2008 Northern Ireland Trophy

Northern Ireland Trophy

Tournament information
Dates	24–31 August 2008
Venue	Waterfront Hall
City	Belfast
Country	Northern Ireland
Organisation(s)	WPBSA
Format	Ranking event
Total prize fund	£200,500
Winner's share	£30,000
Highest break	145
Final
Champion	Ronnie O'Sullivan
Runner-up	Dave Harold
Score	9–3
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The 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 24 and 31 August 2008 in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.

Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed his 21st ranking tournament by taking the title, beating surprise finalist Dave Harold 9–3 in the final.^[1]

Prize fund

^[2]

Winner: £30,000 Runner-up: £15,000 Semi-final: £7,500 Quarter-final: £5,600 Last 16: £4,000 Last 32: £2,500 Last 48: £1,625 Last 64: £1,100

Stage 1 High Break: £500 Stage 2 High Break: £2,000 Stage 1 Maximum Break: £1,000 Stage 2 Maximum Break: £20,000 Total: £200,500

Facts and figures

• Notable comebacks in the qualifiers included: Li Hang coming from 0–4 down to beat Irish prodigy David Morris 5–4, and both Jimmy White and Ian Preece came from 2–4 behind to win their matches 5–4, against Jamie Jones and Paul Davies respectively.
• In qualifying for the final stages, Jimmy White qualified for the final stages of an event for the first time in over a year, stretching back to the 2007 China Open.
• Long standing top-16 players, Mark Williams, Ken Doherty and Stephen Lee were playing in the qualifiers for the first time in over a decade.
• Last year's runner-up, Fergal O'Brien fell at the first hurdle, losing 3–5 to Michael Holt.
• In his match against Mark Selby, Andrew Higginson was playing in front of the TV cameras for the first time since his run to the final of the 2007 Welsh Open.
• Dominic Dale came from 1–4 down against Mark Allen to level at 4–4, before Allen played superbly to take the decider.
• In beating Ding Junhui 5–4, Mark Davis secured one of the best wins of his career.
• Ronnie O'Sullivan won three quick consecutive frames to oust former world champion Ken Doherty 5–4 in the last 32.
• Stephen Maguire won the last three frames to beat Alan McManus 5–4, a player who hadn't reached the last 16 of an event the previous season.
• Dave Harold beat Stephen Lee 5–4, a player who had been considered one of the tournaments in-form players, having knocked in three centuries, including a high break of 145.
• Harold increased his head-to-head record to 3–0 over Stephen Maguire by beating him 5–2 in the quarter-finals, afterwards Maguire stated that he never seems to perform against Harold.
• Barry Hawkins produced a brave fightback to recover from 1–4 to level at 4–4 against Ronnie O'Sullivan in their quarter-final match, before the world champion took the decider.
• Dave Harold led John Higgins 5–1, but won only 6–4, to reach his first ranking final since 1994, the gap between those two ranking finals is the longest in snooker history.

Main draw

	Round 1 Best of 9 frames					Round 2 Best of 9 frames					Round 3 Best of 9 frames					Quarter-finals Best of 9 frames					Semi-finals Best of 11 frames					Final Best of 17 frames
	24	Fergal O'Brien	3			1	Stephen Maguire	5
		Michael Holt	5				Michael Holt	1
											1	Stephen Maguire	5
												Alan McManus	4
	17	Matthew Stevens	2	15	Mark King	3
		Alan McManus	5				Alan McManus	5
																1	Stephen Maguire	2
															28	Dave Harold	5
	28	Dave Harold	5			13	Graeme Dott	3
		Ricky Walden	2			28	Dave Harold	5
											28	Dave Harold	5
											27	Stephen Lee	4
	27	Stephen Lee	5	6	Stephen Hendry	1
		Judd Trump	3			27	Stephen Lee	5
																					28	Dave Harold	6
																					5	John Higgins	4
	30	Michael Judge	4			5	John Higgins	5
		David Gilbert	5				David Gilbert	2
											5	John Higgins	5
												Liang Wenbo	1
	29	Steve Davis	3	9	Peter Ebdon	0
		Liang Wenbo	5				Liang Wenbo	5
																5	John Higgins	5
															25	Ian McCulloch	3
	25	Ian McCulloch	5			10	Neil Robertson	2
		Mike Dunn	4			25	Ian McCulloch	5
											25	Ian McCulloch	5
											4	Mark Selby	4
	31	Anthony Hamilton	3	4	Mark Selby	5
		Andrew Higginson	5				Andrew Higginson	1
																										28	Dave Harold	3
																										2	Ronnie O'Sullivan	9
	22	Mark Williams	5			3	Shaun Murphy	2
		Marcus Campbell	3			22	Mark Williams	5
											22	Mark Williams	3
											16	Mark Allen	5
	32	Dominic Dale	5	16	Mark Allen	5
		Adrian Gunnell	4			32	Dominic Dale	4
																16	Mark Allen	2
															7	Ali Carter	5
	20	Joe Swail	4			11	Ding Junhui	4
		Mark Davis	5				Mark Davis	5
												Mark Davis	2
											7	Ali Carter	5
	21	Stuart Bingham	4	7	Ali Carter	5
		Rory McLeod	5				Rory McLeod	1
																					7	Ali Carter	5
																					2	Ronnie O'Sullivan	6
	23	Nigel Bond	1			8	Ryan Day	5
		Stuart Pettman	5				Stuart Pettman	4
											8	Ryan Day	3
											26	Barry Hawkins	5
	26	Barry Hawkins	5	14	Marco Fu	2
		Jimmy White	3			26	Barry Hawkins	5
																26	Barry Hawkins	4
															2	Ronnie O'Sullivan	5
	19	Jamie Cope	5			12	Joe Perry	5
		David Gray	4			19	Jamie Cope	2
											12	Joe Perry	3
											2	Ronnie O'Sullivan	5
	18	Ken Doherty	5	1	Ronnie O'Sullivan	5
		Gerard Greene	2			18	Ken Doherty	4

