The Global Snooker Centre

2004-5 – Review of the Season... Part One

The players had just got used to the idea of a reduced tour of only 96 players when they were told that there would be a further reduction to 64 for the 2005/6 season and that prize money this season would be substantially reduced. Only the top 56 in the rankings at the end of the season would retain their place, and there would be no Challenge Tour at all after this season with just six players from that tour getting promoted to the Main Tour, now simply called ‘The Tour’, at the end of this campaign.

Before the tour began, several players know they had a battle on to retain their rankings. On the one-year list, McManus, Gray, Fu, Small and Steve Davis were all outside the top 16 while Greene, Henry and Milkins had dropped out of the top 32.

The make-up of the tour was in some doubt. LG withdrew their sponsorship and we heard that, as a result, the Grand Prix name would be restored. With no television coverage from Sky the future of the British Open and Players Championship was doubtful but two overseas events were promised but as the Tour began no one knew exactly how many events threw would be.

One innovation was that the players joining the Tour would not, as in the past, receive starting points equal to the lowest one-year total of last season but instead would earn double the normal ranking points for every event.

The Euro-Asia Snooker Masters Challenge was renamed World Champions v. Asian Stars Challenge and there was only one leg, in Bangkok. Only one of the world champions, John Higgins, made it to the semi finals with Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty all going out at the round robin stage.

Ronnie O’Sullivan had declined to take part. The surprise package was Atthasit Mahitthi who, although he had been unable to retain his place on the Tour, won all three of his group matches. In the end it was Marco Fu who took the trophy beating Higgins 5-1 in the final.

A different format was announced for the Grand Prix with all those ranked outside the top 32 entering at the opening round and the rest coming in at round two. More ranking points would be on offer than for the other events outside the UK and world championship. Just three of the tour’s new boys came through the qualifying round, Jin Long, Joe Jogia and Hugh Abernethy. In the meantime, Dave Finbow announced that he would only be taking part in the Grand Prix and UK Championship. As a result, Liu Song was given his spot for the remaining events. Before the completion of the Grand Prix the first Challenge Tour event was held at Prestatyn. Jamie Cope beat Chris Norbury in the final to give himself a head start in the chase for places on the Tour next season.

On the eve of the start of the Grand Prix at Preston Guild Hall, World Snooker announced Totesport as new title sponsors and also confirmed that the British Open would be the second ranking event of the season at Brighton. While most of the seeded players progressed to the last 32, there were some big name casualties in the opening round of the Grand Prix, including Mark Williams who fell to Michael Judge, Matthew Stevens a victim of the revitalised Andy Hicks, and John Higgins who was beaten by Ricky Walden despite making another maximum, his fifth. Another player enjoying a new lease of life was James Wattana who beat John Parrott before ousting Ken Doherty and Stephen Lee before losing to Paul Hunter in the quarter final. Ian McCulloch beat Jimmy white and Stephen Hendry and suddenly there were no top 16 players left in the bottom half of the draw which was completed by Stephen Maguire, Joe Perry and Michael Judge. At the top Ronnie O’Sullivan progressed without any trouble and Mark Selby beat Peter Ebdon to join Hunter and Wattana. Ronnie beat Hunter in the semis and in the final met Ian McCulloch who had comfortable victories over Maguire and Judge but Ronnie was too strong in the end and ran out the winner by 9-5.

Qualifying for the UK was next on the agenda and the format for this, and all the other events would have the lowest 32 in the rankings in the opening round with the next 16 meeting the winners and so on with the last 48 onwards being played at the final venue. Five of the newcomers got past the opening round including Joe Jogia for the second time in a row and Mike Hallett who won a battle of the ‘oldies’ against Darren Morgan.

Only one, David McDonnell, got past the second round. The two outstanding young prospects from last season, Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson were among five players who progressed through all three qualifying rounds. The others were Tom Ford, Shokat Ali and Ricky Walden.

Among those who failed to make it were former top 16 stars Dave Harold and Fergal O’Brien. In his second round match against Leo Fernandez, Jamie Burnett recorded a break of 148, following a free ball, the highest ever in professional competition. With no prize for the highest break in the qualifying stages this season, the achievement went unrewarded.

A couple of weeks later they were all back again at Prestatyn for the British Open qualifying rounds. Joe Jogia continued his good start by winning all three matches, as did Robertson and Ding Junhui again. Andy Hicks continued his superb form qualifying for the final stages for the fourth event in a row.

