SMB – My yearly review part 1
” Hi everyone,
I wanted to have a look back at the yearand write down some of the highs and lows from my own point of view, both on the table and away from it.
2012 began for me down at Crondon Park Golf Club for Championship League snooker. This has developed into a really good event in its own right over the last few years and is now seen as not just a way into the Premier League but a strong stand-alone event and a good warm-up for The Masters. This was certainly the case for me last year as I was able to get some high quality match practice under my belt just before my trip to Ally Pally for The BGC Masters where I went all the way to the final, losing out eventually to Neil Robertson. This defeat was tougher than normal to take as it would have completed my set of career Majors, having already won the UK Championship and the World Championship earlier.
From London and the Ally Pally it was on to Berlin for the German Masters. This hasdefinitely become one of my favourite events over the last few years. It’s played in front of probably the most enthusiastic crowd we see all year and they really make us feel welcome in their city.
Berlin has become one of my favourite cities on our tour too, its history and café culture really appeals to me and other than NYC its one of the few places other than England where I could live. As it happened I did pretty well that week reaching the semi-finals but losing out heavily to Stephen Maguire.
A couple of weeks later it was down to Newport in Wales for the Welsh Open. It’s always good returning to Newport because it reminds me of my first few matches as a pro when I played there in the qualifying rounds. I remember going there when I was about 13 or 14 to shadow Jason Ferguson. His management company at the time allowed me complete access to him and behind the scenes and I got an early look at what being a pro meant. Someone even asked me for an autograph walking into the venue as I was carrying Jason’s cue but I didnt know what to do so I just signed it ‘Jason Ferguson’ and hurried in. Fast forward a few years and I was in the semi-final again, this time losing out to Ding Junhui.
I had a quiet few weeks after that and apart from a trip to Haikou for the World Open, a new event for us, I just spent my time practising. I had another few days down in Crondon for the Championship League and then it was straight on to China again for the China Open in Beijing. It certainly wasn’t my best week ever, losing out to Lu Ning in round one. I always think its a really long way to go to lose first round but I guess thats the nature of my job.
After the China Open everything became about preparing for the World Championship. Back in 2011 I had lost to Ronnie in the last 16 and was really determined to do well so I really practised hard, worked on my game and even had some new suits made. It all counted for nothing though as Jamie Jones played fantastically against me and thoroughly deserved tobeat me 8-10. So my girlfriend and I hot-footed it to New York for a few days away from it all. I find watching the snooker when I’m already out of the tournament one of the hardest things to do but I usually still end up in front of the tv to see the winner crowned. Of course this wasn’t the end to the season I was hoping for and it was hard to take, especially when I felt that my prep had been top notch, but you have to realise that in sport you can only try your best and sometimes that isn’t good enough.”
Shaun
Part 2 will appear later in the week when I talk about golf, my 30th birthday party and thoughts on the first half of the season.
ferret
Jan 02. 2013
My Yearly Review – Part 2
December 20, 2012, 11:44 am
“One of the bonuses of the ‘new’ structure at World Snooker is that it’s never that long until the next event. So, after the Worlds, I was soon back on the practise table preparing for the new season.
The Wuxi Classic kicked everything off for us out in China but it wasn’t a great week for me – an early bath, in fact. So we went on to the World 6 Reds Campionship in Bangkok. This, of course, wasn’t a ranking event but was a good chance to find some form and I managed to get to the final, only to be thwarted by Mark Davis, who I think is currently going through the best form of his life.
Away from the table we had a really good time that week and, as I say, it was great for us all to spend some time together before I went onto Melbourne for the Australian Open. 2011 was my first visit out to OZ and I made some great friends there, so it was good fun to see those people again. I also had my first go at commentating, getting some positive reviews from on Twitter. It really was a weird experience commenting on the game but not wanting to be too critical of others. Anyway, I had to concentrate on the tournament and was going well until I ran into Peter Ebdon in the quarter-finals.
The week after my return from Australia saw the start of the PTC series for 2012 and I went into it full of confidence. Again, though, like 2011 I just haven’t done the business this year in the PTCs and it’s in the balance now as the whether I’ll be in the Grand Finals or not.
Somewhere between PTCs, the Premier League and other events, I had to celebrate my 30th birthday. Lots of friends from all over the country made it and they all helped me say goodbye to my twenties. Not something i was relishing. It was a pretty top night, too, even if I say so myself. One of my favourite bands from Manchester – Mancini Fires ( they’re all United fans) played us songs from all genres and then we had the dance floor to ourselves before myself, Chris Henry and Mukesh Parmer’s wife, Svetlana knocked a few songs out on the piano. Maybe one day I’ll share some of the pics from the night.
I also had quite a few games of golf through August and September playing nearly everyday with Matt Selt who had moved to the area. There was a spell of a few weeks when we played more golf than snooker and it showed. Both on the snooker table and on the golf course. I managed to reduce my handicap to 5 from 6 which I know doesn’t sound a lot but it’s taken me quite a few years to achieve and I’m secretly quite proud of it.
Shortly after followed the Shanghai Masters where John Higgins played amazing snooker to beat me in the semi-finals. I followed that a few weeks later with another run to the semi-finals in the new International Championship in Chendu, the home of the panda. That time it was Neil Robertson that stopped me but I still felt like I had a good week and that my game was coming together nicely.
This then brings me pretty much up to date, as the next event was the UK Championship from York. During the event I played some of the best snooker that I’ve played for a long time. In the end it wasn’t to be for last week but a run to the final was a good way to round off 2012, I feel – pretty much as I started it down in London for The Masters.
My next game will be January 7 down at Crondon Park in the the first group stage of Championship Snooker. That will be four good days build up to The Masters at The Ally Pally where im playing Ricky Walden on the 15th. We’ve had some great games in the past and I’m sure that will be no different.
I’m going to have a couple of weeks off now. All that’s left for me to say is a big ‘thank you’ to you all for your support and kind messages throughout the year. See you in 2013!”
Shaun