Stephen Hendry recovered from 2-0 down to beat Preston's Ian McCulloch 5-3 and reach the third round of the Northern Ireland Trophy yesterday. Starting the season as world No1 for the first time in eight years, Hendry had had only 10 days' practice pre-season after competing in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He lasted a day: his friend Steve Davis won $20,000 (£10,500) for surviving for three days.
Davis fared less well on the snooker table, losing 5-2 to Gerard Greene in Belfast yesterday. Stephen Maguire, the world No9, won five successive frames to beat Mike Dunn 5-2.
FRIDAY 18/08/2006 15:57:58 SNOOKER: O'Sullivan reaches semis in Belfast
The Rocket was in blistering form in Belfast, cruising to a 5-1 win at the Waterfront Hall today.
Back-to-back centuries were the catalyst for his success as two-time former world champion O`Sullivan racked up 455 points in five frames, racing to victory in just 58 minutes.
Day, who started with a 50 run to take the opening frame, then only managed 26 points as the former world number one hit top form.
"I played all right today. I`m going to go for my shots. I`m not going to get bogged down and drive myself mad over it," reflected O`Sullivan, twice a beaten finalist last season.
"I`m just going to open up the balls and try and get a long pot. I`m enjoying it (playing).
"For me, it`s important that I play with a smile on my face. I know if I do that everyone else will be enjoying themselves. That`s my way of promoting snooker."
O`Sullivan put his foot on the gas, pocketing breaks of 54, 82, 104, 106 and a match-clinching 67 in the sixth frame to secure a semi-final berth.
In total the scoring favoured the Rocket 455-117 points, with 379 of those coming unanswered thanks to his excellent centuries.
"I want to entertain. If I can do that, then I`ve done my bit for snooker," added O`Sullivan.
"If I keep doing that then hopefully my legacy will be left. At the end of the day I don`t want to be responsible for not doing my part for the game.
"We`ve (the players) all got a part to play , and I`m playing my part."
World champion Graeme Dott bowed out and missed the chance to face O`Sullivan in the semi-finals tomorrow.
Last season`s Crucible winner was beaten 5-2 by on-song Welshman Dominic Dale.
The world number four admitted: "Dominic played well. I had a nightmare start to the match.
"He should have been 4-0 up. It`s not that I played bad, but I didn`t do too much wrong."
Victory would have seen Dott set up a repeat of last season`s World Championship semi-final with O`Sullivan.
But with Dale continuing his fine form in Belfast this week, Dott took defeat in his stride.
"I still thought I could come back, but Dominic had a good start and it was always going to be hard to come back," added Dott.
Dale won the opening frame with a 61 break and then went 2-0 ahead by winning a scrappy second frame.
It was soon 3-0, largely thanks to a run of 40, before Dott pinched the fourth frame to trail 3-1 at the interval.
Larkhall`s Dott reduced his arrears further by winning the first frame after the resumption thanks to a break of 43, but Dale was not to be denied.
The 1997 Grand Prix champion produced a tournament high break of 137 to go 4-2 ahead, before winning the mach with a wonderful pressure clearance.
Dott got in first and made a 62 break, but Dale kept his cool to sink a 65 run and progressed to the last 4.
"At 3-1 and 3-2 up I started to lose my focus and my edge was going a little bit," said Dale.
"But my form is superb and making a break of 137 was a great way to go 4-2 up.
"He (Graeme) left me a horrible red in the seventh frame, but I struck it beautifully and made a good break to win it.
"This is the best I`ve played in a tournament, and it`s only because I`ve started to believe in myself."
Snooker: Lee and Murphy on collision course Aug 18 2006
icWales
Stephen Lee and Shaun Murphy lock horns today at the Northern Ireland Trophy in Belfast.
And the match has extra significance for both players, for it is the first time they have met since they clashed at the Welsh Open final last season.
That day Lee triumphed 9-4 at the Newport Centre to lift the Welsh title, leaving 2005 World Champion Murphy to rue what might have been.
But Rotherham potter Murphy wants revenge, although Lee will have other ideas having sunk seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry last night.
“I’m delighted, to beat Stephen in any tournament is a good win,” said the 31-year-old world number 10.
