The biggest attraction of 6-red snooker, apart from being fast and furious, is that it provides all amateurs with a great chance of upsetting even the most seasoned of the professionals. With the highest possible break being only 75 points, those capable of scoring breaks of 40-odd can easily pinch frames from their fancied rivals.
Last year, it was Ricky Walden, ranked well outside the top 16 the time, who remained undaunted by the presence of the big names and lifted the trophy.
So if, players like Higgins and Murphy, who just clashed in the World Championship final at the Crucible in May, cannot be rated as outright favourites for the title this year, then there is no point guessing who will carry the day on July 12 night.
Five world professional champions, Higgins, Murphy, Peter Ebdon, Mark J. Williams and Ken Doherty, are in town for the event and there are 13 other professionals, including Walden, who are all vying for the 2009 crown and the one million baht cash prize that goes with the trophy.
Welshman Ryan Day (ranked No. 6), Joe Perry of England (No. 12) and Mark King (No. 16), also from England are all here for the event, making it one of the biggest snooker tournaments ever staged in Asia.
Thailand have fielded eight of their most experience 6-red snooker specialists in the tournament, which gets underway at the Montien Riverside Hotel on July 6 morning.
The local challenge will be led by Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm, but an eye should be kept on talented Thepchaiya Un-nooh, the reigning world amateur champion who has been in a splendid form on the national ranking circuit recently.
The other Thai players in the tournament are 2007 world amateur champion Atthasit Mahitthi, Noppadon Noppachorn, also a former world amateur title-holder, the reigning 6-red snooker national champion Noppadol Sangnil, former Asian champions Issara Kachaiwong and Supoj Saenla and veteran Phaithoon Phonbun.
All the Thai players are capable of delivering the goods, but then there are others in the event who can pose a real threat to both professionals and Thais alike.
Mohammed Mustafa Shehab, the 2007 Macau Asian Indoor Games gold medallist, of the United Arab Emirates, former world amateur No. 3 Manan Chandra of India and his compatriot Aditya Mehta are also to be taken seriously.
The tournament-related activities started on July 6 afternoon with Doherty conducting a clinic for a large number of young players and later the five world professional champions facing young Thai players in a SangSom-sponsored charity event.
The field of 48 players has been divided into eight groups of six players for the round-robin first round. On the first three days of the tournament, 40 matches will be played over five sessions, with the action starting at 10 am daily at 10 am at the same venue and the entrance is free.
The matches John Higgins (reigning world champion) vs Matthew Stevens (world No. 26) and Issara Kachaiwong vs Jimmy White (world No. 56) will be televised live by True Sports 3 at 5:30 pm and 8 pm, respectively. |
