Snooker Loopy

After the early dispatch of Shaun Murphy and Matthew Stevens yesterday, bleary eyes come to the Berlin arena to await their fate. On the menu this morning are Walden v Selby, Gilbert v Wollaston and Gudodong v Day. Apart from an old man losing his balance whilst taking his seat and falling into the next row, little drama has happened. Selby, Gudodong and Gilbert lead at this stage but expect few surprises this hour. Few players like the early session and so just want to get the job done. Current scores:

Today marks the start of the German Masters in Berlin. I have come here to savour the true beauty of the Tempodrom, the magic that German snooker fans create and the elite of snooker players on show. Snooker really doesn’t get any better when it comes to Germany. From my preview of the event on Eurosport, the army really is electric, the audience gets involved, knows when to clap, to applaud great gamesmanship and can calculate the winning line. In the snooker calendar this tournament really is at the top and braves the cold winds of Berlin to produce snooker magic. The multi table is unique and works so well with the circular construction of the Tempodrom. Who will triumph?, your guess is as good as mine but surely Judd Trump must be the favourite. His play at the Masters was divine. However Ronnie will want revenge for his heavy loss. If both can’t cut the mustard then any player could win the title.

A speedy recovery to Ray Ray who has a blood clot on his lung.

This week marks the start of one of the most exciting tournaments in the snooker calendar. Berlin has rejuvenated the careers of Mark Williams and Anthony Hamilton. The Tempodrom is a fantastic arena and holds nearly two thousand people. It fills up every day and is unique in the calendar as is a multi table event in the early rounds that are spears out on view across the stage. Just Trump, hot off his win at The Masters will be eyeing up back to back titles and Ronnie O’Sullivan will want to put his precious event loss to bed. Germany has very few professional players and the only one I know of is Lukas Kleckers.  Kleckers, unfortunately gets knocked up in the early rounds of events and has yet to show his true talent. A shame for German snooker because they really need a star in the top 16 of the tour. The Tempodrom is such a great venue because it not only hold a capacity crowd but the audience are totally engrossed in the game. They are engaged and knowledgeable,

Barry Hearn is currently the Chairman  of World Snooker. I spent some time today asking my pal a few questions. When did you first become involved in snooker? I became the chairman of Lucania billiard halls in 1983. What was your first snooker event? My first event was the southern area amateur snooker finals - terry Griffiths v Sid hood. Do you play snooker and what is your highest break? I was a money player not tournaments. In those days my best break was 56 and in practice 88. What changes do we have to look forward to in snooker? Bigger events and more prizemoney. What is your proudest snooker moment? Without doubt Steve’s first world title in 1981 Do you have any regrets? Regrets are for people that look back. I only look forward. Are you a perfectionist? Yes and a control freak. What do you like doing outside snooker? Fishing golf gym in that order. If you have a favourite player to watch, who is it? Ronnie. Does criticism hurt you? Never.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-43197484

http://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1074588/mike-rowbottom-women-increasingly-in-the-frame-as-snooker-lines-up-another-shot-at-olympic-inclusion

Alex Higgins was one of the prolific figures in modern snooker. Often controversial, Higgins created a brand of snooker that was exciting, fast, calculated and accurate. Higgins, dubbed Sandie by his family, learnt the game in the Jam Pot in Belfast. Often playing people in pubs and clubs, he was able to make a meagre living by plying his growing craft against players and members of the public. Alex, then came over to England in the late 1960s with Dennis Taylor and again continued to work the working class circuit. His first World Championship win came in 1972 against John Spencer in a working men’s club in Birmingham. Higgins won a meagre £400 for the victory. Higgins, dubbed the “People’s Champion”, won the World Championship twice, 1972 and 1982, the UK Championship and the Masters, the triple crown of snooker. However later in his career, Alex was unable to escape hiis mental demons and fell down the rankings. His orange juice was laced with vodka and heavy s

One of the true gems in snooker history is the 1987 Masters final between Alex Higgins and Dennis Taylor. The Irish pair who had traveled over to England in the late 60s both reached the final in this year to slog it out in the former venue of the Wembley Conference Centre. Higgins who had dominated the tournament, casting aside Griffiths, Meo and Johnson to reach the final, was in in no mood to lose and firmly had his eyes on the prize money and silverware. This final had all the drama of a boxing match because neither player wanted to lose. It was the aggressor against the underdog.Similar to the earlier 1985 final, Taylor was behind in the match and to summoned all his energy to break his opponent’s game down. Higgins led 8-5 into the evening session but this did not deter Taylor. Like a dog with a bone, Dennis fought back and was able to steal the last four frames to win 9-8. A fight back that was largely caused by Alex Higgins asking his manager to order champagn

I have always wondered whether I am related to the six times World Champion, Ray Reardon. Ray was born in Tredegar in South Wales and my Grandfather, John Reardon was born in Ebbw Vale. Let’s hope so!

