2004 British Open (snooker)

British Open
Tournament information
Dates 8–14 November 2004
Venue Brighton Centre
City Brighton
Country England
Organisation(s) World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
Format Ranking event
Total prize fund £200,000
Winner's share £30,000
Highest break 144 (×2)
Final
Champion Scotland John Higgins
Runner-up Scotland Stephen Maguire
Score 9–6
← 2003
Last →

The 2004 British Open was the 2004 edition of the British Open snooker tournament, held from 8 to 14 November 2004 at Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. John Higgins won the tournament, defeating Stephen Maguire nine frames to six in the all-Scottish final to lift his first ranking-event title since the 2001 edition of this event. In the semi-finals, Higgins defeated Shaun Murphy 6–0 and Maguire defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 6–1. The defending champion Stephen Hendry lost in the quarter-finals. Higgins made the highest tournament break with his two breaks of 144. The tournament, which has not been held since, was the second of eight WPBSA ranking events in the 2004/2005 snooker season, following the Grand Prix in October, which was won by O'Sullivan. It preceded the third ranking event of the season, the UK Championship.

Tournament summary

Ronnie O'Sullivan, the world number one and world champion

The 2004 British Open was the second ranking event of the 2004/2005 snooker season,[1] after the Grand Prix in October, which was won by world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan—the 2004 and two-time world champion—who defeated Ian McCulloch 9–5 in the final.[2][3] It preceded the UK Championship.[4]

The defending champion was seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry who defeated O'Sullivan 9–6 in last year's final.[5] Hendry was still angry at his loss at the Grand Prix to McCulloch, explaining, "The way I felt at the Grand Prix was down to the fact that I know what I’m still capable of".[6] The total prize fund was £200,000[7] and the host broadcaster was Eurosport.[1][8] O'Sullivan was considered the favourite, with his mentor Ray Reardon saying "Ronnie is in the form of his life and looks very close to being unstoppable at the moment".[9] Although few top players reached the final eight in the Grand Prix, O'Sullivan said he would not be surprised if they performed well in this tournament.[9]

Qualifying

The qualifying rounds were played between players ranked lower than 32 for one of 16 places in the final stage, at Pontin's Snooker Centre, Prestatyn, Wales. The matches were best-of-9 frames until the semi-finals. Highly regarded 17-year-old Chinese player Ding Junhui, in his professional first season, won his sixth consecutive match when he beat Robin Hull 5–2.[10][11] The other successful qualifiers included the likes of Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, and Ryan Day.

Round 1

The 16 first-round matches were between players ranked 17–32 and those who had made it through the qualifying stage. In this round, Ding took 63 minutes to whitewash 5–0 Malta's Tony Drago—who turned professional before Ding was born—outscoring Drago 463–73, for his first appearance in the last 32 of a ranking tournament.[11] European Open winner Stephen Maguire defeated Australian Robertson 5–3, while world number 48 Murphy beat McCulloch 5–2. Michael Holt, in his first season in the top 32, beat Dave Harold 5–2, and Mark King defeated Selby by the same scoreline. Ali Carter whitewashed Belgian's number one Bjorn Haneveer 5–0 in 76 minutes, while Barry Hawkins prevailed 5–4 over Joe Perry, despite the latter making the highest break so far with a 133.[12] John Parrott made a century break in his 5–3 victory over Jamie Burnett, while Joe Jogia won four consecutive frames to overcome Joe Swail 5–4.[13]

