Rolling World Snooker Championship thread
So this kicks off today. Bingham v Hendry the first televised game (pretty poor standard in this first frame tbh - might see if Robertson v Doherty's on the Red Button if it doesn't improve).
Meanwhile, Mark Williams has landed himself in hot water by suggesting that the Crucible is a bit rubbish:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17786195
Quite fancy Robertson to win the championship (now I've said this he'll inevitably go out in the first round).
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That Belgian lad was born in 1995
I'm officially announcing my retirement.
I'm gonna back Williams
1995! Gosh, that's slightly depressing.
It'll be interesting to see how he does given all the hype. Lovely quote from Ronnie, too: 'The sport needs a superstar from Belgium.'
rooting for Trump and Ding (he).
however, i think a seriously boring bastard like Murphy will win it.
Remember when Rory McLeod trolled everyone last year?
That was great.
a friend of my dad that works in snooker said
rory mcleod is the most unpleasant man he has ever met. cracking beard though.
rory mcleod trivia
he coaches the qatar national snooker team
The cue ridge in his beard is the best thing ever
And when he first qualified for a televised tournament he was about 5-0 down, won a frame and did a full Dennis Taylor celebration.
yes! love snooker threads
good luck Luca Brecel, youngest player ever to qualify.
Trump will get it I think.
oh a maximum's on
tension
think that pot from bingham just then was the sexiest thing i've ever seen
snooker player with the most DiS friendly music taste?
gotta be Ricky Walden
Not really...
Likes Damien Rice and the Kooks. http://www.cuefactor.com/Snooker-Magazine/i-pot-ricky-walden.asp Put him in a room with nothing but Steve Davis' French prog/Canterbury scene collection and he'd collapse.
Steve Davis' taste is anything but DiS-friendly
I mean, I keep trying to tell you all about Thumpermonkey and Stars In Battledress and you keep bloody ignoring me...
He has the best music-taste of any British sports-star in history, and this is something that won't change any time soon
Dominic Dale's qualified! Yay!
Dominic's not his real name, you know. (Christopher, boringly)
I miss Joe Swail :(
Robert Milkins comes on to I Am A Cider Drinker
http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2537238,00.html
why is Brecel not on there (that I can see)
but Adrian Gunnell is??
It's from the UK Championship
oh, it's last year's one
sorry. Should have thought before posting.
Saw Steve Davis enjoying a hot chocolate
in a poncy cafe down by the Crucible last year. Lovely stuff.
Seeing Stewart Lee in the adjacent Lyceum later so I'll keep my eyes peeled for Ronnie O'Sullivan necking a cocoa.
Mental image of Dennis Taylor pointing Lee out in the crowd
as he did for Biffy Clyro a couple of years ago, like he had any idea who they were.
i went last year and saw Ken Doherty hugging a wheelchair kid
loveliest man ever
David Gilbert (?) 6-3 up against Martin Gould
Hendry's just got a maximum break.
Cracking stuff.
yeah he's wiping up
thought Bingham would be better than this, really.
Hendry's a machine
in really good form by the look of it. surprise run maybe in store?
i've always supported Mark Williams since i was a kid but i've gone off him a bit since he got twitter
why would he want it moved to China?? ffs
The players love China
because they get huge attention at airports and, presumably, quite a bit of money for endorsements so "China is the future" has been the mantra of the last decade. Doesn't hide the fact there's 14 Brits in the current world top 16.
yeah i get that there's loads of money in moving there
but it's kind of depressing that he's so forthright about it. and i don't think Williams is really after huge attention at airports
I just like
the mental image of dozens of seventeen year old Japanese girls swarming round snooker players. Doesn't matter who, could just as easily be Martin Gould, The Human Penfold.
It's interesting that when Barry Hearn took charge he vowed to make snooker popular and populist again, and since then there's been the public row with Mark Allen (and no matter what Hearn says about the press coverage it got being beneficial for the sponsors and getting the sport in the papers, it doesn't matter if all the coverage is damning of either you or one of your top names, especially as there's still disquiet over how the John Higgins affair was dealt with), the endless defences of the prize money/ranking system/tournament changes and now this. FWIW the game would go into slow death if its showpiece was moved so the last session of the final starts at 3am BST.