I have been a friend of Colin’s for several years and first met him at the Masters. Living in Kent, Colin tirelessly organises snooker exhibitions involving past and current players. I recently met up with him in his home town of Faversham and watched the man in action, a charity event involving Joe Johnson and Tony Knowles. What made you start organising snooker events? Organising I'd say because of a snooker background i have and my uncle running a club back in the late 90s and love for the game since i was 12 years old. What do you do outside snooker as a job? Outside of snooker i run a early morning coffee shop at a railway station in Kent. How long have you been organising snooker exhibitions? I've been organising events for nearly 4 years now and mostly working with my good pal legend Jimmy White. Colin, tell me about the Faversham Club? Faversham Club has been there since 1884 and is a very old traditional club with amazing fearutes and t

Snooker was first born millions of miles away from the UK in a small town in the Nilgiri hills of Southern India. Recently Dennis Taylor went to this club and played on the first ever table produced. The Ooty Colonial Club was set up amongst 65 hill stations for the British army. Built by Sir William Rumbold In 1836, the club was built in a colonial style  and houses a bar and billiard room. A relic of the Raj period, the mixed bar still has a strict dress code and is set in a building and surrounding area that could be produced by bursting a time bubble and even has the original ball room. Inside the Billiards Room, stands the first ever snooker table made. A rare antique that is still playable and reminds us how old the game and how far it has travelled

Congratulations to David Gilbert who achieved the 147th 147 in snooker history yesterday in the non televised Championship League. The former tractor diver from Tamworth achieved the fabulous result yesterday but the frame took place behind closed doors. Players were quick to congratulate Gilbert who has reached two world ranking finals but never has had any silverware for his cabinet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3ieZY2YDNY

In 1985, snooker was at its height of popularity and the game was watched by millions on television. The final that year was between a youthful Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor who was hungry to pick up this esteemed silverware. Davis was the snooker poster boy and had been schooled by Barry Hearn to become a potting machine. First winning the title in 1981, he had lost very little apart from a crushing first round defeat to Tony Knowles 10-1 in the opening round of the 1982 World Championship. Taylor who had nearly missed out in the 1979 final to Terry Griffiths was a seasoned player, having risen through the ranks, coming over from Ireland with a young Alex Higgins to play in exhibitions and working men’s clubs for next to no money. When the final arrived in 1985, Steve Davis was clear favourite and took a clear lead to go into the final session. Taylor who had recently lost his Mother looked out of the Championship and didn’t look capable of overcoming this heavy lead of 1

When one thinks of snooker commentary, a name instantly comes to mind and that is Ted Lowe. Ted started his career as the manager of a snooker club in London, Leicester Square Hall but literally got his biggest break when a BBC sport’s commentator became ill with laryngitis. Lowe was an instant success and provided the commentary for Pot Black from 1969 until it finished in the mid 1980s. His distinctive voice was crafted through having to whisper through matches as all commentary was done in the venue, usually with a microphone on the stairs of the venue. Ted later went on to commentate on all the BBC tournaments and used his voice to craft wisdom and drama into the programme. Lowe’s voice is probably the most mimicked by impressionists of the time and was loved and respected by all in the game. He retired from the BBC in 2005 after the World Championship final and passed away in 2011, aged 90, during the first session of the World Championship final. A great man wit

Ken Doherty is most famously known for winning the 1997 World Championship but how did this dream come true?  Doherty started his career selling programmes at Goff’s as a teenager. Ken then used his love of the game to become Irish Amateur Champion and World Amateur Champion. A feat that few players have achieved, a comedic character off the table, he has always been ruthless on it, amassing over 300 century break in his long and established career. The pinnacle of his snooker career was when he beat an in form Stephen Hendry 18-12 to become Wold Champion. A feat that only Horace Lindburn and Cliff Thorburn had managed up until this point as non UK players. Similarly Doherty was able to set another by winning back to back titles in the Welsh Open and Thailand Masters in 2001 and reaching the final of the next, the Regal Scottish Open. Another memorable moment came in the 2000 Benson and Hedges Masters when Ken missed a routine black to narrowly miss out on a 14

The Crucible in Sheffield has played host to the World Championship since 1977 and first opened as a theatre in 1971. Snooker came to Sheffield by chance after the tournament director attended a play there with his wife. Snooker had lost its home at the time and he was so impressed with the structure and intimacy of the venue that a contract was signed. The theatre is unique because it is small and only actually has 950 seats. When the World Championship is played, a screen is lowered between the two tables in the early rounds. Players have to manoeuvre themselves between the screen and the cameras to play and the audience are within touching distance of the table. The Crucible has had many historic moments including Thorburn’s, 1983 maximum, the Davis/Taylor black ball final in 1985 and streaker or two! The Crucible will continue to host the World Championship but it is under threat from changing times. With the expansion and mass investment of snooker in China, pressure

Snooker derives from the game of billiards and was first played with ivory balls.in the late 1800’s. The name snooker itself was a nickname for the army cadets in India where the game was first played by the British army. Billiards and this crude alternative were then merged to form snooker. Unlike billiards, snooker is a largely potting game and was first became a game when the Billiards Association and Control Club was formed in 1919. This later become the WPBSA which now governs the game across the world. As snooker progressed so ivory was replaced by bakalite and now a durable resin that reduce kicks. The green baize itself has become thinner to increase the speed of the balls and table heaters introduced to keep the slate under the cloth at a constant temperature to reduce humidity. The equipment itself has changed with long extensions replaced with screw on buts and cues are either made of ash wood or maple.