Round 2

The winners of round 1 went through to face members of the top 16. Ding continued his run, defeating Jimmy White 5–1 to make the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time. Ding called the win his most satisfying to date and White commended his opponent's performance, saying, "He’s dangerous and he’s improved a hell of a lot this year".[14] Elsewhere, Maguire whitewashed UK champion Matthew Stevens 5–0, outscoring him 427–68.[14] O'Sullivan extended his unbeaten run to 12 matches when he defeated Parrott 5–2, in a match that lasted two hours and 28 minutes and which featured a lot of tactical, disjointed exchanges.[15][16] He was not satisfied with his performance, however: "I was awful—if I keep playing like that they'll have to call the nuthouse to come and collect me".[15] 1997 world champion Ken Doherty, who was ranked seventh but had slipped to fifteenth in the provisional rankings, defeated Quinten Hann 5–1, after Hann had smashed the red balls from his break-off shot at 0–4 down, from which he fluked a red and made an 89 break.[15][17] John Higgins, a three-time champion who first won in 1995, beat Drew Henry 5–1, and said he would withdraw from the tournament if his pregnant wife went into labour.[18][19] Hendry beat Robert Milkins 5–1, and dismissed suggestions that the loss at the Grand Prix had inspired him to play better at this tournament.[20] Murphy defeated world number four Paul Hunter 5–3 for his second last-16 appearance in a ranking event, and attributed the win to his happiness off the table; Murphy—a Christian since the age of 17—said, "My girlfriend Claire is a wonderful woman. We've become engaged and we're involved with a tremendous church in Rotherham".[21][22] Two-time world champion and world number two Mark Williams—who became a father in May and had slipped to eighth in the provisional rankings—claimed a 5–1 victory over Jogia in 89 minutes.[21][23] In a hard-fought contest, Stephen Lee defeated King 5–4.[16] The other winners were Carter, Andy Hicks, Anthony Hamilton, Hawkins, Barry Pinches, Holt, and Stuart Bingham.

Round 3

In the last 16, O'Sullivan compiled two century breaks to whitewash Lee 5–0 for his 13th consecutive win and his 9th consecutive quarter-final.[24] Regarding comments he made about his retirement after his previous match, O'Sullivan said, "There's no point quoting me because what I say from one day to the next will be different".[25] Maguire made a total clearance of 140 in his 5–2 win over Ding, while Hamilton defeated Williams 5–3 for his fourth consecutive win over the world number two.[24] Hendry, whose last tournament victory was this event last year, made four breaks over 60 in his 5–2 win over Carter to set up a match with Higgins, who made the highest break so far with a 141 in his 5–3 win over Pinches.[26] Doherty became the fifth member of the top eight to lose when he was defeated 4–5 by Hicks,[27] while Hawkins defeated Bingham 5–4 and Murphy beat Holt 5–3.

Quarter-finals

In the quarter-finals, O'Sullivan defeated Hicks 5–1 in a match in which Hicks made a few errors. After the match, O'Sullivan attributed his success to his mentor Reardon.[28] Maguire made three consecutive century breaks from 2–0 up to whitewash Hamilton 5–0, setting up a semi-final clash with O'Sullivan. Maguire won the first two frames on the black, the second after trailing 0–74 and requiring two snookers.[29] Maguire said that he played brilliant, like in practice,[28] and Hamilton said his opponent was a "proper talent".[29] Higgins defeated Hendry 5–2 in a low-quality match in which Higgins won the first three frames with a high break of 30. Hendry won the next two with breaks of 66 and 58, but Higgins closed the match with breaks of 85 and 79. Higgins said he was willing to risk a possible fine by attending to his wife if she gave birth.[30][31] Murphy beat fellow qualifier Hawkins 5–3 to reach his first ranking semi-final, with Higgins as the opponent.[29]

Semi-finals

In the semi-finals, now best-of-11, Higgins took 73 minutes to whitewash Murphy 6–0, scoring breaks of 58, 114, 57, 89, and completing the victory with a total clearance of 144, the highest break so far. The time of 73 minutes was only two minutes slower than the quickest best-of-11 match—the semi-finals of the 1993 International Open between Hendry and Dave Harold—and Higgins outscored Murphy 566–72.[32][33] In the first three frames, Murphy managed to score a total of 10 points. In the fourth, Murphy broke down on a break of 50 before Higgins fluked a yellow, enabling him to make a 57 break. He then fortuitously snooked Murphy on the pink, which Higgins potted to make it 4–0. An 89 break extended Higgins' lead, before he finished the match with a 144 break.[34] Higgins attributed his performance to a shortening of his cue.[32][33]

In the other semi-final, Maguire ended O'Sullivan's 14-match unbeaten run with a 6–1 victory to earn a place in the final against Higgins. Maguire made century breaks in the first two frames, becoming the first player to make five consecutive century breaks (including the three made in his previous match). Maguire won the third on the pink after O'Sullivan missed the yellow. O'Sullivan won the next with a break of 51, before Maguire made a break of 71 in each of the final two frames. After the match, O'Sullivan—who had won all three previous encounters against Maguire—said, "I’ve never seen anything like that on a snooker table before ... He's a great player, probably the best in the world at the moment",[32][33] and even before the match, O'Sullivan had described Maguire as "of the young ones, definitely the best".[8] The defeat meant that Reardon lost the £100 bet he placed at 150–1 that O'Sullivan would win all eight of the season's ranking events.[35]

