Categories
News & Events

Bingham hoping to reproduce sensational form in Coventry clash with Higgins

STUART BINGHAM is looking to replicate some of the sensational form he showed at the World Open when he embarks on a bit of a “revenge” mission against John Higgins at the Champion of Champions this week.

Ball-Run caught the eye of the snooker world when he knocked in four tons to beat newly-crowned English Open champ Mark Selby 5-2 in China last week.

It came after scratchy wins over Nigel Bond (5-3) and Jimmy Robertson (5-3), and before a 5-2 last-eight defeat to Higgins, who Bingham will break off against in Coventry at 4pm this Thursday (Nov 7).

The 2019 Gibraltar Open champion said: “One shot changed the match against Selby, he went in off with a chance to go 3-0 up and something just clicked for me. I’ve never played that well in a nine-frame match before.

“I was just in the zone and everytime I went into the pack I got nice splits.

“I didn’t realise I’d made four tons until afterwards and I guess that is the best way to beat Mark Selby. After the way he played in the final at the English Open, I knew it would be tough.

“I’m not sure what clicked but I’d love to bottle it and replicate it all the time, starting in Coventry this week.”

Higgins lost a deciding frame in best-of-11 against eventual World Open champion Judd Trump in the last four.

Bingham added: “I shook John’s hand after our match and said I’d try and get my revenge at the Champion of Champions, and he had a little chuckle.

But I’m looking forward to it. We’ve both just got back from China and will be trying to get over jet-lag in the coming days.

“But Coventry always plays nice and the tables they use are quite generous I think, so hopefully it will be a good match – and a good result for me!”

Categories
News & Events

Bingham critical of Ding call at Champion of Champions

STUART BINGHAM has criticised the decision to give World Championship runner-up Ding Junhui a spot at this year’s Champion of Champions – ahead of World Seniors champion Mark Davis.

Mark Selby’s win at the Paul Hunter Classic means there are only five tournaments left for a player to secure one of the three remaining spots out of 16 at the £100,000 event in Coventry in early November.

There are 24 qualification spots available and if one player occupies more than one – as is the case with the top two, which are occupied by defending Champion of Champions winner and UK Championship title holder Neil Robertson – another spot becomes available (the current list is set out above).

It means Davis faces a nervy wait over the next couple of months, while Ding – who lost to Mark Selby in the final at the Crucible in May – is guaranteed his place.

It also means Bingham’s chances of getting a spot through his ranking as World No 2 are over.

Ball Run explained: “A few years ago when Ding won five tournaments they only had 14 champions for 16 spots and Shaun Murphy and Mark Davis qualified through the rankings, I think.

So in early August it looked like there needed to be a few different winners from then, to stop me getting in as the world No 2. So it looked like I had a good chance.

Categories
News & Events

Bingham looks to find lost focus ahead of UK Championship

STUART BINGHAM says he will draw on all of his experience to comeback from a testing start to the season as he continues to readjust to life as the world champion.

Ball-run has had a bad start to November with early exits at the Bulgarian Open in Sofia and the Champion of Champions in Coventry and admits he will be knuckling down on the practice table ahead of the Betway UK Championship later this month.

He said: “I think that defeat in the Champion of Champions means that I have now only won one decider out of six so far this season, and that sort of statistic is the difference between having a good run or a bad one.