34 Days of back to back snooker begins today !

mrunsure

Joe_ Public wrote: »

There is only one UK player under 25 in the top 64 of the rankings now. Before they disbanded it last year, you had to go back to Sam Craigie in 2010 for the last british winner of the world u/21 championship. There's only one way things can logically go given these trends and just a question of when not if. Snooker is declining here and don't see how that will change anytime soon, sadly.

In some ways it wouldn't be a bad thing if the sport wasn't dominated by British players. If we get more players from different countries competing then it gets more credibility as an international sport. That's happening a little now with more players coming through from continental Europe.

Holty flowing nicely in frame 4 - on a break of 42, and looking good to get a few more.

Looking like 2 apiece here. Bar one or two inexact positional shots, Michael looking quite composed.. Gwan Holty!

Lovely from Michael.. Total clearance of 136 to make it 2-2.

Joe_ Public

mrunsure wrote: »

In some ways it wouldn't be a bad thing if the sport wasn't dominated by British players. If we get more players from different countries competing then it gets more credibility as an international sport. That's happening a little now with more players coming through from continental Europe.

But snooker is not in rude health here, despite what the bbc might tell you sometimes, and that's a problem. Take judd, kyren and lisowski out of it and there's nothing really emerged from the uk within the past 10 years that's left a mark. Who's the next generation? Louis Heathcote, Jamie Cahill? Possibles but there's not great numbers there. I've great hopes for our own Aaron Hill but you'd want a couple of those arriving every odd year, not one a decade. I agree a better global spread is a good thing, but that's not going to do much on its own to stop the decline in the games traditional heartland.

Only Luca and Ursenbacher from the Europeans spring to mind... And Brian Ochoiski from France.. Brecel the only one of the three looking like a proper top 16 player though.. Dunno does Maflin count, not that he's exactly a Worldshaker :P

mrunsure

Deleted User wrote: »

Only Luca and Ursenbacher from the Europeans spring to mind... And Brian Ochoiski from France.. Brecel the only one of the three looking like a proper top 16 player though.. Dunno does Maflin count, not that he's exactly a Worldshaker :P

Ben Mertens is an exciting prospect from Belgium. Boiko from Ukraine as well, although his first season as a pro has been disappointing so far. I wouldn't count anyone like Maflin who grew up in the UK or Ireland.

Joe_ Public

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Only Luca and Ursenbacher from the Europeans spring to mind... And Brian Ochoiski from France.. Brecel the only one of the three looking like a proper top 16 player though.. Dunno does Maflin count, not that he's exactly a Worldshaker :P

If brecel had a bit of table craft and didn't feel as if he had to break the pocket every pot, i'd give him a chance of making an impact. Struggling to see it, though. Vafaei from iran was one player i always liked but just not seeing the development in his game yet. All these players can pot but fall short when it comes to proper matchplay which is why i suspect the vets will have the edge over them for a few more years yet.

Joe_ Public

Lost control of the white there holt and it cost him frame and, possibly, match.

mrunsure

mrunsure wrote: »

Ben Mertens is an exciting prospect from Belgium. Boiko from Ukraine as well, although his first season as a pro has been disappointing so far. I wouldn't count anyone like Maflin who grew up in the UK or Ireland.

Yeah, Maflin's an Englishman really - just Scandinavian (Norway/Sweden? one of them) by passport/ place of residence, or whatever..

A letoff - didn't get correct on black Judd

mrunsure

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah, Maflin's an Englishman really - just Scandinavian (Norway/Sweden? one of them) by passport/ place of residence, or whatever..

He met a female Norwegian snooker player so moved to Norway.

Joe_ Public

Overran for the blue by around 6 inches in last frame and another poor positional shot cost him there too. Big chance missed by holt today.

mrunsure

Is Shaun Murphy likely to change is allegiance to Ireland?

Ding won't need many of these.

ArmaniJeanss

Deleted User wrote: »

Saw Trump got unlucky there, and got stuck amongst the reds... Wonder what the rule is in the unlikely, but not completely implausible situation where the white is touching two or more reds, and it's impossible to play away from any of them without pushing another... Never seen it myself..

If a foul is 100% impossible to avoid you just have to play it, but it's not a miss. Possibly the shot would have to be played with reasonable power to progress the game; otherwise I think it could be called a miss.

It's kind of analogous to where you pot a red, go into the pack and end up with the white completely surrounded by other reds with no gap large enough to get the white through to hit any colour.
In this case you must nominate a colour and play the foul shot but you can't just role into one of those surrounding reds - you have to play it with (in the refs opinion) enough speed that it would have reached the chosen colour if unimpeded.