Should be interesting seeing the new Chinese players and Luca brecel
but backing Ding as always.
this is tense
not anymore
Damn it
wouldn't have minded seeing Higgins knocked out in the first round.
Someone keeps attaching and detaching their computer
in the gould gilbert match.
Gould's gone a bit grey and has tried to compensate for it by using a bit of hair wax.
Half an hr till Brecel-Maguire
can't wait
Luca looks a very interesting player
tight match so far
Just seen the end of Allen-Cao
One hates to lol, but...
Did anyone catch the Virgo/Taylor 'WHERE'S THE CUEBALL GOING?!' duet just then?
:'D
Also, Mark Allen is a massive cunt.
he'll never be as big a cunt as peter ebdon
5:55
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17818945
Mark Allen's match ending in-off has turned up too, notable for a) Virgo at warp factor ten, b) the sudden silence from Allen's fans and c) the few moments it takes for everyone to clock it means Cao has won. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17808255
up to 18 shots on this respotted black now.
fucking hell..
great sporting drama though.
really like Jamie Jones as a player
I prefer him as a blancmange to be honest
He's in love with rock'n'roll, whoa
Popped into the 'Cue area' to look into Steve Davis' cold dead eyes at lunch time
I fear my soul will never know peace again.
ebdon the cunt
looks to be repeating his deathly slow gamesmanship tactics
shaun murphy should have a top hat and coat tails on
and a monocle
Snooker commentary is my favourite type of commentary.
it's like the most soothing massage in the world.
subthread: favourite commentator?
gotta be Virgo for me.
Virgo / WT combo ftw
urgh WT
virgo/doherty
hendry's really good too imo
You'd have Crafty Ken and JV in the box?
Madness.
i'd probably have virgo/hendry actually
but yeah. thorne's just really annoying
They should get Cliff Thorburn in.
That'd be fucking awesome.
Imagine a Thorburn/Drago combination. Commentary gold right there.
agree that hendry is pretty good
the fact that thorne is really annoying is totally what makes him brilliant.
that and his ridiculous bullshit stats, 'would expect him to make this shot 3 or 4 times out of 7'*
*an actual quote
The official ranking of current bbc snooker commentators
is as follows:
John Virgo=Dennis Taylor
Ken Doherty
(BIG GAP)
John Parrot
Steve Davis
Stephen Hendry
Willie Thorne
Neal Foulds
Willie Thorne and Neal Foulds occupy their own realm
as the very lowest of the low though. They are both capable of destroying commentary on their own but the couple of times they've commentated together have led to what can only be described as mindless horror.
Used to be Everton and Thorne before they chinned Everton off.
Big mistake.
I think that Thorne's the best all-round analyst. And he always picks the right shot. Taylor's probably the man I'd have alongside him. Don't like Virgo although he's good for the big occasion sometimes. I don't like commentators who are still playing, but Hendry is pretty good so far it has to be said.
My worst nightmare is a Doherty/Faulds combo. Haven't got the charisma of a walnut between them.
yeah foulds is shocking
he manages to suck the tension right out of every moment.
davis is good in the studio
but terrible in the commentary box. Strange.
The best thing to ever happen in snooker is when
they ask the commentators for a bit of help regarding whether they've respotted a ball correctly. I dunno if that happens often or just once, either way I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Nah, pretty sure this is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GK9EDJvnjn0#t=431s
Walked past the Crucible on the way home from work
The square outside was completely packed with the East Asian students that are over at the moment/ may have come over specially. I didn't know it was such a big thing over there.
Was Mark Allen running at them with a claw hammer?
That guy is the most amazing gobshite
Completely ungrateful too, re: Hearn, who has done so fucking much for the entire sport - such a contribution isn't really matched in any other (F1 isn't a sport FYI)
Got a lot of time for Hearn.
Genuinely passionate about the sport and always comes across as incredible reasonable. He dealt with Allen's first load of nonsense last year very well. Surely he'll give the twat a heavier bollocking this time...
