So then, it is finally here, the 2011 World Championship gets underway tomorrow as Neil Robertson looks to defend the title that he won a year ago. Click below for a few final thoughts and a look ahead to how I will be covering the event during the coming 17 days…
As you would expect, here at PSB I will be bringing you updated results and rankings, although being at the Crucible for the majority of the tournament and travelling several hundreds of miles in the process, updates here will likely be on a nightly basis, probably some time in the early hours. I may post from my phone but it is a bit fiddly, but you can still find all of the important links for the tournament in the right-hand column of this blog.
Instead however, I will be updating far more regularly on my Twitter page which you can find here. Unlike at the qualifiers where I ended up giving shot by shot updates, hopefully I will be able to bring you photos and some of the atmosphere from the venue this time, something a little different.
If any of you will be at the venue then do feel free to say hi if you see someone walking around with a Blackberry in one hand and a Fuji Finepix in the other. If you are at home, let me know if there is anything you would like me to seek out while I’m there and I shall see what I can do. Anyway, all followers welcome!
One thing that I had been wanting to do pre-tournament was an outright preview of who I think is going to win it and how I see the draw unfolding but unfortunately time has got the better of me. For the record though, despite all of the evidence pointing towards a winner coming from the bottom half of the draw, I have a sneaky feeling that we might just see someone come through from the top.
That said, John Higgins has to be the favourite. He might be the obvious choice but he is that for a reason, indeed who exactly does he look like losing to?
That said, favourites do not always win and I think that Shaun Murphy has an excellent chance this year, though with his draw he will certainly have to earn it! Mark Williams and Mark Selby are the other obvious candidates while Ding Junhui is due a run into the second week here.
So then lets cut to the chase, who am I going to go for?
Seeing as everyone is tipping Higgins or Williams, I am throw in a curveball and plump for Shaun Murphy to win a second world title. Why? His form of late has been good, he likes the venue and he is due a second title here in my book.
I am therefore tipping him to overcome Mark Selby in the final, the Jester having gained his revenge against Graeme Dott in the semis. Murphy though will have potentially had arguably the hardest draw ever, having defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams in the previous three rounds.
Anyway, there is little more for me to add then so enjoy and let the snooker begin!
Tomorrow I shall be in for both sessions of the Robertson match with added Mark Williams in between so cannot complain!