Snooker World Championship 2014

[Yurgon]

Once again, the world's top 32 Snooker players compete for the title of 2014 Snooker World Champion. Definitely the best time of the year in anyone's Snooker calendar. :)

 

Just like last year, I missed Ronny O'Sullivan's first match, but he seems to be in perfect shape once again.

 

We're still in the first round and I've already seen 3 matches going full distance. Selby really substantiated his nick-name "Decider King", and Ding vs. Wasley, holy cow, what a nail-biter! :D

 

Right now John Higgins looks to be on his way out of the tournament at 6:9 vs. Alan McManus (4:9 not so long ago). Then again, who could turn such a game around if not Higgins? :thumbup:

 

For anyone confused by the game and the rules, there's a short explanation in last year's thread.

[Yurgon]

So, where are all the Snooker fans? No more games for the night, feel free to turn the TV off and comment on the day. :)

 

As I feared, Higgins lost 7:10, but congratulations to McManus for a victory well deserved. In another dramatic match, Ricky Walden managed to beat Crucible newcomer Kyren Wilson 10:7 tonight, but it really didn't look that straightforward for large parts of the final session.

 

There'll be more first-round decisions tomorrow, but since I haven't seen much of the respective first sessions, I have no clue whom to favor, except maybe Marco Fu with his solid 6:3 lead over Martin Gould.

 

In any case, I'm looking forward to more Snooker tomorrow. :)

[chaos]

So, where are all the Snooker fans?

 

Snooker!?... DUDE?

 

Bowling's where it's at! ;-) Now, where did I put my 'White Russian'?

[Yurgon]

Snooker!?... DUDE?

 

Bowling's where it's at! ;-) Now, where did I put my 'White Russian'?

 

That movie is pretty much the only time I had fun watching bowling. :)

 

Don't get me wrong, it's fun to go bowling every now and then and beat the crap out of the lane, but that's where my expertise ends. :D

 

Now Snooker, that's a gentleman's sport. In terms of tension and suspense, it regularly beats every movie or book plot. Having a black ball decider after hours of gameplay; an atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife; an arena full with people so quiet you could hear a needle drop to the floor, collectively holding their breath; when I catch myself chewing my fingernails... all of that happens quite often during Snooker matches. :thumbup:

 

And, of course, watching O'Sullivan and others perform one of these incredible, unbelievable long-pots with absolute precision. Or when a player plays a safety across the entire table and manages to hide the white ball behind one of the colors, forcing the opponent to hit one or two or even three rails just to make a valid shot. Or when the ref counts the break and then you realize it's a perfect multiple of 8 and the player is on his way to play a 147... I just can't understand how someone could not be a fan. :)

[Aginor]

I used to be a big Snooker fan, and I still like the sport very much, but this year I just don't have the time to watch it properly, which is a pity.

Also my most favourite players don't play anymore (or just aren't as much fun to watch anymore), which sucks.

While I agree Ronny is one of the best, I always was more of a fan of Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. Davis is too old now, and Hendry... well, I guess he's just not the best anymore.

 

But other favourites of mine include Dott, Higgins, Robertson, Ebdon and Selby. And I also was very impressed by Judd Trump. Man, that boy can play!

So I guess I have to see whether I can watch a bit of Snooker again.... :)

[Sharpe]

Same here, I used to love (and play ) snooker. Too bad I currently dont really have the time or the interest for it.

 

edit:

Edited April 25, 2014 by Sharpe

[Yurgon]

Damn, I haven't watched a single minute since my last post. :(

 

While I agree Ronny is one of the best, I always was more of a fan of Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. Davis is too old now, and Hendry... well, I guess he's just not the best anymore.

 

But other favourites of mine include Dott, Higgins, Robertson, Ebdon and Selby. And I also was very impressed by Judd Trump. Man, that boy can play!

 

Yeah, there are so many players that I really like. :)

 

I'm a huge fan of Selby ever since he gave an autograph to someone in the audience in between frames -- right in the middle of the finale vs. Higgins a couple of years ago. He's got such an incredibly cool attitude! :thumbup:

 

Higgins is just unbelievable in that he sometimes plays his best snooker when he's almost beaten. I remember a match where he won the deciding frame against O'Sullivan at something like 65 over 63 points or so with an unbelievably difficult clearance. Somehow I can't believe that he's out of the tournament this year...

