Trump to be King

Premier League Snooker concludes tonight in Grimsby and Judd Trump is best-priced 4/9 to beat Stuart Bingham and lift the title.

You can read my preview for sportinglife.com here



Judd Trump - Snooker's hottest property now that Ronnie O'Sullivan has taken a back seat.

UK Championship starts on Saturday in York where Trump will be defending his title. Check back here later this week for more betting tips

Trump the Ace in semi-final line-up

Judd Trump has the Premier League title in his sights this weekend. Now World Number One and thoroughly deserved.

You can read my preview for sportinglife.com here


Trump - Very confident and very dangerous

Good luck

Jeff

Selby still a danger in Premier League Snooker

Premier League Snooker continues tomorrow and takes place in Malvern
where Mark Selby and Ding Junhui open proceedings followed by John
Higgins up against Stephen Lee.

You can read my preview for the bettingzone at sportinglife.com here

Selby needs a good result to get his league campaign back on track
after losing his opener 5-1. This event though is perfect for his
style of play. He sees the shots as quick as any player on the circuit
bar Ronnie O'Sullivan so unless he is faced with a very difficult
safety the 25 second time limit doesn't matter so much. This helps
because he does need a couple of seconds longer than the quicker
players to get focused on the shot - but if you're clear what the
options are as you arrive at the table then the shot clock is less of
a factor.



Mark Selby - At his best when he needs a result

It was these difficult safety shots that cost him his opening match
against last week's Gdynia Open winner Neil Robertson. At the very
start of their game, twice the Aussie left the Jester from Leicester
in trouble. Selby responded by playing the best shot he could but
given the variables of these one-night tables with cloth and cushions
that can play markedly differently then it's in these opening gambits
that a player can be vulnerable. Simply because the outcome of the
preferred shot choice can still be uncertain - especially when playing
the white slowly.

This helped Robertson get off to a flyer who then marched on to win
easily 5-1 which has put Selby under pressure to do well in his three
remaining group games. But when it comes to shot selection, bottle and
match temperament the Jester time and again delivers. The reason why
he's world number one is essentially his choice of shot and refusal to
push the boat out unless there is no alternative. In addition he
leaves players difficult shots and then has the class to cash in.
He'll need to do this here but a win will put him right back in the
hunt for a semi-final spot.

DIng is in decent form but the league is a different mindset and last
week the Chinese star blew hot and cold when losing 4-2 to Stuart
Bingham. Although he reached the final last year he has never been
consistent enough in the league to back with confidence. The clinical
aspect to his game does seem lacking in this event.

A Selby win is on the cards so we'll take the 13/8 (general). Also a
heavy win will really help his cause and his shot selection and focus
can bring that too so we'll have a small punt on the whitewash at 28/1
(bet365, skyBET) with a saver on a 5-1 win at 7/1 (general).

The second match of the night is difficult to call. Although Higgins
won the Shanghai Masters last week he was distinctly unimpressive when
beating Mark Allen in his opener here. The Scot struggles sometimes to
get comfortable under time pressure - his set up and address aren't
fluent enough to dominate in this format.

Stephen Lee has lost his first two matches and is highly unlikely to
qualify especially after the way he performed. But he is still
carrying on his good tour form from earlier in the year and won Asian
PTC 2 in Yixing two weeks ago. Invariably here in the league though
the arena is quite warm which Lee feels more than most players. He
clearly struggled with the temperature in his two matches to date so
we'll leave this one alone.

Premier League Snooker - Week Five

The Guildhall in Southampton hosts Premier League Snooker tomorrow
where Ding Junhui is up against Stuart Bingham and Judd Trump takes on
Peter Ebdon.

Ding has never really shone in this event but I expect him to win
here. The Chinese star is a very good front runner but if he gets
behind he can get frustrated which can affect his focus on a match.
But he's in good form and had some decent wins in his run to the final
of APTC Event 2 in China last week. He's also very used to the
cauldron-like environment of the league which will help him perform.

Bingham made his debut in the event this year in week three and
impressed to go 3-0 up on Shaun Murphy but then went a bit tentative
which is a trait of his to allow Murphy to salvage a draw.

Best priced 6/5 for the match (sportingbet, PaddyPower) Ding is the pick.







Trump now has the confidence to consistently deliver on the big stage

Next sees Judd Trump play his second match of this season's event
having beaten Stephen Lee 5-1 in his opener. Trump comes here on the
back of his run to the final of the Shanghai Masters where he led John
Higgins 5-0 and 7-2 before losing 10-9. The Bristolian was impressive
but like many top players they only produce their very best as they
get further into a tournament. Trump looked vulnerable early in the
event especially in his first round against Barry Hawkins. But the
Premier League is right up his street - in front of a big crowd he
wants to put on a show. The only note of caution though is that
because he likes to show off - especially after a match is won this
makes predicting a frame score difficult.