Muppet Man

Deleted User wrote: »

Saw Trump got unlucky there, and got stuck amongst the reds... Wonder what the rule is in the unlikely, but not completely implausible situation where the white is touching two or more reds, and it's impossible to play away from any of them without pushing another... Never seen it myself..

Holt 1 - 0 up atm, and Judd well ahead in frame 2.. Holt at the table with 2 reds left and needs a snooker to tie..

Its not as rare as you might think. A few examples here where players have been snookered on a colour and the only option available is to hit a red. As suggested above, its a foul, but not a miss.

Skip to 4:02

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JB3inHIM0

Henryq.

mrunsure wrote: »

Is Shaun Murphy likely to change is allegiance to Ireland?

Is he living here?

Henryq.

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Don't know about that.. There's about 5 Chinese in the top 32, and a few of them have reached semis this year... No one's expecting them to be up there with Ronnie, Robbo, Judd, and Selby.. but they could well fare as well, or better than Allen, Murphy, Wilson et al..

At this stage you're definitely right; in that none of them have torn up many trees, but I'll wait another 3 years before I admit I'm wrong... The rate of progression is there it seems, and making incremental gains. Whether that stagnates, or improves; I'd be favouring the latter myself.

It's very slow the progression though

I'm a bit suspect of their matchplay temperament overall I'd have to say

Joe_ Public

Muppet Man wrote: »

Its not as rare as you might think. A few examples here where players have been snookered on a colour and the only option available is to hit a red. As suggested above, its a foul, but not a miss.

Skip to 4:02

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JB3inHIM0

Disastrous application of the rules in the opening clip on that video. Neither ref nor both players seem to be aware of how the rule actually works. "You keep replacing until you leave me on," or whatever it is that's said, is definitely not in the book!

Muppet Man

Ya agree... the first one was a bit odd.

zuutroy

Bit snookered out. Skipping my first Ronnie match in a long time...to go and play snooker.

Joe_ Public

Henryq. wrote: »

It's very slow the progression though

I'm a bit suspect of their matchplay temperament overall I'd have to say

I think you can say that for all young players, whether chinese or elsewhere. Junior snooker is all about potting, 2 or 3 chances to win most frames. Massive culture shock when they move up in grade and the seasoned pros start tieing them up in knots. I don't know is it they lack patience for tactical side of game these days, but it is what they have to learn quickly to adapt.

And there was definitely too much hype initially about the chinese. I think it started when a 14 year old Zhao Xintong beat Steve Davis at the china open and they came back talking about this "future world champion" and the "chinese invasion." Zhao is the prototype young modern player, good to watch, great potter but no matchplay sense at all. It's just a very gradual process, but every generation they will get stronger and balance of power will eventually swing. At least i think so anyway.

Rothko

Ronnie seems a bit more up for this than he did against Selby.

RebelButtMunch

Henryq. wrote: »

Is he living here?

I belive so. South Dublin area

Strumms

Ronnie would have been kicking himself had he lost that frame..

Sandor Clegane

Really is too poor from Carter, he's let Ronnie off the hook too many times tonight.

mrunsure

In interviews, Shaun Murphy said he wasn't able to practice because he had to quarantine every time he came back to Ireland after each tournament.

2ndcoming

Practices in Celbridge club.

Joe_ Public

Has his own table in Stephens Green, mark allen a fairly regular visitor for sparring sessions. Not sure about fergal, but ken based himself in London for the past 6 weeks so there was no issue with quarantine. Difficult decision for murphy to make, though, with a young family. Gotta respect that.

Sultan of Bling

Martin gould comes from 3-0 down against mark allen to force a decider

Joe_ Public

What a year for Gould. In the pits of depression in february, contemplating retirement. Now in second round of grand prix and going to finish year inside top 30 in the world and top 10 on one year list. Incredible turn around.

Sultan of Bling

Joe_ Public wrote:

What a year for Gould. In the pits of depression in february, contemplating retirement. Now in second round of grand prix and going to finish year inside top 30 in the world and top 10 on one year list. Incredible turn around.

Great fightback - on and off the table

Strumms

A very very poor shot by Maflin sees him 0-1 against Wilson... played the better snooker and looking the more likely for much of the first frame.

Brian?

2ndcoming wrote: »

Practices in Celbridge club.

He was for about a year, with Fergal and Ken. I am not sure about the other 2, but Murphy has his own practice table somewhere else now.

Arthur Daley

He goes into Stephens Green. During the most restrictive '2km lockdown' in the spring he wasn't even able to get into there. And his dip in form shows.

Even top 8 or top 16 players often don't have their own table at home.

