One of the greatest rivalries in the history of snooker will be renewed on Monday as the World Championship qualifying tournament gets underway at the English Institute of Sport where so much is at stake throughout what will be nine days of guaranteed drama.
The clash between Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White will have snooker fans flocking to the Eurosport app or their favourite bookmaker to watch a clash which has so much history in this tournament it is untrue. Some decent rising stars also show up on the first day card too.
Morning Session
The main table is going to get a lot of attention on Monday and that starts with the very first session of the week as Andy Hicks looks to make progress when he takes on one of the best women to have played the game in the form of Reanne Evans. Evans was rightly given a tour card for the next two years so she has absolutely nothing to lose here. The other streamed match sees Oliver Lines looking to make it into the second round when he takes on the amateur Dylan Emery.
Two other matches take place in this session and one of those sees Zak Surety looking to make his mark on the competition when he takes on the Chinese player Fan Zhengyi who could cause a bit of a stir if he is given the opportunity to do so. The last match in this session sees Zhao Jianbo looking to continue his rise in the game when he takes Ross Muir who is no longer on the tour but for whom this is a chance to show he can still produce the goods at this level.
Afternoon Session
Things quieten down a little in terms of profile in this afternoon session with the main table being occupied by the veteran player Barry Pinches. He might have his work cut out against Jamie Wilson if the youngster shows anything like the form that he can produce. The Iranian number two Sohail Vahedi also gets to show his talents on one of the streamed tables in this afternoon session. He faces the Belgian amateur Julien Leclerq in a match he’ll be expected to win.
Two other matches take place in this session with the promising Gao Yang being in action. He meets the dour amateur Paul Davison who remains capable of causing an upset this deep in the rankings. The other match in this afternoon session sees Fraser Patrick looking to make progress when he goes up against a Leo Fernandez who has him covered in terms of experience and if he is on form could easily have him in ability as well.
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Evening Session
Stop what you are doing and cancel any plans you have for 7.30 on Monday evening as the age old rivalry between Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White continues. These two men have met in four finals of this competition in the 90s and Hendry broke White’s heart in all of them. If he adds a fifth win over his foe here White will lose his professional status barring another wildcard from Barry Hearn, one which in fairness he has every right to receive. If White can exact a little bit of revenge he’ll be through to face Xu Si in the next round.
There are only two other matches in this session because of the withdrawal of Amine Amiri. Few will probably notice but James Cahill will be on the other streamed table on Monday evening when he takes on the young Scouser in Sean Maddocks. The other match sees Billy Joe Castle taking on the amateur Connor Benzey who impressed one or two judges in the Shootout earlier in the year despite offering little at Q-School last summer.
Betting
There are two favourites who I think are a bit above their opponents on Monday and I’ll back both to cover a 1.5 frame handicap. The first of those comes in the afternoon as Gao Yang meets Paul Davison in what should be something of a mismatch. I accept that Davison is experienced and has been around the scene for a while and knows his way around a snooker table but there are plenty who think Gao could be something special, not least Mark Allen and Mark Williams who have both spoken highly of the Chinese teenager. You often find this far down the qualifying scene that the rising stars who score better than the aging veterans are the one to be on and that’s exactly the route I’m taking here.
Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry meet in professional competition for the first time in 11 years on Monday and I think the man who has been a pro throughout that time will come out on top here. If Hendry had been more active throughout the season then make no mistake about it I’d be leaving this well alone. He showed more than enough in his comeback match to suggest that with a series of matches behind him this comeback could deliver some handy runs in tournaments but the fact is this is just his second game back under the bright lights and the fast conditions that will take some getting used to again. We don’t have a whole lot to go on form wise here but perhaps one match of significance was their World Seniors semi-final last summer. White won that 4-2 despite Hendry playing relatively well in the match. Recently White has been looking good. He took care of Stuart Bingham among others on his way to the last 16 of the Gibraltar Open and then in the Pro Series event, albeit in best of threes, he saw off the likes of Ryan Day and Hossein Vafaei. In one of the matches in that event he crashed in a 140 break and that sort of form has him a worthy favourite here. If this wasn’t the World Championship or Hendry, White would be a lot shorter than he is. Next year things might be different but on Monday night I expect Jimmy to gain some sort of revenge for the heartache of the 90s.
Tips
WON – Back G.Yang (-1.5 frames) to beat P.Davison for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Boylesports
Back him here:
Back J.White (-1.5 frames) to beat S.Hendry for a 3/10 stake at 2.15 with BetVictor
Back him here:
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