Month: May 2020

Players back at the table soon? Hum …

Monique Snooker

This was published yesterday by WPBSA:

WPBSA Proposals Submitted to Parliament for Re-Opening of UK Snooker Facilities

13th May 2020

The Chairman of the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), Lincoln MP Karl McCartney, has today submitted to the Sports Minister proposals for the re-opening of snooker clubs.

The proposals incorporate guidance for club owners and staff to be able to operate as sporting facilities by providing a safe and controlled environment for all.

Since the UK government placed the country into ‘lockdown’ on 23 March to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus we have maintained regular communication with a number of our affiliated clubs, hosting an online forum to help us to identify the key issues currently facing club owners during this unprecedented crisis.

In parallel with these proposals for the opening of clubs to the public, we are today also able to provide further guidance to our professional players based in the UK.

Step 1 – Professional Players’ Return to Work

We are acutely aware of the impact of the current closure of clubs and academies upon our professional players, many of whom have been unable to practice without access to their facilities.

Earlier this week plans were announced by the UK government for the easing of some restrictions over the coming weeks, which will allow some sporting activity to resume. This included the government advice document titled ‘Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy’ which states that:

“All workers who cannot work from home should travel to work if their workplace is open.”

Having carefully considered this government advice we are today able to advise WST professional players only that they can now return to their practice facilities if specified conditions are met. These conditions are clearly set out HERE.

The place of work of a professional snooker player is not only at events. It is also where their practice table is based for training purposes. It is essential that players to have access to training facilities before returning to professional tournament play.

Snooker is no different to other professional sports and professional snooker players are no different to other athletes in this respect. Return to professional competition or approved online activity is essential for professional players to earn a living.

Should any players have any questions or concerns please contact WPBSA Player Relations Manager Neil Tomkinswho will be able to provide further advice.

Step 2 – Re-Opening of Clubs to General Public

We are actively engaging with Parliament through the APPG to demonstrate how snooker can be played safely and responsibly by recreational and amateur players whilst adhering to current social distancing rules.

Key proposals include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Regular cleaning of venues on a daily basis
  • Hand sanitiser to be provided at all tables, entrances and toilets
  • Regular cleaning of equipment after every customer
  • Staff to wear masks and gloves
  • Limited entry to venues / reduced opening hours
  • Social distancing measures including clear signage for customer flow to/from tables to be observed
  • Closure of bar areas with limited table service/takeaway food options to be provided
  • Player guidance to avoid unnecessary sharing of equipment and interaction
  • Should any club be found to be in breach of guidance provided they would be liable to closure by the relevant authorities.

It is hoped that that through the strict introduction of such measures it will be possible to re-open snooker clubs to the public in a safe and sustainable manner.

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “The unprecedented global situation that exists has had a profound effect upon us all and of course snooker has not been able to escape the reality that we currently find ourselves in.

“Our message to everyone connected with snooker however is that the WPBSA is there for you and are working hard to be able to restart our sport – at all levels – as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so. This will not be without its challenges, but through the measures submitted to Parliament today we are confident that the wider public will be able to access our sport’s facilities and will remain proactive until this is achieved.”

“We are further grateful for the support provided to us by the APPG which has worked with us closely during this process.”

Next Steps

Following the submission of our proposals to Parliament both the WPBSA and the APPG will maintain dialogue with the government and its relevant authorities to secure the full re-opening of snooker venues as soon as possible.

At the time of writing however, we would remind all UK clubs that they must follow all laws and guidance published by the government at its website: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Please DO read the conditions for solo training: WPBSA-Step-1-Return-to-training-_FINAL

It’s a great effort by WPBSA to design and submit these proposals to allow players back at the table, for training purposes as the first step. The document is clear, easy to read, and well structured.

Now ask yourself if adhering even just to half of that would be realistically feasible in match play with 12 tables, 128 players, plus fitters, referees, and officials on-site. One of the recommendations is to avoid touching the table as much as possible. How’s that gonna work in a match?  I’m well aware that mid-July – the latest possible start for the World Championship qualifiers –  is still 2 months away, but I very much doubt that a return to “normal”, or “normal enough” will be possible within these two months. I honestly can’t see the World Qualifiers being played “safely” by then.

 

Stephen Hendry chats with Willo … and my perceived negativity.

Monique Interview, Professional snooker tournament, Tour News , ,

Here is the Instagram chat between Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams. Quite interesting and enjoyable.

Willo is bored out of his skull, has been a bit unwell, and isn’t looking forward to the prospect of playing the World Championship behind closed doors.

Here is Phil Haig reporting on that part of their conversation:

Mark Williams would prefer no World Snooker Championship than an empty Crucible

The World Snooker Championship is likely to go ahead this summer, but with the very real possibility of no fans being in attendance at the Crucible, Mark Williams would rather it didn’t.

The main event of the WST calendar has been rescheduled to start on 31 July and chairman Barry Hearn is confident it will go ahead, although it seems unlikely there will be anyone there to see it.

The Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy states that sport will be returning to broadcast from 1 June, but behind closed doors, making the July start date likely, but spectators unlikely.

There is to be another review on 4 July, which could see limited crowds let into the Crucible, but nothing is confirmed yet.

While some players will be keen to play the World Championships in any form, three-time world champ Williams would rather skip the event for a year than play in an empty auditorium, having played behind closed doors at the Gibraltar Open in March.

