By Elliott West
“This is the first of many”.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Introduction
Christmas is usually a time of joy and merriment for snooker players with their cues put on the back burner and thoughts of competing reserved for the top 16 who get to compete in the Masters at Alexandra Palace in January. However, a few decided to rattle the snooker rule book and when the dust was settled on a temporary spat with the WPBSA, to make the long flight to Macau for the Macau Masters. Worth a punt to miss your Christmas dinner with £80,000 to a winner and each player earning a lucrative, guaranteed appearance fee of £35,000. Held at the Wynn Palace, normally a luxury hotel, this exclusive event could even be squeezed into the snooker season next season but you will have to watch this space to see if this comes to fruition.
The Chinese Cracker
Some in the Chinese media were talking about a possible £150,000 for this event but whatever the true figure was, a bumper Christmas present was on offer. This event followed a very successful, unrelated six-player exhibition where a plethora of 147 breaks by John Higgins and Mark Selby. The Event 1 exhibition was won by Selby after defeating Ali Carter 6-3 in the final. The World No.5 picked up a cheque for £50,000 for his efforts. A second exhibition played on Christmas Day led to Ronnie O’Sullivan stealing the glory with two centuries and a 6-2 win over Ding Junhui in the final. A reminder of his 10-7 win in the final over his good Chinese friend in the UK Championship at York earlier this month. A Christmas cracker with a much larger bang!
The Macau Master
“Best coach in the world by far, no comparison. No one comes close to him”.
Mark Williams
Mark Williams had travelled with his wife Joanne and son Connor to Macau. A rare accompaniment for any snooker player who usually spends countless flights and hotel stays alone. The Welshman came to China with no expectations, having had a pretty good season, reaching the final of the Championship League and claiming the British Open title. So winning here was a massive bonus to his season. Williams was clinical in first two matches, beating Judd Trump (6-2) and Si Jiahui (6-3). He faced a tough cookie in the final in Jack Lisowski. A player who frankly hasn’t managed to attain any silverware despite reaching numerous finals.
Lisowski produced an impressive 147 break in the fourth frame but just couldn’t keep up with Mark. Williams who has been given a second wind with his coaching work with Sight Right and his good friend Lee Walker, powered his way to the Event 2 title with a 9-6 victory. However, Lisowski was gracious in defeat, describing the event as “one of the best weeks in my life”. He can now turn his attention to his first-round match at the Masters where he faces Luca Brecel, a week on Sunday at 1 pm. Mark faces Ali Cater at 7 pm on Monday 8 January. As for the Macau Masters, I strongly anticipate that it will return next Christmas and probably a few more similar-style events will follow suit in China.