Final

In the all-Scottish best-of-17 final, Higgins defeated Maguire 9–6 for a record-equalling fourth title. Of the victory, Higgins said it was the most important of his career. He had not won a ranking title since his 2001 victory at this event and had lost his previous six finals. It was his 25th major title and his 16th ranking title, and it earned him £30,000 in prize money.[18][36]

In the afternoon session, Maguire took the first frame, but Higgins won the next three, compiling a 100 break in the third. Breaks of 72, 55, and 76 allowed Maguire to regain the lead, before Higgins took the eighth after Maguire missed a straightforward red to leave it 4–4 at the end of the first session. In the evening session, Higgins took the ninth, before Maguire made two breaks over 50 in the 10th. Higgins then made two consecutive century breaks, including a 144 in the 11th, which equalled his own highest break. He continued his run with a break of 68 in the 13th, before Maguire pulled one back in the next. A 97 break gave Higgins the victory.[18][36][37]

All tournament, Higgins had been anticipating the birth of his child and on 24 November, Higgins became a father for the second time when his wife gave birth to a son, Oliver, shortly after his loss at the UK Championship.[38]

Main draw

[39]

  Last 48
Best of 9 frames		 Last 32
Best of 9 frames		 Last 16
Best of 9 frames		 Quarter-finals
Best of 9 frames		 Semi-finals
Best of 11 frames		 Final
Best of 17 frames
                                                         
28  England Robert Milkins 5     1  Scotland Stephen Hendry 5  
 England David Roe 3     28  England Robert Milkins 1  
  1  Scotland Stephen Hendry 5  
  19  England Ali Carter 4  
19  England Ali Carter 5 10  Scotland Alan McManus 2
 Belgium Bjorn Haneveer 0     19  England Ali Carter 5  
  1  Scotland Stephen Hendry 2  
  5  Scotland John Higgins 5  
21  England Barry Pinches 5     14  England David Gray 3  
 England Nigel Bond 2     21  England Barry Pinches 5  
  21  England Barry Pinches 3
  5  Scotland John Higgins 5  
27  Scotland Drew Henry 5 5  Scotland John Higgins 5
 England Mark Davis 4     27  Scotland Drew Henry 1  
  5  Scotland John Higgins 6  
   England Shaun Murphy 0  
20  England Joe Perry 4     8  England Peter Ebdon 3  
 England Barry Hawkins 5      England Barry Hawkins 5  
   England Barry Hawkins 5
   England Stuart Bingham 4  
26  Northern Ireland Gerard Greene 1 13  England Steve Davis 4
 England Stuart Bingham 5      England Stuart Bingham 5  
   England Barry Hawkins 3
   England Shaun Murphy 5  
29  England Michael Holt 5     15  Scotland Graeme Dott 1  
 England Dave Harold 2     29  England Michael Holt 5  
  29  England Michael Holt 3
   England Shaun Murphy 5  
17  England Ian McCulloch 2 4  England Paul Hunter 3
 England Shaun Murphy 5      England Shaun Murphy 5  
5  Scotland John Higgins 9
24  Scotland Stephen Maguire 6
30  Northern Ireland Joe Swail 4     3  Wales Mark Williams 5  
 England Joe Jogia 5      England Joe Jogia 1  
  3  Wales Mark Williams 3  
  25  England Anthony Hamilton 5  
25  England Anthony Hamilton 5 12  Scotland Chris Small 2
 England Mike Dunn 1     25  England Anthony Hamilton 5  
  25  England Anthony Hamilton 0  
  24  Scotland Stephen Maguire 5  
22  Malta Tony Drago 0     11  England Jimmy White 1  
 China Ding Junhui 5      China Ding Junhui 5  
   China Ding Junhui 2
  24  Scotland Stephen Maguire 5  
24  Scotland Stephen Maguire 5 6  Wales Matthew Stevens 0
 Australia Neil Robertson 3     24  Scotland Stephen Maguire 5  
  24  Scotland Stephen Maguire 6
  2  England Ronnie O'Sullivan 1  
18  Australia Quinten Hann 5     7  Republic of Ireland Ken Doherty 5  
 Wales Ryan Day 3     18  Australia Quinten Hann 1  
  7  Republic of Ireland Ken Doherty 4
   England Andy Hicks 5  
32  Wales Dominic Dale 0 16  Hong Kong Marco Fu 2
 England Andy Hicks 5      England Andy Hicks 5  
   England Andy Hicks 1
  2  England Ronnie O'Sullivan 5  
23  England Mark King 5     9  England Stephen Lee 5  
 England Mark Selby 2     23  England Mark King 4  
  9  England Stephen Lee 0
  2  England Ronnie O'Sullivan 5  
31  England John Parrott 5 2  England Ronnie O'Sullivan 5
 Scotland Jamie Burnett 3     31  England John Parrott 2  