Still think that Higgins should have been given a bigger suspension though. Never have liked the bloke though truth be told. No-one seems to remember his phase between 2000-2004 when he was the most petulant player on the circuit. Twice I remember him storming out of the last frame of a session when he's fluffed a shot whilst behind and the opponent's still got to clear up. Once was definitely at The Crucible. No class that man.
I met Steve Davis at a gig recently
and he clearly has nothing but respect and affection for Hearn
I trust his judgement on all matters tbh - interesting to hear what he has to say about Allen's latest aberration (if it is an aberration)
Higgins inspires frustration in me - in any close game, even if he's being outplayed, he'll find some way to keep it together, without playing imaginative snooker, but simply nailing the basics and waiting for the opposition to wilt. He is relentless, a force of disappointment (as I'm invariably backing the other guy)
He is also really, really good at being, say, 3 down with 4 to play and winning
French space-prog? Caravan reunion? Smooth soul, which is his slightly odd other big love?
Hearn started managing Davis when he was 17 or something so it's obvious he'd have ultimate trust in how Hearn does things - whenever asked on the coverage about the changes he always makes sure to add the caveat he's hardly unbiased. I wonder what balance Hearn is actually looking for, the promotion of stuff like Power Snooker and his quotes re the world championships being something like "I love it, it's nuts!" suggests he's going the direct darts replication route which really isn't going to work either way on TV.
insane Cardiacs-inspired freakazoid mini-festival
he was meant to be compering but ended up hanging out in the bar - I approached him and we discussed the current crop of snooker youngsters. he agreed with me that Ding is a player of astounding talent but said that he was not the best mentally, which figures
we also discussed the music, which was astonishing. am listening to William D Drake right now, as it happens <3
Yep.
And he is always both forceful and eloquent when pressed about his decision making - to do what is best for the game of snooker. Can't fault any of the calls he's made to be honest. Really like his stance on Ronnie not wanting to play tournaments in China for instance, and considering the players' own situations when analysing their decisions.
Yeah and Higgins deserves credit for that. The mental toughness on display now certainly hasn't always been there though. Probably the most `complete` player there's ever been but I don't like him. I mean fair play to him for winning last year but MAN did he look flustered when Trump was humping him during the first two sessions. That was as good as seeing him get beaten to be honest...
you didn't know snooker was big in east asia!
Where've you been???
Probably not to East Asia
Not in and/or around the world of snooker and/or the world of East Asia(ns)
My experience is limited to a couple of exchange lads who live in my building who are fucking mad for pinball. They endured a day out in Wakefield just to go to a convention.
Dale looking to go 3-1 up against Trump
Trump looks sick. He is, apparently.
who does Dale remind me of?
Chevy Chase?
Dott's 5-0 down!
:( I like dott
7-0 now
do like Joe Perry though
Dott out, Ding out
and Judd 7-6 down at the start of the last session.
don't want Judd to lose but Dominic Dale is an absolute hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TVq6awAe1Rk#t=80s
This. Pity one of them has to go out really.
I suspect Judd's still feeling the effect of being ill, so I wouldn't be surprised if he loses.
was a shame about Dott
funny how they kept zooming in on his watery eyes too, he did look like he was going to cry though.
CMON Bazza Hawkins.
Ding's out
fuck.
Selby too, 3-10 to Barry Hawkins
I wouldn't have called that one.
all the seeds seem to be dropping out.
Aye: Murphy, Dott, Allen...
Equalled the record (8) of seeds out in the first round
Ali Carter is playing well
although from what the commentators are saying Davis is so ill he can barely see the balls and is close to shitting himself at any moment.
feel sorry for the guy.
That'll teach him never to go halves on dinner with Judd again
"Davis is so ill he can barely see the balls and is close to shitting himself at any moment." I'm imagining this in Dennis Taylor's voice.
reckon Carter will fulfil his threat of retiring at the end of this season?
Favourite moment of the Championship so far
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxd-u0PSNJU
HE'S GOT YOUR LINE
HE'S GOT YOUR LINE
Gilbert's going to go on a run, isn't he?
quarters at least
Yeah Neil Robertson's always worth writing off after half a session, isn't he...
:/
nope
POTTING THEM OFF THE LAMPSHADES
Bit premature there pal!
