By Elliott West
Introduction
As we draw closer to Christmas, snooker fans are allowed to open one early Christmas present with the staging of the Scottish Open, the last tournament of the year. Thankfully this event returns to its home turf after a brief absence, this year being staged at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh. Last year this tournament was held ironically in Wales at the Venue Cymru in Llandudno after a sponsorship conflict left the doors suddenly closed for a staging at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow. The reason given that the arena didn’t want a sporting event sponsored by a betting company.
So all credit to World Snooker and the WPBSA for finding a temporary venue in Wales at short notice. Last year this tournament was won by Belgium’s Luca Brecel who put on an impressive performance throughout the event and defeated John Higgins 9-5 in the final to claim the Stephen Hendry trophy and the winner’s prize of £70,000. However fast forward twelve months and snooker is a different playing field. Luca will have to play exceptionally well if he is to retain this title. Hot on his heels, has to be Mark Allen who defeated his critics by pulling off one of the major shocks in snooker’s history. 10-1 and 10-2 down, he came back to beat Ding Junhui 10-7 in the final of the recent UK Championship.
Thin Ice
The German Masters’ qualifiers have proven that a number of the top 16 need a Christmas break. These qualifiers have already produced some shock headlines with Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui, John Higgins, Barry Hawkins, Judd Trump, Mark Selby, Mark Allen and Mark Williams all making premature exits prior to the main event next February. If this was a litmus test for the players about to start out in Edinburgh, it doesn’t bode well and they will have to quickly shrug off their disappointment if they are to have any chance in this pre-Christmas snooker bash.
The Contenders for the Scottish Crown
Ronnie O’Sullivan is 11/2 to win the tournament.
Unlike the German Masters which Ronnie O’Sullivan decided to pass on next year, he has decided to make an appearance in Edinburgh despite being whitewashed 6-0 by Ding in the semi-finals of the UK Championship in York. Ronnie will face Bai Langning in his first-round match and is highly likely to win comfortably unless he is out of kilter or the table is suddenly invaded by a pigeon.
Judd Trump is 6/1 to win the tournament.
Similarly, Judd Trump faces my pal Sanderson Lam in the first round and I wouldn’t be surprised if Sanderson doesn’t make this match closer than anticipated. Judd has disappointed me in recent months and hasn’t won a title since the Turkish Masters at the beginning of the season. He plays well in patches but I still feel that he is unable to fully control his self-confidence issues. A flaw that definitely prevents him from making hay while the sun shines. Unfortunately Sanderson wasn’t able to capitalise and lost the match 4-0.
Mark Allen is 12/1 to win the tournament.
If you are looking for a nice price at the bookmakers, Mark is definitely worth a punt on. I certainly wouldn’t have given him such a high price after his brilliant performance in the UK Championship and for me, he is the one to beat. Yes, he leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout the tournament but he manages to find an extra gear and get through those tight matches. He will definitely have confidence coming to Edinburgh and he has the form at the moment to reach the final.He first won the Scottish Open in 2018, beating Shaun Murphy in the final 9-7. Mark plays Andy Lee in the first round. A match that he went on to win 4-1.
Neil Robertson is 6-1 to win the tournament.
Neil looked despondent after losing to his good friend Joe Perry at the UK Championship due to suffering with a bout of flu but has won the Players Championship and the Tour Championship this year. He seems to always play well in these Open tournaments and won the English Open in 2021, beating John Higgins 9-8 in the final. He is a player who is extremely deadly when he has the bit between his teeth and I am sure he will go all guns blazing to try and regain this title that he first won in 2017, beating Cao Yupeng 9-8 in the final. He plays Mark Davis in the first round.
Mark Selby is 12/1 to win the tournament.
Mark Selby has coped well recently despite making public his battle with depression after losing his father during his childhood and neck problems. His form has improved in recent months, and he is not far off returning to his A game. He faces a formidable opponent in Cork’s Aaron Hill in the first round and will have to have his wits about him if he is cast aside this very talented Irish player who joined the main tour in 2020 and recently defeated Judd Trump 4-1 to advance to the last 32 of the Northern Ireland Open.
Other possible contenders are Kyren Wilson who plays Ng On Yee and Mark Williams who nearly pulled out of this event after getting flu and has made the journey via train with his pal Jackson Page after multiple games of cards on the journey. He plays Andres Petrov, a match that he went on to win 4-1. John Higgins also won his first round match against Anthony Hamilton 4-2. Shaun Murphy will play Lei Peifan and Barry Hawkins plays Andrew Pagett, both in the evening session on the first day.
Afterthoughts
The Scottish Open is a tournament that is for Luca Brecel to lose and Mark Allen to win. Luca’s first match is against Fraser Patrick. Since writing this piece, Brecel went on to lose his opening match 3-4. This last throw of the dice before Christmas often causes some of the top 16 to pull out in preference for a well-deserved rest but thankfully all the top players seemed to have made the journey this year. Played in a country that is steeped in snooker history, the Scottish Open is being fittingly held in the picturesque city of Edinburgh to the backdrop of the prominent castle and the Royal Mile. Whoever wins at the end of this Scottish battle, will deserve their place as champion and can enjoy a much-earned Christmas break. A delight for the player to win a segment of the Home Nations Series.
