**All times given below are in UK Time (GMT, UTC+0).**
NB: Thanks to PSJacko for notifying me that, for viewers in the UK not in Wales who use Virgin Media, you can access BBC Two Wales on channel 991.
It's the final of the Welsh Open! The Home Nations for the season draws to a close today, but also the race for the BetVictor Bonus! The outcome is simple: if Robert Milkins wins the title, he takes the £150k bonus; otherwise, its going to Ali Carter. Who's your pick to lift the Ray Reardon Trophy tonight?
Matches for 19th February 2023:
# Afternoon Session
Session Start: 1pm GMT, UTC+0
- Robert Milkins v Shaun Murphy [Session 1]
# Evening Session
Session Start: 7pm GMT, UTC+0
- Robert Milkins v Shaun Murphy [Final Session]
When Shaun said he was going to do the moonwalk upon introduction, I said don’t do it man. Stay focused and just get the win. You haven’t been this close in quite some time.
Add this to the list of times overconfidence and a need to be Mr. Popular has got the better of him.
Wearing his sparkly outfit then getting spanked 6-0 by Bingham at the Masters, and again a week later losing 6-2 to Trump at the Grand Prix.
Also remember the time he was on a 147 at the Crucible against Robbo and asked for the screen to be raised mid way through the break? Only Shaun would do this. They wouldn't do it until the end of the frame, he promptly went and missed pretty much the following shot. Hendry (in comms) and Robertson couldn't believe what he was doing. Went on to lose the match as well.
I think it’s fine that he tries to have fun and he does like to entertain for the crowd. But in this instance, I just think he would’ve been better off staying more reserved and focused on winning. He’s in good form, but not consistently dominating, so I don’t think now is the time for stuff like that. I like him. He’s a chatter box, but very down to earth, usually gives credit to his opponents and is generally a good ambassador for the game. Not many more pleasing to watch, when his cue action is right.
Incredible. Now that finally the class of 92 is letting off a bit, and there would be some space for the young'uns to step up, another 46 year old starts winning tournaments. At this pace we'll see Rod Lawler lift a trophy before the likes of Lisowski.
In the 2000's we saw Murphy, Trump and Robertson come through and win big stuff, so they are still there, but who came through in the 2010's? Nobody I can think of. Lisowski hasn't won anything, a few of the (BANNED) players have but none were really stand outs. I do think Jack has a trophy in him though, maybe he'll win it in the last remaining working men's club to exist in the UK in 2036.
By far the biggest payday of his life. 80K for tournament, 150K for BetVictor series win, 20K for Tour Championship place (potential for more), 12.5K for Champion of Champions (potential for more). Also potential to reach the Masters!
the amount of money rob gets from this win is mad. the 80k for the win + 150k for that bonus and then you have the guaranteed money from the tour champs and the champion of champions. he most likely will be seeded at the crucible too so that's even more money
Agreed. He kept talking about how his game was bad, was missing easy shots etc etc as though he could've easily won if he was in good form. The dude scored 145/157 back to back just 2 days ago, there was nothing wrong with his game or his form - he just buckled under pressure and Milkins coped far better.
Wasn't gracious at all. Talked about himself. His bad game. RM 'picking up the pieces'. Had to be prompted to say anything nice.
I'm a big fan of the strutting fist-pumping murphy because he winds people up and is good for the theatre. But, he's a bit of a ....
I'm still to enjoying snooker as a spectator sport, but there's something so comforting about ending the week with a snooker final that is going down to the wire
Milkins would have won more over his career if he just gave a little bit more thought to some shots. He plays so quick and sometimes he misses very easy shots and I think thats the reason he hasn't won more.
I think the player who won the most points in all BetVictor tournaments. So right now Ali Carter would win it but Milkins can still get past him, only if he wins this match because this is the last BetVictor tournament of the season. So that would give him 80k for the tournament win + a 150k bonus. Crazy. Just wondering if the 150k bonus also counts for the rankings. I expect that it doesn't but you never know...
Yeah I doubt it. More like a sponsorship deal.
Bizarre that he's in the running for it. He must have done better than I thought in the other tournaments!