His opponent Ebdon hasn't surprised me with his reasonably high
standard of play under time pressure - he could always play quicker.
But if this match was played in a ranking event without the 25 second
time limit it would be a very different game. Ebdon is exactly the
kind of player who could normally slow Trump down and and get under
his skin. But the shot-clock puts paid to that and the 4/6 (general)
about Trump should be doubled up with Ding which pays over 5/2 with
sportingbet.

Premier League Snooker - 10/1 Double...

Premier League Snooker continues tomorrow from the Spiceball Leisure
Centre in Banbury where Mark Allen takes on Peter Ebdon followed by
Neil Robertson up against Shaun Murphy.

Ebdon proved in his opening 5-1 win here against Stephen Lee that he
can play quickly enough to be a threat. He only plays so slowly in
tournaments because he's convinced himself that he has a better chance
that way. His opponent Allen didn't have much run when losing to John
Higgins in their opener two weeks ago but the standard from both
players was quite poor. Indeed Higgins showed remarkable improvement
to lift the Shanghai Masters in impressive style upon which form he is
a contender for more silverware this season.

 

Ebdon and Murphy - Decent priced double

A repeat of that form from Allen though makes Ebdon at 3/1 (StanJames)
far too big and it has to be worth a punt. In his first round match in
Shanghai against Stephen Maguire, Ebdon spent a few minutes querying a
free ball decision although it was obvious that the correct call had
been made. But here you just have to get on with it which will help
him. At the start of his career he played quickly and his heavy win
against Lee proved he can perform under time pressure.

in the second match of the night Neil Robertson will fancy his chances
after thrashing Mark Selby 5-1 in week two of the event. The Aussie
did have some run at the start though which set the tone for the match
- but he was impressive. Contrast that with Shanghai last week when he
laboured to a 5-2 over the wildcard Chen Feilong and then struggled
when whitewashed by a surprisingly clinical Joe Perry.

His opponent Murphy has been knocking on the door recently and is in
great form.  Although in his second match here he quickly went 3-0 to
Stuart Bingham he did improve to salvage a draw. In addition he made
the semi-finals of both the Shanghai Masters and PTC3 in Gloucester
earlier this month. Murphy needs a win here to have any real chance of
making the play-offs and he has the bottle to deliver. Given the
recent form of both players I'm surprised that layers make Robertson
favourite. The 15/8 (general) about Murphy should be snapped up and
we'll put him in a small stake double with Ebdon which pays over 10/1
- again with StanJames.

Snooker - Shanghai Masters Preview by Jeff Anderson

Shanghai Masters Snooker starts on Monday and you can read my preview for sportinglife.com here

In the easier second quarter of the draw Martin Gould opens against
Ryan Day or Yan Wuchen. His likely second round opponent is then John
Higgins who was completely out of sorts in the Premier League on
Thursday despite beating Mark Allen. So I expect Gould to make the
last eight readily.



Gould - New coaching method is paying big dividends

Last month he started working with Stephen Feeney who has developed
and patented the SightRight coaching method. Immediately Feeney picked
up a fault with the way Gould was sighting the ball and fixed it
straightaway. A week later he triumphed in PTC2 and said afterwards
'The improvement has been beyond my expectation and every time I was
among the balls this week I felt as if I was going to clear up'. He
then followed this by losing deciding frame matches in European Tour
Event 1 and PTC3  to Alfie Burden and Stephen Lee - two players who
have shown marked improvement recently. The 50/1 (general) about the
Pinner Potter should be backed each-way.

In the third quarter of the draw Neil Robertson at 15/2 (general)
stands out as a possible winner. He impressed against Selby in his
Premier League opener last week and made the semi-finals here last
year. The Aussie continues to get stronger as his career progresses.
His cue action is gun-barrel straight which holds up really well under
pressure and his temperament is perfect. His first round against
Fergal O'Brien or the wildcard Chen Feilong should be straightforward
and this third quarter isn't the hardest either so he is definite
value at 15/2 outright (general).

In the bottom quarter Barry Hawkins is also worth an investment. He
has a tough opener but Judd Trump has disappointed since his UK title
success last December and has failed to make the last four of any
ranking event since. Trump now plays with slightly more abandon than
he did when lifting the UK title and it's usual that with experience
more safety is played and not less. You need to know when to duck a
shot and a major facet of his game is that he has more flukes than any
other player simply because he hits the ball so hard. But this also
means that when he misses a long pot at pace the object ball is more
likely to develop other balls on the table and leave your opponent in
- which you can't afford to do at this level.

Hawkins won his maiden ranking event the Australian Goldfields Open
title in July. In ET1 - The Paul Hunter Classic last month he beat
Trump and Robertson in his run to the semi-finals. After 16 years as a
professional he now thinks he can win - even when in losing positions
which is fundamental to turning your career around. The 80/1 with
sportingbet is worth a small stake each-way.

