UWC
Snooker Club
Rex Williams has denied any of the comments attributed to him last week by the Daily Mirror which can be read elsewhere on this news page. Williams attacked several top names in the game including Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis. The Mirror however claims to have the comments on tape. Let battle commence....
NEWS 15/12/98: RONNIE KNOCKED OUT AT FIRST HURDLE IN COMEBACK
Ronnie O`Sullivan proved he is far from a full recovery as he got knocked out of the Irish Open in the first round against Jimmy Michie of Pontefract. O`Sullivan, who has been taking a rest from the game after mental and physical exhaustion said the rest had done him good but he needed the ranking points. Elsewhere Stephen Hendry found some of his form with a 5-1 win over Joe Perry. Hendry says he regrets comments he made suggesting he may retire if his poor form continued.
For the latest news from the Irish Open see the WWW Snooker site.
NEWS 09/12/98: REX ATTACKS TOP PLAYERS
WPBSA Chairman Rex Williams has done little for his popularity in the game with an amazing attack on the games top players. Williams, who is desperately clinging on to his role as chairman and has faces competition from Dennis Taylor, Steve Davis and Terry Griffiths, was asked by a collegue whether WPBSA members would support his bid for re-election. His reply was "I don`t know, snooker players are not the most intelligent people in the world, you know."
His criticism of the top players included:
"He is clueless and useless", about 6 times World Champion Davis.
"He is pathetic and contemptible", about BBC pundit Dennis Taylor -
and he wasn`t discussing his dress sense.
"I can't help it if his mother and father are in jail", about troubled
genius Ronnie O`Sullivan.
"he has a problem and will never win anything major again", about Hendry,
possibly the greatest snooker player of all time. He blamed Hendry`s problems
on `aggravation` with his manager Ian Doyle.
The players have fought back but will not get embroiled in a war of words. Hendry and Doyle are to sue Williams for libel.
NEWS 29/11/98: HIGGINS CONFIRMS HIS SUPERIORITY
John Higgins became the fourth player to win both World and UK Championships in the same year with victory over Welshman Matthew Stevens in the final of the Liverpool Victoria UK Championships in Bournemouth. His win confirms his World No.1 spot and gives him the 10th ranking title of his career.
At the halfway point of the match it looked as if we were in for a marathon battle, with Stevens leading 5-4 at the interval. As he had done in the semi-final against Paul Hunter however, Higgins came out all guns blazing to quickly gain himself an 8-5 lead with four successive frames. Although Stevens pulled it back to 8-6 at this stage the result was never in doubt and Higgins finished off the last two frames to take the match 10-6.
It gave Higgins a cheque of £75,000 to take home alongside his highest break prize of £5,000 for his 141 earlier in the event. Stevens however will take comfort in a £39,000 cheque and a provisional World ranking of 7th.
UWCC 27/11/98: `A` TEAM DEFEAT `B` TEAM IN THRILLER
The first ever Cardiff league match between the two University Snooker teams took place in an atmosphere of tension with both teams knowing that those who were defeated would have to put up with severe stick from their team-mates for the rest of the year. With many ex-club members coming along to watch it was a historic occasion.
The final score was 3-2 to the `A` team with their captain Ian Purnell defeating James Llewellyn on the deciding black. A full Gair Rhydd report will appear here
NEWS 24/11/98: DAVIS IN RETURN TO GLORY DAYS?
6 times champion Steve Davis rolled back the years as he reached his first UK Championship quarter-final since 1993 with a 9-7 victory over giant-killer Marcus Campbell. In a marathon 438 minute match Davis edged past the Scot, who defeated Stephen Hendry 9-0 earlier in the tournament, to keep alive his chances of an 11th Uk final. His next opponent is Paul Hunter who so clinically defeated Jimmy White in the last 16, however the winner of that match will have the ominous task of facing John Higgins or John Parrott with both looking in fine form.
Elsewhere Fergal O`Brien shocked 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty 9-7 and Welshman Matthew Stevens completed the quarter-final line-up with a 9-5 win over Rod Lawler.
For the latest news from Bournemouth see the WWW Snooker site.
UWCC 23/11/98: HIGHEST BREAK OF THE SEASON FOR MAJID
Kamran Majid made the highest Snooker Club break of the season over the weekend with a tremendous 81 against Laurent Viac. It looked as if Majid was on course for the first century of 1998 until a pink rattled in the pocket. The break beats the previous best of 73 by Tom Cross. Last year`s highest was 90 by Del Jones.
NEWS 18/11/98: O`SULLIVAN PULLS OUT
World no.3 Ronnie O`Sullivan has surprisingly pulled out of the Liverpool Victoria UK Championships due to `physical and nervous exhaustion`. Current title holder O`Sullivan pulled out before his second round match against John Read. Doctors have told O`Sullivan to take a complete rest from snooker.
This was not the only shock development at Bournemouth however as Stephen Hendry is on the verge of the most embarrasing defeat of his career, trailing 8-0 to fellow Scot Marcus Campbell overnight. After losing the first two frames closely, Hendry only scored 33 points in the rest of the session as Campbell piled on 510 in total. Grand Prix winner Stephen Lee also suffered a shock defeat against Carmarthen`s Matthew Stevens.
UWCC 18/11/98: CLUB TABLE RE-COVERED
Not since the last Tory Government has the Cardiff University Snooker club table been recovered but after finally obtaining funding from the Athletic Union, the table was revamped today for the first time in over 2 years. A new cloth, new cushions and mending of the damaged slate on the table should ensure that the table again becomes the best quality table in the Students Union, and will hopefully attract several new members who will only have to pay 50p for half an hour on the rejuvenated table. The work comes just in time for next weeks crucial `A` team versus `B` team clash in the Cardiff League.
UWCC 16/11/98: BIG MATCH POSTPONED
The first ever league match between the University`s `A` and `B` teams
has been postponed from its original date 17th November. The decision was
made due to club Chairman Rob `Badger` Hayes being unable to play. The
match is now unlikely to be played this week and suspicion is mounting
that the `A` team are in fact scared to play the match. A win for
either side would take them above the other in the table.
Hayes seems confident however, "our weakest player is still much better
than anything the `B` team has to offer" he said in a typically frank interview.
The match will now probably take place on Friday 21st November.
NEWS 15/11/98: JIMMY TAKES PART IN U.K. CHAMPS
Jimmy White is fit and raring to go in his quest to regain his top 16 spot. He will take part in this week`s Liverpool Victoria UK Championships in Bournemouth after recovering from the back injury he suffered whilst falling in his hotel room during the B & H Championships. He meets Jonathan Birch tomorrow in the first round but if he faces a tough draw if he is to progress to the final, with World No.1 John Higgins and Stephen Hendry in his half of the draw.
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