Between a rock and a hard place
Next week,snooker leaves Preston and moves to Gibraltar. This tournament is often missed by some of the top players as like the briefly held Brazil Open, travel and time could be reserved for other competitions. However in my opinion that is a very shallow view and is proved wrong by players such as Shaun Murphy and Stuart Bingham, who turn up and play because they love the game.
Don’t get me wrong, the Gibraltar Open does have faults, the venue itself is cramped and noisy. Being located near an airport runway is probably not the best location to be be when you are concentrating on your shot or attempting to make a maximum break. The plane noise is constant and even on televised coverage, you can hear the planes taking off or landing.
Despite these faults, these are teething problems and can be easily remedied. The clear benefit of this tournament is that it showcases the country and the players. With 128 players in the mix, the silverware really could be anyone’s. With burnout rife from previous travelling, the top 16 who turn up for this competition are vulnerable and any top player can be beaten on the day by someone outside the top 32.
Gibraltar is also great because it gets the player wet behind the ears, a virtual towel, that being match experience. Lower rank players predominantly play on the outside tables and this environment gives them the opportunity to work their way to the match table. With match fitness from multiple play, these players are in good stead and won’t have to leap so far to be viewed by the Eurosport audience.
The main killers for any newer player are the tv lights and the audience. These distractions can be the difference between a pay cheque and a long, plane journey home. So tournaments such as Gibraltar, allow a player to develop within in the duration of the event. They may not reach the final but it is a vital qualification for their snooker Curriculum Vitae. Snooker is grounded in Gibraltar and will rock the audience for some time to come!
Don’t get me wrong, the Gibraltar Open does have faults, the venue itself is cramped and noisy. Being located near an airport runway is probably not the best location to be be when you are concentrating on your shot or attempting to make a maximum break. The plane noise is constant and even on televised coverage, you can hear the planes taking off or landing.
Despite these faults, these are teething problems and can be easily remedied. The clear benefit of this tournament is that it showcases the country and the players. With 128 players in the mix, the silverware really could be anyone’s. With burnout rife from previous travelling, the top 16 who turn up for this competition are vulnerable and any top player can be beaten on the day by someone outside the top 32.
Gibraltar is also great because it gets the player wet behind the ears, a virtual towel, that being match experience. Lower rank players predominantly play on the outside tables and this environment gives them the opportunity to work their way to the match table. With match fitness from multiple play, these players are in good stead and won’t have to leap so far to be viewed by the Eurosport audience.
The main killers for any newer player are the tv lights and the audience. These distractions can be the difference between a pay cheque and a long, plane journey home. So tournaments such as Gibraltar, allow a player to develop within in the duration of the event. They may not reach the final but it is a vital qualification for their snooker Curriculum Vitae. Snooker is grounded in Gibraltar and will rock the audience for some time to come!
Comments
Post a Comment