Snooker Loopy

Continuing on from my last blog, day two of the China Open has inflicted more casualties. Five of the top ten players were dispatched today by lower ranking players. After I posted my blog earlier today, fellow bloggers started posting their own versions of the same crisis. A cynic would say this a blip and players will come back to the fold for the World Championship. This may be the case but at this time we see some of the greatest players being swatted like flies on the green baize. This chasm was initially inflicted by Ronnie O’Sullivan and has widened as the season has progressed. This is a worrying time and shows how far the standard of professional snooker has slipped. It is frankly upsetting to watch seasoned players playing sub standard snooker, missing a simple red when in the balls or seeing their long ball potting crumble. I am a passionate fan of snooker and write such blogs because I want to not only educate my readership but also point out issues in the sport. Oppone...

Snooker has in my opinion reached a crossroads this week. Even without O’ Sullivan in the mix, top seed players are failing to progress in this week’s China Open. Day,.Selby, Higgins ,Hawkins and Williams have so far fallen to the sword and at the time of writing this blog, Judd Trump is battling to get over the line with Robbie Williams in a deciding frame, subsequently crashing out in defeat, 6-5. I have been predicting a reoccurrence of the 1992 seismic moment for some time and it seeems we are really on this brink again. China does seem to create burnout fever for some players but this really seems to be something more grave.Players have been blaming their bad form on playing conditions, saying the pockets are too generous, favouring their opponents. This may be true but is only part of if a wider problem that has been bubbling to the surface for a while. My take on it is that the likes of Selby and Higgins are reaching the end of their careers. Like Davis and Hendry before the...

Christmas comes early this year as snooker fans are given the opportunity to watch some of the greatest names in snooker history compete at the Crucible. The Seniors event on 11/04/19, brings together the likes of Doherty, Johnson, Hendry, Parrott, Thorburn and White. For any lover of snooker, this really is a special occasion and brings a lot of snooker memories flooding back. Having never been to the Crucible, this will be a first for me too. Although not attending for the World Championship, this really is the next best thing and hopefully I will meet some of my snooker heroes and my friends on the circuit.Going to an event like this, you really get a buzz leading up to the event and the fantastic time you have on the actual day. Sometimes I really have to pinch myself that I know so many people in the sport and so many recognise me when I am in the Player’s Lounge. Even as I am writing this blog, I am getting goosebumps from thinking about entering the Crucible Theatre for the ...

One of the greatest players to ever grace the green baize is the player Cliff Thorburn. Thorburn learnt the game the hard way, often sleeping in bus shelters and grotty digs to make a buck by hustling in Canadian pool halls. The now gentle giant, was a bruiser, knocking Alex Higgins unconscious when Higgins insulted him. Nicknamed the “Grinder” for his slow, determined style of play, Thorburn qualified for the World Championship in 1977, the first held at the Crucible but lost to John Spencer, His luck came in 1980 whern he proved his worth and won the World Championship. A popular winner, largely due to being a non UK player. Thorburn went on to lose consecutive finals at the Crucible but never won the title again.His luck however was at Wembley, where he won the Masters, three times,  the Canadian Open and twice winner of the invitational event, the Scottish Masters. Thorburn will be most remembered for his momentous 147 at the Crucible in 1983, a moment that snooker fans rat...

Snooker moves to the Far East next week with the start of the China Open. Players will be concentrating their minds on this tournament as a prequel for their future performance at the World Championship. With Ronnie out of the equation, this will be a blessing in disguise for the top eight who have frankly underperformed as a result of O’Sullivan’s blistering form. It is crucial for the likes of  Bingham, Selby, Trump, Allen, Hawkins, Robertson, Wilson and company to stamp their mark in China. Burnout, jet lag and fatigue will all play their part on the Chinese baize but it is how players cope with these challenges that will determine how deep they can go in this tournament. Some may decide to stay away and practice for Sheffield but those who make the long journey will hope that fortune will favour the brave. The long season has meant that many have been on a meteoric journey of form, dipping in and out with varying results. Snooker is like a pendulum that swings backwards and f...

With the World Championship looming around the calendar corner, it only seems right to pay homage to the Crucible Theatre and the monumental part it has played in the sport’s history. Snooker, pre 1977 was played in smoke filled working men’s club and holiday camps with only eight professional players on the tour. Untelevised and players scratching around for money, snooker was a dying sport that many considered to be a game, played for money or to get away from the nagging wife. The creation of BBC2 and David Attenborough’s decision to commission Pot Black as a colour advert for the station, led to a boom in snooker, especially when the BBC started televising the World Championship at it’s new home, the Crucible in 1977. Although compact, the brainchild of Mike Watterson, led to players becoming household name. The likes of John Spencer and Ray Reardon led a marketing boom, adding their names to snooker tables and board games. The Crucible holds so many memories for so many player...

Much has been said in the media today about female snooker player Rebecca Kenna who has been forced to turn her back on her local snooker league after she was barred from playing for being a woman. Rebecca was stopped from playing in two matches due to some clubs in Keighley, Yorkshire,  operating a “men only” policy. Kenna said she felt “abandoned” as a result of the policy and urged decision makers to scrap the ruling. Rebecca, who is currently number three in the women’s professional rankings has since been rebuffed by a statement from the local league, saying “there’s nothing we can do to overturn the decisions”. Mrs Kenna who appeared on tonight’s BBC One Show, said when asked to comment by the hosts, “To be told you can’t play the sport you love because of your gender is ridiculous and it’s quite upsetting”. “ When we play (these teams), I would just have to stay at home”. She again urged the Crosshills and District League to step in. This is not the first time such a c...