World Championship Preview

by Sam Martin

It’s that time of year again; for the next 17 days vitamin D intake will be at an all time low for snooker fans as we get wall to wall snooker. Betfred return to sponsor the event and bring with them the famous red carpet, but which players will make it their own in the coming two weeks?

Mark Selby v Kurt Maflin


As is tradition the defending champion opens the tournament at 10am on the opening Saturday. Talk of the Crucible curse will no doubt be high on the BBC’s agenda of repetitive talking points. Selby was quoted saying he wanted to face a Crucible debutante and he has got his wish, however, in Kurt Maflin he will be facing one of the most fluent break builders in the game. Selby will need to start well and not allow Maflin to settle; otherwise the curse could roll on for another year. I fancy Selby to have enough and get through this tricky first match.
Prediction – 10-6 Selby

Stephen Maguire v Anthony McGill


I have a funny feeling this was a good draw for the extremely talented Anthony McGill, on debut facing his old chum Stephen Maguire might put him more at ease in the cauldron that is the Crucible Theatre. The longer format matches I think will suit McGill and his previous record suggests he matches up well against Maguire, with a 2-0 record in longer format matches. I think the tight and methodical play will frustrate the sometimes volatile Maguire and McGill will triumph here. 
Prediction – 10-7 McGill

Joe Perry v Zhang Anda


Provisionally up to world number 5 and a vastly underrated player, Joe Perry has got a rather friendly draw.  Previously a World Semi Finalist and twice a UK semi finalist – when it was a proper length tournament – the Gentleman clearly enjoys the longer formats. Last year he really should have defeated the Rocket in the 2nd round after playing superbly.
Prediction – 10-5 Perry

Shaun Murphy v Robin Hull


Most casual fans will probably think Shaun Murphy will swoop past Robin Hull into the last 16. I do think Murphy will have too much for the Finnish number one but I can’t see it being easy. After debuting last year against O’Sullivan he should be considerably calmer and he has had a solid if unspectacular campaign, reaching his third career quarter final and a few last 32’s. He will need to keep Murphy tight on the baulk cushion and even then it probably won’t stop the Magician from potting a few long ones. 
Prediction 10-8 Murphy

Barry Hawkins v Matthew Selt


Matthew Selt has caused a bit of stir on Twitter in the last few weeks with a few outspoken tweets. Lower ranked snooker players lack of fame means they can luckily avoid mass media craze over badly thought out tweets, unlike many higher profile footballers.  More importantly Selt is having the best season of his career while Barry has been having one of his worst in recent years. Higher ranking equals higher expectations and Hawkins had barely won a match until March of this season and based on form I think Selt will win this one.
Prediction – 10-6 Selt

Mark Allen v Ryan Day

The enigma that is Mark Allen, one of the fiercest and most talented players on the circuit is blessed with the game to win all the top prizes, currently though he’s only won the World Open in Haikou on the two occasions. This is a horrible draw against another one of the games other big under achievers in Ryan Day. This is a coin toss match for me, depending more on who turns up and performs than any previous form. For what it’s worth Allen leads the head to head 6-4 in matches of at least 9 frames and he won their only previous World Championship match 13-11 in 2009. 
Prediction 10-9 Allen

Ali Carter v Alan McManus


Alan had a fairytale run to the quarter finals last year defeated Higgins and Doherty en route before losing to eventual champion Mark Selby. Potentially with higher expectations after last year’s run he might struggle against a very motivated Ali Carter. Having already won the biggest battle of his life in his fight against cancer he should be inspired to return to the scene of his greatest triumph. Having played a very limited schedule this season it’s hard to comment on form as this season has been a write off but I can see Carter reliving past glories against Angles. 
Prediction 10-6 Carter

Neil Robertson v Jamie Jones


The bookies have Neil Robertson as the 2nd favourite coming into the event, having replaced John Higgins as the best all rounder in the game today Robertson’s phenomenal potting makes him a match for anybody. This season has been very similar to last, with one ranking title and two runner-up spots. A player as good as Robertson and with him currently being in the prime snooker years he would be expected to lift more titles. There is one weakness in the Aussies game though, he can sometimes get bogged down with safety in tense situations, allowing his average shot time to rise considerably and I’ve noticed this is when he makes more mistakes. If he sticks to his fluent aggressive pace around the table he will be staying in Sheffield for a long time. His opponent Jamie Jones reached the quarter final here a few years ago, after such success I expected him to go from strength to strength; instead he barely won a match for 12 months. This is a tough draw for Jamie and I can’t see him winning but he should take a few frames along the way.
Prediction 10-6 Robertson