Snooker comes thick and fast in today’s 20 event calendar and no sooner are we finished at Alexandra Palace for the Masters than we are crossing the water for the German Masters in Berlin. With the assistance of Eurosport coverage, Germany has always been a hotbed of snooker. Audience attendance figures are always high in Berlin and the crowd are passionate, knowing the game inside out. Ironically the game itself has less play on the ground with very few snooker clubs in Germany and no player of notoriety. The growth of snooker coverage in Germany has largely been done by promoting the game. One such example is my friend, the German, Eurosport commentator, Rolf Kalb. Kalb has worked tirelessly to explain snooker to German audiences, a sport which the German fans have taken to their hearts. The event that takes place each year in the Tempodrom in Berlin, has a unique format where the audience are able to watch a 5 table set up for the early part of the tournament. Combi

After overcoming Ronnie in three finals, Trump claimed his biggest win by the claiming the second jewel in the Triple Crown. A lacklustre performance by O’Sullivan allowed Judd to dominate this year’s Masters final. A snooker star has truly been born. Ronnie was never able to climb Trump’s lead mountain and looked dejected. This was one of these historic snooker moments when the established player was washed away by Judd’s game, the difference being that Trump has mastered his all round game. The doubting Trump has disappeared and been replayed by a quality player. Could this be another pivotal moments, like when the old guard were blown away by the class of 1992? No doubt Ronnie will lick his wounds and be back for the German Masters in a few weeks but this loss will hurt O’Sullivan. However Judd has now proved that he can beat any player in a pressurised final, even the great, Ronnie O’Sullivan.Not even the wasp that Jan Verhaas swatted could put him off. A great night

As Christmas approaches, who will seize one of the jewels in the snooker crown this week in York ? It seems an age ago when Patsy Fagan beat Doug Mountjoy in Blackpool to win the first UK Championship 12-9 in 1977.  Much has changed since then, pockets have got smaller, the cloth has got thinner and general play has changed, swapping safety shots for attacking shots and early clearances and smoking and drinking replaced by the odd sip of water. Unlike the early days of snooker, when matches were played in small venues and players sat on the stairs between shots, now venues are large such the German Open in the Tempadrom in Berlin or the Masters at Alexandra Palace. Demand is growing and often extra seats have to be installed to cope with large ticket sales. No longer is the sport exclusively for men. The ladies game has boomed in recent years, building on pioneers of the game such as Alison Fisher, Reanne Evans has dominated the game and has even competed in qualifiers

With thousands of readers across the globe, I would be interested to know if there was any snooker subject matter you would like me to blog on. Please fill out the below comment box with your ideas. The best material will be blogged on. Regards Elliott

So the stage is set for a Masters final with two of the most exciting players in the game. The youthful Judd Trump and his learned opponent, Ronnie O’Sullivan. On paper Judd could be seen as the underdog in this war of attrition but Judd has beaten Ronnie before. However to win, Judd must keep negativity out of his head. If any such idea creeps into his head, Ronnie will pounce on him and punish him through heavy  scoring. Similarly Ronnie’s weakness is to come late out of the starting blocks. Any player who draws him must amass frames in this period or O’Sullivan’s will kick into gear. Judd is that lucky soul this time and has the added pressures of facing a London crowd and the nerves of reaching his first Masters final. Trump has to combine his long potting and naughty snooker with controlled safety play and logical shot choices. If he does, he has a great chance of winning but otherwise he will again be a runner up and Ronnie will rule the palace once again.

"If I had to make the choice between married life and playing snooker, snooker would win." The Early Years When you think of snooker one name resonates and that is Ray Reardon. Ray was formerly a miner and policeman who sustained an injury in a pit accident after being trapped under rocks for three hours. Due to lack of work he then moved with his parents to Stoke where he carved out a new career in the police force. However beyond this humdrum life lay a skill that he had nurtured since the age of 15. That was the cue skills of a snooker player. Playing against other greats of the valleys such as the late great Cliff Wilson, Reardon was able to amass an impressive amateur career, retaining the Welsh amateur title from 1950-1955. Professional Career His big break, no pun intended, came in 1964 when he regained the Welsh amateur title by defeating John Spencer 11-8. As a result he was offered to go on a tour of South Africa. This tour was so successful that it led to