Final

Final: Best of 17 frames.
The Brighton Centre, Brighton, England. 14 November 2004.[39]
John Higgins (5)
 Scotland 		9–6 Stephen Maguire (24)
 Scotland
Afternoon: 39–81 (77), 61–26, 100–29 (100), 79–1, 0–72 (72), 17–95 (55), 20–91 (76), 72–19 (53)
Evening: 64–10, 13–110 (56, 54), 144–0 (144), 107–0 (107), 74–50 (68), 1–93 (50), 104–0 (97)
144 Highest break 77
3 Century breaks 0
6 50+ breaks 7

Qualifying

Qualifying for the tournament took place between 2 and 4 November 2004 at Pontins in Prestatyn, Wales.[39]

  Round 1
Best of 9 frames		   Round 2
Best of 9 frames		   Round 3
Best of 9 frames
 England Andrew Norman 4    England David Roe 5    Republic of Ireland Michael Judge 3
 Scotland Hugh Abernethy 5    Scotland Hugh Abernethy 3    England David Roe 5
 Wales Darren Morgan 4    Belgium Bjorn Haneveer 5    Northern Ireland Patrick Wallace 4
 England Adam Davies 5    England Adam Davies 1    Belgium Bjorn Haneveer 5
 England Rory McLeod w/o    England Sean Storey 5    England Nigel Bond 5
 England Mark Gray w/d    England Rory McLeod 3    England Sean Storey 1
 England Alfie Burden w/o    Scotland Marcus Campbell 5    England Mark Davis 5
 England Steve James w/d    England Alfie Burden 3    Scotland Marcus Campbell 1
 England Tom Ford 5    England Jonathan Birch 0    England Barry Hawkins 5
 Republic of Ireland Sean O'Neill 4    England Tom Ford 5    England Tom Ford 0
 Wales Paul Davies 5    Wales Anthony Davies 3    England Stuart Bingham 5
 England Mike Hallett 3    Wales Paul Davies 5    Wales Paul Davies 4
 Pakistan Shokat Ali 5    England Rod Lawler 5    England Dave Harold 5
 England Gary Wilson 2    Pakistan Shokat Ali 1    England Rod Lawler 1
 England Ricky Walden 4    England Adrian Gunnell 5    England Shaun Murphy 5
 England Paul Davison 5    England Paul Davison 3    England Adrian Gunnell 0
 England Craig Butler 2    Wales Lee Walker 0    England Stuart Pettman 3
 England Joe Jogia 5    England Joe Jogia 5    England Joe Jogia 5
 England Paul Wykes 4    England Mike Dunn 5    Republic of Ireland Fergal O'Brien 2
 England Ben Woollaston 5    England Ben Woollaston 2    England Mike Dunn 5
 China Ding Junhui 5    England Jimmy Michie 2    Finland Robin Hull 2
 China Jin Long 3    China Ding Junhui 5    China Ding Junhui 5
 Republic of Ireland Leo Fernandez 2    Australia Neil Robertson 5    England Brian Morgan 2
 Republic of Ireland David McDonnell 5    Republic of Ireland David McDonnell 2    Australia Neil Robertson 5
 Netherlands Stefan Mazrocis 4    England Nick Walker 5    Wales Ryan Day 5
 China Liu Song 5    China Liu Song 3    England Nick Walker 1
 England Simon Bedford 5    England Andy Hicks 5    Thailand James Wattana 3
 England David Hall 0    England Simon Bedford 1    England Andy Hicks 5
 Republic of Ireland Joe Delaney 5    England Gary Wilkinson 3    England Mark Selby 5
 England Brian Salmon 3    Republic of Ireland Joe Delaney 5    Republic of Ireland Joe Delaney 2
 Scotland Scott MacKenzie 5    Scotland Jamie Burnett 5    England Nick Dyson 4
 Republic of Ireland Rodney Goggins 3    Scotland Scott MacKenzie 4    Scotland Jamie Burnett 5

