This is the situation after day 2 at the 2023 CBSA National Snooker Team Championship:
| National Team Championship | ||||||||||
| August 6-10, Xinghe Arena, Xi’an, Shaanxi | ||||||||||
| Group A | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 | A5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| A1 | Mianyang | 5-0 | 5-0 | 2 | ||||||
| A2 | Hainan ZSD | 1-4 | 4-1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| A3 | Chongqing | 4-1 | 2-3 | 3-2 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| A4 | Dalian | 0-5 | 3-2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| A5 | Zhengzhou | 0-5 | 1-4 | 2-3 | 3 | |||||
| Group B | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | B1 | B2 | B3 | B4 | B5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| B1 | Suzhou | 3-2 | 4-1 | 2 | ||||||
| B2 | Wuhan | 4-1 | 1-4 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| B3 | Beijing | 1-4 | 1-4 | 1-4 | 3 | |||||
| B4 | Guangdong | 2-3 | 4-1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| B5 | Hong Kong | 1-4 | 4-1 | 4-1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Group C | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| C1 | Xi’an | 5-0 | 2-3 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| C2 | Wuxi | 5-0 | 4-1 | 2 | ||||||
| C3 | Luoyang | 0-5 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 3 | |||||
| C4 | Shanghai | 0-5 | 3-2 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| C5 | CQ Pengshui | 3-2 | 1-4 | 3-2 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Group D | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | D1 | D2 | D3 | D4 | D5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| D1 | Dongguan Youth | 5-0 | 4-1 | 5-0 | 3 | |||||
| D2 | Inner Mongolia | 5-0 | 3-2 | 2 | ||||||
| D3 | Guizhou | 0-5 | 0-5 | 1-4 | 1-4 | 4 | ||||
| D4 | Henan | 1-4 | 4-1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| D5 | Sichuan | 0-5 | 2-3 | 4-1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Group E | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| E1 | Shaanxi | 5-0 | 5-0 | 2 | ||||||
| E2 | Urumqi | 2-3 | 1-4 | 2 | ||||||
| E3 | Xinjiang | 3-2 | 5-0 | 3-2 | 3 | |||||
| E4 | CBSA Academy | 0-5 | 0-5 | 2 | ||||||
| E5 | Sichuan NSD | 0-5 | 4-1 | 2-3 | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Group F | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| F1 | Dongguan | 4-1 | 4-1 | 2 | ||||||
| F2 | Anshan | 2-3 | 4-1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| F3 | Macau | 3-2 | 3-2 | 5-0 | 3 | |||||
| F4 | Gansu | 1-4 | 2-3 | 2 | ||||||
| F5 | Zibo | 1-4 | 1-4 | 0-5 | 3 | |||||
| Group G | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | G1 | G2 | G3 | G4 | G5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| G1 | Xianyang | 3-2 | ? | 1 | ||||||
| G2 | Tibet | 3-2 | 5-0 | 2 | ||||||
| G3 | Nanchang Xihu | 2-3 | 3-2 | 4-1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| G4 | Shanxi | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2 | ||||||
| G5 | Haining | ? | 0-5 | 1-4 | 2 | |||||
| Group H | ||||||||||
| Rank | Team | H1 | H2 | H3 | H4 | H5 | W | L | Tiebreaker | |
| H1 | Jiujiang Tianxi | 4-1 | 5-0 | 2 | ||||||
| H2 | Jilin City | 2-3 | 4-1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| H3 | Lanzhou | 3-2 | 5-0 | 4-1 | 3 | |||||
| H4 | Ningbo | 1-4 | 0-5 | 2 | ||||||
| H5 | Jiaxing | 0-5 | 1-4 | 1-4 | 3 | |||||
I watched quite a bit of the action and too some screenshots again
The “double” frame shown in the pictures was an absolute epic!
I must admit that, watching this event, I am surprised by both the level of the snooker on show, and the “style” of snooker the players chose to play. Based on what I watched from Ding and the younger Chinese players on the main tour, I was expecting very attacking snooker and high scoring. In fact, most of what I watched was extremely tactical, and I witnessed just one big break. Is it because the importance of the event gets to the players? Are they more cautious because the outcome of their performance impacts the whole team, not just their own result? Are the conditions a factor? I’m not sure and I would be happy to find out, because this is definitely not what I expected.
In other news …
WST has shared two pieces on their website last Sunday. One is about the launch of “World Professional Nine Ball Pool Corporation” and the other is about expanding/strengthening the Matchroom board.
Although WST is part of the Matchroom “portfolio”, I’m not sure about posting those pieces on the WST website. The one about the Nine Ball Pool Corporation in particular is rather “out of place”.
But Matchroom chose to post them there and that move only strengthen my feelings that snooker is no more one of their top priorities. Eddie Hearn has never been interested in snooker, it’s all about boxing for him. Probably the most dynamic member of the new board is Emily Frazer, and she’s the woman behind the growth and expansion of nine ball pool. I have every respect for Emily’s dynamism and work ethic. I met her a few times and I really wish she was behind snooker instead of nine ball pool.
The World Team Championship (1979-1990) often featured slow, tactical frames… until Alex Higgins was let loose, anyway! Observers put it down to the unique pressure of team snooker.
Where does one watch this event? Because interestingly it has a BBC-style scorebar?
On huya … this is table 1 https://www.huya.com/20072620 and this table 3 https://www.huya.com/18501408 . I need a VPN to use them – with struggles – on the laptop (Mac) but work as is on the Ipad and Iphone
Any clue or hint why they are clearly using a BBC-style scorebar, Monique?
Why not? Probably because they saw it and liked it. I don’t think BBC has any sort of exclusivity over that design. BTW I’m not a fan. . I much prefer to have the scores at the bottom of the sv=creen rather than hiding part of the table.
It has to be tactical rather than attacking, provided they should not have enough time for coordination and the possible difference of players. (Even some of them possibly lose the game, at least they should show they did something not just taking risks and being whitewashed, then face the malice of the netizens – so veteran players in China do not speak much.)
And Shaun… is it such a big sanction to play unauthorized events? (given he is now such a renown player, he should seek advice from WST and got responded in less than a day…) or I merely consider this an excuse not to say no.(31 hours to China 0_0 – from twitter loveselby about Jack’s return – and days near the arena is already a big/polite reason to refuse.)
Shaun ???
https://www.eurosport.com/snooker/shaun-murphy-explains-why-he-missed-trip-to-china-as-judd-trump-claims-his-first-title-of-snooker-se_sto9734092/story.shtml
Accidentally searched this…
You’re right, it does come across as a rather lame excuse. He could have asked and got an answer quickly.
Actually the standard of the CBSA City Teams is not as good as some previous years. There are fewer WST professionals and fewer young players from the academies. Most of the players are in their 30’s and 40’s.
It was great to see Huang Yanyun and Ma Chunmao embrace after their match. Just 2 years ago Ma was seriously ill after carbon monoxide poisoning, and was unconscious for 7 days. Several fellow players sent money to help pay hospital bills, which probably saved his life. He’s done a lot for snooker in remote Xinjiang, and a very popular figure.