The World Snooker Championship may be nearly seven weeks away, but at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, there are nearly 100 players competing for 16 elusive Crucible spots, with qualifying already under way.
This year saw the 'Silver Fox' David Taylor make a bid to reach the home of snooker for the first time in 23 years, while Barry West last played at the Crucible in 1988 and Les Dodd back in 1994. Sadly, despite first match wins for Dodd and West, none of the three veterans will be in attendance after failing to make it through to the first qualifying round from their preliminaries.
All the first qualifying round matches have been played, while a few second round ties are complete and those safely through to the third qualifying round include three-time ranking tournament winner James Wattana, Matt Selt (who has one of the best records in qualifying this season), Belgian Bjorn Haneveer, Thailand's Noppadol Sangnil, Sam Baird and Joe Jogia.
Tuesday could see Tony Drago emerge triumphant, as well as the likes of Simon Bedford, Patrick Wallace and David Gray. But I'm turning my attentions to Tuesday with the third round of matches.
Leicester's JOE JOGIA should be backed at 7-10 with Sportingbet to overcome Welshman Paul Davies when they break off at 10am in the morning.
Jogia, who reclaimed his place on the Tour for this season after a couple of years away, has been playing well in qualifying recently – ever since losing 9-0 to Bedford the UK Championship qualifiers – and after a decent 10-8 win over Spick, he should get the better of Davies who has had an awful run this campaign, winning just one qualifying match.
Davies has dropped to 70 on the provisional world rankings list after starting at 54, while Jogia is up to 66 and such is Davies' dismal form, Jogia looks a cert.
In what has been a very impressive season in qualifying, MATT SELT has jumped 19 places up to 48th and he has one of the best wins to matches ratio of all 96 players on the Tour, albeit most of them victories coming in qualifying. He had to dig deep against Thepchaiya Un Nooh earlier in the week, fighting back from 6-3 down to win 10-8 and while he now has a tough opponent in Barry Pinches, it is a game he is capable of winning.
Romford cueman Selt is even money with Skybet and that looks a price worth getting stuck into given how well he plays in qualifying.
Peter Lines reached the quarter-final of the UK Championship, but he has gone off the boil since and in-form JAMES WATTANA can pounce at 11-10 with Skybet and Sportingbet.
Thailand ace Wattana recently won four qualifying matches to reach the first round proper of the China Open, dropping just four frames in seeing off Simon Bedford, Joe Delaney, Martin Gould and Joe Swail, and in that kind of form he looks a cracking bet at odds against.
In the other matches, I expect Dave Gilbert to defeat Bjorn Haneveer at 8-11, while Sam Baird can edge past Delaney at 5-6, while I won't be having Rod Lawler at 1-4 against Noppadol Sangnil although he should win.