“There was a lot of pressure out there as it’s the first tournament of the season.
“I did fear the worst at one stage as Stephen is a class act but even when he was in the balls at the end I felt I would get another chance.”
Lee was arrested by police earlier in the summer on suspicion of conspiracy to supply drugs, but was later released without charge.
“It hasn’t affected me because I’m innocent, I’ve done nothing wrong,” he added.
“It was annoying that my name was in the papers but it hasn’t been on my mind and as I’ve shown here it hasn’t affected my snooker.
“I’m in good form and I’m feeling quietly confident which is a good sign because that’s just how I felt in Newport.”
Meanwhile, Murphy understandably wants payback for his Welsh Open defeat and said: “I’d love to stuff it up him!
“At the end of the day we’re sportsmen and I want to beat Stephen.
“He’ll be trying his hardest to beat me, but I’ll be trying my hardest to beat him as well.
“It’s a repeat of last season’s Welsh Open final and I’d like to thing I’ve learnt a few things from then. It’s a great chance for me to get into the semi-finals here.”
Murphy pocketed breaks of 47, 58, 42, 79 and 58 to edge over the winning line against Aussie ace Neil Robertson.
He added: “It’s been hard against Neil the last few times we’ve played each other, so it was great to get revenge. It’s nice to say that I”ve beaten him for a change.
“I have the utmost respect for Neil. I love to watch him play, he’s got so much natural ability. But it’s great to win.”
19 August 2006 O'SULLIVAN IS BETTER BY SMILES By Lee Reynolds RONNIE O'SULLIVAN blew away Welshman Ryan Day to reach the Northern Ireland Trophy semi-finals.
The Rocket was in blistering form in Belfast, cruising to a 5-1 win at the Waterfront Hall.
Back-to-back centuries were the catalyst for his success as the two-time former world champ racked up 455 points in five frames, racing to victory in 58 minutes.
Day, who started with a 50-point run to take the opening frame, then only managed 26 further points as the ex-world No.1 hit top form.
O'Sullivan, twice a beaten finalist last season, said: "I'm going to go for my shots. I'm not going to get bogged down.
"I'm enjoying it. It's important I play with a smile. I know if I do that everyone else will be enjoying themselves. That is my way of promoting snooker."
O'Sullivan pocketed breaks of 54, 82, 104, 106 and a match-clinching 67 in the sixth frame to secure a semi-final berth.
The scoring favoured the Rocket 455-117 points, with 379 of those coming unanswered.
However, world champ Graeme Dott bowed out, missing the chance to face O'Sullivan in today's semi-finals.
The Scot was beaten 5-2 by on-song Welshman Dominic Dale.
The world No.4 admitted: "Dominic played well. I had a nightmare start.
"It's not that I played bad, I didn't do too much wrong."
Victory would have seen Dott set up a repeat of last season's World Championship semi-final with O'Sullivan.
Dale was soon 3-0 up before Dott pinched the fourth frame to trail 3-1 at the interval. Dott reduced arrears further but Dale was not to be denied, producing a tournament-high break of 137 before clinching it.
Dale said: "It's only because I've started to believe in myself."
Snooker: Water prediction by Rocket Ronnie! By Frank Brownlow 20 August 2006 Ronnie O'Sullivan, last week in this newspaper, told his opponents that if he was on form they could forget about beating him in the Northern Ireland Trophy. And in that same exclusive Sunday Life interview, O'Sullivan tipped Ding Junhui to be his successor as snooker's brightest star. Today the Rocket's predictions come true when he takes on the 19-year-old in the best of 17 frame final at the Waterfront Hall after the Chinese sensation beat Stephen Lee 6-1 in last night's semi-final. O'Sullivan told Sunday Life: "The only one of the up and coming players who seems to do it when it matters is Ding Junhui. He's won the UK Championship which is a massive tournament and he's also won the China Open. So he has actually won things and is a force to be reckoned with. "Other players have won maybe one tournament and got to semi-finals and quarter-finals. So that means Ding Junhui stands out from the others because he has proven himself." O'Sullivan hammered Dominic Dale 6-0 in a record-breaking 53 minutes in the other semi-final. The two-time world champion's win was the quickest ever best-of-11 frame match. O'Sullivan was on fire with breaks of 65, 64, 84, 75, 63 and 67, helping him to establish a 4-0 lead at the interval in just 38 minutes. It got even better following the interval with O'Sullivan adding further breaks of 106 and 63. O'Sullivan afterwards revealed he has even considered staging his own tournament, one which he wants to be fast with no negative play.
