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Ricky Walden wins with ease in Thai snooker final |
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 www.gulfnews.com
See him off the table and the first thing that hits you is his scruffy disposition.
Looming tall over most players at 6ft 4ins, his unkempt look, with that slight slouch does not really present a pretty picture.
But put a cue in Ricky Walden's hand and the transformation leaves you speechless.
The stoop in his walk now looks like a tiger's hunting technique, the eyes on the ball remind you of an eagle stalking its prey and then when the cue starts talking, one can actually imagine an artist pouring his heart out on a canvas oblivious to the waiting world.
Runway train
Stuart Bingham, of England, had no idea what hit him in the finals of the 6-Red Sangsom Pro-Am in Bangkok.
It was as if he was right in the middle of a runaway train called Ricky Walden and did not know whether to go forward or backward.
He just stood there transfixed, admiring the speed and grace of this bolt of lightning, which contrary to nature, kept hitting the same target over and over.
Walden allowed a few frames to slip by, winning 8-3, and eventually lifting the trophy which had his name written on it right from the moment the final began.
The manner in which he staved off the challenge of James Wattana in the semi-final gave him the edge over Stuart Bingham.
As soon as the match began, he was off and before Stuart could even get comfortable in his chair, he was down a couple of frames. A rare mistake by Walden gave him his first frame. But then again Walden was in charge.
Another mistake, another frame slipped by. At 5-3, Ricky had enough and with a burst of unrestrained vigour, he just let loose, picking up three frames in quick succession, to crown himself champion of this inaugural 6-Red event.
With effort comes rewards and Ricky Walden gets to go home richer by close to $15,000. Not bad for potting just six reds.
For James Wattana two deciders in a day was more than what he could handle.
Semifinal
His match against Nigel Bond in the quarter-finals had probably drained him out and the strain showed in his semi final encounter with Walden.
At one stage of the match he led 4-2 in the best of 13 and the obituary was already being penned for Walden but this young man from England was in no mood to please the Thai supporters.
He leveled at 4-4 and even went ahead by the solitary frame.
Wattana leveled and he went ahead. The match was swinging like a yo-yo. Another frame to Walden. Six each. Going into the decider, Wattana opened with a stroke of luck and Walden's reply was weak.
Left amongst the balls, it was a mere formality for the Thai to book his place in the final.
But the effort proved too great for Wattana and he found himself in trouble pretty soon.
Walden, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, leapt from his chair and fired them all in.
Results
Result (Final) Ricky Walden (ENG) bt. Stuart Bingham (ENG) 8-3
Result (second semifinal) Ricky Walden (ENG) bt. James Wattana (Tha) 7-6. |
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Worldsnooker.com Q&A with Ricky |
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.gif) The world No 35 from Flintshire goes under the spotlight...
How would you sum up last season?
Average. I worked hard, but things didn't really happen for me. I want to win tournaments and I've not done that yet.
What was the highlight?
I had a good run in the Royal London Watches Grand Prix, qualifying from the group stages, but then I lost to Gerard Greene. I actually hurt my back while I was out running before the event and I almost pulled out. But having got to Aberdeen, I played well in the group games. Then in the last 16 the pressure came back on because once I'd got to the knockout phase I expected to do well.
And the low point?
Losing 10-8 to Mark Allen in the final round of qualifying for the 888.com World Snooker Championship. If I had won that game and got to the Crucible it would have made a big difference to my season. I had my moments in the match but there was a big swing in the middle towards Mark - he played well and I had a bit of bad run. I played well but so did he so fair play to him.
What's your target for next season?
To win a tournament. I go into every tournament having practised hard enough to win it. I feel great in the big games and playing on TV. I've just got to get over the hurdle of putting too much pressure on myself. I've had enough of being on the edge, I want to be at the business end of events.
You've beaten John Higgins twice at a venue and very nearly beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Maplin UK Championship two years ago, so you're obviously not afraid of the big names.
No, and I really enjoy those games. I always feel as if I can do some damage when I get to venues.
You start the season 30th in the provisional rankings, so is making the official top 32 a target?
