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20
January 2002
2002
DAILY STAR PREMIER SNOOKER LEAGUE
Click
here to see the 2002
League Table
after 11 matches
Ronnie
O'Sullivan is through to the knockout-phase of the Daily Star
Premier League following his 5-3 victory over Steve Davis.
The world
champion improved his record in this year's event to four
wins from as many starts with another smooth display and is
now sure to appear in the semi-finals at Glenrothes in May.
O'Sullivan
beat Davis 6-2 in the 1999 Premier League and 7-1 in each
of the tournament's past three stagings and another rout looked
on the cards when he required only 32 minutes to sprint 4-0
ahead.
After
winning the closing two frames to complete a 6-2 win over
John Higgins at Swansea, O'Sullivan weighed in with an 8-0
whitewash of James Wattana and, by controlling the early exchanges
against Davis, stretched his frame winning streak to 14.
Two runs
of 48 in the first frame were followed by contributions of
77, 52 and 75 but Davis kept plugging away.
The veteran
snatched the fifth frame on the black thanks to a 40 clearance
before adding an error strewn sixth on the brown.
That
was 4-2 and although O'Sullivan claimed maximum points by
winning frame seven, Davis supplied a grandstand finish with
a vintage 131 total clearance in the last of the evening.
It was
the highest break of the competition so far, eclipsing a 129
from John Higgins in the opening frame of his 5-3 victory
over Matthew Stevens.
Result:
Ronnie O'Sullivan (England) beat Steve Davis (England) 5-3
96(48,48)-31;
77(77)-0; 72(52)-29; 79(75)-0; 62(30)-70(40); 40(33)-70(38);
64(54)-15; 0-131(131)
Match
10
John
Higgins, winner of the event in 1999, climbed from 4th to
2nd in the Daily Star Premier League table by winning his
only match of the tournament's Floral Hall, Southport weekend.
The former
world champion, already with a 5-3 victory over Steve Davis
at Swansea under his belt, further boosted his chances to
qualifying for the knockout semi-finals by beating Matthew
Stevens 5-3 after a high quality encounter.
Higgins
made an explosive start. He amassed 214 points without reply
in the opening two frames, and put together breaks of 129,
84 and 69 en route to building a 3-0 lead after just 28 minutes.
Stevens
counter-attacked, though, and the Welshman, who got the better
of Higgins in the final of the 1999 Regal Scottish Masters
to capture his first major pro-title, compiled breaks of 78
and 97 to forge back into contention.
The sixth
frame remaining in the balance on the colours but Stevens
left a testing green across the baulk cushion in the jaws
of a bottom pocket and Higgins cleared up for a 4-2 advantage.
With
a point already guaranteed, Higgins elected to take on an
equally tough green with the seventh very much up for grabs.
"At
first I wasn't going to go for it but psychologically having
at least a draw already took some pressure off," explained
the 26 year-old, who stroked the green into a distant baulk
bag to launch the clearance to pink that secured maximum points.
Stevens
had a run of 74 in the last frame but, with only one point
from three matches on his debut in the Premier League, the
ex-B+H Masters champion faces an uphill struggle to earn a
play-off appearance.
Result:
John Higgins (Scotland) beat Matthew Stevens
(Wales) 5-3
129(129)-0;
84(84)-0; 70(69)-6; 0-78(78); 0-98(97); 56-34; 56(38)-46;
0-97(74)
Match
9
Ronnie
O'Sullivan all but booked his place in the semi-final play-offs
of the Daily Star Premier League by overwhelming James Wattana
at the Floral Hall, Southport.
The in-form
world champion, who captured his third UK Championship title
last month, whitewashed Wattana 8-0 to extend his lead at
the top of the seven-man table.
O'Sullivan,
who opened his Premier League campaign in Swansea with victories
over Matthew Stevens (5-3) and John Higgins (6-2), fired in
a series of top notch breaks on the way to maintaining his
100% record.
Now,
even if O'Sullivan fails to obtain even a single point from
his closing three matches it would appear that the defending
champion will take his place in the semi-finals.
"After
the first four frames it could've been 2-2 or even 3-1 to
James but he made a couple of bad mistakes and you can't do
that if the other bloke is playing well," said O'Sullivan.
"I'm happy with the way I'm playing at the moment."
O'Sullivan,
who outscored Wattana 604-213 and constructed six breaks over
60, required only 76 minutes to wrap up proceedings and rattled
through the last three frames in 17 minutes.
He snatched
the first frame on the pink, won the second with an outstanding
81 break after Wattana had jawed a straightforward blue to
a baulk pocket, moved 3-0 ahead with a run of 75 and made
it 4-0 at the interval by stealing the fourth on the black
with a 69 clearance.
