PartyPoker.com Premier League
Tournament information
Dates18 August – 27 November 2011 (2011-08-18 – 2011-11-27)
CountryUnited Kingdom
OrganisationMatchroom Sport
FormatNon-ranking event
Total prize fund£210,000
Winner's share£60,000
Highest break140
Final
ChampionEngland Ronnie O'Sullivan
Runner-upChina Ding Junhui
Score7–1
← 2010
2012 →

The 2011 PartyPoker.com Premier League was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament. It was played under a variation of the standard rules of snooker. It was played from 18 August to 27 November 2011.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, and he won his 10th Premier League Snooker title by defeating Ding Junhui 7–1.

Format

All evenings in the league stage featured three matches: two semi-finals and a final. All matches were best of 5 frames, with no dead frames played, points were awarded for every frame won. Meaning that the maximum number of points a player could obtain was 24 and the minimum was 0. All frames were subjected to a 20-second shot clock and there were two 20 second extensions available for each player in every frame. The miss rule was also changed; meaning that a player had three attempts to make legal contact with the ball on or otherwise ball in hand was given to the incoming player anywhere on the table. The final frame of any match was played under shoot-out rules. Each player appeared on 4 nights and were seeded to determine who they face. This was the first and only time in the events history there would be a clear winner in each match of the league phase. Unlike other years of the league phase when matches were best of 6 and therefore players could draw 3–3 on the night. In 2012 the Premier League reverted to the best of 6 round Robin matches. The play-offs were played to the rules used in previous editions. This meant that the top 4 after the league phase qualified for the semi-finals. As in other years 1st played 4th and 2nd played 3rd in the semi-finals.[1]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:[2]

  • Winner: £60,000
  • Runner-up: £30,000
  • Semi-final: £20,000
  • 5th Place: £17,500
  • 6th Place: £15,000
  • 7th Place: £12,500
  • 8th Place: £10,000
  • 9th Place: £8,000
  • 10th Place: £6,000
  • Highest break (per night): £1,000
  • Maximum break: £25,000
  • Total: £210,000

Players

Players were seeded according to their world rankings apart from the defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan who was the number one seed.[1]

Seed Player Qualified via
1 England Ronnie O'Sullivan Defending champion
2 Wales Mark Williams German Masters champion
3 Scotland John Higgins UK, Welsh Open and World Champion
4 China Ding Junhui Masters champion
5 Australia Neil Robertson World Open champion
6 England Ali Carter Shanghai Masters champion
7 England Shaun Murphy PTC Finals champion
8 England Judd Trump China Open champion
9 Wales Matthew Stevens Championship League champion
10 England Jimmy White World Seniors Champion

League phase

Ranking Name Frames
W–L		Match
W–L		Pld–Pts
1 England Ronnie O'Sullivan 18–105–27–18
2 China Ding Junhui 16–145–27–16
3 England Judd Trump 14–94–26–14
4 Wales Mark Williams 13–103–36–13
5 Australia Neil Robertson 12–113–36–12
6 Scotland John Higgins 11–113–36–11
7 England Shaun Murphy 11–142–46–11
8 England Ali Carter 10–142–46–10
9 Wales Matthew Stevens 9–113–36–9
10 England Jimmy White 2–120–44–2

Top four qualified for the play-offs. The order of players was decided on most frames won, and then least frames lost. (Breaks above 50 shown between (parentheses); century breaks are indicated with bold.)[3][4][5]

