Crucible predictions are coming true

Seven out of eight of my Crucible predictions have been right so far which isn't bad going: I think I might take this up for a living!
And, two of those had the correct scorelines: Stephen Maguire losing 10-9 to Anthony McGill and  Marco Fu beating Jimmy Robertson 10-6.
The only match so far that has left me with egg on my face is John Higgins thumping Robert Milkins 10-5. I fancied Milkins to pull off a result there, but I should remember not to write off the Scot.

My prediction              Result
Selby 10-4 Maflin           10-9
Maguire 9-10 McGill      9-10*
Hawkins 10-8 Selt          10-9        
Robertson 10-4 Jones     10-2
Walden 9-10 Dott           8-10
Fu 10-6 Robertson          10-6*
Bingham 10-4 Williams 10-7
Higgins 7-10 Milkins     10-5

* Correct scorelines predicted

If you fancy a flutter and want to follow some of my other predictions for the other first round matches here they are:

Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-2 Craig Steadman
Joe Perry 10-6 Zhang Anda
Mark Williams 10-8 Matthew Stevens
Shaun Murphy 10-5 Robin Hull
Mark Allen 7-10 Ryan Day
Ali Carter 9-10 Alan McManus
Judd Trump 10-3 Stuart Carrington
Ding Junhui 8-10 Mark Davis

Selby Pleased To See The Back Of Maflin

Well, that was a bit close!
At 8-9 down Mark Selby must have been wishing the world championship draw makers would run into the Crucible announcing: "Sorry, we screwed up the draw, you're meant to be playing someone else."
It wouldn't have been that surprising given the farce on Thursday when conflicting draws were being tweeted out, with Selby forced to take ask Twitter who he was playing.

While many may not have heard of London-born Norwegian citizen Maflin, those who follow snooker closely know he's a heavy scorer, a break-building machine who, despite his ability, hasn't been seen on TV much.

(By the way esteemed BBC commentator and analyst John Parrott 'hadn't seen much of him' which shows how much snooker he really pays attention to outside the 17 days in Sheffield).

Having said that, my match prediction was slightly wide of the mark. I had Selby down for a fairly comfortable win. But I was amazed at how Maflin seemed to be comfortable out in the Theatre of Dreams.
He really did seem at ease (though inside he was almost certainly nervous as hell).

I liked his manner and pace around the table. It was always consistent, never rushing when the adrenaline hit, and thoughtful when faced with a tricky shot.

So it was a shame he couldn't quite get over the line, but he must be pleased with his performance.

As for Selby's fist-pump and shouting when potting the winning ball, it's clear that Maflin didn't take offence.

It's also a sign of just how much it means to Selby. People forget how much emotion these guys go through out there. It must be almost painful, so if it's all bottled up as they try to win the match, then it has to be released when the pressure is lifted.

Well done Selby, commiserations Maflin.

Crucible Curse, Crazy Commentators, And Fashion Faux Pas

It's the most exciting time of year to be a snooker fan (and most rewarding for those old snooker pros now earning a living talking about the game).

The World Championships are about to get underway in Sheffield - two weeks of agonising commentary from JV, Dennis, and Willie. Oh and there's some actual snooker being played amid Dennis's ramblings about Patsy Fagan, Thorburn flying over to the UK first class, and something weird about Ray Reardon's pocket knife. 

Here, I take a look at some of the oddities that makes it the highlight of my year.

The Crucible Curse

The Crucible Curse: it will be mentioned about 1,000 times by Dennis and co and at every interview with Mark Selby. No-one who wins the title for the first time goes on to defend it, that's the rule, that's just the way it goes, sorry...

Poor chap doesn't stand a chance. Imagine this scenario:

Interviewer: Do you fancy your chances?

Selby: Definitely. I'm playing very well, confident, the number one player in the world and feel great.

Interviewer: Yeah, but you won't will you? You know, what with the curse and everything.

Selby: Well, that's just a...

Interviewer: You do believe in the curse, don't you?

Selby: I..i.i..i..i

That's it, he's gone. First round looooooser.

Fashion Faux Pas

These pair of shoes will, I'm sure, grace our screens for as long as Trump is in the competition.

I presume those spiky shoes are very comfortable and expensive but please BBC, let's concentrate on the snooker.

As an alternative though, maybe the players' 
haircuts will be the main talking point in between the action. 

I'm hoping Ronnie gets the clippers out and repeats the skinhead look from a few years ago...

Or maybe Neil Robertson will get the curlers out again... 

I'm hoping the Crucible crowd will get in on the action as well...

And please, please, please let weirdy beardy man turn up again...

The Gurning

But it wouldn't be snooker without professionals pulling stupid faces, picking their nose just as the producer goes in for a close-up, and gurning uncontrollably.

The runaway champion in this category is, surely, Ronnie 'I pick every bit of my face' O'Sullivan.

Oh, scrap that, I forgot about Fergal O'Brien...

Who will win? 

Anyway, there are usually a few shocks at the Crucible and I believe this year some of the top seeds will fall in the first round.
Here are my predictions:

Mark Selby v Kurt Maflin: Selby to win 10-4

Stephen Maguire v Anthony McGill: McGill to win 10-9

Joe Perry v Zhang Anda: Perry to win 10-6

Shaun Murphy v Robin Hull: Murphy to win 10-5

Barry Hawkins v Matt Selt: Hawkins to win 10-8

Mark Allen v Ryan Day: Day to win 10-7

Ali Carter v Alan McManus: McManus to win 10-9

Neil Roberston v Jamie Jones: Robertson to win 10-4

Ding Junhui v Mark Davis: Davis to win 10-8

John Higgins v Rob Milkins: Milkins to win 10-7

Marco Fu v Jimmy Robertson: Fu to win 10-6

Judd Trump v Stuart Carrington: Trump to win 10-3

Ricky Walden v Graeme Dott: Dott to win 10-9

Stuart Bingham v Robbie Williams: Bingham to win 10-4

Mark Williams v Matthew Stevens: Williams to win 10-8

Ronnie O'Sullivan v Craig Steadman: O'Sullivan to win 10-2