‘I’ve just come back from playing in Gibraltar when there was no one there and what’s the point?’ Williams told Stephen Hendry on Instagram.

‘There’s more atmosphere in the club, at least there’s someone at the bar or playing next to you. There was no one there, it was like “what are we doing here?”

‘It’s just going to be strange. Imagine paying in the Crucible, 9-9 in the first round, the visor goes up in the middle and there’s no one there, not one person.

‘If it does go ahead they’ll probably have the most viewing figures they’ve ever had because there’s not many sports going on

‘Would I prefer it to go on? Probably not if I’m totally honest, I’d rather not play if there’s no crowd, it’ll be so strange.’

WST have promised that the full prize money will be paid to players even if no crowds are present at the Crucible, and the financial issue will be bigger for some players than just overcoming an unusual atmosphere.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk when the coronavirus crisis first struck, world number 11 Dave Gilbert said: If the Worlds gets postponed then that’s a real shame, but if it gets cancelled it’s a disaster, we’re going to lose out on a fortune.

‘I’ve had a couple of good years, but I feel bad for everyone, there aren’t many players in our game who can not get paid for six-months plus.

There are a few, I don’t know the bank accounts of anyone, but if Judd and Ronnie and Selby start struggling for money then we all will be. There will be players down the rankings who might be really struggling.’

Hearn is expecting the event to go ahead and is pushing so, partly for this reason, as it is the biggest payday of the season for players involved, all of whom have seen their earning powers destroyed by the global pandemic.

‘I think we have every chance of at least staging it,’ Hearn told Metro.co.uk in April.

‘It will be with the normal prize money, it could cost us £2.5m in gate money, but that’s life, every battle comes with losses and it’s not an issue.

‘The prize money will stay the same, the players will be able to earn their money, because don’t forget most of my sportsmen are self employed.

‘They’re not contracted players like footballers, cricketers or rugby players where they’re negotiating how much to wave or defer, my guys aren’t getting anything.’

Hearn knows that losing the fans is a significant loss, but it would not be as big a loss as the whole event being cancelled.

‘It’s important for me that my players have the chance to earn money because this is the biggest one of the lot,’ he said.

‘It would be a tragedy to stage it with no one there, but if that’s the only thing we can do, that’s what we’ll do. We are talking about mitigating the size of tragedies.’

Answers to some questions:

Best win was his last World Championship win in 2018, with his family there, and proving everybody wrong.

The best decision was to give it another go when his wife convinced him not to retire and go to Steve Feeney to improve his game.

Toughest opponent? Ronnie or John Higgins

Favourite venue? Preston Guildhall. Names a few others but the Crucible isn’t one of them.

The infamous “Bangkok incident” …

Williams doubts that Ding will not win the World Championship now. Too many expectations, and pressure. Ding is probably the best never have won it. He’s only 32 but Hendry thinks he’s past his best.

Rules change? Three misses and then ball in hand for the opponent instead of frame forfeited.

Turning to commentary when retired? Not really.

Remembering Alex Higgins and the little silver piggy charm he gave him. They got along well. He still has it.

The lockdown has got Willo so bored and frustrated about staying home all the time, that he now wants to play as long as possible, even badly. And when he drops off the tour … there is the Seniors tour.

Now back to the article above, yesterday’s post and my perceived negativity…

Let me first say that I certainly don’t want “to cancel everything”. I would love to see snooker return as soon as it can return safely. Barry Hearn brands the possible canceling of the World Championship a “tragedy”. The real tragedy would be if someone – a fan, a player, a referee, an official, a member of the BBC crew or the media … anyone – would get the disease because they attended the event, and dies, or survives but their health is gravely/permanently damaged, or they pass it to someone, maybe an elderly parent who dies… THAT would be a tragedy, not the cancellation of a sporting event no matter how prestigious. The canceled event can be staged another time, the dead person(s) can’t be revived. I don’t want that to happen, and I feel that nobody has right to take ANY risk about it if it can be avoided. That’s my view and nothing will change it.

Now specifically about the World Championship.

There is a possibility that it can be held safely, under closed doors, come the 31th of July. Anything else would not be safe. I read posts saying “The Crucible is less than 1000 people”. Yes indeed, but it’s a very intimate venue, people sit extremely close to each other, and some are close enough to the players to be able to touch them. The proportion of elderly persons in the snooker audience is usually quite high. Unless the crisis is totally under control NOBODY has the right to take such a risk, no matter how much money is at stake.

However, the qualifiers yield an even bigger challenge, as they involve a much higher number of persons and they need to start mid-July the latest. The qualifiers is the part of the World Championship that is ultra-important for the lower-ranked players, the ones who are currently suffering the most from the lack of earnings. They are also ultra-important because, for many players, it’s where their career could be revived … or ended.

Here are excerpts of the conversation I had this morning on Twitter with Phil Haig, the author of the above article, and Gary Moss a snooker blogger and journalist.

Screenshot 2020-05-13 at 10.12.41Screenshot 2020-05-13 at 10.13.07Screenshot 2020-05-13 at 13.16.49

Those were my points

Here are the reactions.

Screenshot 2020-05-13 at 10.08.10Screenshot 2020-05-13 at 10.06.37

Many of you may never have been backstage at the Crucible or at the EIS. I have, Gary has and Phil Haig may have. The logistic is extremely important in the current situation to keep  everyone safe.

