World Snooker Championship 2012

zack01

Hendry is without question the greatest player ever to have picked up a cue. Seven world titles says it all really, and you really have to admire him for his decision, he's a born winner and even after falling out of the top 16 he battled on and had a decent enough season. But he made his mind up a few months back and you have to respect him for that.
I first met Hendry in 1983 when I played him in the British juniors, we became pals and again played each other the following year in the home internationals in Wales.
We got to know each other and even after I finished playing I saw more of him as I began to travel with Ken Doherty. Even after Ken beat him in the world final in '97 he was incredibly gracious in defeat and joined in the party that night.
I hope he's still in Sheffield when I go over this weekend, I'll shake his hand and wish him well.
Who knows what he'll do now, financially secure he may be, but I have no doubt he will feel a little strange come the start of the new season when he's not involved. His eldest son plays snooker and from what I've heard he's a decent player, will he become a coach ? I would certainly like to hear him commentate more at the tournaments. He has revealed that he has signed up to be an ambassasdor for Chinese pool, a strange move but i'm sure a very lucrative one and with trips to China on top of a season of snooker and practice something had to give.
One thing is for sure he'll play a lot more golf that's another sport he's talented at !
Seven times world champion, countless other ranking tournaments, a maximum on his final time at the Cruicble and a really nice person off the table.
Happy retirement Stephen Hendry.

zack01

Some quotes from Hendry's press conference.



“It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing,” I thought about it last year, but 2 or 3 months ago I decided enough was enough.

“It was quite an easy decision. The schedule, the fact that I’m not playing the snooker I want to play doesn’t help.”

“If I’d have won it, it would have been an even better way to go out. I’m delighted that I’ve made a maximum here, that’s why I was more animated than normal when making it, I was delighted to do it on my last appearance at the Crucible.”

“I could write a book on the memories I’ve had here at the Crucible,” “My first time here was special, my first win here, the 7th world title, the maximums, being the youngest ever world champion, no one’s beaten that yet.”

K-9

zack01 wrote: »

Some quotes from Hendry's press conference.



“It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing,” I thought about it last year, but 2 or 3 months ago I decided enough was enough.

“It was quite an easy decision. The schedule, the fact that I’m not playing the snooker I want to play doesn’t help.”

“If I’d have won it, it would have been an even better way to go out. I’m delighted that I’ve made a maximum here, that’s why I was more animated than normal when making it, I was delighted to do it on my last appearance at the Crucible.”

“I could write a book on the memories I’ve had here at the Crucible,” “My first time here was special, my first win here, the 7th world title, the maximums, being the youngest ever world champion, no one’s beaten that yet.”

Funnily enough I was going to post that he'd retire after this game, earlier. I'd heard he had doubts a year ago, didn't hear he had made up his mind a couple of months ago. Makes perfect sense as he isn't somebody prone to rash decisions off table either, I'd have thought.

Would have to agree he's the best player to grace snooker, can't think of any chinks in his armor. Felt a bit embarrassed for him tonight but the 147 was a nice way to go!

zack01

Stephen Hendry: 11 maximum breaks, 9 years world number 1, 36 ranking event wins, 7 world titles, 775 centuries, career earnings £8,637,360.

Says it all really.

cherryghost

On a side note, Day looked awful tonight. He needs a miracle tomorrow.

zack01

World Snooker's piece on Hendry's retirement.



http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2204168,00.html

zack01

Day 12 line up


10am
QF2 Jamie Jones v Ali Carter
QF4* Ryan Day v Matthew Stevens
 
2.30pm
QF3 Ronnie O'Sullivan v Neil Robertson
 
7pm
QF2* Jamie Jones v Ali Carter
QF3*  Ronnie O'Sullivan v Neil Robertson


Ryan Day must somehow put what happened last night behind him and try and regroup this morning, losing all eight frames in the second session more or less ended the match but he's got nothing to lose now, win the first four frames today and he'll give himself a chance, in saying that Stevens has been pretty solid and we should expect to see him close out the match.

