Belfast caught in the crossfire of calendar dispute

29.10.2023 - 09:09 rte.ie

When the scoreboards at Belfast's Waterfront Hall stopped working on Sunday morning delaying the opening session of the Northern Ireland Open, it seemed fitting.The only World Snooker Tour (WST) tour event on the island of Ireland had been beset with withdrawals in the build-up.

Often a tournament might miss one big star, but when four players who won 16 of the World Championships played since 1998 did not make the trip to Belfast this week, it was clearly a significant blow to the event.The context is key here though.

China is a massive market for snooker and last month saw a return to events in the Far East for the first time since 2019 as the country opened up again after Covid.The Shanghai Masters was followed by two events in the UK, before the players returned to China to play at the Wuhan Open earlier this month.That is where the Northern Ireland Open came into the equation.It started with a planned exhibition event in China which was also due to take place this week.

The rumoured money on offer in Macau meant that some big names had decided to stay on there, rather than returning to play in Belfast.Disappointment for Irish snooker fans, but that wasn't the end of it.

Snooker Other sport Sport Northern Ireland Open dispute Calendar Neil Robertson Mark Selby Judd Trump John Higgins Luca Brecel Britain China Ireland Macau

Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden advanced to the semi-finals of the ATP Finals men's doubles event after defeating the pair of Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in straight sets in Turin, Italy on Friday. Bopanna-Ebden pair won 6-4, 7-6(5) over Koolhof (the Netherlands) and Skupski (Great Britain) in a Red Group qualification decider that lasted 84 minutes. The third-seeded Indo-Australian duo produced a strong performance on serve, winning 88 per cent (35/40) of points behind their first delivery to improve to 2-1 in Red Group play.

Faversham Town manager Sammy Moore wants his team to remain at the top of the Southern Counties East Premier Division

Faversham Town boss Sammy Moore is happy to be in the firing line.

"Stones Will Be Thrown At Him If...": Angelo Mathews' Brother Warns Shakib Al Hasan

A huge controversy erupted earlier this week when veteran Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews became the first player in the 146-year history of international cricket to be timed out during his side's Cricket World Cup match against Bangladesh. Mathews had exceeded the two-minute time limit to take strike after he noticed that his helmet strap had come off. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan made the appeal that Mathews exceeded time limit to take strike, and as a result, the result went against the former Sri Lanka skipper.

"Absolutely Pathetic": Gautam Gambhir, Dale Steyn Slam Bangladesh As Angelo Mathews Is Timed Out

The 'Spirit of Cricket' question came into the picture once again as rare incident happened at the Cricket World Cup. In a match in Delhi, Sri Lanka star Angelo Mathews became the first player in international cricket to be timed out. In the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup match, Angelo Mathews was left stunned as rival skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed for 'timed out'. It all started when Angelo Mathews came in to bat in the 25th over, being bowled by Shakib Al Hasan. The former Sri Lanka captain soon realised that the strap of his helmet was not alright.

Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup 2023: Preview, Prediction, Pitch And Weather Reports

Bangladesh will be up against Sri Lanka in Match 38 of ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on November 6 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, India. The match commences at 2:00 PM IST. Bangladesh are already out of the tournament having lost six of their seven matches, alongside defending champions England. Sri Lanka could join them on the exit route if they lose this contest. However, even if they emerge victorious, their chances of making it to the semi-finals are very slim. (World Cup 2023 points table)