Alan David in Belfast Monday August 21, 2006 The Guardian
Ding Jun Hui secured a 5-3 first session lead over Ronnie O'Sullivan to move to within four frames of capturing the season-opening Northern Ireland Trophy at the Waterfront Hall yesterday. O'Sullivan's 115 helped him to a lead of 3-1 but he failed to pot a ball in the next four frames as the 19-year-old Ding, who won two ranking titles last year, compiled breaks of 71, 58 and 103 in claiming the advantage O'Sullivan has never been the most patient of players but a recent excursion across the Atlantic to compete on a new American pool circuit seems to have further diminished his appetite for slow, grinding snooker of the sort Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon served up in the World Championship final last May. A more glitzy, entertaining approach, which O'Sullivan exhibited all week in Belfast, is what the twice world champion believes will boost the sport's fortunes, even though television audiences are still healthy.
"I really want to help snooker get back to being a big sport again," he said. "I'm picking up the paper and seeing cricket getting two or three pages and yet our sport is very much on a par with it and we don't get that.
"Snooker needs to change. It's not just a game, it's entertainment. We have to be prepared to take risks and try something different. I'm getting fed up of it just being me and a few other players carrying the mantle and not getting any thanks for it."
In fact, the next ranking event, October's Grand Prix, will be played under a new format in which 48 players will be divided into eight groups of six, playing each other over the best of five frames as opposed to the standard best of nine.
The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, the game's governing body, and the BBC, the host broadcasters, believe this change will give the tournament an individual identity and boost interest.
Not all players are happy but a new sponsor is expected to be revealed later this week, with a further announcement likely for January's Wembley Masters.
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Sunday August 20, 2006 The Observer
Ronnie O'Sullivan, in peak form all week, shattered the record for the quickest best-of-11-frame victory in professional snooker. In securing his place in the Northern Ireland Trophy final at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast, with a 6-0 whitewash of Dominic Dale, O'Sullivan was detained for 53 minutes. The previous record, set when Stephen Hendry beat Dave Harold 6-0 in the 1993 International Open, was 71 minutes. 'I feel a responsibility to entertain. I'm conscious that people want snooker like that,' said O'Sullivan, who outscored Dale 608-29, compiling eight breaks over 60 including a 106, his fifth century of the event. Phil Yates
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EXCLUSIVE Ronnie O'Sullivan Interview
By Michael Emons
RONNIE O’Sullivan has conquered the snooker world and is now determined to have the same impact in pool.
The Rocket has stressed his desire to play in more tournaments and has another chance to improve his skills when he competes in the inaugural PartyPoker.com World Cup of Pool, which starts on August 22 at the Newport Centre in Newport, Wales.
The event, which features some of the finest 9-ball players, including four former world champions, sees 32 two-man teams playing in a scotch-doubles knockout format, all vying for the $60,000 top prize.
O’Sullivan, 30, who partners 2005 World Pool Masters winner Raj Hundal to form the England A side, believes he can be successful in pool.
“I definitely think I can get into it,” said O’Sullivan, a two-time World Snooker Champion. “I just need to dedicate myself a bit more to learning the break-off shot and if I do I will have a decent chance of winning tournaments.
“Tony Drago has won competitions and it’s good to see other snooker players performing well. If they can do it, then I’m sure I can.
“I come from a snooker background but once I practise pool more I think I will have a chance.”
O’Sullivan has already appeared in two pool events this year and has had mixed success. He scratched twice off the break during an 8-5 first round defeat against Wu Chia-ching in the World Pool Masters in June but advanced through two rounds to reach the last 60 of the 2006 IPT North American Open 8-Ball Championships last month.
The Rocket will still be playing in major snooker events but believes he will soon be competing at a high level in pool - as long as he keeps working on his technique.
He said: “My first game is snooker, it’s something I practise but this is something new and there’s no pressure on me when I play pool. It’s not as if I have anything to prove, but if I’m playing snooker my reputation is on the line all the time.
