Making century's on club tables compared to tv tables

[haggishunter]

Excellent thread, not sure how I missed it...

For me, magicman's post wins the thread outright:



It's bang on...

would say the same, first time I played on the match table in my local club (during the day its used by Scott Donaldson for practice) was during a match and I'd been looking forward to playing on it, I had played on one table of a high standard before but I was in for a shock when I played on the table at my local, I knew potting was going to be more of an issue which it was but the thing that messed me up the most was the way I had to adapt to try and get the pace of every shot judged right, amount of screw etc applied. could not believe how easy it was to get the cb moving, that doesn't mean my position was spot on either! not by long way! was just easier to apply.... it was a doubles match and both of our teams had a player capable of knocking in good consistent breaks on regular club tables and they were struggling just as much. I would say that each of the table set ups has points about them that make the game tricky to play but while the faster cloth of a match table does make getting cb action a lot easier that's it, it ends there period, getting action on the cb wont make you pot balls and get position, simple as that. match tables are by far and away the more demanding/difficult table set ups to play on in my opinion. I think everyone that's really interested in the game should use the match table (proper one with heating etc.) at least once with proper match balls as well to see exactly how hard the game becomes to play..... all of a sudden it appears like you are playing a brand new game, one that is harder than the last one you were playing....

[bigandyg]

Saw Dott just miss back to back 147s on the worst table in the club he used to play from some years ago, table was in terrible nick.

[cyberheater]

Saw Dott just miss back to back 147s on the worst table in the club he used to play from some years ago, table was in terrible nick.

Was that in Larkhall?

[trains]

Saw Dott just miss back to back 147s on the worst table in the club he used to play from some years ago, table was in terrible nick.

Graeme Dott also whitewashed Ronnie O'Sullivan 8-0 in the 3rd session of the 2006 Crucible semi to go from 8-8 to 16-8,not trying to down play your point but just saying.
I'll just add to this,he also jumped out 5-0 v Ronnie in the 2004 Crucible final,he did both of these because he's a terrier and class combined when at his best.

[GeordieDS]

That would have been near the end of Mikes snooker days so I'm told Geordie, as he hasn't picked up a cue for well over fifteen years, except for one frame at the club for a charity thing for a very very well liked member who wasn't too well for a bit.
He played one frame against Rob Simm our county champion, Rob broke off and Mike stuck in a 48 ,not bad for the first time you have held a cue in over fifteen years.
Some of the stories told about him are stuff of legend lol, he was definitely more your Alex Higgins type than your clean cut Steve Davis lol.

He was definitely drinking a few pints when he played in that comp

[itsnoteasy]

He was definitely drinking a few pints when he played in that comp

Unfortunately I heard that was his downfall , I haven't heard anyone say he's not the best player they have ever seen by a country mile, when he was on it. They used to bring pros down to play Mike and one night (if I rember how I was told this) he was playing a best of nine and was three nil down , there was a little break and Mike went to the toilet, his pal followed him in and asked what he was playing at, why was he playing so poorly, Mike said, it was the pros night and didn't want to upstage him, he was told everyone in the club was there to see him win not the pro, he came out and knocked out five frames on the trot and won five three.
He came in the club a few times to see his pal and one of my friends who has known him for years introduced me to him, a very unassuming nice guy, no airs and graces ,no billy big bollocks just a good lad to chat with, my pal said you had hundreds of 147 s didn't you Mike , tell Jim how many you had, and in all honesty and without a doubt that it was true said , I don't really know, I stopped counting after 150 lol.
You could write a book about Mikes shenanigans but he is what I would call a loveable rouge, but they rekon he was a great talent.

[GeordieDS]

Unfortunately I heard that was his downfall , I haven't heard anyone say he's not the best player they have ever seen by a country mile, when he was on it. They used to bring pros down to play Mike and one night (if I rember how I was told this) he was playing a best of nine and was three nil down , there was a little break and Mike went to the toilet, his pal followed him in and asked what he was playing at, why was he playing so poorly, Mike said, it was the pros night and didn't want to upstage him, he was told everyone in the club was there to see him win not the pro, he came out and knocked out five frames on the trot and won five three.
He came in the club a few times to see his pal and one of my friends who has known him for years introduced me to him, a very unassuming nice guy, no airs and graces ,no billy big bollocks just a good lad to chat with, my pal said you had hundreds of 147 s didn't you Mike , tell Jim how many you had, and in all honesty and without a doubt that it was true said , I don't really know, I stopped counting after 150 lol.
You could write a book about Mikes shenanigans but he is what I would call a loveable rouge, but they rekon he was a great talent.