  • 18 August – Embassy Theatre, Skegness, England[6]
    • Semi-finals:
      • John Higgins 3–0 Jimmy White → 61–36, (105)–5, 71–69[7]
      • Neil Robertson 0–3 Matthew Stevens → 18–63, 44–76, 13–(82)[8]
    • Final: John Higgins 0–3 Matthew Stevens → 18–(91), 0–(95), 10–65[9]
  • 1 September – Guildford Spectrum, Guildford, England[10]
    • Semi-finals:[11]
      • Jimmy White 0–3 Mark Williams → 1–(105), 30–61, 5–82 (60)
      • Ronnie O'Sullivan 2–3 Shaun Murphy → 63–48, 45–71, 68–49, 6–(115), 0–91 (85)
    • Final: Mark Williams 3–1 Shaun Murphy → 67–(65), 14–66, 62–47, (101) 118–6[12]
  • 22 September – Ravenscraig Sports Facility, Motherwell, Scotland[13]
    • Semi-finals:
      • John Higgins 0–3 Neil Robertson → 14–126 (57, 69), 0–93 (87), 35–95[14]
      • Ding Junhui 3–2 Shaun Murphy → (92) 124–7, 36–(98), 8–117 (98), (87) 102–21, (80)–0[15]
    • Final: Neil Robertson 3–1 Ding Junhui → 56–63, (140)–0, (109) 118–0, 54–42[16]
  • 29 September – The Dome, Doncaster, England[17]
    • Semi-finals:
      • Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–0 Matthew Stevens → 70–0, (94)–0, 77–12[18]
      • Ding Junhui 0–3 Ali Carter → 9–82, 14–120 (50,70), 0–92 (91)[19]
    • Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–1 Ali Carter → 41–54, 52–42, (68) 72–21, 36–6[20]
  • 6 October – Hutton Moor Leisure Centre, Weston-super-Mare, England[21]
    • Semi-finals:
      • Mark Williams 1–3 Judd Trump → 0–79 (64), 76–14, 0–79 (50), 23–71[22]
      • John Higgins 2–3 Matthew Stevens → 5–(104), 68–87, (57) 61–1, 68–67 (67), 0–51[23]
    • Final: Judd Trump 3–0 Matthew Stevens → 72–43, (81)–0, 67–30[24]
  • 13 October – Biddulph Leisure Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, England[25]
    • Semi-finals:
      • Mark Williams 2–3 Ali Carter → 27–69, 66–41, 45–63, (115) 131–1, 0–84[26]
      • Jimmy White 2–3 Ding Junhui → (52) 87–39, (59)–66, (52) 72–(56), 24–115 (78), 20–59[27]
    • Final: Ali Carter 1–3 Ding Junhui → (96)–0, 7–67, 51–72, 1–72 (66)[28]
  • 20 October – Riverside Leisure Centre, Exeter, England[29]
    • Semi-finals:
      • Ali Carter 1–3 Judd Trump → (78)–0, 14–62, 16–(111), 31–57 (53)[30]
      • Shaun Murphy 1–3 Neil Robertson → 37–66 (60), (53) 74–41, 35–83 (52), 49–68[31]
    • Final: Judd Trump 3–1 Neil Robertson → 55–54, 38–76, 74–0 (59), 79–0 (76)[32]
  • 3 November – Southampton Guildhall, Southampton, England[33]
    • Semi-finals:
      • Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–2 Judd Trump → 0–(139), (53) 94–32, (89)–22, 46–64 (58), (70) 78–4[34]
      • Neil Robertson 2–3 Ding Junhui → 59–72, 14–(61), (66) 72–17, (55) 70–46, 7–100 (58)[35]
    • Final: Ronnie O'Sullivan 1–3 Ding Junhui → (77) 82–0, 1–74, 58–68, 17–79 (76)[36]
  • 10 November – Spiceball Leisure Centre, Banbury, England[37]
    • Semi-finals:
      • John Higgins 3–1 Ali Carter → 36–52, (101) 117–13, (79) 95–0, 67–38[38]
      • Mark Williams 3–0 Matthew Stevens → 63–28, 76–5, (105)–0[39]
    • Final: John Higgins 3–1 Mark Williams → (125) 130–1, 44–77, (89)–24, 69–22[40]
  • 17 November – Grimsby Auditorium, Grimsby, England[41]
    • Semi-finals:
      • Judd Trump 0–3 Shaun Murphy 1–75, 0–(122), 14–111 (100)[42]
      • Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–0 Jimmy White → (65) 87–29, 75–6, (103) 120–6[43]
    • Final: Shaun Murphy 1–3 Ronnie O'Sullivan → 16–(82), 35–(78), (52) 83–0, 40–(100)[44]

Play-offs

26–27 November, Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton-on-Sea, England[3][4]

Semi-finals
Best of 9 frames 		Final
Best of 13 frames
      
1 England Ronnie O'Sullivan* 5
4 Wales Mark Williams 2
1 England Ronnie O'Sullivan*** 7
2 China Ding Junhui 1
2 China Ding Junhui** 5
3 England Judd Trump 3

* 0–66, 70–33, 109(109)–3, 34–59, 96(55)–0, 85(84)–0, 92(88)–9[45]
** 89–37, 28–53, 15–74 (58), 68(59)–17, 139(139)–0, 69–58,14–70,75(75)–25[46]
*** 68(52)–31, 96(92)–16, 80(56)–24, 57–43, 33–70, 79–52, 63(63)–61(60), 77(77)–0[47]

Qualifiers

The qualification for this tournament, the Championship League was played in eight groups from 3 January to 24 March 2011.

Century breaks

[4][5]

References

  1. 1 2 "2011 PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker Format and Players". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "Premier League set for brand new format". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  3. 1 2 "2011 PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker Fixtures". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Premier League (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 "2011 PartyPoker.com Premier League Snooker". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 1 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "Higgins takes PLS opener". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  8. ↑ "Stevens in quickfire win over Robbo". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "Excellent Stevens takes opening PLS night". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  10. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 2 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  11. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League week two". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "Williams takes Guildford glory". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 3 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  14. ↑ "Flawless Robbo disappoints home crowd". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  15. ↑ "Ding ousts Murphy in thriller". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  16. ↑ "Robbo back to his sparkling best". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  17. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 4 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  18. ↑ "Rocket Ron eases in Donny final". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  19. ↑ "Captain pilots his way to Rocket showdown". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  20. ↑ "Ronnie takes Doncaster leg". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  21. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 5 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  22. ↑ "Trump eases into final in PLS debut". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  23. ↑ "Stevens leaves Higgins on the ropes". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  24. ↑ "Trump tops Stevens to take maximum points". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  25. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 6 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  26. ↑ "Carter stakes claim with second final". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  27. ↑ "Ding puts paid to Whirlwind hopes". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  28. ↑ "Ding battles to move to No.1". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  29. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 7 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  30. ↑ "Trump on song again". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  31. ↑ "Robbo makes final No.2". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  32. ↑ "Trump heads table with perfect performance". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  33. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 8 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  34. ↑ "O'Sullivan reaches Southampton final". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  35. ↑ "Ding edges out under-prepared Robertson". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  36. ↑ "Ding wins in Southampton to secure semi-final spot". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  37. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 9 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  38. ↑ "Higgins puts paid to Carter hopes". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  39. ↑ "Williams on course for play-offs". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  40. ↑ "Williams claims third play-off spot". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  41. ↑ "PartyCasino.com Premier League – Night 10 (2011)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  42. ↑ "Murphy keeps Potters hopes alive". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  43. ↑ "Rocket cruises into play-offs". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  44. ↑ "Rocket on course for more PLS glory". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  45. ↑ "It's Ronnie v Ding for Premier crown". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  46. ↑ "Ding claims PLS final spot". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  47. ↑ "Super Rocket takes tenth PLS title". premierleaguesnooker.com. Matchroom Sport. Archived from the original on 30 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
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