Judgement Day

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Yesterday, dubbed as “Judgement Day”, marked the final qualifying day for a place at the World Championship. Probably the cruelest week in the sport, familiar faces would either triumph or crash and burn. With the earlier dispatching of Jimmy White, more casualties had to follow.The likes of Yan Bintao,Kurt Maflin, Robert Mullins,Matthew Stevens, Liang Wenbo and Ben Woolaston, all fell by the wayside, unable to recapture their previous form in the earlier rounds. On the flip side, the likes of Ali Carter, Mark Davis, Graeme Dott, Li Hang, Anthony McGill and Martin Gould, must be very proud of their efforts, clearing the final furlong for their chance to compete for Crucible glory.

One such player who deserves a great deal of credit for reaching the Crucible is Mark Davis. Davis, now 46, has never failed to qualify and is one of the players that has defied the age of time to continue to compete at a professional level. Unlike a lot of players who lose their sight and concentration, Davis continues to play his “A” game and takes scalps as a result.

However the pressure of the qualifiers, bears no resemblance to the boiling pot of the Crucible. Like a pack of wolves, they will all have to fight each other to survive and with the added hurdle of having to tournament for seventeen days. The likes of Selby, Robertson, Trump and O’ Sullivan stand in their way. A feat that only the best disciplined and in form play can manage.

With only the best now in the World Championship, few mistakes can be made. The enclosed atmosphere of the Crucible and the tight space of table play, will play a part in this victory or loss. With a cameraman just behind you and a referee even closer to you, snooker couldn’t be any harder and the victor at the end of his World Championship will have fought their demons on and off the table, a sacrifice worth the gamble for the ultimate snooker prize.

One must bear in mind though that few qualifiers have ever won the World Championship. Such players as Terry Griffiths, Joe Johnson and Shaun Murphy have defied the odds but this frankly a monumental task and this why these players are in the minority To qualify and win the World Championship is a big ask and an even bigger one to achieve but it could happen because the bar has already been established and set.

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