2008 Northern Ireland Trophy
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy professional ranking
snooker
tournament took place between 24 and 31 August 2008 in the Waterfront Hall
in Belfast
.
Ronnie O'Sullivan
claimed his 21st ranking tournament by taking the title, beating surprise finalist Dave Harold
9–3 in the final.
30,000
Runner-up: £15,000
Semi-final: £7,500
Quarter-final: £5,600
Last 16: £4,000
Last 32: £2,500
Last 48: £1,625
Last 64: £1,100
Stage 1 High Break: £500
Stage 2 High Break: £2,000
Stage 1 Maximum Break: £1,000
Stage 2 Maximum Break: £20,000
Total: £200,500
Prestatyn
, Wales
between 15 August and 17 August 2008.
Snooker world rankings
The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association...
snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
tournament took place between 24 and 31 August 2008 in the Waterfront Hall
Waterfront Hall
The Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....
in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
.
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
claimed his 21st ranking tournament by taking the title, beating surprise finalist Dave Harold
Dave Harold
David 'Dave' Harold is an English professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He is known by the nicknames of "the Hard Man" and "the Stoke Potter"...
9–3 in the final.
Prize fund
Winner: £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30,000
Runner-up: £15,000
Semi-final: £7,500
Quarter-final: £5,600
Last 16: £4,000
Last 32: £2,500
Last 48: £1,625
Last 64: £1,100
Stage 1 High Break: £500
Stage 2 High Break: £2,000
Stage 1 Maximum Break: £1,000
Stage 2 Maximum Break: £20,000
Total: £200,500
Facts and figures
- Notable comebacks in the qualifiers included: Li Hang coming from 0–4 down to beat Irish prodigy David MorrisDavid Morris (snooker player)David Morris, born in Kilkenny, Ireland, on 27 November 1988, is an Irish snooker player, who is widely considered a rising star of the game.-Early career:Aged 16, he reached the quarter finals of the U21 World Snooker Championships...
5–4, and both Jimmy WhiteJimmy WhiteJames Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...
and Ian PreeceIan PreeceIan Preece is a Welsh professional snooker player, from the city of Newport, Wales. He appeared in main tour after much success as a junior including becoming the youngest winner of the World Amateur Championship in 1999.-Career:...
came from 2–4 behind to win their matches 5–4, against Jamie JonesJamie Jones (snooker player)-Early career:In 2002, he became the youngest ever player to make a 147 in an official event, making it aged 14, a record that has since been beaten by Judd Trump....
and Paul Davies respectively. - In qualifying for the final stages, Jimmy White qualified for the final stages of an event for the first time in over a year, stretching back to the 2007 China OpenChina Open (snooker)The China Open is a professional snooker tournament. It is one of a number of ranking tournaments and began in 1997.-History:The first international snooker tournament in China was the China International in September 1997, a non-ranking tournament for the top 16 players and local players. The...
. - Long standing top-16 players, Mark WilliamsMark Williams (snooker player)Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...
, Ken DohertyKen DohertyKen Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...
and Stephen LeeStephen LeeStephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
were playing in the qualifiers for the first time in over a decade. - Last yearNorthern Ireland Trophy 2007The 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy snooker tournament took place between 4–11 November 2007 in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.In his third round match against Ali Carter, Ronnie O'Sullivan completed a maximum break, one of five centuries that he completed in his 5–2 victory.Stephen Maguire won his...
's runner-up, Fergal O'BrienFergal O'BrienFergal O'Brien is an Irish professional snooker player. He has won one ranking title and reached two other major finals, and spent three seasons as a top 16 player.-Career:...
fell at the first hurdle, losing 3–5 to Michael HoltMichael Holt (snooker player)Michael Holt is a professional snooker player from Nottingham, England. , he has reached the quarter finals of three ranking tournaments – the 1999 UK Championship, the 2003 LG Cup, and the 2005 Grand Prix.-Career:...
. - In his match against Mark SelbyMark SelbyMark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters...