^[3]

Final

Final: Best of 17 frames Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 31, 2008.[3]
Dave Harold  England	3 – 9	Ronnie O'Sullivan  England
Afternoon 63–14 44–68 (68) 17–127 (103) 0–84 (84) 44–87 13–84 60–76 (76) Evening 76–41 19–73 (64) 54–61 88–0 (81) 22–80 (50)
81	Highest break	103
0	Century breaks	1
1	50+ breaks	6

Qualifying Rounds

Qualifying for the tournament took place in Pontin's Prestatyn, Wales between 15 August and 17 August 2008.^[4]

	Round 1 Best of 9 frames			Round 2 Best of 9 frames			Round 3 Best of 9 frames
	Rodney Goggins	5		Rod Lawler	5		Michael Holt	5
	Declan Hughes	2		Rodney Goggins	0		Rod Lawler	2
	Paul Davison	0		Andy Hicks	5		Alan McManus	5
	Andrew Pagett	5		Andrew Pagett	4		Andy Hicks	2
	Daniel Wells	5		Barry Pinches	5		Ricky Walden	5
	Jin Long	3		Daniel Wells	1		Barry Pinches	3
	Patrick Wallace	5		Mark Joyce	5		Judd Trump	5
	BYE	0		Patrick Wallace	0		Mark Joyce	0
	Supoj Saenla	2		Robert Milkins	3		David Gilbert	5
	Liu Chuang	5		Liu Chuang	5		Liu Chuang	3
	Peter Lines	5		David Roe	5		Liang Wenbo	5
	Andy Lee	0		Peter Lines	2		David Roe	0
	Matthew Couch	5		Andrew Norman	5		Mike Dunn	5
	Vincent Muldoon	3		Matthew Couch	3		Andrew Norman	1
	Robert Stephen	1		David Morris	4		A. Higginson	5
	Li Hang	5		Li Hang	5		Li Hang	2
	Lee Spick	5		Joe Delaney	5		Marcus Campbell	5
	Aditya Mehta	2		Lee Spick	0		Joe Delaney	1
	Jamie Jones	5		Ian Preece	5		Adrian Gunnell	5
	Stephen Craigie	2		Jamie Jones	4		Ian Preece	2
	Kuldesh Johal	5		Mark Davis	5		Jamie Burnett	2
	Michael Georgiou	3		Kuldesh Johal	1		Mark Davis	5
	Matthew Selt	5		Liu Song	5		Rory McLeod	5
	Chris McBreen	1		Matthew Selt	1		Liu Song	2
	James McBain	5		Stuart Pettman	5		John Parrott	4
	Stefan Mazrocis	1		James McBain	3		Stuart Pettman	5
	Jimmy White	5		Paul Davies	4		Tom Ford	2
	Atthasit Mahitthi	4		Jimmy White	5		Jimmy White	5
	Simon Bedford	5		David Gray	5		Jimmy Michie	3
	David Grace	1		Simon Bedford	4		David Gray	5
	Lewis Roberts	1		Martin Gould	5		Gerard Greene	5
	Wayne Cooper	5		Wayne Cooper	3		Martin Gould	3

Century Breaks

Qualifying Stages Centuries [4] 130, 114 James McBain 128, 114 Stuart Pettman 127 Andy Hicks 127 Liang Wenbo 126 Liu Song 125 Adrian Gunnell 121 Andy Lee 120 Jamie Burnett 119 Ricky Walden 111 Stephen Lee 109 Ian Preece 108 Mark Davis 101 Rodney Goggins 101 Robert Milkins

TV Stages Centuries [3] 145, 116, 111 Stephen Lee 139, 110 Ian McCulloch 134 Michael Judge 134 Ryan Day 134, 126, 115, 111 Barry Hawkins 132, 122, 110, 110, 108, 103 Ronnie O'Sullivan 127 Stephen Maguire 113 Anthony Hamilton 106 Mark Allen 106 Ali Carter 104 Liang Wenbo 103 John Higgins 103 Ricky Walden

References

1. ^ "Classy O'Sullivan wins NI Trophy". BBC Sport. 2008-08-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/7591068.stm. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
2. ^ "Northern Ireland Trophy 2008 – Prize Money". Global Snooker. http://www.global-snooker.com/northern-ireland-trophy-2008-prize-money.asp. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Northern Ireland Trophy 2008 – Results". Global Snooker. http://www.global-snooker.com/northern-ireland-trophy-2008-results.asp. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Northern Ireland Trophy 2008 – Qualifying Results". Global Snooker. http://www.global-snooker.com/northern-ireland-trophy-2008-qualifying-results.asp. Retrieved 14 March 2011.