“Every time I go out to play snooker my pride makes me not want to lose but in pool, as I’ve never really played it, I don’t feel like I deserve to win.
“I know I need to work on my break and that cost me that match against Wu. But it’s something I can work on and it’s not that difficult so once I get that right I will have a chance.
“Wu is a better pool player than me but if I played him on a snooker table then I would be thinking ‘I can’t let him beat me at my own game’.
“Before the World Pool Masters I had not played pool since January but that competition gave me a bit of a flavour of it."
A SNOOKER fan who last week celebrated her 100th birthday received a special present from star player Steve Davis.
Ethel Ellis was born in High Street, Bridlington, on August 18, 1906. Apart from brief spells in Hull and Elland, in West Yorkshire, she has lived in the town for most of her life. She and her husband Arthur celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary on August 6, 1985. Mrs Ellis, now a widow, has five sons, 14 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. She said one of her most vivid memories was while living in Hull during the Great War and having to take cover while zepplins dropped bombs. Although born in Bridlington, she descends from a fishing family in Flamborough. Her grandmother, from the Knagg's family, married John Lane and he became the lighthouse-keeper at Saltend. One of their daughters, Ethel's mother, married a Johnson from Hull and they had six daughters and one son. Mrs Ellis still has a younger sister, who lives in Devon. As well as receiving a card from the Queen, Mrs Ellis also got the signed photo of Steve Davis. Nowadays, Mrs Ellis spends her time watching sport on television – her favourites are snooker, pool and cricket – and she likes spending time with her family.
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24 August 2006 DING WILL BE KING OF THE TABLE By Ted Tracey DING JUNHUI began the new snooker season with victory in the Northern Ireland Trophy - and John Higgins reckons the Chinese star's campaign could end as world champion.
The 19-year-old underlined his star status with a 9-6 win over former world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Sunday.
Ding's success saw him become only the second player since Higgins to win three ranking events before his 20th birthday. And he Wishaw star believes the victory will fire Junhui on to greater glory this season.
Higgins said: "I don't think there is any question that Ding is a future world champion. He's got as good a chance as anyone at Sheffield next year.
"It's only a matter of time and I'd imagine it will happen sooner rather than later.
"Ding has an exceptional talent. Apart from his ability at the table his temperament is second to none.
"Even when he's under pressure he is ice cool and when you add that to the way he plays it's a strong combination.
"That's why I think he's got world champion written all over him."
Fellow Scot Graeme Dott is the current world champion after his brilliant 18-14 victory over Peter Ebdon in at the Crucible Theatre in May but Higgins believes Junhui is snapping at his heels.
Thailand's James Wattana has flown the flag proudly for snooker in the Far East by reaching two world semifinals, in 1993 and 1997, while Hong Kong's Marcu Fu was a Crucible semi-finalist this year.
Junhui is now aiming to go the distance followed by his army of fans back home.
Higgins said: "Ding's matches are invariably watched by more than 100 million TV viewers in China. That's how popular he is and he's doing big things for the game in Asia.
"He has something special about him even though he's still so young.
"Even at this early stage of his career he's definitely one of the favourites for next year's world championship."
Higgins, who lost 5-3 to the Chinese star on his way to the quarter-finals in Belfast, insists there are no flaws in Junhui's game.
He added: "I don't see any real weaknesses in his game. His temperament is great, it's the same with his break building while his tactical game is getting better all the time.
"In common with the Chinese players I think he practices harder than anyone so his work ethic is up there as well.
"He really is unflappable and even when he wins he rarely cracks a smile although he's a pleasant enough young boy.
"You have to take your hat off to him coming over to a foreign country at such a young age and doing so well. He deserves nothing but credit."
Buyer is left snookered as Hendry gear goes missing MICHAEL BLACKLEY (mblackley@edinburghnews.com)
A SIGNED Stephen Hendry waistcoat put up for auction to raise money for former snooker player Chris Small has gone missing.
The garment had fetched £425 at an auction held at the Hilton Grosvenor, in Haymarket, on August 5. The money was supposed to help Small after he was forced to retire from the game due to a rare spinal condition. But by the following Tuesday, before the buyer had the chance to collect the waistcoat, it had disappeared from a storeroom in the hotel. Police have been called to investigate the incident, and event organisers have criticised the hotel's security.
