Snooker Season 2021/22

Yeah I see the merit in leaving it alone IF it has consistently good viewership. But if that changes then they SHOULD change it.

The trend in sports which have long formats is to move towards shorter formats. Cricket is a good example of a sport with all kinds of formats from 5 day tests which are very strategic to the 100 ball games which have no time for foreplay, just banging. F1 is experimenting with sprint races and snooker has the short format matches and even the shootout.

If they can maintain, or even grow the audience, then great. We live in a different world now and people have loads of sports at their fingertips so they can choose which sports they want to subscribe and pay for. It's not like the old days where there were only a few channels and people with an interest in sports probably watched any sport that was on TV.

I think the thing about the 83 final is that it was the last year before it became a ranking event, but still a great final and one of the great battles in snooker history.

The 85 UK is a personal favourite at the peak of the 80s scene. Must watch more of it on YT. Decent timing between events now for some good old nostalgia.

Can't argue with any of the selections from those 3. 2020 was an epic even if the atmosphere and sense of occasion was missing.

I think Robertson and Trump should belt up. Snooker isn’t about them, neither is it about appealing to the ‘casual’ fan...if a casual fan isn’t into it, fine, turn it off watch something else.

the best of 35 is a marathon, it takes skill, endurance, fortitude, consistency... the match can swing about 5 ways over the course of it and all the drama, entertainment.... the best of 35 better enables the possibility of a comeback, comeback = drama, excitement and entertainment..

for people not of the want to embrace it, no problem.

As great a player as Trump is there has always been something a bit off about him as a character, could never warm to him.

In fairness, the 'casual fan' is what ultimately funds the sport. If 'normal' people (i.e. not snooker enthusiasts) don't watch in enough numbers, the TV companies will stop showing snooker and there will be no more professional snooker. Or at least it won't be anywhere near as big as it is now.

I don't think there is anything to worry about regarding the World Championship given that plenty of regular TV viewers are still happy to watch long matches. Maybe not every frame but dipping in and out.

Judd so far making light work of this pool malarkey

His opponent was really poor, almost as if the match was setup to be a whitewash. But Trump didn't look too bad.

As regards shorter matches, if you do that you are going to loose the potential for a lot of unique drama. And what else is sport about if not drama.

I fear for the WC longer format, because it just seems so incongruous to have but one comp a year in a long format and most of the rest shorter. You don't see it in any other sport as far as I'm aware. And how can anyone perform well in longer formats if one only participate in them once a year.

As far as short comps are concurred, I don't know why they can't make the semi's onward longer. So you could keep the shorter run up to the semi's but have the semi's longer. In that case at least the players who are capable of getting to semi+ will have experience in longer matches, instead of doing it only once a year.

As far as Robertson's comments on the issue, well, if seems to me he things he can gain in shorter formats, so no wonder he's going to argue for that then. It's a suspect opinion from him anyway. I do agree with him thought on the cramped crucible theatre, but that's a completely separate issue. Goffs and the old Wembly Conference Centre were said to be the best venues to play in, and they were massive in comparison the cramped Crucible, and I never got why it was always said the the Crucible is the ultimate in venues. Personally I don't enjoy the cramped look of the WC's even only watching it on TV. Surely all they would have to do is take back a row of seats to make it more spacious and wouldn't you prefer as a player to have the audience a bit further back.

9-2 win in his second game, again against an over-matched opponent who struggled to do simple things correctly. Judd missed a lot of pots himself though (~10 maybe).

If he gets through to round 4 then his opponent could be Jayson Shaw from Scotland, which would be a serious test - Shaw is one of the best. I think Judd would be the marginal outsider there.

edit : Earl Strickland will be on the TV table sometime after midnight for any late nighters.

I'm not a fan of 9 ball myself. It's too easy.

No fair enough, I did word what I actually meant badly. I just meant I personally find 9 ball a bit dull in comparison to the other variants of pool. In the same way I'd find billiards dull in comparisons to snooker.. I totally get like billiards, 9 ball requires lots of skill to play well. Didn't mean to offend those that enjoy 9 ball, apologies.

That pool is hard to watch tbh...Judd doing an exhibition in Seattle...just the $400 a ticket...$200 on top if you want to play a frame vs. him.

I see ex ref Alan Chamberlain has died aged 78.

A fixture from the mid 80s on, he refereed Ken's World final win in 97 and also the Jamie Burnett 16 red 148 in 2004.

Seemed to have a nice side while remaining a professional ref at all times.