15 Red Podcast - Match Analysis

Thursday 25 February 2021. Match Report Written by Mad Mikey from The 15 Red Podcast team. O’Sullivan (2) Lisowski.   (11) H2H: 2-0 Ronnie  “He’s been knocking on the door for quite some time now and is due to win one soon” says Barry Hawkins pre match regarding Lisowski impressive play this season. Well post match it was obvious that Jack Lisowski is not anywhere near the level of Ronnie O’Sullivan.  In 48 minutes, it was 4-0, with breaks of 63,79,124,93 and firmly planted in the Commanders Chair. For further case and point, frame 5, after the interval, a 125 and 5-0, and in frame 6 , Lisowski got his first real chance in the balls. He did win the frame to fight off the whitewash. Frame 7 Ronnie locks up a sublime performance with a 59, and goes on to battle the hawk in the semi final on Saturday. Clearly over his surprise defeat on Sunday, Ronnie is serving notice that he will be a tough out this weekend. Scoreboard Reads: O’Sullivan 6 Lisowski.   1

Sunday 21st February Featured Match -  Report Written By Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team  Match Stats From The Opening Session Pot Success: -  O'Sullivan 92% - Brown 90% Long Pot Success: - O'Sullivan 64% - Brown 53% Safety Success: - O'Sullivan 79% - Brown 92% Total Points: -  O'Sullivan 420 - Brown 450 The average shot times: - O'Sullivan 18 Secs - Brown 21 Secs The average frame time was 16 minutes. Score From Afternoon Session O'Sullivan 3 - Brown 5 Brown broke off frame 9. After a few good safety shots were played. Brown made a mistake, as the cue-ball was travelling back to baulk, it hit the blue full ball, which gifted O'Sullivan an early chance. But The Rocket broke down on a break of 33, as he missed long black into the yellow pocket. Brown blasted a red (at the bottom of the pack) into right corner, but could make a break of 18 as he ran out position and had to send the cue-ball back to baulk. Even though he had a good safety, Brown wou

Before the match began, t his was going to be the true David and Goliath story of the snooker world. The 44-year-old world number 3, The Rocket – Ronnie O’Sullivan – who turned professional in 1992 and has 37 major ranking event victories including 6 times world champion), 3 – minor ranking titles and 33 non-ranking. He holds a record of one thousand and eighty-nine career century breaks (1,089), and 15, 147 maximum breaks to his name. The 33-year-old rookie from Antrim in Northern Ireland, Jordan Brown known as the Antrim Ferrari had first turned professional 2009. The break-through came in the 2015/16 season, when he qualified for his first ever ranking tournament, which was the UK Championship where he lost in round one 6 – 1 to Stuart Bingham where he complied a half century of 50. His debut in the Welsh open came in the same season, this time he fell victim of a whitewash in the first round to Stuart Carrington by 4 – 0. Through the 2016/17 season he had only qualified for one

Saturday 20 February 2021 Match Report Written by Mad Mikey from The 15 Red Podcast team  O’Sullivan (2) Williams.   (14) H2H: 32-12 O’Sullivan Frame 1: With the Class of 92 stepping into the arena, there was much anticipation for a high caliber contest, and with a solid 73 break by Williams it looked to be an early lead. But even down by so much , Ronnie decided to play on, get some pots in, and get use to the table. 1-0 Williams  Frame 2: After looking sharp in defeat in frame 1, Ronnie quickly and decisively equalized by making his first century of the week, a 102, and even Steven at 1-1... Frame 3: After missing a long red, Ronnie puts together a 77 and grabs the lead for the first time in the contest. 2-1 Rocket. Frame 4: Once again Ronnie capitalized on an over aggressive Williams, makes 54 before Williams gets a chance. But after a good pink, Mark misses an easy red, to which Ronnie finishes of the frame and 3-1 interval lead. Frame 5: With Mark looking less than average on the

Saturday 20th February 2021 Afternoon Best of 11 frames. Featured Match - Report written by Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team Referee - John Pellew Stephen Maguire v Jordan Brown 1 - 5 Highest Breaks - Brown 135 (Frame 1), Brown 113 (Frame 4) To get to the semis Jordan Brown had beaten Luo Honghao (world number 64) in the first round 4 - 0, world number 51, Sam Craigie 4 - 3 in the 64. His next victim was the talented swiss player Alexander Ursenbacher, 62nd in the world ranking and in the last 32 on another decider 4 - 3. He had to come through another decider in the last 16, beating 50th ranked Mark King 4 - 3.  And then came the shocker, he won yet another deciding frame against the world number 4 Mark Selby on a black ball finish. Selby missed the into the right middle which was very reminiscent of the final black that Stephen Hendry had missed against Mark Williams in the 1998 Masters final.   In the opening round Stephen Maguire beat Dominic Dale 4 - 1. Then he beat Mat

19 February 2021 Evening Session Match Report Written by Mad Mikey from The15 Red Podcast team: Williams (14) Ford        (27) H2H: 9-1 Williams  Frame1: Mark starts off with some very good pots, builds a break of 70 and grabs the early lead in the match.. 1-0 Williams  Frame2: Again, Mark starts out strong, compiling a 60 break but missed an easy red . Tom made his first pots and replied with 35, and laid a tough snooker. He gained some additional foul points, but missed a green he should have potted, which allowed Williams to clear the remaining colours and win frame 2. 2-0 Williams. Frame3: With Mark showing strong form and making pots with the rest in the air, he makes a break of 67. Tom has a chance, but makes a measly 26, and Mark the locks up the frame. 108-26, 3-0  advantage as well. Frame4: Tom starts off with some good pots to gain the early edge. Mark gets a chance in the balls before breaking down on 36. The frame becomes a bit scrappy, and at 51-35 Williams screws in off o