The Crucible is a great venue for the fans – especially when we get to the one table setup – but it’s actually too small for its purpose when it comes to snooker nowadays. There isn’t much room for anything, be it players/referees room, dressing rooms, media room, practice area, tournament’s office, or hospitality. Everything is small and cramped. And even if there are no spectators some very basic things may prove difficult. Ideally, the players dressing rooms should be cleaned/disinfected each time it’s reallocated. Well during the first two rounds it’s reallocated at every session… and if one session runs late, there might not be enough time for player one to undress, and pack their things, cleaners to do their job and player two get ready for their match. Unless the schedule is completely reconsidered, with an earlier start and bigger “gaps” between sessions. It would be possible – maybe – but probably not with an audience. I can’t see the theatre opening at 7:30 so that the snooker can start at 8.

The real issues are with the qualifiers really, and it’s not just logistics. It’s also about the travel restrictions, their possible consequences, and the fair treatment of all players whose livelihood is at stakes. That’s where the last of the above screenshots comes into the conversation, and you see Phil’s last answer. There is a lot to think about, and surely WPBSA is thinking about those issues. I trust Jason Ferguson about that: he’s a former pro, he will have gone through all the uncertainties associated with being a self-employed sportsperson and he loves his sport to bits.  But he isn’t the boss, and he isn’t a businessman first and foremost. Barry Hearn is a businessman, and I’m not sure I trust him 100% here.

 

 

 

 

Barry Hearn future plans for China…

Monique Snooker

Barry Hearn spoke to Metro Online about what the future of snooker in China could be.

Here is the report by Nigel Slater 

Future snooker seasons could have new China windows, hints Barry Hearn

Nigel Slater Nigel Slater

World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn has suggested future seasons could have a specific window for China ranking events rather than them being spread throughout the calendar.

The current snooker season is on hold due to coronavirus with the World Championship scheduled to take place between July 31 and August 15, subject to Government guidelines, after it was postponed earlier this year.

The outbreak, which appears to have originated in China, has lead to concerns regarding future snooker seasons and how major events such as the China Open, Shanghai Masters, World Open, China Championship and the International Championship can go ahead in the future and whether players would be safe enough to travel to the Far East.

In March, world number 11 David Gilbert said players not being able to travel to China for a long period would be a “disaster” for the sport, as many big events are held in the country.

He said at the time: “I’ve only heard rumours, but it could be that we can’t go back to China for six months, or even a year for tournaments,’

“I don’t know if that will happen, no one knows yet, but if it does it would be a disaster. It would be disastrous for our sport. We need China.”

But Barry Hearn is confident China’s big ranking events can be held next season – but it might mean players having to self isolate for 14 days once they arrive in the country.

One possible solution is to have a certain or at least two windows during the season for Chinese events so players can keep safe as possible and the season can continue in a smooth fashion.

Hearn told Metro Online last week: “The Chinese are talking very, very positive.

“At the moment you can go to China, but you’ve got to quarantine for 14 days.

“The next event is September, the Shanghai Masters, then other events. We’re just monitoring the situation.

“It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, depending on what’s happening, that we tell snooker players ‘go to China now, because you’ve got 14 days before you can play.’ That may be the way forward for them.

“But then we’d try and do two or three tournaments on the spin in China, have a swing over there. In today’s world that probably makes sense.”

 

If that happens, it would be good and it might finally force WST into some long-overdue changes that would finally “break” part of the current UK bias.

It would be unfair that Chinese snooker players, would need to travel to the UK to qualify for their own events, go through a 14 days quarantine, then travel back to China and go through another 14 days of quarantine before they can play … in their home country.

It would be perfectly reasonable, efficient, and fair – at last – that events in China would be played at the main venue from the last 128 on. It would also make sure that players who travel wouldn’t face a long “idle” costly spell of inactivity. Think about this: if events are to be “grouped” in windows in China, but qualifiers are still played in the UK, a player could have qualified for the first and the last event in that “window” and be stuck in China in between or face going back home and back to China again… which would require nearly an additional month of quarantine. It would be much better if they had the prospect to play in the next event, starting in round 1. I guess that this would also mean that players would all get something – not counting towards their rankings – should they lose in the first round. Currently, this is done for held-over matches. But Asian players get nothing when they are forced to come to qualify for their home events in the UK, which is not fair.

It has always been my view that players, losing in the first round should get something, only just to cover their basic expenses. It takes two to play a match of snooker. By playing they contribute to the event, bringing value to the sponsors, to the venue owners and to their sport in general. It should not COST them, which it currently does, should they lose. And, if not counting towards the ranking, it would not be supporting mediocrity. Those who lose most of their matches will be promptly relegated.

UK Govt “exit” plans an why we can very much forget about the 2020 World Championship IMO

Monique Snooker

This was posted by the BBC this morning:

It applies to England only as Wales, Scotland and Nothern Ireland have decided to stick to stricter measures.

The parts in bold have been “highlighted” by me

Coronavirus: No professional sport in England until 1 June at earliest

No professional sport, even behind closed doors, will be staged in England until 1 June at the earliest, the UK government has announced.

The government has published a 50-page guidance document detailing how England will begin to ease lockdown measures.

Step two of that plan – which will not be allowed to start before 1 June – includes “permitting cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed doors for broadcast, while avoiding the risk of large-scale social contact”.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said being able to hold sporting events behind closed doors could “provide a much-needed boost to national morale”.

The document states that reopening venues that attract large crowds, such as sports grounds, “may only be fully possible significantly later depending on the reduction in numbers of infections”.