Robertson was absolutely immense towards the end of that session. In fairness, Gilbert hasn't played badly, it's just that Robertson's been better still.
towards the end of that session
that was probably the best I've seen anyone play in this tournament
Just gonna leave this here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYRUJGMSjA8
In the hole you blue bastard!
put a speculative £5 on Matthew Stevens outright winner
looked good in the first round and isn't facing any seeds until the semi. could see something like Ronnie knocking out Robertson and losing to him maybe
very speculative
Not dreadful betting.
Stevens has a game and temperament ideally suited to The Crucible (as he has shown on numerous occasions) and could always mount a charge.
The problem is he hasn't played well for years. He won't win, but I can understand the logic behind backing him.
He'd be a good bet to get to the final but not to win.
Hendry is looking incredible atm against Higgins.
just made his 775th century of his career.
This is like watching the Hendry of old.
You vile cretin
er
?
http://drownedinsound.com/community/boards/social/4337994#r6723016
Uh-oh
the lethal partnership of thorne and foulds. Robertson's won this.
Maguire up 7-3
looks to be on good form.
and Joe Perry says i'm alright
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6wU6NN1G2o
John Virgo and Dennis Taylor on Pointless tomorrow
should be good.
Higgins
having an absolute nightmare. shocking stuff.
Hendry completes it at 13-4
Huge win. Whether this is merely a Davis-like late career heroic run or, as the margin of victories might suggest, a serious shot at the title (he's got Maguire next)
The walkon music list is out. Shaun Murphy's chosen a piece from Pirates Of The Caribbean 3. http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2744579,00.html
knew i loved Andrew Higginson
martin gould;
an unlikely motorhead fan.
Weeums looks a mess
an unshaven, jowly, bollock-faced puffball.
RoS is playing some amazing stuff
taking the piss out of williams at the moment
He really is on form isn't he?
Actually feeling a bit sorry for Williams now.
the other table looks to be a better match
but I just love watching ronnie when he is on form.
Good reply from williams though, having lost 9 in a row.
not being funny, but...
telly presenters rocking bubble jackets, at all but espeicially indoors. is that really on?
yeah bbc 2
Tell you what, Jamie Jones is looking good in this session.
Really good display given it's his first appearance at the World Championship.
yeah, picked him out as a surprise package at the start
might yet be right
I don't know who the live commentators are on Eurosport at the moment
and they aren't the people I've heard on there before but they sound about as close as you like to Mitchell and Webb's snooker commentators.
carter on for a maximum
nope
snookered himself on the black
2 tables currently at 12-10 and 11-10 anyhow
exciting
no chance I'm getting any work done
at all this week.
thank god for iplayer.
got a multi-window system
http://i47.tinypic.com/34fcflv.jpg
nice
really fancied Judd to get it
thought he was unlucky
i didn't see that one
how far did he get?
had two reds left maybe
needed to play a little flick and knocked them both (just) safe.
think it was the frame previous to Carter's one
ooft
hell of a long red from Judd
what's going on?
I don't have any sound!
someone in the crowd getting rowdy?
It wasn't really clear, but the commentators thought someone was having a coughing fit or something.
bit dissapointing
amazing match
will be a sensational clearance if Judd can hold it together...
nope he's fucked it.
looks like it's down to whoever can hold their nerve.
hmmm
dunno if that was the right shot
Yeah my life has gone out the window this week.
thanks snooker.
think of the children, alistair
Looks like Judd's bottled it.
maybe not
two great snookers in a row
still can't imagine he'll win it now though
IS THIS A FREE BALL? IS THIS A FREE BALL?
IS THIS A FREE BALL?
unless this is a free ball!!
omg
lol
carter's got this now, hasn't he
damn
nah not quite
think they'll be a few more missed before this frame is over
Gosh, what a final frame that was!
Just looking at lists of previous champions...
it's mad how many runs of utter dominance by one player there's been. Virtually every decade until the turn of the century. The Davis brothers, Pulman, Reardon, Davis, Hendry.