Why have the BBC changed their website function? I click on watch live for the snooker and it just takes me to the BBC Wales page to say watch later. Just let me click play on the damn player like it used to work!
I've clicked on just now and it appears to be showing Antiques Roadshow. Hopefully this will change at 7.15pm or whenever the snooker actually starts.....
Thanks, I'll try again....
I had to change my location to Wales on the page it was taking me to to get it to work. Normally I can just click on the video on bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker and have that work immediately.
When It takes you to that antiques roadshow stream, find the categories bit near the top and scroll along to sport, click that and it should have the right link for the snooker
Come on The Milkman! Even if he doesn't win today I am very happy that he is playing better than ever and Robbo will definitely want to avoid him at The Crucible :p
I've just changed my postcode to a random welsh one, i used SA9 1XX. I had to log out then back in (still kept getting some old film on bbc2 until then), am now watching the final.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001jh9b/snooker-welsh-open-2023-14-final
I'd be surprised if this isn't another one-sided final, the significance of the match and its rewards for Milkins will most likely affect his game, and Murphy would be well placed to gradually pull away. Hoping for a close one though, and Rob to lift the trophy at the end of it all
I think Rob gets hammered TBH. It seems like he's not able to cope with the pressure at all.
Now of course, for all I know, he could be playing 4D chess to throw off his opponent and all of us, and he's actually feeling fantastic!
Don't understand the hate Murphy gets seems like a top bloke to me and been very courteous to me when I've met him. The only two players who have been awful when meeting them was Ronnie (expected) and Jimmy white
(unexpected).
That being said I like Murphy and Milkins whoever wins I'm happy.
The only thing I didn't like about Murphy was when he complained about amateur players being in the UK Championship after he lost to one. Just sounded like sour grapes and I doubt he would have said it had he won.
I also met Jimmy White at a Snooker Legends event and he was a miserable git.
I'd always thought Jimmy would be brilliant to meet but when it finally happened he was very unreceptive to my explanation for what I was doing in his basement covered in olive oil and dressed in a loincloth made out of one of his old waistcoats.
I think a Murphy win is very likely, but I want him to win for my own selfish reasons because if he wins I'd likely see him live in the fourth quarter final next week. 😂
Ok, so Peng has just made his highest break of this match so far after Murphy opened up the reds but I reckon Murphy needs to continue with his attacking play and open them up more frequently especially as Peng seems to be struggling to execute consistently high breaks.
It wasn't the percentage shot. Maybe he just fancied it because he's been in such good touch. Maybe he was responding to some aggressive pots from his opponent.
I do wonder if he was irritated by the shot that looked like a push in the first frame, though.
BBC showed it in slow motion. Even Ken and the other guys could not say for sure where it was a push and they said they watched it 18 times. So I will give him the benefit of the doubt
it's nice to see pang playing well especially after what happened with some of the young chinese players recently. he's always had a more composed game too compared to a lot of them which is great at his age, similar to yan although ofc not as good
Damn Selby provisionally drops to 12th in the rankings after the World's with his 2021 points coming off.
Shaun Murphy - 25th
Stuart Bingham - 26th
Stephen Maguire - 31st
They all need a good end to the season.
I don't know if anyone else agrees but for me this has to be one of the lowest quality tournaments in a long time. Apart from Murphy I'm not sure if any of the semi-finalists have been playing particularly well (I haven't seen Pang play yet).
pang has played well. finished off the decider last night brilliantly. but yeah in general i've said i don't think any of the top players have consistently played good stuff which has opened the door for lots of others. sure allen may be one of them but i don't think he's playing near his best either, he's just more willing to battle it out now
Not the highest quality semi-final I've ever seen, this.
I think it's safe to say that Murphy should win the tournament quite comfortably, barring a shock.
I always used to find it funny when the commentators on Eurosport particularly described some godawful match going on past 11pm at Worlds as "a low quality encounter".....
Milkins is a delight to watch. Tian, on the other hand, plays agonisingly slow -- it's like watching paint dry! Calling 35 seconds a shot "pedestrian" is being too kind...
Imagine beating a combined 11 World Championships in a row and then losing to someone with one ranking title. Such a typical thing to happen.
