It’s that time of year again and here I am sat in Bradford as part and parcel of the 888poker World Pool Championships as Press Officer, Media Manager, and teaboy (one sugar or two).
First things first and a thank you to the Editor here at The Daily Sport for being the one and only mainstream news site here in the United Kingdom to acknowledge that blackball pool via the IPA (www.ipapool.com) is THE growth sport of the moment ,with more and more people taking up the game we have all played down the pub at some time or other.
I’ll be honest, with so many players from around the World converging on the Bradford Hotel the tournament had to start on Tuesday afternoon (singles, doubles, mixed doubles, ladies, and seniors takes some time to complete), but the Professional seeds join in today (Thursday) in the main event and that’s when it starts to get really serious. Personally, I didn’t get past the early stages (polite terminology for the first round) but every now and then I need reminding just how good these players are and to take my lesson like a man. Nineteen tables decked in powder blue cloth await the contenders, all as true as they can be and regularly cleaned and ironed, and with the TV table showing live pool for 55 hours on Freesports from start to finish Sunday evening leaving no excuses to not tune in.
Blacktype are the official bookmaking partners of this event and are betting on the majority of outcomes and this is the part I have been dreading – trying to pick the winner of the main event and perhaps the Ladies as well.
If you gave me a fork instead of a pin and I stuck it in the list of the remaining players I still wouldn’t be sure I had the winner covered and although I (cleverly) waited for the new draw to see if it aided my cause I will confess I am none the wiser. With my original each way fancy Darren Appleton of nine-ball fame knocked out at the last 96 stage my choices are even more limited with fancied players falling like flies around me.
Blacktype seem to think that Marc Farnsworth is the favourite and his overall form has been hot for a few years now but whether 10/3 is any value I will leave you to decide for yourselves. If his break is working he has a really solid chance of success but then you could say that about others as well and maybe 2010 is the year of the Shepherd? He won’t like me saying this but his focus needs to last throughout the tournament which is my main worry but trust me, when the Welshman is on form he can pot off lampshades, so my first bet will be on Jordan Shepherdwho is clearly overpriced at 20/1. He will be my main each way bet (or the kiss of death, as the pool players know it), though I will hedge my bets with a little Scott Gillespie(10/1) as well though as I said, don’t be surprised if one of a hundred others wins and mine end up out with the washing like other years. The Ladies are just as tricky to solve with Nat Maddena popular fancy and she seems sure to go well if the draw is kind, but Emma Cunninghamis the one to beat in everybody’s opinion and it will take a herculean performance to stop her walking away with the trophy this year.
Make no mistake, whoever wins this week will have done so the hard way in a field of this calibre, and if you like the game (or other cue sports for that matter), why not tune in and have a look on Freesports every day – it is fast and furious, skilled and colourful, and well worth a few minutes of your time.
For those interested in a little more information, a review will follow after all the titles have been decided and for those interested you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Snapchat or find out more at www.ipapool.comincluding full details on how to sign up for the 2019 Tour.
