The Shootout 2022 20th - 24th January

Arthur Daley

The Shootout started today. 128 players down to 2 for the final Sunday night.

Coverage on Eurosport. Leicster is the venue. With England's restrictions easing probably be a decent crowd and atmosphere over the weekend.

Reigning champ Ryan Day is already out.

HeidiHeidi

This is mad stuff!

I'd never even heard of it before all the promos on Eurosport during the Masters.

Very entertaining indeed. That 15yr old Welsh youngfella was just brilliant!

Anyone know how many Irish are in it? I see Ken and Fergal O'Brien listed, but wouldn't know many of the other names on the circuit.

Arthur Daley

Aaron Hill will be there too.

It counts towards the 1 year list so that matters for the Players Championship in early February as I understand it. For the likes of Selby and Bingham who sit outside the top 16 at the minute.

Also it attracts ranking points so it should matter to the players down the list/trying to get into the top 64.

HeidiHeidi

Yeah, reading about it, no player in the top 16 at the time has ever won it, so it's a great boost chance for the lower ranked players.

Most entertaining!

HeidiHeidi

That overhead 360 camera is horrible, makes me feel seasick 🤢.

There was a few exciting close games, Shaun Murphy pulled off a great finale to the session!

The crowd were bad enough by the last game, what on earth will they be like tonight??? 😱

This is great fun, lovely diversion from tennis overload!

Watching repeat (I think 😊) of Dale match v Ollie Lines on Eurosport2.. Desi is lovely 😆

HeidiHeidi

5 Irish playing tonight - including one all-Irish face-off.

refusetolose

2 from Cork! :)

Arthur Daley

I like the sweeping camera.

I see Tatiane lets her down for this event. Getting into the spirit of things.

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118508099#Comment_118508099

I dunno how they get away with that, Desislava was the same at the Masters with it swinging all over - if I did that, by the end of a single frame the table would be littered with my hair!! Maybe they superglue it first..... 🤔

refusetolose

nice from Bulman

refusetolose

nice from Hill

Arthur Daley

Mark 'the Pistol' Allen should be winning this event, but you never know what stumbling block a player will hit.

Certainly won that first frame in a convincing manner.

Lad needed a snooker there.. managed to get the 4 points, and 'ball in hand' off an in-off, but no way was Saengkham potting 8 balls in just over a minute.. 😁 He gave up after three pots, as had just about 10 seconds left coming to last green..

No one's ever won a frame in this comp from needing a snooker.. interesting stat that..

The white don't half seem to travel on the surface,,,,

Mitchell Mann doing well here, both in safety and potting, as well as showboating 😂

Just Some Young Lad

To be honest I'd love if there was a second tournament with this rule format in the calendar. Often I find that in the longer sessions it can be a bit painful to watch two lower ranked players. The shootout is exciting no matter who is at the table.

Plus: I'd be more of a pool player and it's very similar to a lot of those shootout events and the mosconi cup etc.

Arthur Daley

Yan Bingtao out after effectively playing one shot. Unlike other tournaments you still get 250 quid. Although this first round losing fee doesn't count towards ranking points.

Peter Devlin is reminiscent of a young Dominic Dale... odds on to be going home here though.. Vafaei playing well

HeidiHeidi

God, the crowd are a monumental PITA at this stage. Makes it unwatchable for me, can't listen to any more of that.

Arthur Daley

Ken too loose there. But squeaks in

Arthur Daley

Michael Holt knows how to play the shootout for sure. It's a certain gameplan, fascinating game within a game.

HeidiHeidi

I'm fascinated with the intricacies of this game/format. It's utterly ingenious!!! Can't believe I'd never heard of it before, but I fell out of watching and following snooker for a long time, only back to it recently.

Strategy on the table, strategy with the time and timing, skill, a large dollop of luck - and all with a clock literally ticking in your ear! Actually, two clocks!!

But the crowd destroyed it for me tonight. Why would you even buy tickets for an event and then just go and ballyhoo drunkenly all night long - they weren't even applauding decent shots, were they actually even watching?

I get that it's not the hushed theatre atmosphere of The Crucible, and it's a fun (but yet serious) event.... but jaysus they've taken it too far the other way IMO.

Strumms

crowd we’re just a load of drunken attention seeking assholes, pity, like you say it’s the only off putting element to it.

would be much better if they embraced the rules on the table as they are in this format but reverted to ensuring quiet in the audience…

still be exciting and with a less circus full of gurning clowns vibe be really better…more tension too.

HeidiHeidi

15-yr old youngfella coming up next - wonder can he nick his way through to day 3???

HeidiHeidi

Awww, he was very unlucky in that!! Great safety, just never got the chance to get going.

At least he had the distinction of having lost in the lowest ever scoring game!

HeidiHeidi

That Iranian, Vafaei, is a class act!

Never heard of him, how is he not making the final stages of big comps?? Or maybe he has and I just hadn't heard.... but I think the commentators yesterday mentioned he had trouble getting visas to get to competitions.

If he gets the rub of the green he has to have a great chance in this, two brilliant breaks in the first two rounds.

That was an unlucky way of fouling there by Luca - the red not making the pocket 😓 After that, there were plenty there for Blackwell.. Still time!!!

HeidiHeidi

Aaron Hill got v lucky in that - but made the most of it as well. Clever play!

HeidiHeidi

Great game to end the afternoon between the two Marks!!

It was all happening in the 10 minutes - fouls, snookers, in-offs, great pots!

Blue ball shootout!

Some pink by Kleckers!

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118518532#Comment_118518532

Some frame in general! Held his nerve well .

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118518540#Comment_118518540

He didn't panic near business end... took his time playing safe, even with < 2 minutes left, and coolly waited for a chance to claw back the 8 or so points... Paramount to keep your head in this..

And the 1st winner of the 'BBS' in the comp this year goes to battle here in the Yuan/Young match.. That was a great celebration by Yuan when he beat Ford in the 'Blue Ball Shootout'... nice 'push' by Ford too iirc 😁

HeidiHeidi

Oh ffs 😡

That audience should be taken out and shot. With Lei given first go at it.

HeidiHeidi

I'm amazed at the commentators defending "the atmosphere ".

When there's an actual material effect on your career, I can see why players would be less than impressed. I wonder have any of them complained about it?

HeidiHeidi

Mann up next.... he'll just send the crowd over the edge altogether if last night was anything to go by!

Can't see anymore of these type comps 'going forward' , in the snooker calendar... gives snooker a bad image imo... once a year is plenty 😃.. not much point complaining I'd imagine.. only have the crowd after them the next time/next year, as surely 1 or 2 of the fans would actually remember a certain player complaining, and they'd end up getting more stick.. Unless someone's getting obvious personal abuse; there's not really much scope for the ref to intervene in the 'revelry' imho.. 😃

HeidiHeidi

Apart from anything else, imagine being in the venue and stuck physically near that gang shrieking and hollering, and your woman screaming 🙉🙉

😁

Come on Michelin Man!!

I see the ref waited for the white to come to a complete stop at the end of last frame, before he give it to Mitchell 'ball in hand' .. don't do it in lag... Great last pink by Mitchell there.. certainly didn't drop it in..

HeidiHeidi

The lag (never heard of that before this weekend!) doesn't have any effect on the game itself, though. White keeping rolling runs down the clock on the opponent.

Presume if you're rushing for points at the end of a game, you have to let all balls come to a halt before your next strike for the same reason?

Mon Dave!

HeidiHeidi

'Mon Ken!!

(Used to play with my brother, I used to deliver papers to his Mammy 🤣)

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118518838#Comment_118518838

He very nearly did it!!

He had his chance alright.. one pot too far alas and Ken's craftiness so crafty, that that mid twenty points points lead, looked like a 45 point lead..

Think BJ Castle looks a lot like the Fermanagh? Dartist Brendan Dolan, so will wish Billy Joe best of luck here....

Arthur Daley

But isn't this the general direction Jack, Judd and Neil want to bring the game.

I'm a traditionalist I see a place for enjoying this, and the scene at Ally Pally last week, but then when you have your fill of all the boozyness, that's when I want to see the Crucible left exactly as it is.

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118518971#Comment_118518971

I wouldn't mind the whooping and hollering (so much) if it was even vaguely related to what's going on on the table.

But it sounds like a gang of blotto lager louts and their bits on the side who think they're the wittiest people on the planet, and wouldn't know a snooker ball if it hit them in the head (one can only wish).

I've no time for that at the best of times, never mind a snooker game 🙄. It's just painful.

Come on Leo!

HeidiHeidi

HOW did that red not drop in??????

Arthur Daley

Leo shouldn't have been playing that red

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118519024#Comment_118519024

Different comps - different tables (manys the other table where that red would be going in 95%+ of the time)... were ya not listening to the commentary? "The...Pockets....Are....Very-Un-For-Giv-Ing ! " 😋