Snooker is facing a financial crisis after two of its largest financial supporters have announced withdraw. 888.com, the gaming company and the major sponsor of the World Snooker Championship, the most important event of the sport, has cut off its 5 years sponsorship contract after 3 years and at the same time, Saga Insurance, had quit supporting the Wembley Masters. The fiscal damage to snooker is estimated in £1.5 million. It is the second serious financial crisis faced by snooker due to lack of sponsors that followed the 2005 tobacco sponsorship ban. 

Here’s a reminder from snooker better days, when snooker players used to smoke and drink anything but water during championships:

The Royal London Watches Grand Prix, one of the top ranking snooker tournaments, will be located at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow instead of its original planned location in Aberdeen. The tournament dates – October 11-19, 2008 – have not been changed.

The 25th annual Scottish Grand Prix, supported by the Royal London Watches, will feature the world’s top ranked snooker players such as the 2008 World Snooker Champion Ronnie O’sullivan, last year’s Grand Prix champion Marco Fu, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, and Glasgow’s local snooker hero - Stephen Maguire (number 2 in the 2008-9 official ranking list).

Midway through the 2008 World Snooker Championship, it seems like Ronnie O’Sullivan justifies the predictions seeing him the next Snooker World Championship. The Rocket stride toward his prophesied third World title started out with his 10-5 victory over 17 years old Liu Chang and continued with his 140 break at the best of 25 frames against Mark Williams.

Currently, O’Sullivan leads 5-3, but while the post is being written the last word hasn’t been pronounced yet.  In between, O’Sullivan had made some more headlines by invoking his China Open controversy. The Rocket has apologized for making sexually explicit suggestions towards the media at the press conference. Ronnie’s obscene behavior might cost him disciplinary acts.

"I don’t want to be known as somebody who causes trouble" O’Sullivan withdraws at a talk with the Guardian, "I didn’t realize the microphones and cameras were on. I was just having a joke with an individual." And at the same opportunity pats on his young first round competitor’s back, saying that the wunderkind has the perfect mechanism yet lacks the experience.

I don’t know about you, but I can find a list reasons to cross fingers for Ronnie O’Sullivan. Perhaps it’s his tragic life story, maybe his unusual talent, his puppy eyes or just the longing to an era were snooker players were self-destructive, living-on-the-edge fellows rather than the perfect, protein-shakes-drinkers most snooker players are these days, anyway, run Ronnie run!

The 2008 World Snooker Championship was commenced on Saturday, April 19 at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield. John Higgins, last year’s champion plus Mark King, Ryan Day, Stephen Hendry, Joe Swail, Peter Ebdon, Allister Carter, Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham have already ensured their spot at the next (best of 25 frames) round. 

The most expected collusion between the two Asian snooker heroes Chinese Ding Junhui and Marco Fu Hong Kong ended with Ding’s triumph 10-9. Ding Junhui will be playing on the next round against no other than 7-times world champion Stephen Hendry. Their final match was broadcast at 6 in the morning China local time and drew about 100 million viewers. 

However, it seems you didn’t have to be their compatriot to appreciate their long series of matches. In more than one report, the two were described as true World Championship material, demonstrating smart breaks, elegant safeties and a row of centuries. Ding has certainly proved to the world and he can’t be farther than the state of a slump…

First round of Ding Junhui vs. Marco Fu

On the other hand, Mark Selby, the finalist of 2007 World Snooker Championship has slipped out of the competition after losing 10-8 to Mark King. His losing puts a question mark on the continuation of his career and in an interview he admitted reconsidering his future at the sports.

Another highly anticipated match that can glue milliard Chinese to their TV sofas is today’s Lui Chang vs. Ronnie O’sullivan, where the 17-years-old prodigy will be competing against the bookmaker’s favorite whom, up until Chang’s arrival, was the holder of the youngest player to make a debut at a World Snooker Championship record.

The most important event in the snooker world will be opened on Saturday at the Crucible, Sheffield. The media in UK and East Asia, the areas in which the snooker game is highly popular, can’t hide its excitement. Some news and updates from the past few days:

Antrim Times, Mark Allen’s hometown’s local paper, is holding its breath for the upcoming match between the uprising snooker star and the 7-times World Champion Stephen Hendry. In a demonstration of local patriotism, they declare that Hendry’s "best days are behind him". Allen shows more cautiousness saying that "he is still a dangerous opponent and on his day he is capable of beating anyone on the circuit…" Allen’s dream, however, is to meet Mark Fu on his next round. 

Speaking of Fu, AFP marks his match against Ding Junhui as the highly anticipated game in the first round of the World Snooker Championship. Chinese Ding Junhui is a national hero in his homeland whom back in 2005 China open had drawn about 10 million Chinese viewers to the TV screens. However, the former snooker prodigy current state is described (by Mark Allen from the previous item as well) as "…in the midst of form slump". In a recent media conference, strong willed Ding has stated: "I want to try my best at the world championships…I know media and fans doubt my consistency, so I have something to prove this time." 

The World Snooker Association, the international governing body of the sports, has been facing some accusations of its own. Attacked by anonymous snooker champs for the WSA weakness, its incapability of drawing major sponsors and failure in creating a world tour that can equivalent with those organized in tennis or in golf, and in general inability to bring back snooker golden age, snooker’s governing body is now standing on its back feet defending their means. Speaking to The Herald, the WSA representative has spoke about securing the BBC contract and signing a new one with Eurosport plus creating more and more tournaments in new spots across the globe. 

And finally, which American author was buried with his snooker cue? 

The answer is: Roald Dahl who authored Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Gremlins, James and the Giant Peach and other children’s classics. (Q&A taken from New York Magazine)

Charity 8-balll pool tournament, in the memory of Dave Edwards, will take place on February 2^nd, 2008 at the Q-Club in Terre Haute, Indiana, and will help to raise money to brain cancer research. The tournament manager is the well known trick shot master Tom Rossman (who is mainly known as Dr. Cue). 

Dave Edwards was a local pool player who died of glioblastoma multiforme, a fatal type of brain cancer in 2006. His colleagues from the area’s billiards circuit wanted to perpetuate his name by dedicating a charity pool tournament in his memory, which will benefit brain cancer research. 

The 1st Annual Dave Edwards Memorial 8-Ball Tournament raised several thousands dollars, which were donated to the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University and two more brain cancer research organizations. 

The 2nd Annual Dave Edwards Memorial 8-Ball Tournament is scheduled to Saturday, February 2, 2008, starting at 10 AM. Throughout the tournament sets, Dr. Cue will be performing his trick shots mastery.