Seven-time world champion Hendry, who wore the waistcoat at the 2005 finals, said: "Everybody gathered to pay tribute to Chris and to celebrate his career. It must have left a really sour taste for a great many people for something like this to have happened.
"In fact, given it was for such a deserving cause, if the waistcoat was stolen you can only describe that as despicable."
Mr Small added: "If someone's taken it, it's a real shame. It's not the kind of thing you would expect to happen. We'll probably never get it back now which is a great shame for the guy that was willing to bid all that money for it - he must have really wanted it.
"Hopefully someone will be able to help us with this and give us some kind of information that will track it down." Event organiser Mike Leslie, a friend of Mr Small's who runs Bonnyrigg Snooker Club and the Scottish Youth Snooker Association, questioned whether security at the Hilton had been tight enough.
He said: "It's really disappointing that this has happened, on what was an otherwise great night.
"We had an agreement with the hotel manager to store any items sold at auction, at our own risk, in his office so that we could collect them a few days later.
"But when we went to collect all the items on the Tuesday so we could start getting them to people we noticed right away that it was missing."
One of the men who spent more than £2000 buying items at the auction told Mr Leslie that he had gone to the hotel to collect what he had bought and was shocked that a staff member told him to unlock the office door and help himself.
Mr Leslie said: "It's lucky it was this guy but someone else might not have been so honest."
The waistcoat had been bought by a 31-year-old city firefighter, who asked not to be named.
He said: "I really wanted it because Stephen had worn it while playing and it was signed.
"I'm really gutted that it's gone missing and just hope someone will return it if they have it."
The waistcoat was part of an auction that helped raise more than £30,000 for Mr Small.
The Hilton Hotel refused to comment on the missing waistcoat.
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England role for coach Del
Thursday, August 31: 9.30am - DEL Hill has just been apppointed the English Amateur Snooker Board's coach and manager. He will now be in charge of all England teams from the under-16s, to the under 19s and the full senior oufit.
"I'm absolutely delighted and feel really honoured to have been recognised in this way. There's no greater feeling than that of being called up by your country," he said this week. Del, from Friskney, will take charge of the England teams for the 'home internationals', which start on September 9 and see England play the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and an invitation international side.
He has appointed as his assistant professional player Nigel Bond, a former world championship finalist and currently ranked in the top 32. Del's England appointment comes hard on the heels of a hectic couple of weeks. He has spent several days at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, coaching the game's top young talent at the World Snooker Academy summer school.
As well as the cream of England's teenage cuemen, players from the Ukraine, Germany and Ireland were also able to benefit from spending time with country's snooker 'guru'. And the man who puts the 'C' into 'Champions' – he coached both Ronnie O'Sullivan and Graeme Dott to world titles – last week returned to the academy to conduct a training course and carry out the examination of professionals seeking the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association's coaching certificate. Del has re-written the World Snooker Association's coaching manual, and it was used for the first time for the current crop of candidates.
Some of his innovations have been greeted with absolute awe, particularly the cueing technique which is rapidly becoming known among professionals as 'the Del Drive'.
Police launch Hendry waistcoat theft probe
POLICE have started an investigation into the apparent theft of a signed Stephen Hendry waistcoat from a city hotel.
The snooker star's tartan-backed waistcoat went missing following an auction at the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel on August 5.
It fetched £425, which was supposed to be part of funds raised for Craigentinny-based ex-snooker star Chris Small, who was forced to retire from the game last year following the development of a rare spinal condition. But when organisers returned two days later to collect items from the auction that were stored in a locked room at the hotel, they discovered it was missing.
A police spokesman said: "We are currently making inquiries into the theft of a black tartan waistcoat signed by Stephen Hendry which was auctioned for charity. We believe it went missing from the hotel some time on August 6."
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Greene's moving up in the world
By Billy Weir
26 August 2006 Gerard Greene's impressive displays in last week's Northern Ireland Trophy have moved him up the world rankings.
The latest standings, released following Ding Junhui's 9-6 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan, make pleasant reading for Greene.
