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Bingham: I hope my old foe Allen wins world title

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date April 20, 2016

STUART BINGHAM says he would like to see his old foe Mark Allen go on to win the world title this year after five former champions were knocked out in the opening round.

The reigning world champion, still bitterly disappointed after his opening day defeat to Ali Carter on Saturday, still feels Ronnie O’Sullivan is the man to beat despite looking “a bit vulnerable” in his first-round win over David Gilbert.

But Ball Run, who called Allen (pictured) “an idiot” in 2011 after his rival accused him of having “no bottle”, now wants The Pistol to shoot himself to Crucible glory after he eased through with a 10-3 win against Mitchell Mann on Wednesday.

Bingham said: “I would like to see Mark Allen win it. I know we have had our differences in the past but that is all over now and we are friends, and I really think it could be his time.

Tags World Championship

News & Events

Bingham: Key to my world title defence will be enjoying it

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date April 15, 2016

STUART BINGHAM says the key to making a strong defence of his world title will be simply be enjoying the occasion.

Ball Run gets the World Championships underway against Ali Carter at 10am on Saturday morning (April 16) and admits he cannot wait to try and break the infamous ‘Curse of the Crucible’.

No first time champion has ever defended the title at the Sheffield venue but Bingham, 39, who beat Shaun Murphy in the final 12 months ago to shock the snooker world, thinks he knows the recipe for success again.

He said: “I think the key for me will just be to enjoy it. Everyone will be twitching, missing balls and feeling the pressure because of what is at stake.

“But if I can enjoy it as much as I did last year then I think I have got a good chance.

“I look back at some of the pressure balls I was potting, like at the quarter-final stage last year, and I remember that what was so important was just enjoying the occasion, playing the shots as they came along and just letting my snooker do the talking.”

Tags World Championship

News & Events

Bingham happy to sharpen up for Sheffield with unanswered points record in China

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date April 7, 2016

STUART BINGHAM was happy to sharpen up for his world title defence with a ranking event unanswered points record at the China Open.

Ball Run scored 547 without reply in his round one 5-3 win over Sam Baird to break the previous best of 494 by John Higgins, which came against Ronnie O’Sullivan.

And despite a 5-1 quarter-final defeat to Ricky Walden, the world No 2 returned from Beijing feeling he had taken what he needed from the event.

Bingham, who also hit the tournament’s highest break with 143, said: “Ricky got a bye in an earlier round and I think he might have been a bit fresher than me by the time we played. I also felt like the table beat me a bit because it played very differently that day.

“And I have had my battles with Ricky over the years – I tend to win one then he wins one, so I guess it was just his turn!

Tags China Open

News & Events

Bingham hopes China trip can set up more Crucible glory

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date March 21, 2016

STUART BINGHAM is hoping his China Open campaign can set him up nicely for the defence of his world crown at the Crucible next month.

After missing out on a place at the Ladbrokes Players Championship in Manchester this week, Ball Run has decided to fly out to Beijing early to prepare for the penultimate ranking event of the season.

A last-32 defeat to Michael White at the China Open in April 2015 was far from what Bingham wanted – but a month later he won snooker’s greatest prize in Sheffield and admits he’d settle for a similar result again this year.

He said: “I’ve just done an interview with the guy doing the programme for the Crucible so I’m really starting to look forward to getting back there now.

Tags China Open

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Bingham satisfied with week in Wales despite final defeat in thriller with Murphy

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date March 14, 2016

STUART BINGHAM said he was satisfied with a return to form in Wales – despite Sunday’s thrilling final defeat to Shaun Murphy.

Ball Run beat David Gilbert (4-1), Judd Trump (4-2), Ryan Day (4-2) and Joe Perry (6-5) to set up a best-of-19 clash for the World Grand Prix title with Murphy – the man he beat in last year’s World Championship final.

