General Snooker Thread

[Bobfoc]

We've had 32 frames, and it's only 9:30. I remember the Robertson/Dott final in 2010 finishing at almost 1:00 am, and that only had 31 frames.

[Baddar]

Williams misses a World Championship ball and then Higgins clears up. 😕

17-16.

[Bobfoc]

Brilliant match. Probably the most tense since Williams last won in 2003.

[Liam]

Good. John Higgins is a prick.

[Bobfoc]

Williams has won all his finals 18-16, and all of them involved some sort of major comeback from either the runner-up or himself.

[Chris2K]

Amazing that Williams didn't even qualify last year.

I wonder how Darren Morgan feels right now 

[Baddar]

😎

[Bobfoc]

Anyone watching the World Championship Qualifiers? They're flitting through all the tables on this broadcast and the commentary's not far away from the Mitchell and Webb sketches at times.

[Bobfoc]

Neil Robertson is smashing Michael Georgiou right now. Looking at the top half of the draw, I'd be surprised if he didn't reach the final.

[Bobfoc]

James Cahill, an amateur, is one frame away from victory against Ronnie. I'll cry if he doesn't seal it.

EDIT: Fantastic!

[Matt]

Unbelievable. 

[Bobfoc]

Cahill's always been a decent player, as he showed when he beat Mark Selby and Ding Junhui in the past. To beat Ronnie O'Sullivan over 19 frames, however, is something else.

Cahill's always been a decent player, as he showed when he beat Mark Selby and Ding Junhui in the past. To beat Ronnie O'Sullivan over 19 frames, however, is something else.

It's also a great twist because Ronnie has made it known that he resents having to play low-ranked opponents, calling them "numpties". Now one of them has beaten him on the biggest stage, so good riddance to him.

[Matt]

Yeah it should be noted that he has previously been a professional and will have a tour card again next season. He's not Bob from the working men's club. But that's to take nothing away from him, beating the greatest ever player over 19 frames is unreal. 

[Taxation is Theft]

Time for another sabbatical for Ronnie.

[Bobfoc]

1 hour ago, Sticks Sticksly said:

Time for another sabbatical for Ronnie.

And then snooker will collapse, or maybe it'll be completely fine, just like every other time Ronnie has sodded off.

[Matt]

I mean has anyone ever really said anything different? Snooker is probably in the best place it's been in since digital television became a thing. You can't even really say "oh, you won X tournament but it's not the same as if Ronnie was playing" because he hasn't won the world championship in years anyway. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if he called it a day tbh, he's obviously not enjoying it much any more, the only record he hasn't broken is Hendry's world championships and tbh I don't think he will at this point. 

[hugobomb]

Dott is on the verge of an amazing comeback. 8-1 down after the first session, just made it 9-9. Bingham didn't help himself by forfeiting a frame after three fouls and misses.

Edited April 23, 2019 by hugobomb

[Bobfoc]

Judd Trump's 6-3 down going into tomorrow's session. If he's out, Neil Robertson has to be the clear favourite to win the tournament. Thepchaiya Un-Nooh is proof that fast, attacking play isn't exclusive to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

7 hours ago, Matt said:

I mean has anyone ever really said anything different? Snooker is probably in the best place it's been in since digital television became a thing. You can't even really say "oh, you won X tournament but it's not the same as if Ronnie was playing" because he hasn't won the world championship in years anyway. 

It's a line of recurring comment on the BBC website, which is admittedly a hive of angry, old men most of the time. However, I've always noticed a clear increase in rowdy, unpleasant fans in attendance when Ronnie's playing. It used to be like that when Jimmy White was one of the top players too. They perpetuate the myth that Ronnie is the only reason the majority of people watch snooker, which is demonstrably untrue. Yes, he's the biggest name in the game, but the majority of regular viewers watch for the love of the game, not because of one person.

 

1 hour ago, hugobomb said:

Dott is on the verge of an amazing comeback. 8-1 down after the first session, just made it 9-9. Bingham didn't help himself by forfeiting a frame after three fouls and misses.

That was a crazy match, as was the Stephen Maguire victory. Along with the Shaun Murphy whitewash and O'Sullivan's shock defeat, this has been the most interesting first round I can remember since perhaps 2000, when both Hendry and O'Sullivan went out. If Trump loses, it'll probably eclipse that in my mind.

[Bobfoc]

Four left now. I was surprised that Robertson lost to Higgins, but I'm now firmly of the view that Trump will take the title. With the form he's shown in the final session against Ding, and then again against Maguire, he'll be mightily tough to beat over 33 and 35 frames. A Gilbert/Wilson final would be brilliant, though.

[Bobfoc]

Background comedy is fun.