He reached the last 16 before bowing out to Dominic Dale and as a result is now provisionally ranked at 27.
One of his victims on the way was Joe Swail, who has fallen one place to 14.
Mark Allen, who fell at the first televised hurdle, is now ranked at 33.
No doubt though who was the biggest mover with Ding up to fifth.
Ding became the second player in snooker history, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles before his 20th birthday, having triumphed at the China Open and UK Championship last year.
He started the season at ninth in the provisional rankings and has climbed four places.
"I'm very happy tonight and pleased to equal John Higgins' record. I want to keep getting better," said Ding, who would become the youngest ever official world No 1 if he reached the top of the list by the end of the campaign.
Two-times world champion O'Sullivan had slipped to 12th after an erratic 2005/06 season but is now up to eighth.
"There's no comparison between Ding and the other young players coming through," O'Sullivan commented.
"He's got a gift, he's a naturally attacking player but he doesn't make any mistakes.
"That's why he's a winner and he's already achieved more than the other emerging players."
Ken Doherty remains on top despite being knocked out by Ding in the quarter-finals.
World Champion Graeme Dott is up to second, moving ahead of John Higgins who fell in the second round.
Dale jumps nine places to No 21 after reaching the last four, while the other losing semi-finalist Stephen Lee is up one spot to ninth.
Tian Pengfei, another 19-year-old from China hoping to follow in Ding's footsteps, gave notice of his potential by winning four matches to get to the last 32. The Tour debutant is up to No 67.
Next up on the calendar is the Pot Black where there is a fascinating re-match between Graeme Dott and Peter Ebdon.
Dott beat Ebdon 18-14 in the final of the 888.com World Snooker Championship in May and the pair clash again in next Saturday's one-frame knockout event at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London.
Last year's world champion Shaun Murphy faces Mark Williams, while the world's top two ranked players clash as Stephen Hendry takes on Ken Doherty.
Quarter-finals draw: John Higgins v Matthew Stevens; Graeme Dott v Peter Ebdon; Shaun Murphy v Mark Williams; Stephen Hendry v Ken Doherty.
Billy Weir
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Conference centre takes a cue from Crucible in snooker bid MICHAEL BLACKLEY
IT'S a dream for every snooker-loopy fan in the Capital - the game's top players fighting it out for the world crown in Edinburgh.
And if bosses at Edinburgh International Conference Centre get their way the city could one day pocket the prestigious Snooker World Championship for real.
The EICC's conference facilities already attract some of the biggest names in the business world, and it has been credited with injecting £187 million into the city's economy since opening 11 years ago.
Now bosses there want to build on its business success by bidding to bring international sporting events to its new arena.
As well as staking a claim to host the Snooker World Championship they will also be looking into bringing international boxing, tennis, squash, badminton, and bowls tournaments to the city.
There are also plans to stage the biggest banqueting dinner ever held in Edinburgh at the venue. With a future capacity of 2000 the centre is capable of competing with London for events like awards ceremonies and celebrity dinners.
The likely first year that the snooker championship could come to Edinburgh would be 2009, within a year of the scheduled completion of the EICC's £80m extension.
A new atrium area in the extension to the centre, expected to be completed by 2008, will feature a computer-controlled floor capable of transforming the space from a flat-floored hall to a tiered auditorium at the touch of a button, allowing a variety of big events to take place.
The Snooker World Championship is seen as one of the realistic possibilities. It no longer has a permanent venue as its contract with the Crucible in Sheffield is due to end shortly.
Hans Rissmann, chief executive of the EICC, believes the new extended centre can become much more attractive to members of the public. He says that he wants the average Edinburgh resident to attend the venue several times a year.
He said: "We will be looking at getting in squash tournaments, badminton tournaments, snooker, indoor bowling. We are very keen to bring special events here that are not already in Edinburgh.
"It would be events that run over a period of one or two weeks, like the snooker championship, bringing large amounts of people here each day.
"It would also mean we would get so much exposure on television and in the media. From a PR point of view it would be very attractive and it's worked well for the Crucible.
"It would be great for the people of Edinburgh as well - they could walk to a major sporting event in the city centre.
"We will be trying to negotiate it and we will look at the Scottish [snooker] Open as well. We're ambitious and we want to spar with the best of them."