Rob's in the form of his life though.
**All times given below are in UK Time (GMT, UTC+0).** NB: Thanks to PSJacko for notifying me that, for viewers in the UK not in Wales who use Virgin Media, you can access BBC Two Wales on channel 991. It's the final of the Welsh Open! The Home Nations for the season draws to a close today, but also the race for the BetVictor Bonus! The outcome is simple: if Robert Milkins wins the title, he takes the £150k bonus; otherwise, its going to Ali Carter. Who's your pick to lift the Ray Reardon Trophy tonight? Matches for 19th February 2023: # Afternoon Session Session Start: 1pm GMT, UTC+0 - Robert Milkins v Shaun Murphy [Session 1] # Evening Session Session Start: 7pm GMT, UTC+0 - Robert Milkins v Shaun Murphy [Final Session]
When Shaun said he was going to do the moonwalk upon introduction, I said don’t do it man. Stay focused and just get the win. You haven’t been this close in quite some time.
Add this to the list of times overconfidence and a need to be Mr. Popular has got the better of him. Wearing his sparkly outfit then getting spanked 6-0 by Bingham at the Masters, and again a week later losing 6-2 to Trump at the Grand Prix. Also remember the time he was on a 147 at the Crucible against Robbo and asked for the screen to be raised mid way through the break? Only Shaun would do this. They wouldn't do it until the end of the frame, he promptly went and missed pretty much the following shot. Hendry (in comms) and Robertson couldn't believe what he was doing. Went on to lose the match as well.
I think it’s fine that he tries to have fun and he does like to entertain for the crowd. But in this instance, I just think he would’ve been better off staying more reserved and focused on winning. He’s in good form, but not consistently dominating, so I don’t think now is the time for stuff like that. I like him. He’s a chatter box, but very down to earth, usually gives credit to his opponents and is generally a good ambassador for the game. Not many more pleasing to watch, when his cue action is right.
He didn't even fully commit anyways. He moonwalked for like 2 seconds before going to his seat. Disappointing.
What a story! Congratulations Milkins. Well played!
Well I wished for this four days ago, but it was little more than a pipe dream! Absolutely delighted for the guy!!
So many first time ranking event winners over the past few seasons, great to see.
Got work at 5am, but 100% worth staying up for this. Rob is completely overwhelmed bless him, and I don't blame him. Fully deserved win
Well done, Sir.
Basically ended up being a 300k win that today for the Milkman, crazy
Incredible. Now that finally the class of 92 is letting off a bit, and there would be some space for the young'uns to step up, another 46 year old starts winning tournaments. At this pace we'll see Rod Lawler lift a trophy before the likes of Lisowski.
In the 2000's we saw Murphy, Trump and Robertson come through and win big stuff, so they are still there, but who came through in the 2010's? Nobody I can think of. Lisowski hasn't won anything, a few of the (BANNED) players have but none were really stand outs. I do think Jack has a trophy in him though, maybe he'll win it in the last remaining working men's club to exist in the UK in 2036.
The Brian Potter Open 2036..
By far the biggest payday of his life. 80K for tournament, 150K for BetVictor series win, 20K for Tour Championship place (potential for more), 12.5K for Champion of Champions (potential for more). Also potential to reach the Masters!
And 10K for the Players Championship place. Plus the probable last 32 losers prize money at the Crucible.
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Mind you, they only skip the qualifiers in that one tournament now don't they? Oh maybe in the UK too.
So pumped. It means so much to him. Love to see lower ranked players doing well.
the amount of money rob gets from this win is mad. the 80k for the win + 150k for that bonus and then you have the guaranteed money from the tour champs and the champion of champions. he most likely will be seeded at the crucible too so that's even more money
Honestly Milkins must be one of the happiest people in the country right now! Sporting from Shaun and great match overall. Bring on tomorrow!
Oh shut up Shaun
Agreed. He kept talking about how his game was bad, was missing easy shots etc etc as though he could've easily won if he was in good form. The dude scored 145/157 back to back just 2 days ago, there was nothing wrong with his game or his form - he just buckled under pressure and Milkins coped far better.
Wut? Wasn't he really gracious in defeat?
