World Championships (inc Qualifiers)

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The Qualifiers get started tomorrow for "The Big One" the World Championships. Here are all the groups for qualifications :

Group 1
Walden
Li Hang
Donaldson
Taylor
Jianbo
Burden
Judge
McGuigan

Preview
Ricky Walden looks to be a warm favourite in this group and in my opinion, it's a fair judgement. Walden has got to the latter stages of multiple tournaments recently and all he would need here is to beat Taylor or Jianbo and then a likely play-off final with Scott Donaldson or Li Hang. You would fancy Walden against either.

Predicted winner - Walden
Outsiders - None

Group 2
D.Jones
Wongharuthai
Si
Collumb
Dale
Haotian
Ning
Wenbo 

Preview
Quite an open one now, this, as Wenbo has been kicked out for hitting a woman. You would have to say that it's now a 2 way battle with Lu Ning and Haotian but Dale now looks to be a good shout as I assume that he would get a bye to the final match if he beats Duane Jones. Don't hold me to that because I can't find a market on this atall. 

Predicted winner - Ning
Outsiders - Dale

Group 3
Yuelong
Maguire
Anda
Akani
Hicks
Astley
Jiankang
Kazakov

Preview
Group 3 is my first bet and it's Zhang Anda to get himself through to the main event. He will likely face Andy Hicks of whom I think he beats. Has beat him 5-1 in their only meet up and is certainly playing the better snooker. In the penultimate match he would face Yuelong, who is playing some decent stuff recently but Anda beat him in the 2016 Worlds and then again 4-2 in the 2018 Gibraltar Open. Since then, Yuelong has beaten Zhang in 2019 on a deciding leg. If he can see himself through that match then he would likely face Maguire in the final. Maguire's form isn't the best but you would expect him to raise his game here. Anda has made the quarter finals of the Welsh Open and then the last 32 of the Gibraltar Open. He's an underrated player in my eyes and at 13/2 I think he's worth a couple of points

Predicted winner - Maguire
Outsiders - Zhang Anda

2pts Anda to Qualify 13/2 william hill

Group 4
Brown
King
O'Donnell
White
Ferg O'Brien
Patrick
Hill
Davies

Preview
Group 4 has Jordan Brown as a warm favourite and sitting at even money. He's in good form recently and it's not hard to imagine Brown coming through this group but I'm happy to take a punt on 1 at a big price and 1 at an even bigger price. Fraser Patrick takes on Michael White in a pretty high quality first round qualification tie and I can see it being a tight match. They played out a deciding leg win for White back in 2016 qualifications. I think White comes through that match and then he would face Martin O'Donnell. O'Donnell's form just isn't that great right now and then the form of Mark King, which the winner would play is also highly questionable. I think Michael White is worth a bet and I also think a smaller punt on Aaron Hill is worth a go. He would face Ferg O'Brien, who he beat 4-2 at the Welsh Open last year and then the favourite Jordan Brown. 66/1 on Hill is just too big. It was only last year he was beating Ronnie. 

Predicted winner - Brown
Outsiders - White / Hill

2pts White to Qualify 9/1 betfred
1pt Hill to Qualify 66/1 paddypower
 

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Group 5
Selt
Jak Jones
Un-Nooh
Bond
Vahedi
Kleckers
J.White
Pagett

Preview
Selt is the favourite here after his final defeat to Judd Trump. I get the feeling that if he didn't make that final then he wouldn't be favourite here but he is playing decent enough and it's not the best quality line-up. I think there is abit of value in Vahedi at 66/1. He faces Kleckers first up, who started the season well with a last 16 place at the British Open but since then has won just 2 matches really, Snooker Shootout aside. The winner takes on another man bang out of form in the shape of Nigel Bond. I would fancy Vahedi to beat Bond and then the winner would face Selt. In the other semi-final Jak Jones will likely take on Un-Nooh. I think Jak Jones is my likeliest winner but I would rather Vahedi at 66s then taking Jones at 15/8.

Predicted winner - Jones
Outsiders - Vahedi

1pt Vahedi to Qualify 66/1 paddypower

Group 6
Ford
Jamie Jones
Holt
Joyce
Heathcote
Miah
Zifan
Mertens

Preview
Tom Ford will go into this as the even shot favourite. He will likely play Holt for a place in the final qualification match and in the other half, you would expect Joyce to take on Jamie Jones. I would say that Holt on his day has every chance in this group but he just isn't playing very well at the moment and it puts me off backing him. I think Ford takes on Jamie Jones in the final match of this and it's a 50/50 in my eyes and not worth getting into as a single bet.

Predicted winner - Jamie Jones
Outsiders - Holt

Group 7
Ding
Maflin
Pengfei
R.Williams
Walker
Steadman
Lilley
Evans

Preview
A group that Ding should get through without too much fuss. He has switched on abit of form at the right moment and I can't see anybody beating Ding in the final match. Maflin is a good player on his day but his form has been very patchy and 7/2 isn't big enough for me to get involved in laying Ding.

Predicted winner - Ding
Outsiders  - Maflin

Group 8
Gould
Woollaston
O'Connor
Hugill
Hancorn
Pinches
Young
Stephens

Preview
I think this is a tough group and I'm interested in another outsider in the shape of Ben Hancorn. I think he beats Young and then would have a tricky match against Ash Hugill. If he gets through that then the winner takes on the favourite for qualification, Martin Gould. Gould has all the experience to get through here and ofcourse it would be a suprise if he doesn't atleast make a final Qualification match with Woollaston but I think Hancorn has it in him. Hancorn has just recently made the quarter finals of the Gibraltor Open and has beaten Woollaston along the way in that event. Woollaston has recently beaten Gould too, so it's an open group and the value looks to me like Hancorn.

Predicted winner - Gould
Outsiders - Hancorn

2pts Hancorn to Qualify 14/1 paddypower