Magrat Garlick
Global Moderator
There are some snooker fans hiding around CW, so I thought I'd post a thread to commemorate the first Aussie ranking tournament final appearance since the 1970s (at least from what I can dig out of Wikipedia).
The bloke in question is Neil Robertson from Melbourne, who reached the final of the Grand Prix tournament in Aberdeen. He started a bit shabbily in the tournament, losing 2-3 to Nigel Bond, but due to the round robin system he survived thanks to wins in the next four games, and he's simply got better and better during the knockouts. He beat Andrew Norman 5-3, then Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-1 (!) and today he went down 0-2 against the only remaining Scot, Alan McManus - only to play fantastic snooker and win the next six frames. He rounded off by potting black on the top after rebounding off the baulk cushion - amazing shot.
He'll meet Jamie Cope, two years his junior, who's also been great in this tournament - I think he'd have struggled if he met John Higgins, but Higgins was ridden by errors in his QF against Mark King, who was no match for Cope and lost 3-6. Cope has, among other things, made a 147 in the tournament, and smashed Ken Doherty 5-0 in the last 16. Should be a very good final tomorrow.
Now, let's see if any Aussies have actually heard of the bloke...
The bloke in question is Neil Robertson from Melbourne, who reached the final of the Grand Prix tournament in Aberdeen. He started a bit shabbily in the tournament, losing 2-3 to Nigel Bond, but due to the round robin system he survived thanks to wins in the next four games, and he's simply got better and better during the knockouts. He beat Andrew Norman 5-3, then Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-1 (!) and today he went down 0-2 against the only remaining Scot, Alan McManus - only to play fantastic snooker and win the next six frames. He rounded off by potting black on the top after rebounding off the baulk cushion - amazing shot.
He'll meet Jamie Cope, two years his junior, who's also been great in this tournament - I think he'd have struggled if he met John Higgins, but Higgins was ridden by errors in his QF against Mark King, who was no match for Cope and lost 3-6. Cope has, among other things, made a 147 in the tournament, and smashed Ken Doherty 5-0 in the last 16. Should be a very good final tomorrow.
Now, let's see if any Aussies have actually heard of the bloke...