, Andrew HigginsonAndrew HigginsonAndrew Higginson is an English professional snooker player, currently living in Widnes. He is best known for reaching the final of the 2007 Welsh Open as a virtual unknown...
was playing in front of the TV cameras for the first time since his run to the final of the 2007 Welsh OpenWelsh Open (snooker)The Welsh Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It replaced the Welsh Professional Championship, which started in 1980 and was only open to Welsh players.- History :...
. - Dominic DaleDominic Dale-External links:**...
came from 1–4 down against Mark AllenMark Allen (snooker player)Mark Allen is a Northern Irish professional snooker player. He won the World Amateur Championship in 2004. The following year he turned professional and took only three seasons to reach the elite top 16...
to level at 4–4, before Allen played superbly to take the decider. - In beating Ding JunhuiDing JunhuiDing Junhui is a Chinese professional snooker player. Ding Junhui is China's most successful player ever, having become only the second teenager, after John Higgins, to win three ranking titles...
5–4, Mark DavisMark Davis (snooker player)Mark Davis is an English professional snooker player from St. Leonards in Sussex, England. The highlights of his career so far have been winning the Benson & Hedges Championship in 2002 – earning him an appearance at the Masters – and winning the 2009 Six-red World Championship.- Career :Davis...
secured one of the best wins of his career. - Ronnie O'SullivanRonnie O'SullivanRonald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
won three quick consecutive frames to oust former world champion Ken Doherty 5–4 in the last 32. - Stephen MaguireStephen MaguireStephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
won the last three frames to beat Alan McManusAlan McManusAlan McManus is a Scottish professional snooker player, known for his tactical play and safety shots, giving rise to his nickname "Angles" McManus.-Career:...
5–4, a player who hadn't reached the last 16 of an event the previous season. - Dave HaroldDave HaroldDavid 'Dave' Harold is an English professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He is known by the nicknames of "the Hard Man" and "the Stoke Potter"...
beat Stephen Lee 5–4, a player who had been considered one of the tournaments in-form players, having knocked in three centuries, including a high break of 145. - Harold increased his head-to-head record to 3–0 over Stephen Maguire by beating him 5–2 in the quarter-finals, afterwards Maguire stated that he never seems to perform against Harold.
- Barry HawkinsBarry HawkinsBarry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player. He has reached three ranking semi-finals, and spent five seasons inside the top 32 of the rankings. He has also played in the World Championship the last six years running.-Early career:Before taking up snooker professionally he was an...
produced a brave fightback to recover from 1–4 to level at 4–4 against Ronnie O'Sullivan in their quarter-final match, before the world champion took the decider. - Dave Harold led John Higgins 5–1, but won only 6–4, to reach his first ranking final since 1994, the gap between those two ranking finals is the longest in snooker history.
Main draw
Final
| Final: Best of 17 frames Waterfront Hall Waterfront Hall The Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect.... , Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... , Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... , August 31, 2008. |
||
| Dave Harold Dave Harold David 'Dave' Harold is an English professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He is known by the nicknames of "the Hard Man" and "the Stoke Potter"... |
3 – 9 | Ronnie O'Sullivan Ronnie O'Sullivan Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen... |
| Afternoon 63–14 44–68 (68) 17–127 (103) 0–84 (84) 44–87 13–84 60–76 (76) Evening 76–41 19–73 (64) 54–61 88–0 (81) 22–80 (50) |
||
| 81 | Highest break | 103 |
| 0 | Century breaks | 1 |
| 1 | 50+ breaks | 6 |
Qualifying Rounds
Qualifying for the tournament took place in Pontin'sPontin's
Pontins is a British holiday business which was originally founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. It specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays with regular entertainment on offer. Accommodation is usually in the form of chalets. The company once grew to be a major operator of...
Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
between 15 August and 17 August 2008.
Qualifying Stages Centuries
- 130, 114 James McBain
- 128, 114 Stuart PettmanStuart PettmanStuart Pettman is an English professional snooker player. The ginger-haired Preston native has qualified for the World Championship three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2010. He beat 2005 champion Shaun Murphy in qualifying to reach the 2004 World Championships...