One of his victims was James Wattana whose own revival suffered a blip. At this stage there were 13 players, outside the top 32, who were still without a win and these included former world number five, Gary Wilkinson, whose chances of keeping his tour place were looking remote.

Just four days later the final stages of the British Open began at the Brighton Centre. First round casualties included Grand Prix finalist, Ian McCulloch who lost to Shaun Murphy, Gerard Greene, Joe Swail, Joe Perry, who was riding high in the top 16 provisionally, and Tony Drago who was Ding Junhui’s latest victim.

Ding went on to beat Jimmy White in the next round where no less than ten of the top 16 fell at the first hurdle with only O’Sullivan, Williams, Hendry, Higgins, Doherty and Lee surviving. Just three, Hendry, Higgins and O’Sullivan made it to the quarter finals where Higgins seemed to find some of the form which ad deserted him recently as he ended the hopes of the defending champion, Hendry.

Shaun Murphy, who had ousted Paul Hunter earlier, reached his first ranking semi final and Stephen Maguire was looking better every match as he reached that stage as well with a victory over Mark Williams’ conqueror, Anthony Hamilton. Ronnie O’Sullivan ended the great run of Andy Hicks.

Both semi finals were one-sided affairs with Maguire surprisingly beating Ronnie, who had looked unbeatable to this point, 6-1 and Higgins beat Murphy 6-0. Maguire began his semi with two centuries having finished his previous match with three making him the first to make five in succession in a ranking event.

In the final Higgins, whose wife was expecting their second child any day ended his title drought beating his young fellow Scot, 9-6.

It was straight off to the Barbican Centre in York for the Travis Perkins UK Championship. In the last 48 round one of the surprise fallers was Grand Prix finalist, Ian McCulloch who lost to Barry Hawkins. Other seeds to fall were Joe Swail, Anthony Hamilton, Drew Henry, Michael Holt, Tony Drago and Gerard Greene who had not won a match all season.

The last 32 round began before the television cameras started rolling and so David Gray’s 147 against Mark Selby was not seen by the viewers. Jimmy White was 7-0 down to Ali Carter before he pulled out feeling ill. Chris Small was still looking for his first win after falling to Joe Perry. Ken Doherty lost to Andy Hicks, Fu to Parrott and Higgins to Ricky Walden for the second time this season.

The top four seeds’ matches were held back for the television but all four of them lost. Defending champion Matthew Stevens’ awful form continued as he fell to Barry Pinches. Barry Hawkins ended the hoped of Hendry, Mark King had a comfortable win over Mark Williams and, for the second event running, Stephen Maguire stopped the favourite, Ronnie O’Sullivan. Only two of the top eight seeds, Peter Ebdon and Paul Hunter remained and they were destined to fall on the next round. Carter beat Hunter and Stephen Lee put out Ebdon, both in the deciding frame.

In the quarter finals Lee was the next victim of Maguire and David Gray beat Graeme Dott to become the last of the top 16 to survive. Joe Perry and Mark King beat Ali Carter and John Parrott respectively. David Gray staged a great recovery to pip Joe Perry 9-8 and Maguire’s superb form continued with a 9-4 defeat of King. In the final Maguire, with the help of three centuries making ten in all, trounced Gray 10-1. He was now the season’s leading player and up to third on the provisional list. He was also installed as second favourite for the World Championship.

The professionals meanwhile were back at Prestatyn for the qualifying round of the Malta Cup. Gerard Greene continued his bad run of form and Gary Wilkinson, Brian Morgan, Nick Dyson and Jonathan Birch were also sent home still looking for their first win of the season. Nobody came through from the first round to reach the last 32 but Tom Ford would make the trip to Malta as his last 48 match with Tony Drago was held over to the final stages.

John Parrott, fresh from his UK quarter final, surprisingly suffered a whitewash at the hands of Stuart Pettman who had recorded his first win of the season only the day before. Other big name casualties were Marco Fu, Ali Carter, Ian McCulloch, Joe Perry, Dominic Dale and Mark King.

The last tournament of the year was the second Challenge Tour event, also held at Prestatyn.

Jamie Cope who won the first event, reached the last 16 to maintain his challenge but it was James Tatton, who had been a semi finalist in Event 1, who beat Matthew Barnes in the final to take over at the top of the Order of Merit and give himself an excellent chance of a return to the main tour for the first time since 1996/7.

Part Two....

2001-2 review

2002-3 Review

2003-4 Review

2004-5 Review