The Race for Number One
With the start of play for the Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno today, all eyes wil be on Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby. Selby has up to this point clung on to the number one spot through amassed ranking points but poor season form has meant that his lead has slowly slipped away. Current permutations mean that if Ronnie lifts the title in Llandudno, he will regain his number one ranking.
On paper, this seems plausible but snooker can be a funny sport with many twists and turns.It does seem grossly unfair that O”Sullivan who picks and chooses his tournaments should even have this opportunity. Playing on average 8 out of 20 events in the tour calendar, Ronnie spends more time on the Eurosport couch than he does on the green baize. However don’t write off Selby yet as this grinding player will never give up the mantle easily. When his back is against the wall, he has a habit of coming back from the precipice. Selby’s fighting qualities are renouned, so much so that Ronnie dreads his next encounter with Mark.
Both players have respect for each other but don’t expect them to be seen sharing a pint together. Ronnie is known for being a fast and attacking player but Selby uses his skill to slow the game down and get O’Sullivan to play in his uncomfortable zone of safety and low scoring frames. If this is sustained in a match, Ronnie is liable to weaken and start missing long and short range pots, letting his opponent in to score.
It will interesting to see how this ranking war pans out but Ronnie does have the upper hand on tournament wins. Bingham may have won in Gibraltar but this means very little when only the elite are involved. O’Sullivan is hungry for another tournament win but can any player snatch his dinner plate before he tucks into his victor’s meal?
On paper, this seems plausible but snooker can be a funny sport with many twists and turns.It does seem grossly unfair that O”Sullivan who picks and chooses his tournaments should even have this opportunity. Playing on average 8 out of 20 events in the tour calendar, Ronnie spends more time on the Eurosport couch than he does on the green baize. However don’t write off Selby yet as this grinding player will never give up the mantle easily. When his back is against the wall, he has a habit of coming back from the precipice. Selby’s fighting qualities are renouned, so much so that Ronnie dreads his next encounter with Mark.
Both players have respect for each other but don’t expect them to be seen sharing a pint together. Ronnie is known for being a fast and attacking player but Selby uses his skill to slow the game down and get O’Sullivan to play in his uncomfortable zone of safety and low scoring frames. If this is sustained in a match, Ronnie is liable to weaken and start missing long and short range pots, letting his opponent in to score.
It will interesting to see how this ranking war pans out but Ronnie does have the upper hand on tournament wins. Bingham may have won in Gibraltar but this means very little when only the elite are involved. O’Sullivan is hungry for another tournament win but can any player snatch his dinner plate before he tucks into his victor’s meal?
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