O'Sullivan,
56-0 up at one stage, also edged the fifth frame on the black
when Wattana blew his chance to clear up by over-cutting the
pink and seriously threatened to record his sixth 147 break
in pro-competition in the next.
But,
having potted twelve reds with blacks for 96, and with all
remaining balls invitingly positioned, O'Sullivan missed a
routine red using the rest - much to his disgust.
"I
was flowing along so well, maybe I was a little bit too casual
and relaxed," said O'Sullivan, offering an explanation
for his error. "I shouldn't have missed that red once
in a million but it just goes to show you can't take anything
for granted."
Although
clearly disappointed, O'Sullivan did not take his foot off
the pedal and with additional breaks of 60 and 68, kept a
clean sheet.
Result:
Ronnie O'Sullivan (England) beat James Wattana (Thailand)
8-0
60(40)-32;
81(81)-33(32); 77(75)-7; 69(69)-59(59); 69(31)-66(62); 96(96)-0;
77(60)-0; 75(68)-16
19
January 2002
Match
8
Steve
Davis, attempting to win the event for a record equalling
fifth time, mustered a spirited fightback to plunder a point
from Mark Williams in the eighth match of this year's Daily
Star Premier League.
The evergreen
six-times world champion badly needed something from the contest
after losing 5-3 to John Higgins in his opening match at Swansea
last month.
But when
Williams led 3-0 and 4-2, Davis, at 44 the oldest player in
the elite seven-man tournament, looked destined to leave the
Floral Hall empty-handed.
Instead
Davis claimed the closing two frames for a morale boosting
share of the spoils and left Williams, who now has three draws
from as many outings, feeling as though he had let a golden
opportunity slip.
Emphasising
the quality of the field, Davis said: "You've got to
climb a mountain just to get a point. At least I'm playing
competitive snooker.
"Mark
made a cracking start but I kept plugging away and the most
pleasing aspect of the whole thing was that I scored reasonably
heavily in the balls. I'm threatening to make centuries even
if I'm not quite getting there."
Runs
of 68 and 54 helped Williams quickly forge 3-0 ahead but Davis
grabbed a foothold with a 59 break in the fourth frame and
followed up by compiling a 69 in the fifth to further reduce
his arrears.
Only
six minutes later Williams led 4-2 - thanks to a rapid fire
contribution of 93 in frame six but still Davis refused to
be deny.
The veteran,
looking for his 74th pro-tournament title, grabbed a scrappy
seventh frame on the blue and dominated the decider 81-0.
Davis,
who wrapped up proceedings with a 65 break after Williams
had surprisingly overcut a straightforward red, next tackles
Ronnie O'Sullivan
while Williams returns to Premier League action - also against
O'Sullivan - at the Flint Pavilion on February 16th.
Result:
Mark Williams (Wales) drew with Steve Davis (England) 4-4
97(68)-8;
83(54)-53(31); 67(36)-0; 4-84(59); 18-85(69); 94(93)-0; 51-69(47);
0-81(65)
Match
7
Perennial
crowd favourite Jimmy White overcame flu and James Wattana
at the Floral Hall, Southport to remain very much in the hunt
for a Daily Star Premier League play-off spot.
The six-times
world championship finalist, who began his campaign with a
4-4 draw against Mark Williams at the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
last month, moved into second place in the seven-man table
with a 6-2 victory over Wattana.
It was
a stylish and brave display by 39 year-old White, laid low
all week and unable to practise due to weakness, aches and
pains.
"I'm
really pleased with that because its been an absolute nightmare
the past week or so," said White, who fired in six 40
plus breaks on the way to securing a maximum two points.
"The
flu is just starting to go but I still feel pretty terrible.
I missed a few pots I should've got but in the circumstances
I can't complain. I made a few breaks when there didn't look
anything on."
After
failing to pot a ball in the opening frame - White accounted
for it thanks primarily to a run of 56 - Wattana stole the
next by sinking pink and black.
The 31
year-old from Bangkok, successful in 13 of his previous 24
career meetings with White, also snatched the fifth frame
on the black - this time from 48 points adrift - but his general
lack of scoring power proved an
insurmountable handicap.
Wattana,
a former world no.3, managed a top break of only 28 while,
in contrast, White put together a run of 82 in the third frame,
edged a scrappy fourth on the blue and, from 3-2, added further
contributions of 52 and 60 for a convincing win.
"It's
coming together and this puts me in a good position for the
matches I've got left," said White. "When you've
got a few points in the bag it takes a lot of pressure off."
Result:
Jimmy White (England) beat James Wattana (Thailand) 6-2
80(56)-0;
48(40)-50; 88(82)-4; 63(37)-38; 56(56)-63; 62(37)-22; 63(52)-28;
81(60)-29
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