Carter v Jones continues and although I've tipped Carter to win you have to admire Jones the way he's gone about things. I fancy Carter to win 5-3 again and wrap up the win tonight.

Robertson v O'Sullivan was a strange first session, 4-4 may have been a fair result but a missed blue by Ronnie in the eight frame handed Robertson a two frame advantage. Their match is the only one on this afternoon so a full house at the Cruicble should be in for a treat. I fancied Robertson to win the title from the start but something tells me O'Sullivan might beat him, another 13-12 anyone??.

I'm sure the Cruicble is still reeling from the news last night about the great mans retirement but the show goes on and although Maguire won easily I believe he hasn't really been tested yet. If Carter wins he'll give Maguire a much sterner test.


 

Gunslinger92

Hope Stevens wont be struck with a bit of deja vu, he is in the exact same position as he was against smurph a few years ago...

giant_midget

zack01 wrote: »

Some quotes from Hendry's press conference.



“It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing,” I thought about it last year, but 2 or 3 months ago I decided enough was enough.

“It was quite an easy decision. The schedule, the fact that I’m not playing the snooker I want to play doesn’t help.”

“If I’d have won it, it would have been an even better way to go out. I’m delighted that I’ve made a maximum here, that’s why I was more animated than normal when making it, I was delighted to do it on my last appearance at the Crucible.”

“I could write a book on the memories I’ve had here at the Crucible,” “My first time here was special, my first win here, the 7th world title, the maximums, being the youngest ever world champion, no one’s beaten that yet.”

Was shocked when i heard this, But not too surprised. What do you reckon Zack? Will this be the last time we see him playing snooker on TV? He might do a JP and have a stab at the WSC in 2013 or maybe play on the seniors championship...I'v been watching snooker for years now and i always find myself cheering on the underdog/older players, one less for me to watch now. Lets hope Davis doesn't follow suit too soon...He may have 2 years or so left in my opinion.

Either way Hendry has left on a high after the 147 and all he has achieved in Snooker. I personally dont think his 7 world titles will never be beaten (not in my lifetime anyway)

zack01

giant_midget wrote: »

Was shocked when i heard this, But not too surprised. What do you reckon Zack? Will this be the last time we see him playing snooker on TV? He might do a JP and have a stab at the WSC in 2013 or maybe play on the seniors championship...I'v been watching snooker for years now and i always find myself cheering on the underdog/older players, one less for me to watch now. Lets hope Davis doesn't follow suit too soon...He may have 2 years or so left in my opinion.

Either way Hendry has left on a high after the 147 and all he has achieved in Snooker. I personally dont think his 7 world titles will never be beaten (not in my lifetime anyway)

To be honest i was'nt really surprised when i heard this, Hendry is a perfectionist and when he found himself struggling to win matches let alone tournaments he knew the time was right. I don't think it had anything to do with him falling out of the top sixteen either, but losing first round match after first round match and struggling to find any type of consistent form made his mind up.
Yes we had some moments of brilliance this season, moments such as Hendry destroying Neil Robertson in the Welsh and of course his magical max in the Worlds but moments like that don't win tournaments and that's what Hendry was all about.

With Davis it's a different story, he just loves playing snooker and although he's struggled as much as Hendry i feel he'll stay playing as long as he's on the main tour.

However Hendry will still be seen playing snooker, he's signed up for the legends tour this season and no doubt he'll be as competitve as always when playing in that.

He's signed up with a Chinese pool company which i'm sure knowing Hendry is a very lucrative contract, that will take up a lot of his time, but i'm sure he'll stay involved with snooker somehow, prehaps he'll continue his commentating with the BBC, he's taken to that really well and is great to listen to.

I doubt he'll do a Parrott and enter qualifying for next years championship and as far as the world seniors is concerened, well maybe he may have a crack at that, it's run over a weekend and he may fancy adding that to his incredible CV, who would want to draw him in the first round of that!!