 

I haven't yet watched Doherty play, but I think it's amazing to see him in the second round this year.

 

Gotta find more time to watch Snooker for the next couple of days. :)

 

edit:

 

That was way before I became interested in Snooker. But it surely shows why Jimmy White is so popular. :thumbup:

[cichlidfan]

Same here, I used to love (and play ) snooker. Too bad I currently dont really have the time or the interest for it.

 

edit:

 

I have shot enough, billiards in my case, to realize that a masse like that requires an amazing amount of control, lots of practice...and genetically engineered green ants hidden on the table! :D

 

Seriously, I could spend all day watching people who can shoot that well.

Edited April 26, 2014 by cichlidfan

[Sharpe]

I have shot enough, billiards in my case, to realize that a masse like that requires an amazing amount of control, lots of practice...and genetically engineered green ants hidden on the table! :D

 

Seriously, I could spend all day watching people who can shoot that well.

 

Same. I used to watch the world tricks shot champioships because of shots like that.

[Aginor]

While I can shoot effet shots myself and have played snooker (my highest break was a 20 IIRC) I still think what Jimmy White does in that video is magic. Same goes for some long pots those guys play.

Most people don't realize how freaking big such a table is. 12-foot tables, also with rounded corners. A very fast cloth, small balls. A real pain in the a** to play on if you are used to normal pool tables which are 6-9 feet long.

 

As for players who play cool comebacks when they stand with their backs against the wall, there is one that stands out IMO: Graeme Dott. Unbelievable. IIRC I once saw him 1-6 in a best of seven game, and he ended up winning. His poor opponent... :)

[Yurgon]

Wow, what happened to Robertson? After the first two sessions I expected to see a close match, but there was really nothing Allen could do to stop him today. After what I've seen today, I wouldn't be one bit surprised if he won the title a week from now. :)

[Yurgon]

Wow, O'Sullivan massacred Murphy 13:3! Anyone betting on Hawkins could easily become really rich -- in the rather unlikely case that Hawkins wins the semi-final against O'Sullivan, that is. :)

 

The other semi-final is much harder to predict. Robertson played very strong today, defeating Trump after he'd trailed him for such a long time. Selby on the other hand seemed to have had a relatively easy game against McManus. I wouldn't hazard a guess right now. :)

[Yurgon]

In case someone new to Snooker is watching right now: It's not as simple as O'Sullivan makes it look today. :)

 

I can only imagine that he must be in Snooker heaven right now.

 

Hawkins on the other hand... it's as if all of his talent has been temporarily handed over to O'Sullivan to boost his skills even further.

 

In the other semi-final it's a lot less obvious who's likely to win it, but (or maybe because of that) it's a great game just as well. The question is, could Selby or Robertson beat O'Sullivan?

 

(Or will Hawkins make the comeback of a lifetime, currently trailing O'Sullivan 7 to 16 in a best of 33?)

 

Edit: No epic comeback, O'Sullivan beats Hawkins 17:7.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Yurgon

[Yurgon]

So, after 2 of 4 sessions, O'Sullivan leads 10 to 7 against Selby. If I understood correctly, that's exactly how it looked like in the last two years -- both times O'Sullivan then won the match with a solid lead over his opponents.

 

Then again, when Selby played against Higgins in the World final, he made an incredible comeback on Monday. I won't give up hope for a sensation in that regard, and if O'Sullivan should manage to get his third World title in a row, that would truly deserve a lot of respect.

[Yurgon]

Selby vs. O'Sullivan 18:14. Congratulations Mark Selby! :cheer3nc::thumbsup::worthy::clap_2:

[sobek]

:cry: How'd that happen?

[59th_Buncsi]

Ronnie O'Sullivan's foe is himself... He was, is, and will be the best snooker player. But what he said is a bit calming, he is focused on the future, next season, next year's Snooker WC and so on.