Match vs Tournament template pockets

[Brett1985]

Hi all. Seen a couple tables for sale where the pocket cuts have been described as “match” template and “tournament” template.

What’s the difference?

If it was club vs tournament then I’d make the assumption the club pockets would be more generous. But “match”… I’m unsure 🫤

[maryfield]

Same size. Just different descriptions

[Brett1985]

Useful! Thank you very much

[vmax]

You won't get professional 'tournament template' as world snooker don't allow their templates public access, closely guarded secret for some reason.

[mikee]

You won't get professional 'tournament template' as world snooker don't allow their templates public access, closely guarded secret for some reason.

Yeah bit daft really ,I have a set cut and copied from a set .There nothing special ,pretty fair template really .Maybe they don’t release them because the IBSF amateur templates are slightly tighter than the WPBSA ones ,the middles are certainly .

[itsnoteasy]

Yeah bit daft really ,I have a set cut and copied from a set .There nothing special ,pretty fair template really .Maybe they don’t release them because the IBSF amateur templates are slightly tighter than the WPBSA ones ,the middles are certainly .

That's always been my thought as well. They don't release them because they have something to hide. You can't keep saying the pockets are tight and cub players won't understand if you then get caught telling porkies.

[mikee]

That's always been my thought as well. They don't release them because they have something to hide. You can't keep saying the pockets are tight and cub players won't understand if you then get caught telling porkies.

They are a lot tighter than your average club table for sure ,but you have to remember these guys are never playing on cloths that are more than 3 days old and that makes a massive difference ,that same template on a worn or wearing cloth can spit balls out .Always better to have your own home or club match table cut ever so slightly bigger to make the table play fair even when the cloth starts to wear .

[Cue crafty]

Do you not think they may keep it secret because now and then when they want a century fest at a Tourney they widen them slightly? That's when we all usually start saying "how did that go in" 🤔

[mikee]

I don’t think so Cuecrafty ,the players are that good these days and century’s are really nothing now at this level ,there’s just so many players that are capable of knocking in ton after ton on conditions that are perfect .Snooker tables are strange and conditions play a massive part in how a table plays one day to the next ,I was playing a few frames the other night at home and I played a shot just off from the cushion ,the ball caught the cushion about two inches from the jaws and wiggled in ,most days it wouldn’t have gone in .I’ve said for ages that the tournament table cloths should be slowed down ,it’s not really an advantage to have the cue power of a Hendry ,White , or Trump these days as all the players can move the ball around with ease ,knocking the pace of these tables is the biggest thing to make scoring and break building harder .

[mikee]

Did anyone hear Dominic Dale saying yesterday about the standard of snooker being so good because cues are stiffer than they were in the 80’s etc ,cue specs have always subjective to each player ,I know he’s a cue fanatic but I think he’s scraping the barrel with that comment .I’m certain Mr Hendry with with his power glide firewood would disagree

[DeanH]

Did anyone hear Dominic Dale saying yesterday about the standard of snooker being so good because cues are stiffer than they were in the 80’s etc ,cue specs have always subjective to each player ,I know he’s a cue fanatic but I think he’s scraping the barrel with that comment .I’m certain Mr Hendry with with his power glide firewood would disagree

I also heard he say that the baulk pockets are harder (he may have said tighter) because of the nap of the cushions-cloth, ?

[Cue crafty]

QUOTE=mikee;n1026256]Did anyone hear Dominic Dale saying yesterday about the standard of snooker being so good because cues are stiffer than they were in the 80’s etc ,cue specs have always subjective to each player ,I know he’s a cue fanatic but I think he’s scraping the barrel with that comment .I’m certain Mr Hendry with with his power glide firewood would disagree [/QUOTE]

I also heard he say that the baulk pockets are harder (he may have said tighter) because of the nap of the cushions-cloth, ?

I don't need crap like that in my head! Both of those comments seem a bit obscure - generally I like Dom, but think he has been waffling a little too much in commentary tbh.

[Starsky]

It’s funny as Lisowski also mentioned that the pockets feel tighter at the baulk end after missing the last red in his match .
I felt this comment was more to with how they feel mentally than actually being tighter .
It’s a shot they as well as club players don’t play that often. Based on that you’re not going to feel as confident playing it compared to the other end of the table .
Most of time as well you have to hit that shot with a bit more pace where at the black end you just roll it in to stay on the black .

[itsnoteasy]

Whippy cues push the cue ball around more, the nap is brushed towards you when playing into baulk pockets so you will not get as much slide as you would playing with the nap towards the black end.
I'm guessing that's where DD is coming from.

[mikee]

Load of old bollox what he was saying ,the nap is pretty much gone these days ,the only time your going to notice the bottom pockets being tighter is if you run a ball slowly down the baulk rail ,it may pull up a bit ,when it will hug the top rail more due to nap and brushing .Could just be that the bottom pockets were playing a little tighter ,there’s going to be slight variations on every pocket as there all hand cut .