Stevens and Williams look to bounce back

Struggling fellow countrymen Matthew Stevens and Mark Williams go into this week’s Welsh Open at the Newport Centre increasingly desperate to re-discover winning ways.

But the out-of-form local heroes must both bring about a radical transformation in recent fortunes to stand any chance of recapturing former glories in their own backyard.

The fourth of this season’s six world ranking tournaments is of acute importance to Stevens, who has slumped to 20th on the provisional world list having failed to survive his opening contest in the Grand Prix, UK Championship and Malta Cup so far during the 2005/2006 campaign.

In fact, Stevens has not won a match in a ranking event since he reached the World Championship final at the Crucible almost 10 months ago. Last season he crashed at the initial hurdle in five of eight ranking competitions.

“All you can do is work hard in practice and hope you can produce your best form on the match table,” said the 28 year-old from Carmarthen, who finds himself in real danger of being relegated from the top 16 after a seven-year membership of the sport’s elite.

“I really need a few positive results down here to get me going. I always enjoy playing in Wales and it’s a great opportunity for family and friends to come and see you in action. Obviously I get more support than any other place.”

However, Stevens has rarely responded to that backing with only one quarter-final six years ago to show for twelve mostly disappointing appearances in his home tournament.

Stevens, a former Masters and UK champion who won the invitation only Northern Ireland Masters last August, awaits David Gray or Mark Davis in round two.

Williams has fared considerably better in the Welsh Open than Stevens. His triumph at Newport in 1996 was the first of his 15 world ranking titles and, in a classic final, he edged Stephen Hendry 9-8 to reclaim the trophy at Cardiff in 1999.

For the past three years, though, Williams has been in a tailspin, plummeting from first to 13th in the rankings and, like Stevens, his top-16 status is under threat.

The bookmakers offer Stevens at 20/1 to collect the £35,000 first prize, Williams is 16/1 while the favourite – history seeking Ronnie O’Sullivan – is 2/1.

Defending champion O’Sullivan is attempting to join Ray Reardon, Steve Davis and Hendry as only the fourth player to win the sme world-ranking event for three consecutive years.

O’Sullivan also needs an extended run in Newport to keep alive the possibility of retaining his world number one position at the end of the season.

He is currently trailing Hendry and John Higgins in the provisional rankings having missed the Malta Cup earlier this month to attend a lucrative 8-Ball Pool event in Orlando, Florida that in the end was postponed.

O’Sullivan, who beat Davis 9-8 in the 2004 Welsh Open final and Hendry by the same score last year, launches his bid for a hat-trick gainst Dave Harold or Ian McCulloch.

Hendry, already a three-time Welsh Open champion, starts out against David Roe or Barry Hawkins, while John Higgins, the undisputed player of the season so far with the the Masters and Grand Prix trophies in his possession, faces Barry Pinches or Scott Mackenzie.

Ken Doherty, who brought the curtain down on five years without a ranking title by beating Higgins 9-8 in the climax of the Malta Cup, takes on Michael Holt or Dominic Dale, a surprise semi-finalist on the Mediterranean island.

Stoke’s Jamie Cope receives a bye into the second round following last week’s WPBSA disciplinary hearing that suspended Quinten Hann from all pro-events for eight years.

The controversial Australian was found guilty of intention to match fix.