World Cup 2015 – Group D Overview
Today I take a look at what could be the most open group of the tournament on paper, as England and the Republic of Ireland head Group D.
England (2)
With not only the country’s two top players, but the two highest ranked players in the world, England must go into the event as one of the favourites to win.
World number one and 2014 world champion Mark Selby will be joined by the man who took over his crown a year on, Stuart Bingham.
Both have history in Wuxi, Mark having won the event back in 2011 whilst it was an invitational tournament, before Stuart made it to the final a year later after it had gained ranking status.
At the last World Cup, Selby and then team-mate Ali Carter topped their group to reach the quarter-finals, before losing to Hong Kong.
Republic of Ireland (7)
Once again, the Republic of Ireland will be represented by veteran duo Fergal O’Brien and Ken Doherty, who together made it through to the final of the World Cup in 1996.
More recently they made it through their group in second place in 2011, before losing to eventual champions China in the quarter-finals.
China B
Rather than being determined by ranking, the China B team will be represented by 2013 and 2014 IBSF world champions Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao.
As one of the most impressive young players currently on tour, Zhou will be one to watch and has already defeated a number of higher ranked players during his fledgling career.
Having claimed the world amateur championship at the age of just 14 last November, Yan too has caught the eye of a number of observers and it will be very interesting to see how the young pair handle the occasion in Wuxi.
Thailand
Another team who will be considered dark horses in Wuxi are Thailand, who will be represented by top 64 duo Dechawat Poomjaeng and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
Both players were involved at the last World Cup in 2011, although in separate teams as the then hosts fielded two teams in Bangkok.
On that occasion neither team were able to get out of the group stages, although both players were able to win four singles matches in their respective groups.
UAE
Returning to the World Cup in 2015 are also the United Arab Emirates, with the experienced Mohamed Shehab back having been part of the team previously involved four years ago.
Supporting him this year will be Khalid Alkamali, a young player who won the 2012 Arab Championships with a 130 break.
Germany
Completing Group D are Germany, as 19-year-old talent Lukas Kleckers makes his World Cup debut in Wuxi.
At the time of writing, the youngster is currently in the midst of this year’s European Championship, having yesterday made it through to the quarter-finals as he looks to earn a main tour place for the first time.
He will be joined in Wuxi by Felix Frede, who has previously played in five European Tour events.
The action gets underway on Monday 15th June 2015 as the 24 teams battle it out to become World Cup winners.