The last couple of seasons I've been trying to get into the top 32, but really my goal is to win tournaments rather than think about rankings.
Will you try anything different this season?
I've got a new cue, made for me by John Parris, which is lovely. I'm always open to suggestions from people who think they can help. When I was a teenager I was stubborn, but I've got a more open mind now.
Who are your main practice partners?
I go down to South Wales quite a bit to play Matthew Stevens and a few of the others down there. Otherwise I play Ian McCulloch, Jamie Cope and Dave Harold.
What are you up to over the summer?
I'm going to Florence with my girlfriend, Heather, for her birthday and I'm also going to Las Vegas for a few days.
www.worldsnooker.com |
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SangSom 6-red Snooker International |
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The Billiard Sports Association of Thailand (BSAT) has announced the final details of the SangSom 6-red Snooker International. The tournament will run from July 8th to 13th at the Montien Riverside Hotel in Bangkok.
A total of 18 Main Tour professionals are likely to take part in the tournament, beside players from other leading snooker-playing nations in Asia and Europe and the host country. The total prize money is in the excess of 1.8 million baht with the winner taking home 500,000 baht.
Sindhu Pulsirivong, president of BSAT, explained to the press conference that 6-red snooker is extremely popular in Southeast Asia and it had made a very successful debut at the 2007 Korat South East Asian (SEA) Games. "This version of snooker is faster and people really enjoy watching it. The beauty of it lies in the fact that the highest possible break in is only 75 points, so players capable of scoring breaks of 40-plus can easily upset those who regularly record centuries," he said.
The only difference between the traditional snooker and 6-red snooker is that in 6-red snooker, the number of red balls stacked in a triangle behind the pink is reduced to six balls. All the other IBSF-WPBSA rules apply in the 6-red snooker.
The following Main Tour players are expected partake in the tournament:
- Mark Selby (4)
- Peter Ebdon (9)
- Ken Doherty (18)
- Joe Swail (20)
- Stuart Bingham (21)
- Nigel Bond (23)
| - Stephen Lee (26)
- Dave Harold (28)
- Michael Holt (34)
- Ricky Walden (35)
- Jimmy Michie(45)
- Mike Dunn (47)
| - Tom Ford (48)
- Mark Davis (58)
- Stuart Pettman (62)
- Martin Gould (63)
- Jimmy White (65)
- Matthew Selt (71)
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Beijing beckons for Bagillt ace Walden |
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 RICKY WALDEN has had mixed success in his attempts to quality for the final stages of two tournaments on snooker's professional circuit.
The 25-year-old Bagillt potter, provisionally ranked 35th in the world, was competing for a place in the televised stages of the China Open and Welsh Open to enhance his chances of a place in the top 32 for next season. And Walden booked his place in the China Open alongside snooker's elite players, but missed out on a slot at the Welsh Open.
Entering qualifying for the China Open at the third round stage, Walden began his campaign with a 5-3 victory against Jimmy Michie. That lined up a final qualifying round match against Shanghai Masters champion Dominic Dale which Walden won 5-4, edging a 45-minute eighth frame on the black before winning the decider 68-1 to sink Welshman Dale, provisionally ranked 22nd in the world. Walden, who reached the quarter finals of the China Open in 2005 before losing to Stephen Hendry, will play a Chinese player in the wildcard round of the event which is being held in Beijing in March. The prize for the winner is a place in the last 32 against Masters champion Mark Selby.
And Selby will be in no mood to end his winning run after he revealed that reaching the World Championship final at the Crucible last year helped him clinch the Masters title at the first attempt. Selby, who thrashed Stephen Lee 10-3 in the Masters Final, said: "I handled the pressure at the Crucible and that helped me cope at the Masters. "I got to the final in Sheffield last May and now I have won the Masters – I will take that." Selby's victory makes him the fifth person, after John Spencer, Doug Mountjoy, Terry Griffiths and Stephen Hendry, to win the Masters on his debut.
Walden, meanwhile, was less successful in attempting to reach the final stages of the Welsh Open. Having entered qualifying at the third and final round stage, Walden was taken to another deciding frame by Marcus Campbell but this time did not win through, going down 5-4.
