The Masters: which snooker player’s tipped to win

The Masters trophy is one of the most sought-after on the snooker circuit and 2013’s tournament at Alexandra Palace in London is set to be hotly contested. Read on to find out who’s tipped for glory, as well as some of the highlights from recent years…

Stephen Hendry beim Paul Hunter Classic 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Masters: a brief history

1975: The Masters started when just 10 of the world’s top players were invited to play at the West Centre Hotel

1984: Kirk Stevens made history by getting the first ever maximum break in the semi-final against Jimmy White (who went on to take the title)

1988: Mike Hallett suffered the most crushing defeat in the tournament’s history when he lost 0-9 when playing an excruciating match against Steve Davis

1994: Stephen Hendry’s record, who had won five successive titles since his very first appearance, was finally broken after coming up against Alan McManus in a nail biting-final frame decider

1995: Ronnie O’Sullivan emerged as the new hero of snooker when he became The Masters’ youngest winner, after decisively beaten John Higgins 9-3

2000: Ken Doherty was left kicking himself: he only needed to pot the black to win, but missed — letting Mark Williams claim the title that year

2005: Ronnie O’Sullivan bounced back from his defeat the previous year to produce an impressive performance, beating John Higgins 10-3 in the final

2007: Chinese youngster Ding Junhui became only the second person to get a maximum break at The Master’s, but was beaten 10-3 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final

2012: Neil Robertson (who was ranked number four at the time) won the Masters after beating Shaun Murphy 10-6

We have put together a time line looking at all past winners of the masters for you to have a look through.

Recent controversies

• Judd Trump criticised the sport for its rigidity, complaining about the number of fines players get and being held back from showing his personality. He said that all of this was making the sport ‘boring’. He also claimed that there was a lot of bad-spirited rivalry, with emerging players hoping he does badly.
• Mark Allen stirred the pot when he branded Chinese players ‘cheats’ after losing to Cao Yupeng
• Ali Carter has spoken out against Judd Trump’s freestyle approach to snooker, claiming his success was down to a series of flukes

Who’s’ tipped to win in 2013

Valued opinions a paid surveys company showed the general public are siding with Judd Trump is the clear favourite to win this year’s tournament with 25% of the popular vote and Ronnie O’Sullivan a close second with 23% of those polled. 15% have faith in John Higgins while only 8% think Neil Robertson could retain his title.

Stephen Maguire is a clear underdog in the public’s mind: only 1.5% of those polled thought he would win. We have put together a storify looking at some of the great tweets and images that people have been sharing over the course of the competition.

Who do you think will win it this year? Which face-off are you looking forward to the most.

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The London Bike Show 2013: What’s On?

Get a bicycle. You will certainly not regret it, if you live – Mark Twain

Calling all cycling enthusiasts! The London Bike Show is back and better than ever! Whether you enjoy the rough and tumble of mountain biking, pretend to be Sir Chris Hoy on the track or just commute to work by bicycle, you don’t want to miss it.

Taking place from 17^th-20^th January at the ExCeL centre, London, there are a number of great attractions for all ages and interests. Let’s look at this year’s show.

Bike Radar Training Hub

Ever wondered how the professionals train? The Bike Radar Training Hub gives you that experience. Experts from the Koolstof Sports Coaching, a community of enthusiastic cyclists, will put you through a series of tests and analysis to improve your cycling performance, no matter your ability. Started by a former racing cyclist, Julius Jennings has over ten years of experience. Check out this playlist of tips from Koolstof Sports Coaching and Julius.

IG Nocturne London

Since 2007, bike speed-demons have taken to Smithfield Market in London for some good old fashioned racing. Anyone who’s attended an IG London Nocturne event will tell you what an exciting spectacle it is. It’s not just elite racers on show either, look out for the folding bike and penny farthing races! The excitement of this summer event receives its first welcome at The London Bike Show with the UK’s only indoor criterium.

Bikes and Brands

Of course, The London Bike Show isn’t all about elite cyclists and pushing yourself to the max. There’s a chance to test cycle the latest bikes, perfect if you’re in the market for a new machine – it’ll also give you a chance to cycle the criterium! For more of the latest and finest bikes, check out the Cool Wall which features a number of exclusive and rare examples.