Joe Davis would've probably banged out 20 successsive titles had it now been for war. That kid must've invented snooker, ffs. There can't have been much competition. Obviously, it's global now, and much more professional, but why is it that even as recently ago as the 90s one player could be so dominant, but now you're guaranteed a different champion virtually every year?
Some of the game lengths were crazy, too. Best of 145 frames in the 40s, ffs.
those days were all crazy tho
boxing matches going to like 80 rounds.
Ah
who here remembers that classic 1952 final where Aussi Horace Lindrum palindromically beat Kiwi Clark McConachy 94-49? Good times. Good times.
Partly Hearn
Partly the gamestandard improving all round
Partly Ronnie, the only person likely to have done it, suffering from depression and being unable to do it for long periods of time.
Lots of other reasons, I dunno.
It's only when colour telly came in that it took off
and it only got on television because it was ideal for showing off the new medium. As comparatively recently as 1972 Alex Higgins' first title took a year from beginning to end and the final was played at the Selly Oak British Legion Club.
Day-Stevens looks tasty
I think I might support the winner of Jones Higginson
or Matthew Stevens.
I'm supporting Maguire
since we play at the same club.
hard to tell if he's playing really well
or has just had easy games so far.
Haha
Steve Davis in his band t-shirt.
In the quiz thing?
I've been trying to work out who it is, though really I assume it's Caravan or Magma or someone.
If it's a grey flower or a stickman next to a house
...
Maguire's killing Hendry then
Fair play to him. He won't win it but I'd like to see Steve Maguire get to the final. He's certainly talented enough to - just hasn't got the mental side of his game in check.
true
he seems to lose his temper quite a lot.
I think the table-hitting, feet-stamping stuff is all just for show, but sometimes when he gets into bother he's quick to just smash the balls everywhere.
Yeah he seems like a decent enough fella but he suffers in the chair quite a lot...
I think he's basically just Ronnie O'Sullivan but with both less depression and less talent. Very similar players - unplayable on their day but prone to coming unstuck to grinders.
If Maguire comes up against Robertson I would actually put every last penny I have on earth on a Robertson victory.
Stevens was really poor in that first session, lucky to only be 5-3 down.
Looks like Hendry is going out
Plus Ali Carter was a bit of a bellend during the match yesterday and after it.
I've never really liked the bloke - less so now.
Judd should apologise when he flukes 'em, sure, but there's no need for that.
Peter Ebdon in the crowd cheering against Judd was the greatest example of 'anti-snooker' imagineable.
When Ebdon came and gave Carter a kiss during the post-match interview
:-)
That was just weird...
...and I actually quite like Peter Ebdon! He's as much of a one-off as Judd is, and has much more personality than he's given credit for, but MAN I have hated watching him on many occasions.
Also... bit of a no-brainer this but whoever wins O'Sullivan/Robertson is winning the tournament.
Absolutely no chance it will be going anywhere other than those 2. I can imagine the final session starting 8-8 but then Robertson pulling away to win 13-9 or something. And then he'll win the lot.
some great snooker happening
in this match.
can't separate them at the moment.
Match of the tournament already ennit.
I mean some people will say Trump/Carter but that was Trump bottling it and Carter crawling back in annoying fashion.
Ronnie seems up for it this year but I reckon as soon as it starts getting away from him, like it did in the Higgins QF last year, he'll start throwing in the towel.
won £12.64
honestly feel like king of the world right now http://i45.tinypic.com/omzig.jpg
10-1
looking like 11-1 at the mid session interval. gosh.
It's going to be a session to spare job, this.
Maguire is on scintillating form.
Would LOVE to see him win it, as I said upthread but... he won't.
wouldn't write him off completely
agree that Robertson should probably be a strong favourite though
Yeah Robertson's pumped for it this year. Massively pumped.
Ronnie threw that last frame away and that'll play on his mind. Should be a cracking session tomorrow morning anyroad.
Ryan Day is having a bit of a mare
Aye.
Can't be doing that against Stevens in a best of 25 situation. Stevens' game really is built for the World Championship. He never blasts an opponent off the table but he's always good value for the long haul.
He'll chisel away the frames easy enough in this one.
Hendry's announced his retirement
fairplay
surprised he didn't retire a year ago tbh, from the sounds of it he was sick of touring etc.