Meanwhile, as well as having the China Open to look forward to, Walden is hoping to secure his place in the televised stages of one other event – and it's the big one. He is just one match away from reaching the World Championships at the Crucible for the first time in his career. Victory over Issara Kachaiwong in the fourth qualifying round means Walden is just one match away from a place in the first round at Sheffield of the sport's most prestigious event. Walden will take on Mark Allen, up to a provisional world ranking of 19 following an excellent season, in the final qualifying round in March.
www.eveningleader.co.uk |
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Ricky closing in on Crucible debut |
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RICKY WALDEN is just one match away from a first ever appearance at the Crucible.
The Bagillt potter has never qualified for the World Championships since turning professional in 2000, but the 25-year-old will be hoping to line-up with the sport's elite for this year's Sheffield tournament in April.
Provisionally ranked 35 in the world, Walden entered qualifying at the fourth round – the penultimate stage – and he recorded a 10-4 win over Tailand's Issara Kachaiwong.
Walden now takes on Mark Allen, who has jumped up to 19th in the provisional rankings, in the final qualifying round next month.
www.flintshirestandard.co.uk |
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Ja and Senya report from Prestatyn |
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 Site members ja and Senya have travelled to Pontin's to catch the last day of 888.com World Snooker Championship qualifiers.
Having arrived to London on the 10th, we went straight to the station to buy tickets for the next morning's train to Prestatyn. Nedless to say, we missed it and had to take the next one. At about 1 o'clock we reached the venue "where snooker dreams end/come true". At the entrance we met Leeroy who kindly offered to get us in.
By this time Ricky had finished the first session at 5-4 up, which left us expecting a tough battle in the second.
Meanwhile, some matches were still in progress. We got to watch a couple of frames of the Pinches-Milkins match. When that one was finished also, me and Senya went to explore the venue. Although Pontin's is deserted at this time of the year, the snooker centre seems to be a great place for its purpose and just about right for the major snooker tournaments qualifiers.
Back to the game now. The match resumed at 4 pm with a possible 10 frames to play. Ricky started the second session in flying form as he knocked in a break of 90 followed by solid performance in the next two frames. Things went a bit scrappy afterwards but nothing could stop Rick from winning the last two frames and wrap up the match 10-4 (his opponent, Issara Kachaiwong certainly had very little to offer).
All in all, it was a great day and a great trip for both me and senya. Would be great to come back there again. As for now we'd like to wish good luck to Rick in his next match against Mark Allen. |
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Ricky is knocked out by ex-World champ |
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Two-time UK champion Mark Williams is through to the second round after an impressive 9-3 victory over qualifier Ricky Walden.
The Welshman has slipped alarmingly down the rankings in the past couple of seasons, but his win now means he will lock horns with Allen in the second round.
Bagillt-based Walden had a top break of 71, but Williams pocketed breaks of 63, 88, 71, 65 and 63 to make sure of his place in the next phase.
http://www.wrexhamleader.co.uk/
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Ricky Walden secured his place in the final stages of the 2007 Maplin UK Championship yesterday by beating Gerard Greene 9-8.
Walden started the evening session 5-3 down but took first 4 frames to turn the dificit into a 7-5 lead. However Greene batteled back to level the match at 8-8. Ricky then sealed the victory in the decider with a break of 48 to set up a last 32 meeting with two-times world champion Mark Williams. |
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Walden wins In Birmingham |
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Ricky Walden continued his fine recent form with victory in last weekend's Pro-Am event in Birmingham. (Courtesy of worldsnooker.com)
Advertisement
The Ravenace event was held at the Rileys snooker club and featured a number of Main Tour and PIOS players. Stephen Maguire, Ryan Day, Joe Perry, Barry Hawkins and Mark King were just some of the players looking for a little extra match practise in the early part of the season.
Fresh from his Belgian triumph, Walden fairly blitzed the opposition once he reached the quarter-finals. Kuldesh Johal was dispatched 5-1 in the quarters before Ben Woollaston left by the same scoreline.
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