Hundreds of exhibitors and brands will be showcasing their products too; everyone from Action Cameras and ARC Carbon Wheels to Yellow and Zipvit Sport UK. You’ll also have a chance to learn about some interesting cycling campaigns including Sustrans’ Connect London. Connect London aims to create the world’s largest cycle network in the capital by 2020. Costing £10 million a year, it would allow the creation of 600 miles of safe and quiet cycling routes. You only have to look at Copenhagen and Amsterdam to see how successful implementing safe cycling can be. If you do suffer an injury on the road, you may be entitled to make a cycle accident claim.

Animal Bike Tour

For anyone who hasn’t experienced the awesome skills of the Animal Bike Tour display team, you’re in for a treat. These aren’t your typical skate park tricks either as performers hop from platform to platform and get massive air! With trials supremo Martyn Ashton and Pro Mountain Bikers Blake Samson returning for another year, you can expect even more jaw-dropping jumps, cat-like balance and tight control. If you’re looking for something a little different from the ferocious pace of racing, you have to see this.

DMR Pump Track

One of the fastest growing trends in the cycling world has been the pump track. A pump track simply brings a dirt track with all of the bumps to you – without the dirt. It’s a fantastic way to learn new skills and tricks like dirt jumping in a convenient location. Tracks are usually short and have tight and twisty corners providing a real challenge even for the most advanced riders. Newcomers may find the experience odd as peddling is not allowed (which makes racing interesting) so you’ll have hone your upper body technique to build up speed.

Cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy plus other special guests from the world of cycling will be attending. So what are you waiting for, get on your bike!

Are you going to The London Bike Show this year? What are you most looking forward to seeing?

Preventing dementia: the latest advice

Currently 820,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, but what can we do to reduce our risk of developing the illness later in life? Well, according to the experts there are a few simple lifestyle changes we can make, based on evidence from recent studies into dementia and its causes.

Photo by lululemon athletica on Flickr

Exercise

Findings in a study published in American Heart Association journal Stroke, showed that 90 minutes of exercise each week can reduce your risk of vascular-related dementia (the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s, related to blood supply to the brain) by 40 per cent, and reduce impairment of brain skills by 60 per cent. Researchers behind the study found that taking regular exercise – defined as moderate physical activity for thirty minutes, three times a week – is beneficial for your brain’s health regardless of age, education or history of stroke or diabetes and was found to prevent cognitive impairment.

Involving 639 individuals in their 60s and 70s, the study examined the connection between regular physical activity such as biking, walking or gym classes to cognitive impairment. Researchers conducted telephone interviews with participants as well as clinical visits and looked at their quality of life. In conclusion, scientists found regular exercise could indeed protect against dementia as it kept the small blood vessels of the brain healthy.

And the good news is; it’s never too late to start exercising. Provider of nursing homes and health care, Bupa can offer some excellent advice on starting to exercise, regardless of your age. Why not try a fun dance class, some soothing yoga or escape to the great outdoors? The key to sticking to an exercise regime, is finding one you really enjoy.

Perhaps you want to set yourself a bigger challenge? We’ve all heard stories about marathon runners going the distance well into their 80s, so pick a date and invest in some good quality running shoes. Here’s some solid gold advice from lazygirlrunning.com on running your first marathon;

“It’s your first marathon so you’re guaranteed a PB (PR for the Americans). I know it won’t be easy, but that’s why you’re doing it isn’t it? So you can set yourself apart from the 99 per cent of the population that will never run this far. So take in the sights, sounds and atmosphere. Leave the time goals for your next marathon and make finishing with a smile on your face the target.”

Image by lululemon athletica on Flickr

Diet

Need a cup of coffee to get you moving in the morning? Caffeine consumption may not be as bad as you think; now scientists have found links to suggest moderate coffee consumption of 3 to 5 cups per day could reduce the risk of dementia later in life.

Evidence suggests caffeine in moderate doses can actually protect you against neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Researchers who conducted a study with 15 volunteers between the ages of 24 and 66 found caffeine blocked a high number of cerebral A1 receptors, which stopped them receiving the sleep-promoting neurotransmitter. The scientists concluded this could be why coffee drinkers were less likely to develop dementia.

Of course eating a healthy diet can’t hurt as well. If you’re looking for inspiration on healthy eating, try out a soup recipe from Welsh Girl Eats. Research shows eating an unhealthy diet and gorging on junk food can be linked to high blood pressure and cholesterol interrupting blood supply to the brain, which may in turn be connected to dementia. So cut out the high sugar, high fat foods and start incorporating brain healthy fish and vegetables into your diet – starting with your next food shop.

How do you keep your brain healthy?