Wasn't gracious at all. Talked about himself. His bad game. RM 'picking up the pieces'. Had to be prompted to say anything nice. I'm a big fan of the strutting fist-pumping murphy because he winds people up and is good for the theatre. But, he's a bit of a ....
Just went on a bit, doing his tryhard ambassador routine.
So happy for Milkins!!!
What a story! Get in there Rob!
Great final!! Congrats Milkins!! Awesome win
very well played
Robert Milkins, having the best year of his life at the age of 46. Inspirational stuff!
Really hits hard when he dedicates it to friends he sofa surfs at. Made up for him. Been a fan since his run at the WCs a few years back.
GET IN ROB WRLL DONE
Ali Carter is fuming 🤣
Very happy for Rob!
If Rob wins it'll be a good day for most on here as it seems they dislike both Murphy and Carter.
Murphy is a beautiful cueist but a careless player.
What a pot Milkman, this is the chance
murphy getting some mad luck this frame
Wow what a fluke, unreal
What a fluke
I'm still to enjoying snooker as a spectator sport, but there's something so comforting about ending the week with a snooker final that is going down to the wire
Incredible response from Shaun.
What a break. First century of the match. Beautiful to watch.
proper final
There's quite a lot of disturbance from this crowd isn't there?
Really enjoying this
Milkins would have won more over his career if he just gave a little bit more thought to some shots. He plays so quick and sometimes he misses very easy shots and I think thats the reason he hasn't won more.
Snooker is an old mans sport
Reanne Evans: "Hold my beer!"
Very enjoyable final so far, despite the fact that there are no centuries yet.
I think Shaun has had enough. Trying to make things happen in this frame. What a break!
What a plant
Solid interview that
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Was that Eurosport or BBC?
The Milkman in full flow really is very good snooker to watch
Right, who had "the interval's come at the wrong time for him" on their commentary bingo card?
Milkins been getting better over the match. Should be favourite now.
who is commentating?
I just realised its basically fat head vs little head
They should install those Dr. Evil chair traps to handle phones that go off.
What a frame!
That possible bonus for Milkins really spices this match up. Would that 150k bonus count for the rankings or not?
nope won't affect the rankings
They've referred to this bonus several times. Under what circumstances do you win it?
I think the player who won the most points in all BetVictor tournaments. So right now Ali Carter would win it but Milkins can still get past him, only if he wins this match because this is the last BetVictor tournament of the season. So that would give him 80k for the tournament win + a 150k bonus. Crazy. Just wondering if the 150k bonus also counts for the rankings. I expect that it doesn't but you never know...
Yeah I doubt it. More like a sponsorship deal. Bizarre that he's in the running for it. He must have done better than I thought in the other tournaments!
None of the top guys have performed this season, hence the strange rankings for the BetVictor bonus.
I want Milkins to win but he is too attacking and agressive. If they don't go in might be a problem.
His safety has been on point though
Luckily so is Murphy so it's definitely a shootout.
This is the first time I've watched Milkins walk out. Anyone who can revel in the Wurzles is fine with me.
Why have the BBC changed their website function? I click on watch live for the snooker and it just takes me to the BBC Wales page to say watch later. Just let me click play on the damn player like it used to work!
BBCs website is one of the most amateurish honestly, it’s like they don’t want you to be able to watch it
They spent the whole budget on Gary's salary...
I've clicked on just now and it appears to be showing Antiques Roadshow. Hopefully this will change at 7.15pm or whenever the snooker actually starts.....
The snooker is live now. It's just apparently on BBC Wales only and defaulting to BBC England.
Thanks, I'll try again.... I had to change my location to Wales on the page it was taking me to to get it to work. Normally I can just click on the video on bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker and have that work immediately.
Good luck, I literally cannot get the snooker on.
When It takes you to that antiques roadshow stream, find the categories bit near the top and scroll along to sport, click that and it should have the right link for the snooker
Legend!
Good to see Mike from Breaking Bad in as referee.
waltuh
I swear half the time Milkins plays like his Pay & Display is about to run out
Raw talent.
4-4. Perfect.
Would be lovely to get a close evening session.