The Nal

Brian? wrote: »

He was for about a year, with Fergal and Ken. I am not sure about the other 2, but Murphy has his own practice table somewhere else now.

I thought Kens was in the Radisson on the Stillorgan dualer?

Joe_ Public

Liang 14% long pot success, much more likely to lose matches with a stat like that.

Joe_ Public

Jack lisowski career in a nutshell. Gets down to play a simple red with his switch hand and leaves it, i kid not, 6 inches short of pocket. You're good but you'll never be ronnie o'sullivan, jack.

Joe_ Public

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Jack lisowski career in a nutshell. Gets down to play a simple red with his switch hand and leaves it, i kid not, 6 inches short of pocket. You're good but you'll never be ronnie o'sullivan, jack.

:D Was like something I'd do playing right-handed, and I'm not a ciotóg :pac:

Joe_ Public

[Deleted User] wrote: »

:D Was like something I'd do playing right-handed, and I'm not a ciotóg :pac:

I'd bet even money you'd have 100 goes and not leave it short as jack did. Remember him missing a just as easy match ball pink with his wrong hand about 3 seasons back. He just never learns. For all his undoubted talent.

Joe_ Public

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I'd bet even money you'd have 100 goes and not leave it short as jack did. Remember him missing a just as easy match ball pink with his wrong hand about 3 seasons back. He just never learns. For all his undoubted talent.

Commentator said almost those exact words (after your post ) about a more recent shot Loose position from an easy red, and misses pink to middle.

He's frustrating to watch alright.. Lucky for him I guess, that Murphy's playing poor enough himself...

I think Lisowski wins, based on the fact that of the two he looks that bit less likely to lose.. Was unlucky with the in-off last frame, which cost him dear.

waynescales1

Arthur Daley wrote: »

Even top 8 or top 16 players often don't have their own table at home.

It's probably not as simple as I think, but this amazes me. How do top 16/32 players not have snooker tables in their own home? If I was earning 300-400k a year in prize money it'd be the first thing I'd buy?

mrunsure

waynescales1 wrote: »

It's probably not as simple as I think, but this amazes me. How do top 16/32 players not have snooker tables in their own home? If I was earning 300-400k a year in prize money it'd be the first thing I'd buy?

The top players can certainly afford a snooker table but many players prefer to play with other professionals. This generally means at a club. In commentary they often mention which club a player goes to. A lot of them even move to an area where there is a club where he can play with certain players. Ding's academy in Sheffield is not only popular with Chinese players. It was mentioned in commentary yesterday that Jak Jones from Wales moved to Sheffield so he could play at Ding's academy. Higgins, McGill and Maguire have got their own "unit" in Scotland where they play against each other all the time.

Joe_ Public

waynescales1 wrote: »

It's probably not as simple as I think, but this amazes me. How do top 16/32 players not have snooker tables in their own home? If I was earning 300-400k a year in prize money it'd be the first thing I'd buy?

Me too but some just don't. Selby has a pool table at home but not a snooker one. Aaron Hill had one installed earlier this year which is a fair investment for a new or lowly ranked pro given i doubt you'd have that much change out of 10 grand.

mrunsure

Neil Robertson plays at a club in Cambridge, and the club's website even advertise that fact:

https://www.wtssportsbar.co.uk/index

We are proud to now have two of the best snooker players in the world as our resident professionals: 2010 World Champion Neil Robertson and 2015 Players Championship Winner Joe Perry who can be found most days practicing in the snooker room

Great interview from Jack.. He's very happy to win; and also mentioned that he'd have to win a couple of matches in other comps for similar ranking points. Looks good for remaining in top sixteen.. Think he's 15th atm..

Going on snooker tables for the top boys - they might have the money; but their home setup might not allow for a 25 x 15ft shed; or a room with sufficient space for a table.. They've not all got millions to buy a nice pad in home Counties, or to relocate to a suitable spot where they can get some home practice...

mrunsure

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Me too but some just don't. Selby has a pool table at home but not a snooker one. Aaron Hill had one installed earlier this year which is a fair investment for a new or lowly ranked pro given i doubt you'd have that much change out of 10 grand.

Are there any other decent players in the Cork area? If not, then he's basically got a choice of playing at home or moving somewhere where he can practice with other professionals.

Joe_ Public

mrunsure wrote: »

Are there any other decent players in the Cork area? If not, then he's basically got a choice of playing at home or moving somewhere where he can practice with other professionals.

Yeah a lot of decent players in cork, likes of ross bulman with some tour experience already to his name and others. Leone Crowley is another highly touted but still very young, 14 or 15 i think. Whether its sufficient for Aaron's needs, though, is a question i'm sure they'll be asking themselves over the next while.