Dott slams Grand Prix format

World champion Graeme Dott could not hide his frustration after failing to qualify for the last 16 of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix.

Dott was beaten 3-1 by Bristol qualifier Andrew Norman in his final group match at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.

And following his third defeat Dott slammed the tournament format which features best-of-five frame matches.

“They (World Snooker) can butter it up as much as they want, but I just don’t agree with it,” Dott said.

“I’ve never liked it from the minute it was decided. The whole format has to be looked at.

“My group proved that. I knew I couldn’t go through in my group even if I won, so it was bizarre out there.

“As soon as Andrew won two frames I didn’t want to win. I’d have felt worse if I’d have won. It’s not right.

“Why don’t we just toss a coin for ranking points? It’s so stupid.”

Dott never got going against Norman who, with his fourth group win from five, is safely through to the next stage.

“It was a tough group but I knew that if I played well I could get through,” said Norman.

“To beat Graeme Dott, Stephen Maguire and Ding Junhui is superb. The pressure is off me now so I can go out and attack in the next round.“

Stoke qualifier Jamie Cope also booked his place in the last 16 with a 3-2 win over Derby’s David Roe.

Cope, who made a maximum 147 clearance on Monday, pocketed breaks of 71, 67 and 74 to edge Nottingham’s Michael Holt for a place in the next round. He now plays Gloucester’s Robert Milkins.

Last season’s Masters semi-finalist Alan McManus got revenge on fellow Scot John Higgins for his 6-2 defeat at the Wembley Conference Centre in January.

McManus triumphed 3-1 to leapfrog the defending Grand Prix champion in their group, but both players safely qualified for the next stage.

Higgins had a chance for a maximum but broke down on 120 by missing a long pot on the yellow, but with breaks of 47 and 77 McManus edged victory.

Leicester’s Mark Selby is also through to the next stage after a 3-0 win over Welshman Matthew Stevens, the former World Championship runner-up.

Former world champion Shaun Murphy kept his faint hopes of qualifying alive with a gutsy comeback against Welsh qualifier Jamie Jones.

Trailing 2-0 and needing a snooker, Murphy reeled off three frames on the spin for a 3-2 win.

Earlier in the day, seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry crashed out of the event after his third successive defeat.

Hendry was beaten 3-2 by Dubliner Fergal O’Brien and said: “That is probably the best I’ve played all week and I’ve lost.

“The damage was done in my first three matches. I was rubbish in all three of them, so you get what you deserve.”

Hendry described the tables in Aberdeen as the ‘worst I’ve ever played on’ following his opening defeat but added: “I would have had a moan at the tables if I had have won or lost the other day.

“It’s totally down to me. There’s nothing wrong with the format, I think it’s good for the game.

“Perhaps the only thing we could maybe do is play the whole thing in less time than we have done. I think it all could be done in a couple of days.

“But I like the format. It’s exciting for snooker.”