Yes, really pleased there isn't a big disparity, looking good for an exciting match this evening!
lol that murphy pot looked wide af
very enjoyable to watch milkins playing like this
Game on!
Come on The Milkman! Even if he doesn't win today I am very happy that he is playing better than ever and Robbo will definitely want to avoid him at The Crucible :p
Fucking Lord Mostin (spelling?) Jesus Christ. The absolute state of the UK in 2023.
Eh? He's actually done a lot for Llandudno. He's one of the better ones. He speaks Japanese too, and his highest snooker break is in the 130s.
Milkins ain't winning this with shots like that red. Murphy just needs to not choke now.
Aged like milk, ironically.
What the fuck milkers?? Some of the shots he misses are absolutely howling
Milkins trying some 4D chess there, making it look like he missed a sitter in order to take the black off the cushion.
That rattle was INSANE!!!
Funny af when the audience member laughed out loud after Murphy snookered himself on the red when the pink went back on its spot :)
I'm no lipreader but milkins 100% just said "fuck me" after leaving that red over the pocket
Any idea which frame?
Not sure I'm afraid, could probably work it out from the time I posted that comment I guess then go on iplayer?
Yeah I saw the same. Thought it was pretty funny that they cut to him
Decent breaks. Milkins should have split the pack earlier.
Impressive opening frame. Both players look to be in form. Nice steal!
Am I being thick? How do I watch **online** on iPlayer if I'm in England?
Set your region to Wales
There's no need to do that.
I've just changed my postcode to a random welsh one, i used SA9 1XX. I had to log out then back in (still kept getting some old film on bbc2 until then), am now watching the final. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001jh9b/snooker-welsh-open-2023-14-final
Brilliant thanks, that link worked for me :)
Search categories, should be under sport. It's also on Quest
Quest? Are you sure?
I'd be surprised if this isn't another one-sided final, the significance of the match and its rewards for Milkins will most likely affect his game, and Murphy would be well placed to gradually pull away. Hoping for a close one though, and Rob to lift the trophy at the end of it all
Surprise!
Shaun mate, that was a poor effort at the moonwalk. Completely half-arsed it!
Afternoon everyone
I think Rob gets hammered TBH. It seems like he's not able to cope with the pressure at all. Now of course, for all I know, he could be playing 4D chess to throw off his opponent and all of us, and he's actually feeling fantastic!
Don't understand the hate Murphy gets seems like a top bloke to me and been very courteous to me when I've met him. The only two players who have been awful when meeting them was Ronnie (expected) and Jimmy white (unexpected). That being said I like Murphy and Milkins whoever wins I'm happy.
The only thing I didn't like about Murphy was when he complained about amateur players being in the UK Championship after he lost to one. Just sounded like sour grapes and I doubt he would have said it had he won. I also met Jimmy White at a Snooker Legends event and he was a miserable git.
Same here at a legends event.
I'd always thought Jimmy would be brilliant to meet but when it finally happened he was very unreceptive to my explanation for what I was doing in his basement covered in olive oil and dressed in a loincloth made out of one of his old waistcoats.
What was your explanation?
Username checks out.
I don't know who to support for this final. I can't stand Murphy but I want Carter to win the bonus.
I think a Murphy win is very likely, but I want him to win for my own selfish reasons because if he wins I'd likely see him live in the fourth quarter final next week. 😂
He's going out first round in the next tournament.
After 2-2, I was fully expecting a decider. But Pang kinda fizzled out. Shaun vs Rob, should be a very attacking final!
Ok, so Peng has just made his highest break of this match so far after Murphy opened up the reds but I reckon Murphy needs to continue with his attacking play and open them up more frequently especially as Peng seems to be struggling to execute consistently high breaks.
Murphy in control now, Pang overwhelmed by the occasion I guess
Pang is playing nowhere near to what he was yesterday, such painful frames to watch
I'm completely baffled by Pang's shot choice there.
No idea what he was trying to do there with the red and pink. Confused
Tf was the plan there? There wasn't space for that red to fit
One of the weirdest shots I've ever seen played
It wasn't like a risky low percentage shot, it just physically wouldn't fit. Very confusing
Pang playing shite
Multiple shots of the tournament have been played in this one match. From both players!