Mr Rissmann believes that such events would add to the appeal of the city and help bring people in at quieter times of the year.
But he says that despite the success of the Fringe line-up at the EICC - which featured sell-out shows every night by comedians Russell Brand, Bill Bailey and Jimmy Carr - he is not interested in music, theatre or comedy becoming a regular fixture on the events calendar.
He said: "We wouldn't compete against other stages in Edinburgh - the Festival Theatre, Playhouse and King's Theatre all do their thing. For us to go into that type of activity, apart from at Festival time, would be ill-advised.
"Sporting events are different - they are very prestigious and would bring a lot of people to the venue and to Edinburgh.
"They provide a real opportunity for us."
Lesley Stephen, head of the sales team at the EICC, said: "The additional space means we can start picking up bigger events and also allow the bigger conferences, which will still be our core business, to have dining facilities for their delegates."
Alan Miller, a spokesman for Event Scotland, said: "We are always looking to bring quality events to Scotland, especially in 'shoulder months' when there is less on.
"Any addition to the EICC that will provide that flexibility of use that would allow sporting events would be fantastic news not just for Edinburgh but for Scotland as well. It is our aim to try to maintain Scotland's position as a premier events nation. We would be very interested to sit down with the EICC and hear their plans and see how we can work together to bring events to the city."
THE FACTS Since opening in 1995 the EICC has been responsible for bringing 654,132 delegates to Edinburgh for conferences, nearly a quarter from overseas.
It has staged 1972 events, with its main remit being to have a positive economic impact on the city. It has always focused mainly on the business sector and still intends to make conferences its main business.
The total economic impact that the EICC, whose major shareholder is the city council, has had on Edinburgh since opening in 1995 is estimated at £187 million.
In August, it was also used as a major Fringe venue, and every show was sold out.
The new versatile expanded space will be underground and extend to 3255 square metres. It is intended that if used as a snooker venue, the main auditorium would seat 1600 - 600 more than the current Crucible capacity.
John Higgins will reflect on his best-ever performance in snooker when he defends his title in the Royal London Watches Grand Prix next month.
The Wizard of Wishaw stunned Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-2 with a magical display in last year's final. He rewrote snooker's record books by rattling in four consecutive century breaks and scoring 494 unanswered points.
"It was probably the best I've ever played, especially in a big match against a great player like Ronnie," said Higgins. "At the time I didn't realise that I'd set two new records.
"But having found out afterwards, it became something I'm very proud of, particularly when I think of all the great players who have played snooker down the years."
This year's Grand Prix is being staged in Aberdeen for the first time.
"It's brilliant to have a major tournament in Scotland again," added former world champion Higgins. "All the players, not only the Scottish boys, are glad to be coming back here.
"The tournaments staged in Aberdeen in the past were always a success, it's a great venue and the crowds should be good."
The world number four also won the Masters last season and reached the final of the Malta Cup and China Open, but has set his sights on even more success this time.
"At the start of every season you always want to do better than the one before. That will be hard for me but that's my aim and I want to keep moving up the rankings," he added.
The world ranking event runs from October 21-29.
The top 32 players, including world number one Stephen Hendry and world champions Graeme Dott, will be involved.
The tournament has a unique new format. The 48 players will be split into eight groups of six for the round-robin stage. All matches will be best of five frames, with the top two in each group going through to the last 16, when the event reverts to a knockout format.
The round-robin matches will be played on six-tables on a roll-on roll-off basis, so fans will have the chance to see several of the world's top players in action with a single ticket. The new format has been devised to provide a fresh and exciting spectacle for viewers on BBC Sport and spectators at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
cue-ball
Сообщение: 3483
Откуда: made in USSR
Отправлено: 06.09.06 12:03. Заголовок: Re:
ТРЕВОЖНАЯ НОЧЬ В РИНО.
