The Snooker Thread

A quick search tells me that there's not currently a thread for this. I know it's not popular in America, but there's got to be people on here that are also fans. It's only something I've really got into over the last year, but I love it at the moment.

World Championship Final today. Bingham's won the first four frames to go 12-9 ahead versus Murphy, and he's playing excellent.

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Yeah he's playing well.


3-0 behind to bring it to 4-4... then went 7-4 down and brought it back to 8-8.


Then 9-9... now he's in front 11-14.


Murphy has played awesome this year though but Bingham has been a long time in the running for a Championship title. Taken him 20 years to get here but he's been getting stronger and stronger every year. This is the culmination of all that hard work.

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I was wondering if you'd be a fan Rodent, being a pool player. And yeah as I've only really been in to the sport for a year I don't know much about Bingham. I was rooting for Judd Trump to win the tournament, but since Bingham beat him I've hoped he'd win. Plays with a smile on his face and has played some brilliant snooker, always looks composed. Interesting hearing about the changes over the last five years (more tournaments, fairer to lower ranked players) and how it's benefited some of the older players like Bingham.

I don't rate Judd Trump.
He made a blast when he first showed on the prof circuit, but he's incredibly arrogant, both on and off the table.


I've been watching Bingham for about 10 years now and he totally deserves the title if he makes it this evening.
I say if, because Murphy is like Mark Selby and has the knack for coming back from impossible odds.


I've played Selby in pool ... he was excellent in his day when he played for Leicester County.
One of our county guys beat Selby as well in a Snooker match.
There was some rivalry between them, so our man challenged him to a money match as Selby was just getting into the Snooker circuit.
Kind of a "you think you'r3e better than me because you play Snooker?" sort of thing. Our guy wiped the floor with him

I have to disagree about Trump. He's probably my favourite player. I saw him at the last Welsh Open and I've followed him since, I met him there and got his autograph. From what I've seen he's one of, if not the best, attacking players. His overall game seems to have improved to. Have you seen some of his shots this tournament? He's got three shots nominated for shot of the tournament, more than any other player, and they're all outrageous. He's still only 25, and he's already shown great resilience and ability to come back, like he did against Ronnie in the Grand Prix and how he almost did against Bingham if it hadn't been for a bit of a luck and ability from his opponent. I get that he may come across as a bit arrogant at some times, he certainly enjoys the lifestyle at such a young age, but he still seems like a nice guy and someone who respects the game and his opponents, and I think it's hard to deny he's got talent and he's extremely exciting and watchable.

I don't disagree about Trump's game. He's a great player, I just think he's a tit.




Another future World Champ though is the McNugget. Anthony McGill.
What a talent he is already. Turned professional in 2010, took only 4 and a half years to make the World's and then, he makes the Quarter Finals.
He beat World #1 and reigning Champion Selby 13-9, Mark King and Stephen Maguire. No easy task for a first timer.


McGill beat Trump, Higgins and Ebdon earlier this season as well.

McGill also made the Scottish Open finals in his second year as a professional. He got beat by Higgins though.
Still, a final placing in only his second year as a pro.

McGill looks really good. Admittedly I hadn't seen him before this tournament, but his win against Selby was great, and his smile is infectious, he seems like a nice guy with the talent to match.

A lot of these players though have been known for years.


McGill and Trump have both been watched by the system for years.

Many fans won't have seen Trump or McGill before now, and think they're new to the circles, but there's footage of these guys that dates back to the mid-late 1990s when they were still kids.
They're new to the pro circuit, but they were spotted as talents way back when Hendry was still winning.


Ronnie though is some player. Underachiever. He's got the raw talent, he just didn't use it fully between 2000 and 2010. If he'd played like we all know he can, Hendry's titles and records would be outdated by 15 years. As it happens, Hendry still holds the record for most World Titles. Ronnie should have pulled his finger out a decade ago.
I mean, a 147 in 5 minutes and the top 5 or 10 fastest 147s are all in Ronnie's name. Unbelievable talent.

Joe Perry is up and coming too.
Been around for ages but seems to be getting better.

Give it to 2016/2017 season and I can see Perry making the finals.

I feel old though when I look back at some of the things I've seen in Snooker...
I remember watching Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis in 1985.


I also remember watching Hendry win his first World Title... and now he's retired!
Old.

Yeah in the mid session interval they were talking about how snooker has changed in five years with Barry Hearn and how certain players are benefiting, and along with Bingham they mentioned Joe Perry, and how these proper snooker players who just like to play are enjoying the increase in number of tournaments. I think this is a good time for me to be getting in to snooker, obviously I have always known about Ronnie and seen him plenty of times, amazing talent but he's such a pr*ck sometimes too

I disagree about Ronnie. He's a really nice guy hahahahaha!

He just annoys me with his constant complaining that at times makes a bit of a mockery of the game, like the shoe incident and putting his chalk on the table

Great final. Delighted for Bingham as he seems like such a nice bloke, must be such an amazing feeling for him after so many years. Played fantastically tactically to go 16-15 up, he had to go on and win from there.

He earned it. I shed a little tear for him tbh. Excellent player, great guy too.

Snooker fan here, been watching it since I was 8 or something and been playing the past 2-3 years. I doubt it'll surprise anyone that Higgins is my all time fav. Met him quite a lot since I sometimes play at one of the places he trains, nice guy and one of the atgs of course. Clearly he's been declining over the past few years and I'm starting to doubt he will win any of the big three again. So McGill has became a favourite lately, think he's starting to become one of the best on tour. Outside of Scotland I'm a fan of both Trump and Ali Carter.

Congrats to Bingham as you said he's a really nice guy and a great player, I'm happy for him. Must admit I would never had guessed him to win, even during the final I thought Murphy was going to pull it off.

So happy for Bingham. Seems a really nice guy.

Anyone watching the final? @The Rodent ?

Man the commentators are so biased with their "Mark is going to dominate snooker for the next decade" schtick: said by Stephen Hendry. I like Selby but both of these sessions have been ridiculous. Every time Higgins wins a frame they sound like they want to kill themselves and every time Selby does they sound really ecstatic, the saviour of snooker, as if he's already won. And every time Higgins wins it's because Selby is playing bad nothing to do with Higgins playing well. Who cares anyway he's up 10-7 going into tomorrow.

Must admit i'm pretty paranoid though after what happened in the 2014 final and after Selby winning those last 3 frames. I always feel more comfortable when Higgins has to comeback or when he hits a rough streak in the middle of the match like in the 2007 and 2011 finals. Either way i'm happy anyway as i didn't think i'd see John in another world final after the past few years, nevermind him leading against the best player at the moment.

I've never been a massive fan of Selby but he has won me over quite a bit after that World Championship.

I wanted Higgins to win. For some nostalgic reason I guess. It's a shame there was no new winner, the Chinese fella will surely win it some day - Ding?