Premier League clubs are meeting on Monday to continue discussions on Project Restart.

The top flight has been suspended since 13 March because of the coronavirus pandemic but is aiming to resume in June, with 92 of its 380 fixtures left to play.

There will be no cricket played in England and Wales until at least 1 July, following a decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

On Monday British Racing’s executive committee said it was committed to planning for a resumption of racing on 1 June.

Premiership Rugby is aiming for a resumption in early July, with nine rounds of matches remaining.

Formula 1 is hoping to race at Silverstone on 19 and 26 July.

Under proposed rules for boxing to resume behind closed doors in July, fighters at British shows will wear protective masks during ring walks and could be banned from using a spit bucket between rounds.

The government’s current aim is to introduce step two of its plan on 1 June but only if sufficient progress is made in “successfully controlling the spread of the virus” and the lifting of restrictions could be delayed.

Sporting events involving international travel could be affected by the government’s planned requirement for all international arrivals “not on a short list of exemptions” to self-isolate for 14 days after arrival in the UK.

Four English teams remain in European football competitions this year – Chelsea and Manchester City in the Champions League and Manchester United and Wolves in the Europa League.

F1 bosses are in talks with the government seeking an exemption for staff from the planned rules on international arrivals.

It is unclear when spectators may be able to attend sporting events again.

Under step three of the plan, which will not start until 4 July at earliest, the government is aiming to reopen some of the remaining businesses that have been forced to close, including hospitality and leisure facilities.

However, it adds: “Some venues which are, by design, crowded and where it may prove difficult to enact distancing may still not be able to reopen safely at this point, or may be able to open safely only in part.

“In order to facilitate the fastest possible reopening of these types of higher-risk businesses and public places, the government will carefully phase and pilot reopenings to test their ability to adopt the new Covid-19 secure guidelines.

“The government will also monitor carefully the effects of reopening other similar establishments elsewhere in the world, as this happens.”

The document also states that “only the development of a vaccine or effective drugs can reliably control this epidemic and reduce mortality without some form of social distancing or contact tracing in place.”

What about recreational sport?

From Wednesday, people in England may exercise outside as many times as they wish, though playgrounds, outdoor gyms and ticketed outdoor leisure venues will remain closed.

They will also be allowed to meet one person from outside their household as long as they stay outdoors and stay two metres apart.

So one-on-one sport with someone from outside your household, such as tennis or cricket nets, will be allowed provided participants adhere to social distancing rules.

However, team sports are not permitted, except with members of your own household.

The Lawn Tennis Association said that following clarifications from the government, tennis activity will resume outdoors in England from Wednesday with “singles play only” unless all players are from the same household “in which case they can play doubles”.

Golf courses in England will reopen on Wednesday with people allowed to play with members of the same household or with one other person from a different household.

Facilities such as tennis courts and golf courses will remain closed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What does that mean for snooker?

Regarding the bit on travel, the article fails to mention that restrictions are applied and may still be in place in most countries,  and that too will affect the “international” sportspersons. Most countries have been stricter and more proactive than the UK. It would be totally unfair to hold the World Championship qualifiers and then possibly relegate players who did not get an opportunity to play and defend their professional status. Most Asian players – more than one in 6 on the tour – could be affected. 

The Crucible clearly falls under the bit in bold blue. As Barry Hearn has ruled out any other venue, that’s the World Championship pretty much doomed. Anyway, the qualifiers would have needed to happen before the main event, and that clearly looks impossible at this stage.

In short, what I saw as obvious from the start seems to have finally been confirmed by the powers in charge (or, more likely, they have been forced to accept that putting “the economy” before peoples lives may eventually cost them big time, notably in terms of their “status” in politics).

I can’t see the Tour Championship happening either. It can’t be held in Wales. They clearly are not going to ease the lockdown any time soon, and very sensibly too. I can’t see it happening in June either, as Barry Hearn wished. And it wouldn’t make sense to take the risk if the current season is just extended up to the 2021 World Championship at the Crucible, which would be the only sensible thing to do. And even so, priority should be given to events available to all 128 Tour players as it’s the lower-ranked ones who are the more severely impacted by the loss of revenues.

 

 

…

Stephen Hendry reflects on his last World Title

Monique Professional snooker tournament

We are now in this part of the year when there is usually no professional snooker played, as the Q-school is about to start…

Only that we are still in lockdown, the last events of the 2019/20 season weren’t played when scheduled and it’s unclear whether they will be played at all. It’s also unclear if  – should the 2020 World Championship be canceled – when snooker eventually comes back, it will be the start of a new season, or if this season will be extended up to the 2021 World Championship.

What seems to be certain is that we have weeks ahead of us with no professional snooker to be played. Typically, in such times, we reflect on past events and engage in debates…

Here is a great interview of Stephen Hendry published by WST

This year marks the 30th anniversary since snooker’s most prolific World Champion, Stephen Hendry, notched up the first of his seven Crucible crowns.

Scotland’s Hendry became the youngest ever winner of the World Championship, aged 21 years and 106 days, in 1990. He went on to make further history by the end of the decade, beating six-time World Champion Steve Davis’ tally of Crucible titles, by securing his seventh in 1999.

We’ve caught up with 36-time ranking event winner Hendry to look back on his 1990 victory, which acted as a catalyst for an unparalleled monopoly of snooker’s biggest tournament.

Stephen, first of all what were your emotions like heading into what was your first Crucible final in 1990?