Selby far too big at 10/1

Premier League Snooker continues tonight and you can read my preview for sportinglife.com here



Mark Selby - has greater understanding of the variables than the other Premier League players

Premier League Snooker continues tomorrow from the Sands Centre in Carlisle where Shaun Murphy takes on Stuart Bingham followed by John Higgins up against Mark Allen.

Murphy has impressed in the last few weeks. He wasn't disgraced in his league opener going down 4-2 to Ding Junhui and then in PTC3 last weekend in Gloucester he reached the last four.

His opponent Bingham - who reached the last 16 in Gloucester going down 4-1 to the eventual winner Rod Lawler is full of confidence too and looks very comfortable at the table. The Essex player is certainly not frightened to win anymore and has shaken off his reputation for bottling it - largely due to his Australian Goldfields Open win last year.  He could spring a bit of a shock here so the 9/4 Boylesports is worth a small wager - albeit with caution.

The second match of the night is difficult to call too. Higgins chose not to play in the season's two opening ranking events and hasn't impressed in the two recent PTC's. However even though his past league form is largely disappointing his experience under the shot clock should tell against first timer Allen. But we need to be wary of getting heavily involved in both matches so we'll pair the Scot up with Bingham in a small double which pays almost 8/1 with Boylesports.

In the outright betting Mark Selby is worth backing despite suffering a heavy defeat in his league opener last week to Neil Robertson. The Aussie played well but in the early part of the match Selby was faced with two or three very tricky safety shots when it's sometimes difficult to be precise about how the cue ball will react on these one night tables. What you need is to get in early and pick up on any subtleties and nuances with the table while leaving yourself easy shots - this puts you at a slight but significant advantage. 

Selby is in great form though after retaining his Paul Hunter Classic title in Germany last month and events under time pressure reward scientific understanding as well as technical skill at the table. The Jester has now been pushed out to a 10/1 chance outright (general) which should be taken.

Selby solid in Group One

Premier League Snooker starts tomorrow from the Embassy Theatre in
Skegness and you can read my preview for sportinglife.com by clicking here

Ten of the World's leading players are split into two groups
of five and play in a round robin format with the top two in each
group going forward to the semi-finals. The field is notable for the
absence of Ronnie O'Sullivan who has won seven of the last eight
league events. The Rocket made himself unavailable as part of his
planned six month break from the game following his World Championship
triumph in May.

Judd Trump heads the field at 4/1 favourite but the bet that hits you
over the head like a hammer and as top value is Mark Selby to win
Group One at 16/5 (Boylesports) - despite it being the toughest group.
The Jester is in his element in this format as his clever shots and
quick thinking do give you a definite edge.






Selby - Has the class in this format

The World Number One has had an indifferent start to the season and
was especially disappointed to lose to Nigel Bond early in PTC2 last
week. They played on the main match table where I was one of the
handful of spectators and it's difficult sometimes to find the
adrenalin to play at your highest level if the atmosphere is a bit
dead. Nothing to do with the facilities and playing conditions at the
South West Snooker Academy which are superb. It is no coincidence that
he lost in PTC1 to Dave Harold last month too because he can struggle
to find his rhythm against methodical players.

But Selby has only appeared in the league twice before making the
final in 2008 after earlier topping the group stage. What is key under
time pressure is having an idea what the correct shot is for the
layout of the table and the frame score before the balls come to rest.
He hasn't the quickest set up on the circuit but he sees the shot
quicker that anyone with the exception of the Rocket meaning he has
more time for his natural address. The 16/5 is far too big and won't
be around for long. Some other layers go as short as 5/2.

First on show here in these best of six matches are Ding Junhui who
takes on Shaun Murphy followed by Judd Trump up against Stephen Lee.

Ding blows a bit hot and cold sometimes and Shaun Murphy is playing
very well. He's been practising hard recently but readily admits he
had a few weeks off before the season's curtain raiser the Wuxi
Classic and it showed. But last month he did make the quarters of the
Goldfields Open in Australia. Also in PTC2 last weekend in Gloucester
he went down by the odd frame to eventual runner-up Stephen Maguire
who really impressed. In 2009 Murphy won the Premier League - the only
player to break O'Sullivan's stranglehold on the event.

So we'll have a small wager on Murphy to win the match at 9/5 with sportingbet.

In the second game we need to be wary of the odds-on Trump because he
will give Lee some chances so we'll leave it alone.This is Lee's first
appearance under the shot clock and it will help him that the format
is back to 25 seconds a shot rather than the 20 seconds in 2011. But
it does involve playing quickly even when it's not immediately
apparent what the best percentage shot is. In addition the league is a
cauldron-like atmosphere under which he will especially feel the heat.