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Snooker's Got Talent

As Simon Cowell begins his latest star search in the new series of Britain's Got Talent, Snooker's biggest talent show breaks off at the Crucible tomorrow morning.

It is almost twelve months ago that Higgins became King John III, with a comfortable final victory against Shaun Murphy.

So what will happen in 2010?  Can John extend his lead atop the rankings and win number four, or will his old adversary Ronnie O’Sullivan go 4-3 up in Crucible wins?

There are 32 players in the line up, and not just two, so if not Ronnie or John, who will be smiling come Bank Holiday Monday?

It is crunch time in Sheffield, so we asked some top pundits to nail their colours to the Crucible mast.

After all the deliberating, cogitating and lyrical waxing, what we want to know is who is actually going to win the games biggest prize?  And it looks as open as it has done for a long time!

Statistics will give you a rough guide, though an estimated 71% of those are made up on the spot. Having a hunch and going with it is another tried and tested method, or there is always the close your eyes and point option.

So how do you pick a winner? Well, you can start by reading the views of some of the game's top writers and broadcasters.

If you ask the ‘experts’, then it does appear to be more than the two-horse race that it has been over recent years.

We asked a variety of non-competing players, journalists and officials who know the game inside out, and came up with eight potential champions.

Ronnie O'Sullivan
The Rocket leads the way with almost a third majority, and few would disagree that if he turns up with boosters on, number four will be his.  However, his tendency, for whatever reason to not fire on all cylinders and a tough draw provides a good case for looking at the rest of the field.

John Higgins
Higgins has had another good year.  He won in Wales, reached the final of the UK and semi-final in Shanghai and Scotland.  He looked well beaten in China earlier this month which may affect his confidence coming into Sheffield, although his draw could have been tougher.  It is worth noting that no player has successfully defended the title since Stephen Hendry in 1996.

Ding Junhui
Ding is the man that most people seem to be talking about.  Can he become the first player from outside Great Britain and Ireland to win the big one since Cliff Thorburn beat Alex Higgins in 1980?  The most impressive player coming into Sheffield, on paper he should have little problem against Stuart Pettman but Murphy in round two could be a classic.

Mark Selby
Three Wembley Masters finals in a row, proves the Leicester man has what it takes when it comes to the big stage.  He has a tough first match against a rejuvenated 1997 champion, Ken Doherty but if he passes that test then he could go all the way.

Neil Robertson
The Australian will be looking forward to getting back to the Crucible after narrowly missing out on a place in the 2009 final.  He lost then to Shaun Murphy but has since won his fourth ranking tournament at the Grand Prix in October.  He is in the so-called easier half of the draw, and like Ding will also be looking to end Thorburn’s 30-year-old claim to being the only international name on the famous trophy.

Shaun Murphy
Murphy is winless in 2009/10 season, a situation that he will not be happy with.  First round defeats in Glasgow, Newport and Beijing has seen him slip to number eight in the provisional world rankings but a good run here can turn a mediocre season into a good one and a win into a great season.  He plays left-hander, Gerard Greene in one of the last first round matches, so will have plenty of time to settle into the tournament.

Mark Allen
Northern Ireland’s number one gets a mention from our experts, and why shouldn’t he?  In 2009 he beat O’Sullivan and went on to reach the last four, with only a flawless session early on from Higgins preventing him going further.  He has added an element of consistency to his game this season and showed good form in China, reaching the last four before losing to Ding.

Mark Williams
The new China Open champion has been showing signs of a return to the good old days when he would be fancied to win any title.  His win in China proves that he still has what it takes.  Nobody has ever followed a win in China with a successful Crucible campaign, but Williams will not take any notice of stats like that.  On paper, he is in the toughest part of the draw although in reality draws have a funny habit of doing the unexpected.  Assuming that the Welshman gets past Marcus Campbell, whose career highlight was beating Hendry 9-0 in the 1998 UK, he will face O’Sullivan or Wenbo.

How the voting went...