“I basically couldn’t wait to get started. I’d beaten John Parrott in the semis and that meant I’d become world number one already. I was full of confidence going into the final. I’d played Jimmy so many times, I knew our games suited each other. We both liked to go for shots and take risks. We both knew we were going to get chances. I couldn’t wait for the final to start, I didn’t even think there was any chance I was going to lose at all. I was just so confident.”

Do you think that your record as youngest ever World Champion is likely to be broken in the future?

“It is an interesting question, I’ve been asked that a couple of times. People ask what is more likely to be beaten, seven world titles or being the youngest at 21. Probably looking at it, they are both going to be very difficult, but I don’t see anyone coming through at the moment. You would probably have to look at the young Chinese players to see anyone with potential. The game is so competitive coming up through the rankings. To get to the stage of winning the World Championship at 21 is getting more difficult.”

Did you allow yourself time to celebrate after that first victory or did you turn your attentions to amassing more titles straight away?

“I think my manager and I had a plan between us. It was us against the world when I turned professional. Steve Davis and Barry Hearn pretty much had a monopoly on the game. Steve dominated the game throughout the 80s.  Our plan was to take over that dominance. I knew personally that winning the 1990 World Championship was only the start.

“The target before winning the first one was to make history in the game. If someone had said after that first one, you would win another six I would say I fancied my chances, but I wouldn’t believe it 100%. Steve always set the targets in my career that I tried to either emulate or overcome.”

How disappointing was it that you never faced Steve Davis in a World Championship final?

“We were battling for a good few years over the world number one spot. It would have been great. I think to not play either Steve Davis or Ronnie O’Sullivan in a Crucible final is a little regret. I watched back the semi-final with Ronnie in 2002 the other day. It was just a fantastic match. We were both playing aggressive snooker and making centuries. It was like a boxing match, punch for punch. That was the way I liked to play snooker and it would have been great to play a final like that.  I probably never played as well as that again at the Crucible even though it was 2002. You look back on these matches after retiring. I found that when I was doing my book it is easy to forget things, good and bad, and only remember them looking back afterwards.”

Did your World Championship final win over Mark Williams in 1999 feel different to the others given that it was your seventh title?

“Without a doubt. I tried to go through the whole tournament and concentrate match by match. But it was always in the back of my mind. Every press conference that was what people were asking about, so you could never forget about it as hard as you tried.

“It was relief and a monkey off the back. When I got to four, five and six the next step was to break the record. I’d gone two or three years without winning it. You don’t want it to go on for too much longer or you start trying too hard. It was an amazing World Championship win, because the season before it I’d played terribly. I lost 9-0 to Marcus Campbell, I lost three times to Tony Drago. No disrespect to him but I hadn’t lost to him in my whole career. So after that season, to come back and win was even more special.”

Peter Ebdon announced his retirement recently. He is a player you faced in two Crucible finals. What are your memories of him as a competitor?

“He was a strange player because you could go five or six nil up and he would all of a sudden play his best snooker. He was a phenomenal competitor. When he first burst onto the scene there was no doubt he rubbed people up the wrong way, including me, because he was different, he was a breath of fresh air. We had a great rivalry, which I enjoyed for five or six years. We played a lot of semi-finals and big matches. His shot selection was a bit unique and a bit unorthodox. He was a fantastic snooker player, you don’t get to three world finals and win one without being that. The last few years his game hasn’t been what it was and he has got a bit bogged down maybe because of the injury, but people forget how good he was.”

Tomorrow Stephen will be back on Instagram, this time grilling his good friend mark Williams. That should be fun!

Regarding debates …

Two lists were published on twitte today by Phill Mudd:

That very much summarises it…

Keep in mind that Ronnie, John Higgins, and Mark Williams have been in competition with each other since the 1992/93 season and that from the late 90th until 2010/11 when Barry Hearn took over, they had not that much to play in; the 2007/08 season, for instance, featured only six ranking events, the Masters and the Premier League snooker. That was when they were supposed to be in their prime. You can only win events if events are actually available to play in.

Neither dominated snooker like Davis and Hendry did, but then Davis and Hendry both had a spell of several years in their career when they had little opposition coming from players in their age group. Judd Trump is in that position at this moment in time too. Of course, he still has to beat great players, but if you look at who he did meet in finals over the last two seasons, they are guys who are either in their late 30th (Selby, Murphy, Neil Robertson) or well into their 40th (Ronnie, John Higgins, Mark Williams).  A lot of pundits predict that, in the coming years, he will achieve the kind of dominance Davis and Hendry enjoyed. Time will tell and it will be interesting to watch it unfold… or not. 

Meanwhile, the stats above show why Ronnie is – for the time being – the best/greatest player ever in modern snooker history.

 

 

 

Barry Hearn’s “all -times” 10 players

Monique Professional snooker tournament

This was published yesterday by Eurosport

All-time top 10: Who does Barry Hearn rate as the greatest players in snooker history?

Barry Hearn Gallery

Desmond Kane

ByDesmond Kane

World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn, Britain’s legendary sports promoter, talks Desmond Kane through his all-time top 10 list of green baize greats. Hearn, who has managed a myriad of snooker icons including Steve Davis and Ronnie O’Sullivan, has never missed a World Championship since the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield first hosted the blue-chip event in 1977.