Aye.
Sad to see a great player struggling so much but he's really been hating it out there over the last few years. Be a shame not to see him at the Crucible but at least his penultimate act was giving Higgins a dicking... that was sweet.
not a bad way to leave it tbf
get a 147, knock out higgins and make it to the quarter finals.
not like anyone was actually expecting him to win it.
Heh, dunno... there was a bit too much 'Hendry the 8th' chat for my liking this year.
must be hard to spend most of your adult life on tour with Teh Ladz...
then retire and have to sit at home with the Mrs every day.
i think i'd just carry on going, tbh. much better than putting shelves up and having aunties round for biscuits.
Jamie Jones is pulling this one back
c'mon Jamie. Right player.
(Still think Carter will win fwiw. He's played brilliantly all week)
Carter hasn't played brilliantly.
He's played tenaciously but not brilliantly. An off-colour Trump very nearly mauled him and Mark Davis wasn't the toughest first round, even though he did hump him.
But I do like this Jones lad. Give him a few more years and he'll be a tough nut to beat.
He's provisional world number 29 even if he loses this.
Maybe top 16 in a few years? Wouldn't be unthinkable.
lovely successive clearances by jones
I really, really like this Jones lad.
Let's hope he gets in the top 16 and stays there for a good while.
Jamie "Century" Jones
138 followed by 132.
Davis t-shirt is a replica of the artwork to Gong's album Camembert Electricques.
G'WAN RONNIE
5 frames in a row. Robertson's looking rocky and not an inch as cocky as he usually does.
If Ronnie goes into this evening at 10-6, start putting the house on him winning the tournament.
haven't been able to watch it this afternoon
has Robbo been missing chances or is he just getting steamrollered?
Both.
Ronnie's steamrollering him and, as a result, he's been missing chances.
6 frames in a row now.
Robertson won the last 2.
he's 9-7 down but i've got the feeling he might take this now. currently 8/1 to win the tournament with bet365, dunno if they're slow to update but those odds seem large
Yeah the momentum's with him and when he gets stuck in he's devastating.
Ronnie can't be giving loose frames to him, even if he has won the session 6-2 and Robertson will feed off that.
8-1?? I'll nip into Billy Hill on the way back and see if they're offering that...
I just put 2.50 on that.
Thanks.
Robertson shouldn't have missed that black
Ronnie's too good at the moment though
I put 2.50 on robertson winning the championship.
shit.
wow this is quick.
Carter and Jones are halfway through the night's second frame
and the other table is on the mid-session interval.
great match
cmon Jones
lol angled.
so brave, so ruddy bloody brave.
What a frame!
now turning into an amazing match....
So, just to recap, the semi-finals are:
Maguire v Carter
O'Sullivan v Stevens
Wouldn't have predicted that at the start if I'm honest.
Really?
Aye, thought Robertson would be there; maybe Trump.
Possibly Higgins (although I'm glad he isn't).
Final combinations in order of preference:
O'Sullivan vs. Maguire
Maguire vs. Stevens
O'Sullivan vs. Carter
Stevens vs. Carter
If it's the latter I will not be watching. If it's the penultimate then I'll only watch because Ronnie will kill him. Any of the above two and we're in for a classic final.
Maguire v Carter up first
what do you reckon?
I'll say Maguire takes the lead and never loses it.
shame Stevens lost that frame
that red with the cue ball over the hole was delightful
errrrr pocket not hole
*bag
Aye.
Called two fouls on himself already 'n' all. Fair play to him. WOULDN'T GET THE CHINESE DOING THAT #markallen
Both players looking a bit shaky. If Ronnie doesn't settle in any of these sessions Stevens could easily take the match. If it gets to 12-12 my money's on the Welshman...
Dennis Taylor causing disturbances in the crowd with his cracking commentary this evening.
THORNE: He might just play a safety here. Returning the sportsmanship would be a good idea.
TAYLOR: Yeah... but it'd also be a good idea to knock the brown in and clear up.
^ Still giggling at that. Liked it.
Matthew Stevens is 34
there is no excuse for a 34 year old man to use that much hair-gel.
decent game so far
RoS has been the better player but 4-0 seems a bit unfair
Yeah fair assessment that.
