Cueing up for the snooker world championship- Peter Ebdon
Bettor.com profiles the main players and outsiders for this year’s world championship
Peter Ebdon is a former winner of the world championship, triumphing in 2002, in a dramatic match against Stephen Hendry, 18-17. His win at The Crucible was long overdue for someone who has more hunger and determination than anyone else on the circuit. The good thing about Ebdon is that you know he will always give a hundred per cent, even when in losing positions.
Ebdon almost made it two Crucible crowns in 2006 when he lost a marathon of a match to Graeme Dott 18-14, and he also lost in the 1996 final, 18-12, to seven-time champion Hendry. Ebdon won the China Open last season, but other than that, this season has been a huge disappointment. He has suffered from early defeats, and has subsequently slipped down the rankings.
Sheffield will be a place where he will be looking to bounce back, and being a former winner, he, like Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, has the big match experience to close out a victory. Ebdon is the kind of player who will not give up without a fight. He grinds out the victories. However, it has been a known criticism for Ebdon to deliberately slow an opponent down. When on form, he can play exceptional snooker, and actually plays his best when his average shot-time quickens up. He is a very stubborn opponent and will not let go of anything.
The Crucible always tests the mind and mental strength of a player. The 17 long days are accompanied by matches that reach the best-of-35 frames. Of all the players on the circuit though, Ebdon is mentally one of the strongest, so the extremely long frames won’t faze him at all. As well as the world championship, Ebdon also won the UK Championship in 2006, beating Hendry again, by 10 frames to six. By winning the UK Championship, Ebdon is only the 10th player in history to win both the World and UK championships.
The 39-year-old has eight ranking victories to his name, but the world and UK crowns are clearly more important. Ebdon is an outsider for this tournament, but he prepares for Sheffield better than most, and has the ability to mount a challenge to the top guns.
He might be a huge outsider but Ebdon knows how to win at The Crucible, and he still has the appetite for success.
Tags: