Snooker Season 2021/22

mrunsure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117786130#Comment_117786130

ITV4 managed to show the Tour Championship on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons for the last two years. Ironically, it would arguably have been better if they kept racing on Saturday afternoon like they did for the inaugural Tour Championship in 2019, because in 2019 the final was spread across three sessions, on Saturday night and two sessions on Sunday and was the only tournament apart from the world championship that had a longer final than best of 19. It did mean they had to use two tables for the first round in 2019, whereas they had one table and one match per day in 2020 and 2021.

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117786241#Comment_117786241

Again, I'm assuming it's because they have no other way around it. If they didn't have an afternoon Saturday session, then they have an issue trying to fit that sf in, unless they want them to play into Saturday night to finish it. Probably suited them better to have the 3 session final.

eric hoone

Hope Wilson goes on and wins the event now, he's paid his dues

waynescales1

Thought that was a decent quality match, included back to back centuries. A Bo11 final starting at 7pm will be good, could go til midnight if it’s a 6-5.

Joe_ Public

Yeah, was a decent match. Was hoping Elliot would sneak it, though he did irk me a little going for those 5 snookers that time!

waynescales1

Some clearance from Williams. Loved that black along the top cushion, made it took so much easier than it was.

Joe_ Public

Williams turned it up a notch there. Great green and that black was sweet as a nut. Curtains for Jimbo you'd think.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117786130#Comment_117786130

Thats always been the way that Hearn/Matchroom and their sister organisations work. They go to the TV companies, ask what they want and when they want it, and then pitch a suggested event around that. They willingly co-operate in ways that other sports don't.

So if ITV want a 7 day competition but with Saturday afternoon blank when Royal Ascot/GrandNational/Guineas/Derby/StLeger is on, then that's exactly what will be provided.

Exact same thing happens in the darts as well on ITV4, lots of annoying blank Saturday afternoons.

ArmaniJeanss

Like most of ye I'm not sold on these short format events, but on the other hand I do like the idea of a game starting at 9.30pm which we had most nights this week.

For events like the Masters, you can sometimes come from work and switch on the snooker at 8.30pm to see it's a 5-0 game about to finish 6-0. No more snooker. Whereas events like this weeks pretty much guarantee snooker until 10.30/11pm, but not necessarily star names because of the high attrition rate in the format. Swings and roundabouts I guess.

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117787930#Comment_117787930

I can appreciate the commercial realities that are at play here, snooker - and maybe darts as well - isn't at the level of prestige that you can go in and start laying down absolute conditions to broadcasting companies. There likely is going to be give and take.

There's still a question of how far you're willing to go to facilitate tv. After all, it was at least partly due to pressure from the bbc that the UK championships format was reduced which I believe has been very bad for the sport. Having a few blank Saturday afternoons pales in comparison to that momentous decision tbf.

mrunsure

Selby is going to lose a lot more ranking points than Trump by the next ranking revision, so Trump will return to number 1.

Northern Ireland Open qualifying starts tomorrow. Is there anywhere to view that?

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117789927#Comment_117789927

Not as far as I can see. Very happy to be proven wrong though. Really enjoy the snooker on the tablet during the work day.

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117789998#Comment_117789998

Haven't checked it but think the next points to be docked will be the China Championship and i think that would put Judd back up again as there's only a few k between them. But might be a bit of toing and froing as both will be defending a lot of points in upcoming tournaments, Selby for English open, Judd for northern Ireland.

mrunsure

Certainly, Trump will have to significantly outperform Selby over the season if he wants to be number 1 at the end of the season. Selby had a £247,000 head start.

https://wpbsa.com/rankings/latest-provisional-eos-rankings/

Joe_ Public

Judd can always try and win the world title again. That would almost certainly settle it. Would be great if he met Selby sf or final with world no.1 on the line as well as the title. Winner takes all.

As it stands, Judd for 150,000 World Open points to come off soon as well so odds favour Selby a bit over next 2,3 months.

Joe_ Public

Cabby doing alright here. The way the lads were talking in the comm box, you'd swear Williams was already home and hosed. Actually put the jinx on him there!

eric hoone

Has williams been doing that roll up break off all week?

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117790505#Comment_117790505

Not that I saw anyway and that's the first tonight I think.

dobman88

Saw him do it once in his ¼ final when he was under the kosh but apart from that he has been doing the traditional break off pretty much.

waynescales1

I’m pretty sure Ken Doherty has no idea what “obligatory” means...

waynescales1

Not to keep going on about the format, but 100k to the winner for a Mickey Mouse Bof5 tournament, and only 70k to the winner of the NI Open for example which will have a much more traditional format? Doesn’t seem right...

eric hoone

No tournament till October as far as I can see, bit of a gap in the calendar unfortunately

Joe_ Public

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117790869#Comment_117790869

I suppose going back in time the British Open was a pretty prominent fixture on the calendar so has a sense of history and prestige about it, but I think the format does diminish it. I heard Foulds say we'll all get used to it, but like Gary there, I'm an unashamed snooker purist and can guarantee I never will!

waynescales1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117791002#Comment_117791002

The tournament has served as nothing more than an appetiser for players and viewers to get the season going, any “prestige” associated with the event has gone out the window with that format.

mrunsure

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117790869#Comment_117790869

Being on ITV4 in the UK instead of Eurosport gives it a little more prestige and probably more TV revenue compared to a Home Nations event. Although no sponsor for this tournament, yet the NI Open is sponsored by BetVictor.

Funny how we now call a best of 7 a 'traditional format'! Until a few years ago the shortest matches were generally a best of 9.

waynescales1

Well, the QF and SF will be Bof9 and the final Bof17, it’s an improvement anyway. I noticed the lack of sponsor, who puts up the money if there’s no sponsor I wonder...

mrunsure

There was a lot of discussion about sponsors last season when a lot of tournaments went unsponsored because many of the betting firms were feeling the pinch. Coral notably stopped sponsoring snooker. It was mentioned that World Snooker Tour had accumulated quite a bit of savings before Covid so were able to keep the prize money the same as the previous season for the tournaments that could continue during the pandemic, albeit with fewer bonuses. There was already concern that snooker was becoming too dependent on betting, like it did with tobacco in the past, so having Cazoo as a new sponsor is welcome diversity.

dobman88

I see there are tickets available for the Northern open final. I took a day trip to Belfast for the final in 2019 and got to see Judd beat Ronnie. Was a pretty good match and a great day out if anyone was considering it, I'd recommend it.

mrunsure

I can see the NI Open on Bet365. The WST website says it is on the Eurosport App, but as far as I can see it isn't there.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117791657#Comment_117791657

The tournament itself will be on eurosport but that's not until October. The qualification starts today and that's not televised.