Although he's finished his career on the wrong end of a 13-2 defeat, i myself have instantly forgotten that and instead have have remembered the great monents in his career.
I have a lot of favourites but the best moment i think was a few years back and he played Ronnie in the final of the Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge, the best of 17 final saw Hendry lead 8-2 but O'Sullivan won 6 in a row to level at 8-8, both players in fantastic form with seven tons made,O'Sullivan breaks off in the decider, Hendry pots a long red and makes a max !!

Incredible !!

zack01

Stevens wins the two frames he needed and goes into the semi finals with a 13-5 victory.
Day must be absolutly gutted losing ten frames in a row.
Stevens plays the winner of O'Sullivan and Robertson.

Gunslinger92

zack01 wrote: »

Stevens wins the two frames he needed and goes into the semi finals with a 13-5 victory.
Day must be absolutly gutted losing ten frames in a row.
Stevens plays the winner of O'Sullivan and Robertson.

Why did he not do that against Murphy?! He'd have saved a younger me lots of tears :o

zack01

This should be worth a look.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17916185

zack01

Ben Dirs from the BBC asks was Hendry the greatest ever.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bendirs/2012/05/was_stephen_hendry_the_greates.html

zack01

Fantastic 138 from Jones to make it 6-5 Carter.

zack01

Jones makes a 132 and it's 6-6. He really could have done without the interval here, he's absolutly flying, Carter has a battle on his hands now.

Permabear

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staker

Permabear wrote: »

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Good point well made, but he's gotta take credit for pioneering that new aggressive style.
He rejuvenated snooker and it's audience numbers for all the right reasons-he let his snooker do the talking. As opposed to other "greats" who led flamboyant lifestyles off the table and were just as equally renowned for these lifestyles alongside their feats on the table. Which did wonders for viewing numbers too though.

Permabear

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staker

Permabear wrote: »

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You've changed my opinion, I'd say seven would've been a big ask.In today's game,two would tbh.

Setun

I think ruthless is a good word to describe Hendry - to paraphrase John Higgins, he wasn't interested in snooker, he was interested in winning. Some of Hendry's comments about winning referenced in the article zack posted almost seem superficial, as if the fact that he played snooker over golf or tennis didn't matter, but it was his name on a trophy that was most important to him. It was this ruthless self-belief that enabled him to achieve so much, giving him the impetus to take on all those long pots, and smash open the pack as early as possible. To play so aggressively at a time when nobody else would was undoubtedly a massive advantage.

“Snooker is a very cerebral sport and the most important distance is between the ears. The chess player Bobby Fischer said the idea of the game is to crush the ego of the opponent. As long as a player is sitting in his chair thinking, ‘come on, miss, I can still do it’, he’s OK. But sometimes a player gets to the stage where he knows he can’t do it - his ego is crushed." (from here)
If the above quote is true, Hendry was the greatest of the 1990s - he certainly crushed more egos than any other player. If anybody wants a quick reminder, check out his list of ranking event finals on wikipedia.

In more recent times, you would have to echo what Steve Davis often says - the days of any one player dominating the game are over. Stephen Hendry's fall from the top coincided with the maturation of a new generation of players - players who could all play like Hendry.

Permabear

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cherryghost

Permabear wrote: »

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I agree. Very interesting final frame. Safety play seems pretty tight from both players. Could you imagine Carters luck getting the snooker behind the pink, apologizing and Jones didn't even give him a look. And the brown. So lucky for Jones. Could've easily been 10-6.

Really looking forward to the rest of the days action. Both matches might go down to the wire. I have a kettle, biscuits and teabags at the ready incase either one goes into a late session tonight, very much a possibility

Permabear

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StephenHendry

zack01 wrote: »