- 127 Andy HicksAndy HicksAndy Hicks is an English professional snooker player currently from Cornwall. Hicks, nicknamed "The Cream of Devon", has been a World Snooker Championship semi-finalist and was ranked within the worlds top 32 for many seasons but has never broken into the top 16.-Career:Although a professional...
- 127 Liang WenboLiang WenboLiang Wenbo is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is left-handed and ranked as China's number 2 player, after Ding Junhui. Liang is based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.-Career:...
- 126 Liu Song
- 125 Adrian GunnellAdrian GunnellAdrian Gunnell is an English professional snooker player from Telford. He has reached the last-16 in four world ranking events , but has yet to progress beyond that stage...
- 121 Andy LeeAndy Lee (snooker player)Andy Lee is an English professional snooker player from Hinckley, born 27 November 1980. He has qualified for the main tour for the 2008/2009 season by beating Adam Duffy 6–3 in the 2008 English Pro Ticket Tour Play-offs...
- 120 Jamie BurnettJamie BurnettJamie Burnett is a professional snooker player from Hamilton, Scotland.-Career:During the qualifying stages of the 2004 UK Championship, he achieved the impressive feat of becoming the first ever player to compile a break over 147 in a professional match, in which he made a break of 148 against...
- 119 Ricky WaldenRicky Walden-External links:**...
- 111 Stephen LeeStephen LeeStephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
- 109 Ian PreeceIan PreeceIan Preece is a Welsh professional snooker player, from the city of Newport, Wales. He appeared in main tour after much success as a junior including becoming the youngest winner of the World Amateur Championship in 1999.-Career:...
- 108 Mark DavisMark Davis (snooker player)Mark Davis is an English professional snooker player from St. Leonards in Sussex, England. The highlights of his career so far have been winning the Benson & Hedges Championship in 2002 – earning him an appearance at the Masters – and winning the 2009 Six-red World Championship.- Career :Davis...
- 101 Rodney GogginsRodney GogginsRodney Goggins is an Irish professional snooker player.Born in County Wexford. He earned his place on the 2007/08 professional Tour by finishing top of the Irish senior rankings last season. Goggins won the IBSF World under-21 Championship in 1999 when he beat Rolf de Jong of the Netherlands 11–4...
- 101 Robert MilkinsRobert Milkins- External links :* * * *...
TV Stages Centuries
- 145, 116, 111 Stephen LeeStephen LeeStephen Lee is a professional snooker-player from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, whose smooth cue action is regarded by some pundits as the most natural in the game. He has won four ranking titles, and spent 10 seasons in the Top 16 of the world rankings before dropping out for the snooker...
- 139, 110 Ian McCullochIan McCulloch (snooker player)-External links:**...
- 134 Michael JudgeMichael Judge-External links:**...
- 134 Ryan DayRyan Day-External links:* * *...
- 134, 126, 115, 111 Barry HawkinsBarry HawkinsBarry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player. He has reached three ranking semi-finals, and spent five seasons inside the top 32 of the rankings. He has also played in the World Championship the last six years running.-Early career:Before taking up snooker professionally he was an...
- 132, 122, 110, 110, 108, 103 Ronnie O'SullivanRonnie O'SullivanRonald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
- 127 Stephen MaguireStephen MaguireStephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
- 113 Anthony HamiltonAnthony Hamilton (snooker player)Anthony Hamilton is an English professional snooker player noted for his strong break-building technique and distinctive appearance. He has spent five seasons ranked among the game's top 16, and fifteen in the top 32, reaching a career-high at number #10 in the world in the 1999/2000 season...
- 106 Mark AllenMark Allen (snooker player)Mark Allen is a Northern Irish professional snooker player. He won the World Amateur Championship in 2004. The following year he turned professional and took only three seasons to reach the elite top 16...
- 106 Ali Carter
- 104 Liang WenboLiang WenboLiang Wenbo is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is left-handed and ranked as China's number 2 player, after Ding Junhui. Liang is based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.-Career:...
- 103 John Higgins
- 103 Ricky WaldenRicky Walden-External links:**...