UK Championship, 2017

-
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 for all the major tournaments.

On current form the clear contenders for the silverware are Higgins, Selby, Murphy,Trump and Robertson. O'Sullivan could shine but doubts have surfaced this season with his lack of tournament play and mistakes creeping into his game.
I asked several players and commentators on their thoughts of this early snooker Christmas present:

Shaun Murphy:

"I always look forward to the UK Championship as its the start of "Major" season for us on tour. The UK, Masters and World Championship  are our Triple Crown events and the ones we all really want to win. 
I won the UK title back in 2008 and have been to the final again since, losing to my friend Mark Selby a few years back. It's a great event with an even greater history and I'm looking forward to being a part of it again this year. It hasn't been a great event for me in recent years but I've been working very hard on my game and know that good things are round the corner, so hopefully they'll turn around for me in York this year".

Rolf Kalb:

"I'm sure everybody is looking forward to York. The UK Championship always brings out the best from all players, especially for the top guys. Cracking days are ahead of us."

Ken Doherty:

"Great tournament in a great city, can't wait for it."


Joe Johnson:

" I have been very fortunate in my snooker career since first turning professional in 1979 until my retirement in 2004 to have played many of the greats in the U.K. Championship including my failed maximum against Jimmy White. This truly is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the snooker calendar and I can't wait to commentate for Eurosport UK on this pre Christmas cracker".

Willie Thorne:
"Going to be very difficult to predict a winner this year with so many people playing well a little worried that John Higgins will face burnout it's so hard to keep playing the standard he is producing for a month but he would defiantly be my favourite if he wasn't playing in Ireland this week my choice would be Ronnie but trump is due another tournament."


After an early exit from the Irish Open could another surprise contender be Shaun Murphy or the English Open winner Liang Wenbo or how could we could forget   Mark Allen, Ding Jing Hui or even Kyren Wilson ? Like a box of chocolates, we are spoilt for choice but beyond the layers lies a snooker titan who will prevail next Sunday. Only time will tell but my tip from the snooker gods is only time will tell!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Which way, left or right?

-
Image
One of the greatest spats that occurred in snooker history was between my friend Alain Robidoux and Ronnie O’Sullivan. It occurred in 1996 at the World Championship. Ronnie, a then young whipper snapper at 19, trounced Alain in the match, winning 10-3. However beyond the win, a spat occurred when Ronnie decided to take a number of shots left handed. Robidoux criticised O’Sullivan after the match for being “disrespectful”. Ronnie hit back at Alain saying “if he wants to act like a baby that’s up to him” adding “ the crowd enjoyed it, that’s the main thing”. This was probably the first time that a player had dared to take multiple shots left handed and led to players attempting the same feat. Perhaps this wouldn’t have been become a regular occurrence if this hadn’t of happened. This snooker bust up led to Alain refusing to shake Ronnie’s hand at the end of the match. Robidoux later explained his actions saying “Ronnie was being disrespectful to his fellow professionals and should sa
Read more

Place your bets

-
Image
Match fixing in snooker has unfortunately been in operation since the very early days of the game with reports of Joe Davis having "carried" weaker opponents in multi-session matches to maximise the gate revenue. This trait continued through the history of the sport with players such as Willie Thorne and Alex Higgins claiming they were offered large sums of money to lose matches. Players may not enter a match fixing agreement on their own free will, being subject to threats of violence if they fail to submit. The lucrative criminal act is largely based in the Far East where gangs devise money making scams in various sports, using their players to infiltrate the individual sport and extract multimillion currency earnings. Although this happens, World Snooker has been very vigilant to attempt to stamp out this criminal activity in recent years. The main punishment being heavy fines or bans from the game. Recognisable figures such as Quentin Hann, Stephen Lee and Joe Joggi
Read more

The Beckham of the Baize

-
Image
Revered by players in our sport, Paul Hunter was one of the best players that snooker has ever seen but whose life was sadly cut short by cancer. Paul was instantly recognisable for his good looks and flamboyant style, being the only player I have known to play who has managed to play with a hair band and pull it off successfully. Dubbed “ the Beckham of the Baize”, Hunter represented the flair and youth of sportsmen of the time and brought a refreshing sense of fashion to the table. Best known for his three Masters’ titles, Paul made Wembley his home, taking every victory to the wire by winning the deciding frame and managed in his short career to compile 114 centuries and amass £1,535,730 in career prize money. He also managed to pull off a 146 break in the 2004 Premier League. Hunter started his early career as a junior player, winning titles, most importantly the English Doubles Championship, being described as an “outstanding junior talent “.Taken under the wing of Joe Johnson
Read more