I was talking to him at that comp asking him if he'd played any of the then top players and he said he'd just been down and played Peter Ebdon in his own club,i had to prompt him for the result and he said he beat him but I can't remember the exact score but that's all I needed to hear really.

[itsnoteasy]

That sounds like Mike all over wouldnt boast about anything, just a normal guy with an extraordinary talent, another story was he went to play in some comp and got drawn to play this lad who was the local top gun, everyone was telling him the table he was going to play on was a killer ,they had had pros do exhibitions on it and the highest break seen was an eighty odd, so it wouldn't suit potters like him and all the usual digs. Well the local lad broke, Mike stuck in a 128 total clearance lol.
The best story I heard was he had a league game and came in the club with twenty mins to go, his team said come on Mike we have to be so and so in twenty mins, Mike said I need a knock first, got his cue ,set the balls broke the pack knocked in a 147 and they made it with time to spare, legend lol.

[GeordieDS]

That sounds like Mike all over wouldnt boast about anything, just a normal guy with an extraordinary talent, another story was he went to play in some comp and got drawn to play this lad who was the local top gun, everyone was telling him the table he was going to play on was a killer ,they had had pros do exhibitions on it and the highest break seen was an eighty odd, so it wouldn't suit potters like him and all the usual digs. Well the local lad broke, Mike stuck in a 128 total clearance lol.
The best story I heard was he had a league game and came in the club with twenty mins to go, his team said come on Mike we have to be so and so in twenty mins, Mike said I need a knock first, got his cue ,set the balls broke the pack knocked in a 147 and they made it with time to spare, legend lol.

Must be nice, shame he never made it although that does seem to be a curse for anyone North of Middlesborough

[Byrom]

Must be nice, shame he never made it although that does seem to be a curse for anyone North of Middlesborough

Thought Hendry Higgins Magurie Dott and company where a little more north of Middlesbrough? - My compass might be wrong Scotland might actually be near the Maldives or you may have had a few to drink last night

[GeordieDS]

Thought Hendry Higgins Magurie Dott and company where a little more north of Middlesbrough? - My compass might be wrong Scotland might actually be near the Maldives or you may have had a few to drink last night

Lol yes sorry I meant English ie Geordies etc , obviously there are quite a few of our Scottish cousins who have made it!

[ADR147]

interesting thread, tables like cues are all different, so while some club tables are going to be a lot easier with big pockets and good cloth and cushions others will be like playing on a fluffy rug with dead cushions etc and will be impossible to play to any standard whoever you are.

[bigandyg]

Was that in Larkhall?

Yes his late father in laws club.

[hotpot]

club tables have more generous pockets and are easier to pot on and that makes break building easier, end of

you can argue about cloth, balls, etc but any club player trying his hand on a match table with perfect cloth, running and balls will struggle to put decent breaks together because the pockets are much more unforgiving

there's a separate thread on here about the Lada 147 table, not many people played on that when it was in a club near me as it depressed them compared to the rest of the tables in the club where potting and break-building was much easier

You want to come and play on some of the working mens clubs in our league , think it will change your opinion

[vmax4steve]

there's a separate thread on here about the Lada 147 table, not many people played on that when it was in a club near me as it depressed them compared to the rest of the tables in the club where potting and break-building was much easier

In the 1980's three snooker clubs opened in our town, they closed about ten years later when the boom was over. One of these clubs had a table that was used in one of the Lada Classic tournaments, that was their advertising blurb to get people in the door. We all had a go on it and it was so much easier than our local club table, I turned away on many shots as I thought I'd missed them only to see them drop out of the corner of my eye.

Tight pockets my arse, many of the people on this forum have no idea what a tight pocket is. The old tables in the working mens and political clubs are so much harder.