Potential injuries from extreme sports

Extreme sports seemed to spike in popularity in the 1990s, but people have been playing extreme sports for much longer than the X Games or Red Bull have been popularizing them. Nearly any sport can be turned into an extreme version when the limits of skill are pushed to the edge of safety; like in extreme hand-fishing where participants literally put their hands in the fish’s mouths to catch them.

Source: amazingdata.com via Mary on Pinterest

 

Bungee jumping has steadily grown in availability over the last two decades, which has prompted some providers to raise their launch platforms to amazing heights. While most operations take great care in ensuring participants are securely strapped in, the greatest risk of injury in that extreme sport actually can occur even when all the safety gear has worked properly. Spinal injuries incurred due to the sudden stop and recoil of a bungee can be permanently contracted in the blink of an eye.

Other sports that push their levels of challenge to the threshold of safety include kayaking and skiing. These are examples of sports that steadily progress in difficulty as participants’ skill-levels progress. Both skiers and kayakers seem to have tremendous opportunity to find more challenging runs. However, there are those athletes that do reach a pinnacle of skill at which even the most challenging runs become mundane. It is for them that the appeal of pioneering an extreme version of their sport occurs and the risk of more devastating injuries also grows.

Skiers that first dared to push the sport toward greater challenges soon began incorporating helicopter rides to the peaks of mountains for wild and untouched runs. Kayakers looked for ways to modify their gear so that the challenges of waterfalls could be faced in an effort to turn the sport into a more extreme challenge. Many beginners may be drawn to the appeal of such awe inspiring displays of athleticism, but it is important to note that their heightened level of skill is what keeps them from being seriously injured in most of these situations. When someone attempts to take on such extreme versions of the sport too quickly, the risk of traumas and lacerations is exponentially greater.

Some sports are inherently extreme because they entail a high level of risk to begin with, but that soon is overcome by an expansion of technology and experience in the sport. For example, mountain biking was considered an extreme sport in the 1970s due to the fact that people had to build all their own equipment for riding on the trails. Today, much of the risk of injury that they faced then has been alleviated by modern equipment.

Alternative New Year’s Eve

Tired of the usual parties, taxi queues and the pressure to consume too many celebratory drinks on New Year’s Eve? Want to do something a bit different this year? Read on for some great ideas…

Source: lamaisondannag.blogspot.com via La Boda de tus Sueños | Wedding & Event Designer on Pinterest

1. Dinner party

Going out on New Year’s Eve can be horridly expensive: taxis fares, inflated prices at the pub or tickets for an event can all add up. Why not put all that money you and your friends would have spent going out together and buy some decadent treats to eat instead?
You don’t want to be slaving away in the kitchen all night, so stock up on treats like top-quality smoked salmon, some gourmet cheeses from your local cheesemonger, a decadent dessert and a bottle of your favourite bubbly. Then feel very smug as you sit at your table feeling cosy, with everything you need for a good night within arm’s reach.

2. Go to the opera in Manchester

Culture vultures will enjoy the New Year’s Eve Gala at Bridgewater Hall. The evening will feature opera classics that everyone will recognise like Verdi’s Rigoletto and Bizet’s Carmen, rounding off with a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Travel tip: there will be trains to Manchester running on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, but services will be reduced. Check with an online train booking website like redspottedhanky.com for full timetables.

3. Eat grapes in Spain

 

Source: Uploaded by user via ♥ DrAgAnA on Pinterest

The traditional Spanish way to bring in the New Year is to eat a grape at each stroke of the clock at midnight. Do this, and you’ll have good luck for the rest of the year. Originally invented by clever farmers from Alicante to sell more grapes, it’s a difficult task to pull off gracefully but it’s a fun custom to take part in.

4. Get an early night…then attempt the Loony Dook in Edinburgh

Source: edinburghguide.com via Daniel on Pinterest

It’s a New Year’s Day tradition for some brave souls to jump into the icy waters of the River Forth early on New Year’s Day. Known as the Loony Dook, swimmers are known to dress up in outlandish outfits and many take the opportunity to raise money for worthwhile charities.

5. Beat the cold and head to Sydney

While it’s winter in Britain, Australia is enjoying balmy summer evenings. Sydney takes New Year’s Eve seriously, and the fireworks display at Sydney Harbour is a lavish (and carbon neutral thanks to efforts by the organisers) affair. Enjoy it in style by taking a cruise trip along the river as the evening’s entertainment leads up to the fireworks display at midnight. No jumpers or thermal flasks required.

How you will be spending this New Year’s Eve?