Bingham on for hat-trick
There aren’t many players who can say they have beaten the three most successful players of the modern era on the biggest stage in the game.
Stuart Bingham, the world number 21, will be able to do just that if he gets the better of defending champion and world number one, Ronnie O’Sullivan in their first round match on Saturday.
Bingham is no stranger to big first round matches at the Crucible. In 2000 he beat seven-time champion, Stephen Hendry in the opening round and last year beat six time champion, Steve Davis at the same stage.
It would be an impressive collection of first-round victims if Bingham was to upset the form book and get to ten frames before O’Sullivan come Saturday night.
Global-snooker.com caught up for a chat with him as he prepared to open the 2009 Betfred World Championship in Sheffield.
“Lots of people have asked how I am going to play it, whether I am going to slow it down like Peter Ebdon did a few years ago. That isn’t me though. I don’t see why I would need to play against my strengths. I like to attack and feel confident that if I play my game I can compete with Ronnie”, he said.
Bingham and O’Sullivan are Essex neighbours and regularly practise together during the professional season, although in the Crucible build up that hasn’t been the case. “The last time we played was the week the draw was done. But he has been to China and we have both been fairly busy, so it’s not a case of either us avoiding playing. Well not me anyway”.
Bingham’s last competitive matches were in the Championship League winner’s group. He looked in good form and looked certain to beat eventual winner Judd Trump. “He had a bit of run and played really well after that”.
Golf-mad Stuart will again introduce a touch of ‘Tiger’ when he wears a red shirt for the final session of his matches, a tradition made famous by a certain Mr Woods.
Happy that his preparations are done, Bingham will make a stop-off at the Premier League Darts in Nottingham on Thursday. He said, “I am good friends with Rod Harrington, who invited me to g along, so I thought it might help me relax and take my mind off Saturday”.
For obvious reasons, O’Sullivan is the favourite to win this one. But ask anyone who knows anything about the game and they will tell you that Bingham is no push over. He has the game to score as well as anyone and seems comfortable in the Crucible arena. O’Sullivan will know that and we think it will be a cracker.
The match starts on BBC Sport and Eurosport on Saturday at 10.00am – and Global-snooker.com will have live scores and reports from the Crucible.