Century breaks

[39]

Qualifying stage centuries

Televised stage centuries

References

  1. 1 2 "British Open 2004". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  2. ↑ "totesport Grand Prix 2004". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  3. ↑ "O'Sullivan nets Preston win". BBC Sport. 10 October 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  4. ↑ "Travis Perkins UK Championship 2004". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  5. ↑ "British Open results". BBC Sport. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Yates, Phil (8 November 2004). "Hendry rages against fading skills". The Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  7. ↑ "Snooker: Hendry breezes through". The Journal (via www.icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk). 11 November 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  8. 1 2 Everton, Clive (14 November 2004). "Snooker: O'Sullivan tips Maguire". The Independent. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  9. 1 2 "O'Sullivan expecting tough test". BBC Sport. 7 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  10. ↑ Whebell, Charles (8 November 2004). "Ding looks for gong". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  11. 1 2 Yates, Phil (9 November 2004). "Ding looks good bet to build on exceptional promise". The Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  12. ↑ "Ding drubs Drago". RTÉ Sport. 8 November 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  13. ↑ "Parrott moves into second round". BBC Sport. 8 November 2004. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  14. 1 2 Yates, Phil (10 November 2004). "Beaten White praises deadly Ding". The Times. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  15. 1 2 3 "Ding overpowers White in Brighton". BBC Sport. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  16. 1 2 "Doherty hammers Hann". RTÉ Sport. 9 November 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  17. ↑ Yates, Phil (10 November 2004). "SNOOKER: Hann loses head against O'Doherty". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  18. 1 2 3 Yates, Phil (15 November 2004). "Higgins digs deep and returns to winning ways". The Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  19. ↑ "Distracted Higgins earns easy win". BBC Sport. 10 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  20. ↑ "Hendry eases past Milkins test". BBC Sport. 10 November 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  21. 1 2 "Murphy traps Hunter in Brighton". BBC Sport. 10 November 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  22. ↑ Kidd, Patrick (15 April 2006). "Snooker: Murphy seeks win and a prayer after taking cue from his faith". The Times. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  23. ↑ Whebell, Charles (11 November 2004). "Williams relieved to end his dry run". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  24. 1 2 Yates, Phil (12 November 2004). "O'Sullivan upbeat after brushing aside Lee". The Times. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  25. ↑ "O'Sullivan books last eight spot". BBC Sport. 11 November 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  26. ↑ "Hendry sets up all-Scottish clash". BBC Sport. 11 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  27. ↑ "More top sports news". The Sun. 12 November 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  28. 1 2 "O'Sullivan breezes into last four". BBC Sport. 12 November 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  29. 1 2 3 Yates, Phil (13 November 2004). "Maguire in top form for O'Sullivan clash". The Times. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  30. ↑ "Higgins wins battle of the Scots". BBC Sport. 12 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  31. ↑ "Higgins stumbles to victory over Hendry". RTÉ Sport. 13 November 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  32. 1 2 3 "O'Sullivan crashes out to Maguire". BBC Sport. 13 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  33. 1 2 3 Yates, Phil (14 November 2004). "Sports Round-up: Awesome Maguire ends O'Sullivan's unbeaten run". The Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  34. ↑ "Higgins hits top form". RTÉ Sport. 13 November 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  35. ↑ "Rocket hails 'best in the world' Maguire". RTÉ Sport. 14 November 2004. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
  36. 1 2 "Higgins takes British Open title". BBC Sport. 14 November 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  37. ↑ Whebell, Charles (15 November 2004). "'Most important win' for Higgins". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
  38. ↑ "Dott fights back but runs out of steam against in-form Gray". The Herald (via ProQuest Archiver). 25 November 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2010. (subscription required)
  39. 1 2 3 4 "2004 British Open". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 March 2006.

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