Friday Afternoon Session  Featured Match -  Report Written By Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team  Murphy v Maguire 4 - 5 Highest Break 133 - Maguire (Frame 9) Frame 1 Started with a safety battle, just as both would not have liked. Murphy gave away the first foul, after missing thin clip on a red. Maguire missed a long red that came back up the up the table knocking the cue-ball back into baulk. Seven minutes into the match and it was Murphy who potted a long red into bottom left corner, the cue-ball went behind the back and the pack, finding its way into left middle. Maguire had ball in hand and from the d he potted a red into left corner, on its way back to the baulk end the side took effect, hit a red and fell into the green pocket. 2 unlucky fouls in a row of these two quality players. Murphy was next in, as he gently potted a red into left corner and he managed to hold for the black, but after knocking it in he failed to get onto his intended red and played safe of that

Afternoon Session  Featured Match –  Report Written By Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team  The Defending Welsh Open Champion v The Snooker Shoot Out Champion Shaun Murphy v Ryan Day 4 – 1 Highest Break 133 – Murphy (Frame 2) Frame 1, After Day’s break off shot, that left a red over the bottom left pocket. Murphy potted the red using some amazing cue power on his first shot, with excellent cue-ball control he had very quickly built up a 62-point lead, until the spilt on the small pack of remaining went slightly wrong left on a tricky and risky plant which did not look on, but he tried to make it happen but missed it and left Day in. It was a big ask to get his cue-arm going straight away, but with the break on 28 he missed a black of the spot, he might have taken his eye of the pot thinking about the cannon to move the pink which he did. He was fortunate not to leave Murphy with a pot on. Murphy then potted a brilliant red into the bottom left corner, there was just e

Morning Session  Featured Match – Report Written By Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team  Yan Bingtao v Xiao Guodong 4 – 1 – Highest Breaks 113 – Guodong 121 (Frame 1), 113 (Frame 3) Xiao Guodong kicked off frame 1, and after Yan Bingtao had played a containing safety shot. Guodong potted a red into the left middle and produced a wonderful century break of 121. It was a superb break with great cue-ball control from the very first shot and his positional play was sublime. He missed the final pink and should have ended the break with a 134, but he had made a sensational start.   Frame 2, Guodong potted a brilliant long red into the bottom right corner and was looking strong and better of the two. He came unstuck with the break on 16 as the cue-ball glued itself to the pack of reds forcing him to play safe, he tapped the cue-ball and a little further into the pack. Bingtao left a touching ball allowing Guodong to play the cue-ball back into baulk, the white kissed the gr

Featured Match - Match Report Witten By Mad Mikey from The 15 Red Podcast team  John Higgins (6) Ben Woolaston (36)  - Rematch of 2015 Welsh Final  - John’s last tournament victory was the Welsh 2018, a 2 year drought, which is the longest of his career. Frame 1: John opens the match with some solid pots, and forms a break of 101, and a 1-0 lead Frame 2: Ben gets his first pots of the match by making a solid 31, before going in off from the blue. John has opportunity but on 25 missed a black from the spot. After a safety exchange, and the score 46-48, Ben pots all the colours to even up the match at 1-1 Frame 3: John continues his strong potting and break building by making a quick strike 79, more than enough to win the frame and a 2-1 advantage. Frame 4: Both players exchange pots in the early going, before Woollaston missed a red on 13. John was continuing his excellent play by making 58 and good enough for a 3-1 lead. Frame 5: With no room for error, Ben gets his scoring boots on ri

Wednesday Evening  Featured Match – Report Written By Graeme Drayton from The 15 Red Podcast team  Judd Trump v Si Jihui  Highest Break 82 - Trump (Frame 3) Si Jihui started off the better of the two, potting a fantastic long red and played of the side of the bunch and ended up missing the yellow, Trump made a break of 8 and missed a long red into the green pocket. Jihul cleared that up and tried snookering Trump behind the yellow but he failed as he hit the brown too hard and the cue-ball rolled just too far which left Trump a long red, that he missed. There were some good tactical shots played, as the opening frame continued to be tight. There was a long period of safety, all the reds were congregating over to the right bottom corner pocket. It was Trump who had first chance but missed a cut on a red to right corner, then Jihul missed a cut on the opposite side. The safety continued, Trump was left a long red which he brilliantly took, after potting the yellow he tried to distu

Wednesday Afternoon Featured Match – Ronnie O’Sullivan v Jimmy White 4 – 0  Highest Break 70 – O’Sullivan (Frame 3) Jimmy White broke off this classic encounter. White refused a pot on the red with his second shot. O’Sullivan missed a long red, White attempted a long pot that he missed. O’Sullivan missed a thin clip on the red and gave away a 4-point foul. O’Sullivan potted the first red and missed a blue into the yellow pocket. On a break of 16, White missed a straight red to middle. After some safety play, White attempted a cut on a red into the right bottom pocket, which he missed but was lucky that the cue-ball ended up within the pack, forcing O’Sullivan to play safe. White made a mistake with his safety and left Ronnie a red which he cleared but he surprisingly ran out of position and had to play safe of the green. The scores were 43 – 16 to O’Sullivan. White was performing well and sticking to the task against the former World Champion. White potted a red along the bottom