В США в последние дни бушует непогода. Где-то есть разрушения, а в Нью-Йорке у теннисистов срывается график игр. Казалось бы, что в спокойном штате Невада, да ещё и под крышей казино всё должно быть спокойно. Но нет! Третья ночь принесла целый ряд неожиданных результатов. Да и весь второй раунд напоминал по накалу страстей настоящую бурю. На втором этапе 120 игроков были разбиты на 20 групп, в каждой из которых трое проходили дальше, а неудачники отправлялись домой, получив 7 тысяч долларов (неплохое утешение, но и турнир рекордный по сумме призовых денег). Отбор был жестоким, что и говорить. Не все фавориты выдержали это напряжение. Победитель последнего этапа в Лас-Вегасе Торстен Хофманн и вовсе не добрался до второго этапа. Можно было бы назвать это случайностью, пока не оступился второй финалист - филиппинец Марлон Манало. Из пяти проведённых матчей он выиграл только один. Небывалая конкуренция приводит к тому, что тот же Манало проигрывает никому неизвестному китайцу Хуи-Кай Хсиа и уступает тому дорогу. А вот самый известный из китайских игроков, ставший в прошлом году двухкратным чемпионом мира, Ву Ча-Чин не сумел выйти из группы. К большому сожалению прекратил свой турнирный путь россиянин Евгений Сталев. Начав с двух убедительных побед, он остальные три матча провёл неуверенно и был трижды бит. Соперники были сильны, а Жене не хватило всего одной победы. Несут потери и филиппинцы. Кроме Манало в их стане есть и другие потери, а ведь на первом турнире они выступали лучше всех. Проиграл и Эрл Стрикленд, что, впрочем, большого сожаления не вызывает, если вспомнить его неспортивное поведение в матче с голландцем Ванденбергом в Лас-Вегасе. Не прошёл в третий этап и Майк Сигел, одержавший три победы, но при этом его подвёл неважный коэффициет полезности. В четвёртый день турнира, когда в Москве будет глубокая ночь с 6-го на 7-е сентября, игроки поведут борьбу за выход в число 36-ти сильнейших. Сейчас 60 игроков разбиты на 12 групп по пять, а в следующий этап проходят по трое из группы. Есть несколько групп, в которых конкуренция будет невероятно сложной. Продолжают турнирный путь представители снукерной школы Квинтен Ханн и Тони Дрэго. В отсутствии Ронни О'Салливана, подхватившего инфекцию, к их выступлению приковано внимание многих любителей бильярда, а особенно приверженцев снукера, жаждущих доказательств того, что снукеристы могут успешно играть с асами пула.
(С сайта Евроспорт-РУ).
shual007
Леди Йага
Сообщение: 6981
Откуда: Израиль, Беер-Шева
Отправлено: 06.09.06 19:39. Заголовок: Re:
DOTT ON THE LANDSCAPE 06 Sep 2006 09:45:00
Graeme Dott shot to fame by winning the 888.com World Snooker Championship. Here’s what turns him on and off…
What’s your favourite holiday destination? The Algarve in Portugal – it’s a great place to play golf Favourite food? Chinese Favourite drink? Irn Bru – a good Scottish drink! Favourite TV programme? I love the older comedies, especially Only Fools and Horses Favourite comedian? Peter Kaye Favourite film? I’m a fan of gangster movies, my favourite is probably the Godfather Favourite singer? Frank Sinatra and James Blunt Favourite album? I really likes James Blunt’s Back to Bedlam Favourite actor? Al Pacino ( ) What car do you drive? A Lexus RS What was your first car? A BMW Compact. I went to buy a Fiesta and came back with that! Do you have any superstitions? Not really. I like to eat meals and get changed at the same times before a match, but I expect most of the other players are the same. Do you play any other sports? I’m a very keen golfer, my handicap is 8. My best round is two over. Any other hobbies? I enjoy playing poker online, as often as my wife will let me! Favourite sports team? Rangers FC. My all-time favourite player is Brian Laudrup Sporting hero? Mohammed Ali Favourite snooker venue? The Crucible – of course Career highlight? дурацкий вопрос, имхо.... That’s an easy one – winning the world title What’s the lowest moment of your career? The months leading up to the day when I broke my cue. I was as low as you can be. How many hours a day do you practise? Not as many as some others, usually three or four hours a day. I either play on my own or against John Higgins. Who has been the biggest influence on your career? My uncle George. He gave up a lot of time to take me to all the junior events when I was younger. What advice do you have to budding young players? To enjoy snooker and work hard at it
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