Hendry is without question the greatest player ever to have picked up a cue. Seven world titles says it all really, and you really have to admire him for his decision, he's a born winner and even after falling out of the top 16 he battled on and had a decent enough season. But he made his mind up a few months back and you have to respect him for that.
I first met Hendry in 1983 when I played him in the British juniors, we became pals and again played each other the following year in the home internationals in Wales.
We got to know each other and even after I finished playing I saw more of him as I began to travel with Ken Doherty. Even after Ken beat him in the world final in '97 he was incredibly gracious in defeat and joined in the party that night.
I hope he's still in Sheffield when I go over this weekend, I'll shake his hand and wish him well.
Who knows what he'll do now, financially secure he may be, but I have no doubt he will feel a little strange come the start of the new season when he's not involved. His eldest son plays snooker and from what I've heard he's a decent player, will he become a coach ? I would certainly like to hear him commentate more at the tournaments. He has revealed that he has signed up to be an ambassasdor for Chinese pool, a strange move but i'm sure a very lucrative one and with trips to China on top of a season of snooker and practice something had to give.
One thing is for sure he'll play a lot more golf that's another sport he's talented at !
Seven times world champion, countless other ranking tournaments, a maximum on his final time at the Cruicble and a really nice person off the table.
Happy retirement Stephen Hendry.

its sad that the great man has retired , but in the end it was a very brave decision. i think its better that he made the decision after the 147, beating higgins in r2 rather than in one of the qualifying tournaments. good luck to him in his retirement and im sure we'll hear a lot more from him in the commentary booth.


arguable the GOAT, he's given me many great memories as a fan of his, namely his 7 wc , especially the record breaking 7th in 1999. i hope he enjoys his retirement, as he is a true legend of the game

K-9

Its a tough one, I see it in soccer with people trying to compare teams from different eras. He definitely revolutionised the game as regards break building and his aggressive style.

Consistently the best player in the 90's but the same could be said of Davis in the 80's.

It is difficult, Davis struggled at times in the 90's and found it difficult to compete with the new standards, never won a World after Hendry's emergence.

Can't wait for the O'Sullivan vs. Robinson finish. Ronnie needs to be at the top of his game mentally or Robinson will take advantage.

zack01

Interesting debate and a welcome one. In my opinion Hendry is the greatest player of all time, and really all you have to do is look at the facts and what he has achieved. Talent is one thing but it's what a player has won is how greatness is judged.
Seven world titles says it all really and although they were all won in the '90's he still made a world final in '02 losing out to Peter Ebdon. Not forgetting his '97 defeat to Doherty Hendry appeared in nine finals.
Snooker has certainly changed, play is more aggresive now but there are still plenty of good grinders about, Hendry had both of these aspects to his game, so the question would Hendry win seven world titles in this era if he played like he did in his prime? The answer is a resounding yes because simply put Hendry was untouchable in his prime.

When Hendry won his titles there was probably six or seven players around that could be called contenders, the same can be said of the game now. During the '90's we had Williams, Higgins, Wattana, O'Sullivan, Doherty, White and McManus, these were all ranking event winners and contenders each year in Sheffield. These days some of the names may have changed but there are still only a handful of players who can win a championships.

Hendry's aggresive style was instrumental in his success, his breakbuilding and record number of centuries speaks for itself, his comebacks in several world finals again speaks for itself, yes people will say White crumbled in two of those finals but he crumbled under the pressure Hendry put him under.

The '94 UK Final performance is still regarded by many pundits as the finest performance by a player in a final, 7 tons in a 10-5 victory over Doherty will never be bettered.

In '99 he lost 9-0 to Marcus Campbell in the first round of the UK, many people whispered that the end was nigh for Hendry yet the following May he won in Sheffield beating O'Sullivan in the semi final and Williams in the Final.

It's a debate that i'm sure will go on, everybody has their favourite player, and just for the record Hendry is'nt my favourite player, i feel he's the greatest because of the legacy he has left on the game.

Setun

Anyone want to play a drinking game? The rules: take a shot of a beverage of your choice every time John Virgo says "absolutely inch-perfect". :pac:

O'Sullivan has made a good start, early in the session I know but looks pretty good.

zack01

O'Sullivan appears to have shown up to play today!
Great start, he's certainly in the mood.

zack01

Daddio wrote: »

Anyone want to play a drinking game? The rules: take a shot of a beverage of your choice every time John Virgo says "absolutely inch-perfect". :pac:

O'Sullivan has made a good start, early in the session I know but looks pretty good.

A shot of whiskey every time he mentions 'it's all about fractions'