Seeing as how there has never been a snooker thread here, I’m not holding out great hopes that this will garner much interest, but…
The 2010 snooker world championship is currently underway. I love snooker, both playing and watching, and these two weeks are the sports highlight of the year for me.
There haven’t been many major upsets this year - until today. Fifty two year old Steve Davis surprised and pleased all his fans by beating John Higgins 13-11 in a thrilling, nail biting match. He wasn’t playing smoothly; every shot seemed to be a major effort, and it’s ten years since he was last in this position - but he did it.
Thanks for wrecking my night. How the hell is Steve Davis 52? Fuck I’m getting old.
What is really shocking is that Alex Higgins (with Cliff Thorburn, Jimmy White and a couple of others) are doing a ‘veterans’ tour, and, my god, Alex (who is, I believe, in his early '60s) looks incredibly old and thin. He really doesn’t look well.
Steve Davis beating Higgins is such an enormous upset - great for the game though. Davis is a great ambassador for the sport, and it should generate more interest for the championship. I see he was lined up to play another qualifier in the quarters, who was miles ahead in his match against Neil Robertson. But the lad bottled it and Robertson came through - will be a tough match for Davis, but he’s just beat the world No 1 so maybe he can do it.
He’s got the technical knowhow, and, I think, the determination. It’s really about his nerve, concentration and his ability to focus. I’ll be rooting for him.
I haven’t yet watched as much of this year’s championship as I would have liked, but I look forward to it every year so it’s good to see a thread on the subject. I can’t believe Davis managed to beat Higgins - a friend of mine commented that watching him is very stressful (assuming you want him to win) as he could miss a simple pot at any time! I (uncharitably) assume that Higgins was not on top form?
I think the coverage of the snooker on the BBC is really excellent in all respects (though I noticed that sometimes last week only one match was available on “the red button”, whereas in previous years you could watch either - a victim of BBC cost-cutting, I assume). All the commentators, in their own way, are top-class (Neal Foulds is proving himself a good addition to the team), but my favourite pairing has to be John Virgo and Willie Thorne - seems to be more comedy moments with those two than all the others put together!
I prefer the Dennis Taylor/Willie Thorne combination. John Virgo tends to be overly dramatic sometimes IMO.
Ted Lowe was very good at the snooker commentary - think he’s passed away now. That Mitchell and Webb sketch reminds me of him:
[sotto voice] And that’s a bad miss…
Ronnie O’Sullivan saw off Mark Williams today and then delivered his trademark cuntish assessment of the match. The interviewer should put his head on him for that self-indulgent garbage. Personalities eh?
Hasn’t this always been the case? I am amazed he is still alive. He is the George Best of snooker.
No. Compare the current Alex with him in his prime. But, I agree, healthy living never seemed to be his forte.
Good old Steve. Great drama even if the quality of the snooker was a little below par.
Anyhow, Steve Davis is the personification of “the Nickname rule” i.e. you can’t choose your own nickname. doesn’t matter how much publicity you throw at it. “Romford Slim”…ha! “The Nugget”…pah!
He is, and always will be…Steve “interesting” Davis
for those wondering
Oh, absolutely - those are the best parts, when he is being unintentionally funny. The white only has to go within a foot of a pocket to elicit his trademark over-excitable “where’s the cue ball going?!” :).
ETA: I only caught the end of the Shaun Murphy match yesterday, but two things struck me - how well he seemed to be cueing, and how much weight he seems to have lost in the last few years (as opposed to Stephen Lee, who seems to get more in more in danger of a “Bill Werbeniuk” every match he plays).
Steve’s comfy commentator’s chair is being prepared in the studio - Robertson is giving him a shoeing. Robertson looks great, tbf, be a competitive match for anyone.
Ronnie is sent on his bike home to Essex - great stuff from Selby. Always bittersweet to see O’Sullivan knocked out - he has the personality of an entitled 12 year old, but plays such sublime snooker you just love watching him play.
Caught a highlight of the decisive frame of Dott v Allen, where Allen played a hideous hit and hope at 12-12 in the middle of the game. Total meltdown. I didn’t get the context of the shot as I wasn’t watching the match live, but it’s just amazing how the pressure crushes players on the green baize. Whatever you say about snooker (and darts) being just a game, no athleticism etc, they really do encapsulate the essence of pressure in sporting situations.
I wish I’d put my money where my mind was and backed Selby at the outset - I had a feeling this could be his year. Time will tell, of course, as he still has some tough opposition to get past, but he’s my pick with head and heart. However, I don’t really mind who wins as long as it is not Dott - of all the recent champions, he seems to be easily the one who didn’t “deserve” it (and of course they all deserve it, really). His snooker is boring, and although it’s perhaps unfair to hold this against him, I can’t stand listening to him talk!
This is worth a bump, not just because the final is being decided right now between Robertson and Dott, but because of the tabloid revelations about Higgins arranging to throw matches.
This could be absolutely ruinous for the sport, if the allegations are found to be of substance. Higgins is the world champion and roundly seen as a great guy and family man. If he’s on the take to bin matches then you have to wonder who else is doing it. So so easy for a world class player to lose a match - could be almost undetectable. Apparently there are more disclosures to come next weekend from the NotW - sick timing with the final being played out at the moment.
Anyhow, it’s tight at the moment between the two finalists. Robertson has the flair but Dott has the bollocks and has done it before. Should be a good evenings play.