Ding Junhui v Mark Davis


The curious case of Ding Junhui, after last season’s heroics in winning five ranking titles his 2014/15 season has stalled somewhat. With six first round defeats and no titles this is Ding’s worst season since 2008/09 – the last time he failed to lift a major title. In the China Open a few weeks ago he showed some much needed form and reached the quarter finals, winning a tough Quarter final against an in form John Higgins. In Mark Davis he has the player I think all the seeds would have wanted to avoid, a player who didn’t really get going until he reached his late 30’s and is now one of the best players in the world. He qualified with relative ease and will be feeling confident and sharp after this week’s wins. I can see this going down to the wire and will Ding be able to bring his “A” game to the Crucible for once?
Prediction 10-9 Ding

John Higgins v Rob Milkins


The provisional 13th and 16th seeds will I’m sure deliver a cracking first round match. In the last few years I would have this down as a win for Robert but Higgins has been very impressive since the turn of the year and will look for a quick start to cement his dominance. The stats however are in favour of the Milkman, he’s not lost to Higgins since 2011. 
Prediction 10-7 Higgins

Marco Fu v Jimmy Robertson


The quiet and polite figure of Marco Fu usually goes unnoticed in tournament draws and while Marco hasn’t lifted any trophies this season he’s been consistent in reaching six quarter finals, failing the progress on each occasion. His record at the World Championships is poor for a player of his quality and this is a good draw on paper but I’m predicting that Marco’s poor run at the Crucible will continue. 
Prediction 10-8 J. Robertson

Judd Trump v Stuart Carrington


Along with Ding, Judd is in the category of best players not to have won the World Title and I suspect we won’t have to wait long till he does. Always one for the big occasion his recent form has looked very promising and I feel he is developing more than a lot of the players around him in the rankings. His vastly underrated safety is easily in the top 5 in the world currently and with his potting prowess it’s a lethal combination. I can see this being the most one sided of the first round matches unfortunately for debutante Stuart but he will be all the better prepared for future chances.  
Prediction 10-2 Trump

Ricky Walden v Graeme Dott


This could be a cracker! 
After missing out last year for the first time since 1999, Graeme Dott was highly motivated to return to the Crucible and came through qualifying relatively unscathed. The Crucible has been the home to almost all of the best moments of Dott’s career and I can see another upset here. The advantage of playing three matches won’t cause any fatigue for Dott, it will make his game sharper and more dangerous. 
Prediction 10-8 Dott 

Stuart Bingham v Robbie Williams


Stuart Bingham won his 2nd ranking event of his career this year in Shanghai and has had a good season. His Crucible history isn’t one to write home about but in Robbie Williams I can see an opponent Stuart can get on top of early and dominate. 
Prediction 10-5 Bingham

Mark Williams v Matthew Stevens


It’s the year 2000 again, 15 years on from their all Welsh World final the two best Welsh players of the last 20 years meet again. After a very successful few months Mark Williams climbed back into the top 16 and qualified automatically, motivated by not having to win three qualifiers the week before he seemed to knuckle down and with a new fitness regime reaped the rewards. Reaching two ranking finals and three semi finals he’s been one of the best players for last six months. Matthew is probably the best player after Jimmy White to never win the World Championships, twice a runner up the story of his career has been close but not quite. 
Prediction 10-6 Williams

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Craig Steadman


The most nerve racking arena for a debutante – Check

The most nerve wracking opponent to face – check

The most hostile crowd an opponent can have – check 

Ronnie will win this match while also playing himself into form. As always take anything the Rocket says with a huge pinch of salt, his two hours of practise a day I would judge is untrue and he will be very well prepared. However I’ve noticed a few little chinks in the armour in recent months and a favourable draw will help him go deep in the tournament but I can’t see him lifting a 6th world crown. 
Prediction 10-4 O’Sullivan

It will be interesting to see if the new longer qualifying system burns out the players or sharpens their game more than it has in the past. Last year the top 16 seemed at as disadvantage due to a longer period since their last competitive match. This will be amplified this year with the longer qualifying format. 

I’ve predicted that five seeds will fall in the first round; it will be interesting to keep an eye on it in the coming week. 

The action gets started on Saturday at 10am on BBC.