Crucible - Hearn Sponsors

You’ve got to be careful you don’t miss someone out as people can get mortally offended. I don’t really value the older players as I don’t think they were particularly good in comparison to what we witness in the modern game. Guys like Cliff Thorburn and Dennis Taylor had some wind behind them on their day, but technically we live in a different world.

When you watch the old snooker today, it looks terrible in comparison. They miss balls, the cue action looks different and they move on the shot. This is the best era of all time in terms of ability and in my 45 years of watching world-class snooker. Forgive me if I’m going to be brutal with the older players, I just don’t think they would have survived in today’s game.

When you talk about the greatest, you also have to consider their legendary status, the iconic moments you want to watch over and over again. That’s what we are trying to do by releasing a lot of those clips with the launch of Matchroom Live from all the sports I’ve been involved in. It will allow the fans to enjoy some wonderful moments for free.

In these days of inactivity and boredom, we thought it would be a good chance to catch up on all those memories that we’ve helped to create over the past 40 years.

I wouldn’t be here without snooker, I have to be honest about it. It is a great sport and I got lucky because nobody else recognised its potential at the time. Thank God it was put on mainstream television.

Apologies to anyone I’ve left out of my top 10. It is only a personal opinion. This is how I see it since I started snooker promotion in 1975. I’ve worked with most of the greatest players. They’ve shared my house, my heart and some of them have shared my wallet.

I’m 45 years in and this is an honest appraisal.

1. Ronnie O’Sullivan (England)

  • World champion 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013
  • Masters champion 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2017
  • UK champion 1993, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017, 2018

screenshot-2020-05-08-at-08.11.26.png

Number one is Ronnie O’Sullivan. He is a genius, an unbelievable talent. He has been winning matches and events since he was 12 years old. And he’s still winning now at the age of 44.

I’ve worked with most of the greats of the game, but I don’t think I’ve seen a greater natural talent. His achievements speak for themselves really including that unbelievable 147 in the 1997 World Championship that will probably never be bettered.

Watch Ronnie O’Sullivan make the fastest 147 in snooker history on Matchroom Live

2. Stephen Hendry (Scotland)

  • World champion 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999
  • Masters champion 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996
  • UK champion 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996

Screenshot 2020-05-08 at 08.24.46

Hendry was the greatest winning machine of all time. Unmissable, unbelievable in his prime. He looked like would never miss when he was among the balls. He had a mental strength, desire and an ability to win like no other player.

3. Steve Davis (England)

  • World champion 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989
  • Masters champion 1982, 1988, 1997
  • UK champion 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

Screenshot 2020-05-08 at 08.26.57

Steve Davis had the greatest concentration and temperament in the game during his domination of the 1980s. Like Hendry, a winning machine that just wanted to get inside your brain. He’d leave his opponent’s brain in a jam jar. A ruthless operator.

You could bet your last fiver on him, and 99 times out of 100 you were going to get paid. That’s why he was called ‘The Nugget’.

I met him in 1975 and we started our adventure in 1976. There was a lot of gambling back then before snooker really exploded on television. I’d promise him a £25 appearance fee every night, and would cut him a share of the winnings if he won which he nearly always did.

Watch Steve Davis win his first world title in 1981 on Matchroom Live

4. John Higgins (Scotland)

  • World champion 1998, 2007, 2009, 2011
  • Masters champion 1999, 2006
  • UK champion 1998, 2000, 2009

John Higgins

Reardon would come in at number five. Ray was ahead of his time. He was an unbelievable competitor. He is probably the greatest player to come out of the post-Joe Davis era.

6. Judd Trump (England)

  • World champion 2019
  • Masters champion 2019
  • UK champion 2011

Judd Trump - Barry hearn

I’m going to go for Trump at six. He is on his way to becoming a true great of the sport. He may well shoot up the top ten in the next few years.

This kid has the potential to be perhaps the best of all time. There is a long way to go, but he’s got everything from the winning ability to the flair. He’s a wonderful mixture of a player.

7. Mark Selby (England)

  • World champion 2014, 2016, 2017
  • Masters champion 2008, 2010, 2013
  • UK champion 2012, 2016

Mark Selby - Barry Hearn

You look at somebody like Selby and you see a cast-iron winning machine. The key to his success is a formidable mental approach to the game. He absolutely never gives up.

He perhaps does not have the excitement or flair of others on the list, but is absolutely ruthless. Ruthlessness is a key component of all these guys, but especially so when you don’t have the natural ability of say a Ronnie or a Judd.

8. Paul Hunter (England)

  • Masters champion 2001, 2002, 2004

Paul Hunter

I’m going to put Hunter in at eight. I’m including him in my all-time list because he was an unbelievable talent. He was getting better and better and could really have gone on to become one of the leading all-time greats.

Unfortunately, we tragically lost him to cancer at only 27, but that doesn’t stop us recognising the talent that he possessed. He is well worth his place in the top 10.

Watch Paul Hunter win his third Masters title in 2004 on Matchroom Live

9. Alex Higgins (Northern Ireland)

  • World champion 1972, 1982
  • Masters champion 1978, 1981
  • UK champion 1983

Alex Higgins

Simply because of his charisma and his effect on the game, I’ll go with Alex Higgins at number nine. I don’t think he would have won much today because he went for so many risky, outlandish shots and missed. The professionals in this era don’t miss.

You can’t give them chances, but a top 10 of all time without Alex Higgins in there wouldn’t make sense.

