Which way, left or right?
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 save shots like that for exhibitions. I wasn’t playing well and he was rubbing it in. Dennis Taylor occasionally plays left-handed but that’s just because sometimes he’s reluctant to use the rest”. Robidoux continued “That’s not a problem for Ronnie because he’s a good all-round player and doesn’t need to do it. In fact, he shouldn’t be allowed to play like that in a professional tournament “.
Many have forgotten this moment in snooker history but it is definitely a pinnacle moment. This was the start of Ronnie’s media moments on and off the table and showed his arrogance towards his opponent and the sport in general. In this instance, I have to agree with Alain. Ronnie was trying to hog the limelight by showcasing a skill that should have been left in his cue case.
Sadly this came at the end of Robidoux’s professional career and an instance that he would probably wish to forget. Alain was and still is a great player, always there for me when I need a chat and one of a swathe of players that crossed the globe from Canada to play on UK soil.I would advise anyone to look him up on You Tube especially his fantastic trick shots.
https://youtu.be/Vs-nUiRq_GE
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 save shots like that for exhibitions. I wasn’t playing well and he was rubbing it in. Dennis Taylor occasionally plays left-handed but that’s just because sometimes he’s reluctant to use the rest”. Robidoux continued “That’s not a problem for Ronnie because he’s a good all-round player and doesn’t need to do it. In fact, he shouldn’t be allowed to play like that in a professional tournament “.
Many have forgotten this moment in snooker history but it is definitely a pinnacle moment. This was the start of Ronnie’s media moments on and off the table and showed his arrogance towards his opponent and the sport in general. In this instance, I have to agree with Alain. Ronnie was trying to hog the limelight by showcasing a skill that should have been left in his cue case.
Sadly this came at the end of Robidoux’s professional career and an instance that he would probably wish to forget. Alain was and still is a great player, always there for me when I need a chat and one of a swathe of players that crossed the globe from Canada to play on UK soil.I would advise anyone to look him up on You Tube especially his fantastic trick shots.
I,m beyond glad that Ronnie did showcase his ambidexterity,because it opened a new trend in the beautiful game of snooker.Indeed, the fans would be enthralled upon seeing this display of snooker mastery!
ReplyDeleteLikewise, the great Alex Higgins introduced many new aspects to the game,not all of them pretty,but, how the public loved to see!