The Global Snooker Centre

2001/02 – Review of the Season

As September ended the ranking season was about to get under way and a major bookkeeping organisation came forward to sponsor the first event. It was therefore the Stan James British Open which opened at its new venue, the Telewest Arena in Newcastle-upon Tyne. In the battle for places in the last 32, only Anthony Hamilton, of those relegated from last season’s top sixteen, failed to make it through, but there was no joy either for the likes of Tony Drago, James Wattana or Nigel Bond. In the next round the big shock was the 5-1 defeat of Stephen Hendry by Anthony Davies. Most commentators felt that this was the worst performance they had ever seen from the former champion.

Jimmy White, Matthew Stevens and Paul Hunter also failed to win their openers. Otherwise all the seeds progressed although both Mark Williams and John Higgins, who had become a father a couple of days earlier, were taken all the way. Still searching for form, Williams went down to Ali Carter in the next round. Ken Doherty was the other notable casualty at this stage. Mark King was a surprise 5-0 quarter-final winner over Peter Ebdon and joined John Higgins, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Graeme Dott in the semis. Dott surprisingly beat Ronnie but John Higgins was too good for him in the final which he took 9-6 for his third straight victory.

After a year away the tour returned to Preston’s Guild Hall for the LG Cup, which had replaced the Grand Prix after some 20 years. In the battle for places in the last 32, half of those seeded to this stage went out leaving six of them, Bond, Small, Snaddon, Judge, Drago and Wattana, without a win so far this season. In the next round Jimmy White lost again, his tenth straight defeat and Ken Doherty and Fergal O’Brien also lost their openers. The highlight of the last 16 round was a maximum 147, his fifth, for Ronnie O’Sullivan.

O'Sullivan's glorious green to brown

Joe Swail

Most of the top seeds went through but the surprise so far was world number 85, Barry Hawkins who, having beaten Wattana and O’Brien, edged past Marco Fu for a place in the quarter-finals where he narrowly lost to Joe Swail. This was also where the big boys fell. O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams, who was playing with a damaged foot, all lost. Stephen Lee had bee progressing quietly and now beat Hendry to reach the final.

Peter Ebdon came through in the other half but Lee proved too strong in the final and came out a 9-4 winner. In the rankings, Ebdon’s performance moved him up to third whilst Ken Doherty’s early exit and dropped him down a couple of places. Jimmy White’s top 16 position was now looking very precarious.

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