10. Jimmy White (England)

  • Masters champion 1984
  • UK champion 1992

Jimmy White

There are so many contenders for the final place when you think of fabulous competitors like Mark Williams, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy and Peter Ebdon. The list goes on. All great players, but I’m going to go for my old mate Jimmy White.

When I watch the old school snooker, how this bloke didn’t win a world title is beyond me. I keep watching it still expecting him to win. He’s in positions where you wonder: ‘how can you fail Jim?’

He’s got solid technique and a sound temperament, but when he saw the land of milk and honey and Moses was leading you across the river bed in the greatest scene in the movie, he stayed a bit too long there and the water crashed down on you. I think I’m being kind, but the game owes him because he was such an amazing, exciting player.

He’s a great bloke and a true ambassador for snooker.

Desmond Kane

As always when reading those top 10 things, this one will leave most of us wondering why this or that player isn’t in it … and why some are in it.

You can look at it from several angles, of course, the two main factors for me being:

  • How much a player has achieved
  • How much they have impacted the sport, be it in the way it’s played, in the way it’s perceived or by broadening the audience it reaches.

With that in mind, in my opinion, there are blatant omissions in this list and guys who should not be there too.

The missing ones…

Mark Williams

World Champion: 2000, 2003, 2018
UK Champion: 1999, 2002
Masters Champion: 1998, 2003
22 ranking titles

256920Mark Williams World 2018

How Mark Williams has been left out of this list is beyond me, not just because of his record, but because he’s one player many fans are able to relate to, much more so than John Higgins for instance. He’s a “people’s champion”, a family guy, the no-nonsense type. He definitely should be on this list.

Ding Junhui (14 ranking titles, 3X UK Champion, 1 Masters)  and Neil Robertson (18 ranking titles, triple crown winner – 1 World, 2 UK, 1 Masters)

Those two have achieved a lot, but that’s not all. Both of them have been trailblazers.

Without Ding, snooker would never have exploded in China, the way it has and China would not have invested in the sport the huge amount of money they are injecting in it for years now. He’s inspired a whole generation in his country.

Neil Robertson has shown the world that you can come from a place where snooker is not rated, where opportunities aren’t great. He still became a prolific winner, and surely has more titles to come. Neil also has been a fantastic ambassador for snooker. He’s a positive person, a hard worker. He’s extremely open and honest.  He’s not afraid to speak out but always in a measured way, without aggression. He’s an excellent role model.

The ones I would remove from the lists …

Paul Hunter

Paul Hunter died far too young and he was a charismatic player.  But he hasn’t achieved that much. Of course, he won the Masters three times, but his record in long format competitions – UK Championship and World Championship – wasn’t great, and, to me, there is absolutely no certainty that he would have been World Champion. Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, John Higgins and Ronnie all had won all three majors by the time they were 25. Paul was nowhere in that league. I can’t help to think that, had he not tragically passed away so young, he would never be in this conversation.

Judd Trump

“He is on his way to becoming a true great of the sport. He may well shoot up the top ten in the next few years”, says Barry Hearn.

Simply, it’s too early to put Judd in this list. He has the potential, and probably a better opportunity than most who are on this list to finish his career with a fantastic record. He has more tournaments to play in than ever before, and, let’s be honest, for now, nobody in his age group standing out as a possible challenger.

If we have this conversation again in, 5 to 10 years, I fully expect to have Judd in there and very high on the list. But not just yet.

Jimmy White

Sorry, Jim. I love you, I love the way you play, but you have under-achieved. Just one UK and one Masters. Six World Finals and no titles. Not enough given your talent.

Jimmy White has been a great ambassador for the game, still IS a great ambassador for the game. He loves it more than anyone else. He was extremely gifted. His longevity as a player is extraordinary. But his record sadly speaks for itself. He didn’t have the dedication to “curb” his lifestyle. He was unable or unwilling to compromise on his attacking approach. He will forever be in the top three of the fans who lived – and suffered – through his career,  but nowhere that high in the records book.

 

 

 

Crucible or nothing says Barry Hearn

Monique Professional snooker tournament

This was published by Eurosport today …

Hearn: World Championship will be cancelled if Crucible is ruled out for second time

Hearn Trump Crucible

By Desmond Kane

Barry Hearn has revealed the World Championship is likely to be cancelled for a year if the tournament has to be called off for a second time at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre due to the coronavirus pandemic.

…

“I’d rather get it on at the Crucible this year or have nothing,” World Snooker Tour chairman Hearn told Eurosport.

…

I don’t want to lose the World Championship. It’s an important thing for the sport and the TV audience of millions around the world.

The World Championship was due to start on April 18 and finish on May 4, but was postponed because of the health crisis engulfing the globe.

A provisional date for the 44th staging of the sport’s biggest tournament in Sheffield has been rearranged that would see the tournament begin on Friday 31 July and end on Sunday 16 August with dates yet to be set for the qualifying rounds.

Crucible - Hearn Sponsors

Depending on health advice from the UK government, the sport’s organisers World Snooker Tour have stated they will consider the following scenarios:

  • Playing the event with a reduced crowd
  • Playing the event behind closed doors
  • Postponing the event to a later date again

But Hearn is adamant that he would rather cancel the tournament – with sponsors Betfred awarding £500,000 to the champion in an overall record prize fund of £2.395m – for a year than attempt to reschedule it for a third time later or elsewhere in 2020.

“To be honest, if you went past it you would have to say that you would cancel the event for a year,” said Hearn. “That would be a sad loss because players need to earn money.