Been a very good opening session though. In spite of Stevens hitting a lot of loose shots. Both players are a pleasure to watch in this setting.
:D
Carter is starting to run away with this
c'mon get it together big man
Wouldn't mind an RoS- Carter final.
just for Ronnie.
Why all the Carter hate?
Yeah, he was a dick to Judd Trump, but he generally seems an affable and erudite sort
Anyway, I'm supporting Maguire simply because he atones for the dourness of every other Scottish player. Far too close to call at this point
can't really put my finger on it
he just comes across as a bit of a prick.
also is Peter Ebdon trying to make everyone hate him? because he's doing quite well at it
Ebdon is fascinating
a real-time insight into constant psychological meltdown, self-loathing and mania
to be fair, I felt that with Quinten Hann to some extent.
everyone else just thought he was a cock
Ebdon is just really enjoyable to hate
like Voldemort
he lives in Dubai ffs
v good start of the session for Stevens
come on son
can't believe he managed to nick that last frame!
that's ronnie through then
no way is Stevens coming back from 11-5 down.
incredible, that.
Stevens had a couple of instances of bad luck but Ronnie was unplayable in that session.
Good stuff from Stevens there
needs to take the three of the next four though, you still feel.
the fuck are the bbc doing cutting the live stream halfway through a frame?
sensational red from Stevens
then to miss that the brown!!
great session
g'wan mags
you tenacious bastard.
5 frames on the bounce? nae bother
ah well
lol at 'cheers from his family and friends.... and peter ebdon'
Century apiece in the evening's first two frames
And Ronnie wins
too good
All-Essex world final
versus all-stoke world final in the darts
Ronnie's gonna walk it.
Ronnie's good mate and 1995 Turner Prize winner Damien Hirst
RONNIE
how can I worship you now ;_; this will take some getting over
by watching him make clearances like that
all is forgiven!
yeah, that was a superb 90 odd break
Damien Hirst is always there pretending to be someone's friend.
this first session has been very attritional
Ronnie making some amazing pots, Carter playing some awesome safety.
Can see this one going all the way
that little vignette of Rishi Persad knocking on O'Sullivan's door (twice)
and then Ronnie charging out past him without acknowledging him
was almost exquisitely awkward
Ah, the yearly "great bunch of lads" final interval piece
5 Chinese players in the top 100 in 2007
10 now. Not really an astonishing transformation.
SHOW SHOT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP ALREADY
Ali Carter
"China's China, don't really want to be going there". Hmmm.
tbf though
china is quite shit
Whether it's true or not
it's probably not the wisest thing to be saying in an interview.
people who say China will dominate snooker...
are they the same sorts who've always said Australia/America/Africa/delete as applicable, will dominate football eventually?
Isn't the only person who has said that stuff about football
been Pele
Seems somewhat similar to what's going on in Qatar
China's apparently injecting quite a lot of cash into and taking a lot of interest in the game but isn't really producing that much of their own talent yet.
True.
It's not going to happen overnight, though. Will take a few decades to culturally change entire nations mindsets.
I'm all for it, personally, as much as it's quite obviously unorganic. Imagine if we get to the point where, say, Qatar or Dubai plough so much money into football that they have major leagues and in thier own right, and competative national sides.
Yeah got to give the kids something to aspire towards
before giving them the tools to do that (putting money into player development etc).
Just stumbled across the World Championship Shots Of The Decade 1977-1986
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzysDEeDduI
Most of those wouldn't have an eyelid bat at them these days. Two are straight colours.
hah! this is great
shot D....a typical canadian plant
Carter conceding when only needing 2 snookers
hmmm
yeah, the kid is looking weak
needs this frame, for sure
Doesn't look like he thinks he can win.
that last frame was a 'mare for Carter
also loved Virgo getting the chance to say.'WHERE'S THE CUE BALL GOING?!' twice. :D
want that on a t-shirt. China's doing t-shirts, why shoundn't we?
Google is your friend.
http://www.zazzle.co.uk/wheres_the_cue_ball_going_tshirt-235307435476218832
It's an awful looking T-shirt, but don't let that deter you.
oh god
that's an eyesore!