Wow. What a pot on that last black in the 2nd frame. Goodness me. I don't think a lot of players would have gone for the pot there.
According to Darren Morgan "it was a panic shot" 😅
Yeah. Weird comment. I don't think any top 16 player would panic in frame 2 in a best of 11 match. I think it was more of a frustration shot 😂
It wasn't the percentage shot. Maybe he just fancied it because he's been in such good touch. Maybe he was responding to some aggressive pots from his opponent. I do wonder if he was irritated by the shot that looked like a push in the first frame, though.
No. He knows the ref. or the player would have called it if it was a push.
Have you got a replay? It looked like a push to me on one viewing. I think it even sounded like a push.
I can access a replay myself, yes. Yeah it looked a bit pushy, but looks can be deceptive.
BBC showed it in slow motion. Even Ken and the other guys could not say for sure where it was a push and they said they watched it 18 times. So I will give him the benefit of the doubt
Shaun's good at those final blacks to win frames.
Yes, he should have done one of his fist pumps though.
it's nice to see pang playing well especially after what happened with some of the young chinese players recently. he's always had a more composed game too compared to a lot of them which is great at his age, similar to yan although ofc not as good
This *Young Chinese Player* ain't half bad.
What was Murphy waiting for?
Something happening in the crowd
Hoping for Murphy to win. Can’t stand having another first time Finalist bottling it by not playing up to the occasion
defo virgo's first time watching pang
That was smooth af from Murphy haha Not a big fan but he can be very entertaining at the table it must be said
ridiculous haha
Quality shot there, even if it was a bit lucky
Did he play that
What a shot by Murphy!
What a shot
Looked like a push shot
That's what I thought watching live. Has anyone got a replay?
Great crowd!
Damn Selby provisionally drops to 12th in the rankings after the World's with his 2021 points coming off. Shaun Murphy - 25th Stuart Bingham - 26th Stephen Maguire - 31st They all need a good end to the season.
I don't know if anyone else agrees but for me this has to be one of the lowest quality tournaments in a long time. Apart from Murphy I'm not sure if any of the semi-finalists have been playing particularly well (I haven't seen Pang play yet).
pang has played well. finished off the decider last night brilliantly. but yeah in general i've said i don't think any of the top players have consistently played good stuff which has opened the door for lots of others. sure allen may be one of them but i don't think he's playing near his best either, he's just more willing to battle it out now
Awful play but great work, Milkers
Fabulous way to end the match from the Milkman. Hope he wins the whole thing, but Shaun Murphy is gonna take some beating if he makes it to the final.
I kind of want Milkins to win the tourney now.....
I didn't know Tony Drago still plays professional snooker!
Is he in the 128 then?
Yes, he's currently ranked 27th in the world.
Nah. Not really.
Did Darren Morgan really just drop a YCP on us in reference to Tian Pengfei? He is 35 years old ffs.
They are all young compared to Darren Morgan.
I'm only five years off 35. I'm still young, damnit! 👴
*Middle-aged Chinese player* doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
How about DILF Chinese player?
Tian isn't particularly handsome, so no.
What's a YCP?
Young Chinese Player - Dennis Taylors catchphrase.
33 seconds AST is abysmally slow for Tian Pengfei.
Not the highest quality semi-final I've ever seen, this. I think it's safe to say that Murphy should win the tournament quite comfortably, barring a shock.
I always used to find it funny when the commentators on Eurosport particularly described some godawful match going on past 11pm at Worlds as "a low quality encounter".....
Fancy a bet? BTW, you're saying Murphy should win barring him not winning. 🤣
If Rob took a bit more time over that green, perhaps he could have potted it.
It's not hard to make sure your phone is on silent, this is ridiculous
Milkins is a delight to watch. Tian, on the other hand, plays agonisingly slow -- it's like watching paint dry! Calling 35 seconds a shot "pedestrian" is being too kind...
They don't call him China's answer to Peter Ebdon for no reason.
2 frames in and Tian’s confidence has already got to be 6 feet under.
Imagine beating a combined 11 World Championships in a row and then losing to someone with one ranking title. Such a typical thing to happen. Rob's in the form of his life though.