should always have an event".He has gone on to win that event, claiming just his second title since 2022, with breaks of 87, 104, 71 and 59 giving him a 4-0 left-hander claimed the fifth and sixth frames before a break of 78 made it who was appearing in his first ranking final in six years, looked set to get off the mark following a break of 63 in frame eight, only for Robertson to clear up with a 66 to win on the completed the fourth clean sweep in a two-session ranking final and his second having inflicted the same fate on Zhou Yuelong with a 9-0 win in the European Masters final in 2020.
