Robertson boosts top 16 chances

Australia cueist Neil Robertson boosted the chances of retaining his place in the top 16 of the World Snooker Association list for next season following his victory in the final of the Bahrain Snooker Championship last weekend.

In the latest provisional ranking list, Robertson, who suffered a loss of form after winning two ranking tournaments in 2006/07, leapt from no.21 to no.14, thanks mainly to his success in the Middle East where he beat Matthew Stevens 9-7 in the final after trailing 7-6 at one point.

"I've won three out of three finals now and I don't want to know what it's like to lose one. If I'd lost on Sunday I would have been devastated, I would have felt like I'd thrown it away," the Melbourne 26-year-old told reporters.

Stevens was denied the second ranking title of his career and has now lost six of seven finals.

But he does receive a welcome boost in the rankings, climbing from 33rd to 22nd.

"I have won a few other tournaments though," he countered.

"I've won the Masters and two other invitation events so it's not as if I've lost them all. But I'm gutted to lose this one in Bahrain."

Last week, Mark Allen reached the semi-finals of a ranking event for the second time and is up four places to 11th. Stephen Hendry made his first semi-final of the season but stays in 10th place.

Quarter-finalist Stephen Maguire made inroads on Ronnie O'Sullivan's lead at the top of the list, though the latter still has a substantial advantage at the summit.

Of the other quarter-finalists in Bahrain, Robert Milkins flies up 14 places to 57th, Barry Hawkins is up four spots to 13th and Dominic Dale climbs from 29th to 24th.