And the showdown with The Magician did not disappoint as the friends slugged it out to go all-square at 9-9 before Murphy came out on top in a tense decider to claim the £100,000 prize and some payback for his Crucicle heartache.

Bingham, who made the long drive back from Llandudno with the consolation of a £35,000 runner-up cheque on Monday morning, said: “He just potted two unbelievable reds in the last frame and I did not get a chance.

Tags World Grand Prix

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Bingham aims to renew fitness and focus for the run-in

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date March 2, 2016

STUART BINGHAM says he plans to regain fitness and focus for the season’s run-in after a very disappointing February.

The world champion’s difficult follow-up season to his Crucible win continued last month with first-stage exits at the Welsh Open and the Gdynia Open.

The 4-3 defeat to Scot Fraser Patrick last week in Poland cost Bingham a place alongside the European Order of Merit’s top 24 at the Ladbrokes Player Championship in Manchester in late March.

Ball-Run has also just missed out on a place at this week’s winners’ group of the Championship League after three wins and three defeats saw him edged out of a semi-final spot in the final qualifying round.

Tags Welsh Open

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Bingham wary of Hamilton threat in Wales

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date February 15, 2016

STUART BINGHAM admits there are probably 60 other top-ranked players he would rather face this evening at the BetVictor Welsh Open than the dangerous Anthony Hamilton.

World champion Bingham beat world No 68 Hamilton twice in December – at the UK Championships and then at the German Masters Qualifiers – but on both occasions the Essex pro was impressed by his rival’s performance.

Bingham, whose match in Cardiff gets underway at 8pm, said: “I spoke to Anthony at the Shoot-Out and we said we had probably not played each other for about five years and now we will have played three times in as many months.

“I’ve said before I don’t think his ranking reflects his ability and there are probably 60 players in the top 64 I would rather play than him at the moment.

Tags Welsh Open

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Bingham excited by Berlin trip and new-look Shoot-Out

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date January 25, 2016

STUART BINGHAM is looking forward to his usual warm welcome in Berlin this week as he bids to land his first ranking title of the season.

The world champion gets his German Masters campaign underway against world No 34 Fergal O’Brien at The Tempodrom on Thursday afternoon (February 4).

Ball Run beat Daniel Wells and Anthony Hamilton in the qualifiers to book his place in Germany, while Fearless Fergal saw off Hossein Vafaei Ayouri and Peter Ebdon to progress.

Bingham knows his Irish opponent well and they both took part in the Dafabet Irish Legends Cup in an Ireland versus England event last month.

Tags German Masters

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Bingham: Ronnie’s Masters class was no surprise

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date January 19, 2016

STUART BINGHAM said Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Masters win was no surprise to him, despite the Rocket’s lack of match play on this year’s tour.

World champion Bingham lost 6-3 in the semis at Alexandra Palace to O’Sullivan, who went on to blow away Barry Hawkins 10-1 in the final on Sunday evening.

It was O’Sullivan’s sixth Masters title and came on the back of a first half of a season in which he has only played a handful of times due to a back injury.

Bingham, who beat Ding Junhui and John Higgins to make the last four of snooker’s most prestigious invitational, said: “It was one of those matches for me against Ronnie where I could have been 3-1 up at the break instead of 3-1 down, but that is just how it goes against him.

Tags Masters

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Bingham ready for Masters clash against formidable Higgins

Post author By James Colasanti
Post date January 15, 2016

STUART BINGHAM admits he will have to beat the “player of the year so far” to make the semi finals at the Dafabet Masters.

Ball Run takes on four-time world champion John Higgins in a last-eight clash at 7pm at Alexandra Palace tonight (January 15).

Scot Higgins, who has claimed the Australian Goldfields Open and International Championship title so far this season, booked his quarter-final spot with three centuries in a 6-4 win over China’s Liang Wenbo.

Bingham, who progressed with a 6-4 win over Ding Junhui on Sunday, said: “John has won two tournaments already this season and is probably the player of the year so far.

Tags Masters