“Snooker players are self-employed people, they don’t know when they are going to work again. We are working hard behind the scenes. If we can’t do it with a crowd, we’ll do it without a crowd for the 500 million watching worldwide on TV.

“These are difficult times for sport in general. No-one really knows what we’re doing, and hopefully the government will shed some light on what we’re allowed to do in the next few days.

“The prize money is £2.5m. We won’t be changing that whether there is a crowd there or not.

I can’t think of any reason why I would want to cancel, to be honest. In these difficult times, it is a time for character, for people to stand up around the world. Look, if it loses money fair enough, but when it makes money that is good for us as well.

“We take a bigger picture for the players and the fans. The fans want entertainment because they are bored. The players want money and they want to participate in the biggest event in the world. We don’t want to stand in the way of that so it goes ahead.”

…

Judd Trump, who has won a record six ranking titles in 2019-20, is due to defend his title as he bids to become the first winner to successfully defend the trophy at the first attempt. World number one Trump hit a record seven centuries in an astonishing 18-9 win over four-times winner John Higgins in last year’s final.

Hearn feels holding the event behind closed doors could be the solution despite Wimbledon, Euro 2020 and the Olympics being wiped from the summer sporting calendar due to the outbreak.

“I’d rather play the World Championship in the Crucible empty than any other venue, if that makes sense,” said Hearn. “I could put a snooker table in your living room if it’s big enough or back garden if it’s not…that’s not an issue.

“

I don’t think there is much chance of not being able to stage the World Championship at the end of July into August behind closed doors depending on the current numbers and government rules.

“But I think it is the Crucible. And if the Crucible has to be empty then so be it, but let’s play. We’re all greedy, we’re trying to get the best of both worlds.

We’ve delayed it as far as we can delay it. We’ve managed to secure the Crucible because we think that is important. We are big fans of Sheffield and the area around it because they’ve supported us so well over the years. We don’t want to take it anywhere else.

“It is only 900 people in there so we hope that as we ease our way out of lockdown the government can say you can have small crowds.

…

“Well, 900 people might count as a small crowd so there is always that hope, but we have to wait and see what the rules are. We will live by them. If the government says you can have 900 people, the Crucible will look the same as always.

“If they say we can have 100 people, one way or another we will ballot or something that would allow 100 in. If they say you can have no-one, we will still be playing it at the Crucible behind closed doors with full safety procedures in place.

“I don’t want to lose the World Championship. It’s an important thing for the sport and the TV audience of millions around the world.”

The elite eight-man Tour Championship in Llandudno has already been rescheduled in the calendar, moved from March 17-22 to July 21-26, but much will depend on how the health crisis develops over the next few months.

Venue Cymru in the Welsh town has already been transformed into a field hospital to cope with the pandemic, forcing a change of venue for the sport’s penultimate event of the season.

“We are desperately trying not cancel anything, we are trying to postpone it. Of course when you catch up to that postponed date, that relies it on being allowable to happen,” said Hearn.

“The Tour Championship is one that has been delayed. I don’t think we are going to be allowed to go back to the original venue. It’s not so much of a problem, but we don’t know when we can stage it at all at the moment.

“But we’d love to get it done in June before the World Championship. We have to just see what the rules are.”

Desmond Kane

Right … exit strategy coming?

A few things come to mind reading this

The two guys can play under social distance rules no problem

Not so sure. Even if they don’t come close to each other, they will constantly use the same table, and to a lesser extend same balls for hours in a row, with bare hands. Is that safe? Will they need to use hand sanitizer before and after each passage at the table, and the rails and cue ball being cleaned as well? Might disrupt the flow of the match quite seriously …

Well, 900 people might count as a small crowd …

Possibly, but the number is not the only thing to consider. The Crucible is a very intimate venue. Spectators are sat very close to each other, and very close to the players.

Also, if it’s going ahead with no crowd, it still needs to be on TV otherwise there is no point doing it, and I can’t see how the BBC crew could operate at the Crucible under social distancing rules. It’s not so much about the camera(wo)men you see on the floor, there are a lot more persons involved, notably working in those big trucks that you might have noticed outside the venue. It’s cramped in there.

Also, there is no way two commentators could sit together in the tiny commentary boxes under social distancing rules either. The “Bubble” studio inside the Crucible is another issue for the same reason. They would need to have the studio in a remote place. Possibly stay in the Winter Garden, if allowed and closed to the public.

They will also need to strictly limit the media on-site, potentially further reducing the coverage by the written press.  Post-match and radio interviews may also be difficult to conduct safely. I can’t see Rob Walker and the players shouting at each other from two meters away…

Venue Cymru in the Welsh town has already been transformed into a field hospital to cope with the pandemic, forcing a change of venue for the sport’s penultimate event of the season.

“We are desperately trying not cancel anything, we are trying to postpone it. Of course when you catch up to that postponed date, that relies it on being allowable to happen,” said Hearn.

“The Tour Championship is one that has been delayed. I don’t think we are going to be allowed to go back to the original venue. It’s not so much of a problem, but we don’t know when we can stage it at all at the moment.

“But we’d love to get it done in June before the World Championship. We have to just see what the rules are.”

I might be a pessimist, but the way I read this, the Tour Championship is very unlikely to happen. And ITV would have the same social distancing issues with their crew than the BBC at the Crucible. Hendry recently said that such an event involves 80 persons from ITV on site. That’s a part fans never see, and very few know

In short… I can’t see it happening.