I envisioned a stylised chatacture of Virgo, agog, microphone to mouth, with a different font.
Now that I would buy.
9-7 would be v good for Carter
that was some epic lingering by that red ball.
Oh yeah forgot there are 9 frames in this session.
whenever i've played snooker (or pool)...
i've always found the back-double the easiest shot.
don't think i've ever missed one.
just sayin.
Why has Peter Ebdon suddenly become a Carter über-fan?
Bizarre, isn't it.
Fair play to Carter, though. Difficult session, but he's still in it.
think he's been helping him practice, no?
i think Carter will win.
i hope i'm wrong. he seems like a right twat, but i can see him winning, somehow.
Yeah, wouldn't be surprised if he grinds out a win.
Which, as you say, would be a pity.
Ali is looking beat already
Carter really needs to get a few frames on the board now
otherwise the gap's going to get too difficult to overcome.
yep
can't see it happening though. he had three chances in that last frame and couldn't make anything of it.
Ronnie could win with a session to spare
big ask though
can see him getting 3/4
which you would think would be worse for Carter, having to delay the inevitable
LOL at JV's slightly sexist 70s humour there
FUCK OFF POETRY/ROB WALKER
Final session time
c'mon Carter, step up and make this a classic, eh
Well that was a fancy entrance what with the doors and the girls.
BARRY HEARN HAS LITERALLY MURDERED THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN ITS BED
Kasabian are doing wonders now in the rock world
haha
worst psyche-out EVER
The one bloke shouting 'COME ON RONNIE' a ball early
Aye, he's not going to feel at all foolish...
not the most exciting final I've ever watched
never any doubt as to who was gonna win.
but well done Ronnie.
YEAAAAAAHHH G'WAN THE ROCKET
aww that was lovely at the end with little Ronnie. :)
*I certainly ain't gone yet.*
That's it then
wasn't a very good championship but still a not very good WC is better than anything else. Just realised towards that I've not seen anyone split the pack off the blue in ages. That used to be such a standard shot (getting high on the blue so as to be able to screw into the reds). Always off the black now.
I thought it was a very good WC myself.
- Loads of the top 16 tumbling early
- Jamie Jones
- Mark Allen vs. The Land of China
- Hendry hitting a 147, smashing up Higgins and then retiring. Brilliant.
- Trump vs. Carter
- Trump's post match interview afterwards
- Jones vs. Carter
- Robertson vs. O'Sullivan
- Both semi-finals were excellent, gripping viewing
- Ronnie giving his most complete performance (not quite scaling the heights of genius of '04 and '08 for me) at the Crucible
All in all one of the best tournaments in years for me, although the final wasn't that great.
Yeah
I haven't seen much of that shot recently, guess it's much riskier hitting the top of the pack, much smaller target.
Glad Ronnie won as it felt like he's beaten Ebdon twice this year. Hope Carter wins in at some point though, unlucky to face an in-form O'Sullivan in both finals he's reached.
I think it's also to do with there being less of a chance that you'll finish on something
whereas if you screw into the black you can kind of hold the white around the middle of the reds. Anyway I hadn't really thought about that for a while but it's interesting to see one particular shot die out.
God my typing today
*whereas if you screw off the black.
*towards the end (in my previous post).
that and you can be quite likely to push
reds towards the corner pockets
I see this thread is on 299 replies
so I'm just going to post this for another century.
*Applauds*
Carter trying to eyeball Ronnie at the start of yesterday's session...
...and then getting four frames smashed past him before the mid-session interval. That man needs to stop listening to Peter Ebdon.
But, ultimately Stephen Maguire was right - Carter was never going to win or even DESERVE to win the world title, against O'Sullivan, playing that negatively. The best man, and the sport, triumphantly won.
I hope that Ronnie's got a 5th in him, so at least the stats would show him as a superior player to Higgins...
Feel a bit robbed of my traditional Tuesday bleary eyed start to the day
after the snooker went on until 3am
Yeah if the final finishes early the BBC should
stick the replay of the Dott-Ebdon final on.
That'll keep you awake.