Although we’ve had two tournaments already there is a feeling that the 2015/16 snooker season is yet to really get going but that changes this weekend when 128 of the world’s better cueists descend on Latvia for the Riga Open which begins the last set of European Tour events before they are removed from the calendar next season.
Already in the two events played this season we’ve seen some excellent young talent emerge on the world stage and in a tournament which is best of seven frames from start to finish this one is there for more talented players to come through if they are good enough.
With the prize money on offer in this tournament not as high as the events to come some of the top names in the game have swerved this event while others have entered to get themselves into stride ahead of the bigger matches coming up next month so although there will be better quality fields to come the weekend should still see some competitive snooker.
My way of betting outright on these tournaments is to take a player from each quarter and see if we can get a couple through to Sunday when the last 16 of the tournament onwards is played. Usually players who make it to Sunday are playing well that weekend and from there the tournament is anyone’s so getting a couple there at nice prices if my preferential route. Skybet pay four places this week so we only need to find a semi-finalist for a payout.
The first player I’m going to take this week is in the bottom quarter and is Ricky Walden. Walden usually begins seasons well and has a decent record overseas. I like aggressive players in these tournaments and he is certainly one of those. He has Stuart Bingham in his quarter but Bingham might be feeling extra pressure being the world champion. Walden’s early draw looks nice and he should go well this weekend.
Another man who should go well is Joe Perry. He won the PTC finals last year so we know he is adept over this distance and that win should have given him the confidence and the belief to go well this weekend. Shaun Murphy is the main seed in Perry’s quarter of the draw and he’ll have much worse draws than that as the season goes on so I’m expecting a strong showing from the Cambridgeshire man this weekend.
My final two picks are both Welshmen. I’ve been a fan of Michael White for a while and he won an event of his kind in India last season and that will be the springboard to many more wins I’m sure. He’s in the same quarter as Judd Trump this weekend but Trump is on a collision course to run into Stephen Maguire in the last 16 so that might benefit White. He looks a nice enough price given his talent this weekend.
My final pick is Jamie Jones for whom the penny looks to have dropped in recent times. He qualified for the World Championship at the end of last season and he made it to the semi-final of the Australian Open at the start of the month. That run shows us that he’s in good form and although he has Mark Selby in his quarter this weekend he beat him 5-1 in Australia recently so that might not be the hurdle it looks on paper. Jones is improving all the time and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him still around on Sunday.
Back R.Walden to win Riga Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 21.00 with Skybet (1/5 1-4)
Back J.Perry to win Riga Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Skybet (1/5 1-4)
Back M.White to win Riga Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 34.00 with Skybet (1/5 1-4)
Back J.Jones to win Riga Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Skybet (1/5 1-4)
