Betfred World Championship 2020

[trains]

He doesn't run around like a headless chicken.

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i watched o' sullivans bbc interview last night about an hour ago about the arm and a leg , its amazing how detached he is from the grass roots or the lower ranks of the game , aside from that art guy who follows him you feel he needs some snooker guy around him just to tone him down a little , i mean what is there to him outside of the green baize that anyone would really care about you know .

[fkhan]

What happens to the match balls after a tournament? Are they available to buy or sold at auction? I imagine a boxed set with certificate of authenticity would be desirable among collectors.

No idea. But I bought a billiards balls set used just for a week at the Asian Billiards championship here in India.

https://ibb.co/hV2s0zS

[trains]

Either way, let's face it, if Ronnie and Judd go out, the rest of the tournament becomes a ratings lemon, more so with the names left,with only hardcore snooker fans (e.g. from this forum) and the player's family watching

The general public will not care for a Selby v Wilson final but good on the players for making the most of the opportunity given to them by this wretched virus

trump is just as much a grinding matchplayer as selby is , i don't get why anyone particularly sees him as a glamour player other than he has a slightly fancy name and maybe he drives a ferrari or something , thats about it .

[PatBlock]

i watched o' sullivans bbc interview last night about an hour ago about the arm and a leg , its amazing how detached he is from the grass roots or the lower ranks of the game , aside from that art guy who follows him you feel he needs some snooker guy around him just to tone him down a little , i mean what is there to him outside of the green baize that anyone would really care about you know .

Very well put trains.

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[Odrl]

Either way, let's face it, if Ronnie and Judd go out, the rest of the tournament becomes a ratings lemon, more so with the names left,with only hardcore snooker fans (e.g. from this forum) and the player's family watching

The general public will not care for a Selby v Wilson final but good on the players for making the most of the opportunity given to them by this wretched virus

You're making it sound like Trump and O'Sullivan are the only two top players left and the rest are just outsiders. It's actually six of the top eight seeds in the quarter-finals. :smile:

[itsnoteasy]

i watched o' sullivans bbc interview last night about an hour ago about the arm and a leg , its amazing how detached he is from the grass roots or the lower ranks of the game , aside from that art guy who follows him you feel he needs some snooker guy around him just to tone him down a little , i mean what is there to him outside of the green baize that anyone would really care about you know .

He knocks balls around with a pointy stick for a living, you are looking in the wrong place if you want any insight into life from most of the players.

[PatBlock]

Either way, let's face it, if Ronnie and Judd go out, the rest of the tournament becomes a ratings lemon, more so with the names left,with only hardcore snooker fans (e.g. from this forum) and the player's family watching

The general public will not care for a Selby v Wilson final but good on the players for making the most of the opportunity given to them by this wretched virus

I don't think that's true. The BBC have conducted polls about this and it usually comes up 2/3 in favour of tactical play. What people have always loved about snooker is the drama. As good as a series of quick one visit wins is, I think your average punter who's never picked up a cue, quickly find them uninteresting, it looks too easy to them, there's nothing to get their teeth into. But give them a few misses and the drama of a long and tense tactical battle and they're hooked. That's certainly been what I've found with people I know anyway.

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[Ronnie's tip]

If Selby does go onto win tomorrow and potentially the tournament, I always feel as if Robertson will feel a bit sick at just how far ahead Selby has risen. Robertson looked to be the one to dominate of him/Selby/Murphy and whilst his achievements are quite amazing, Selby's trophy cabinet leaves them in the dust, with more majors than the other two combined. Robertson is keen on history and pedigree so I can't see it not bugging him.

Maybe it's just a rivalry I create in my mind.

[trains]

He knocks balls around with a pointy stick for a living, you are looking in the wrong place if you want any insight into life from most of the players.

yea i know you know , i mean well yea you know , nahh not really but yeah i know but yea i know , not necessarily but yea and i'm getting paid on eurosport too so umm , yeah , you know .

[JimMalone]

Selby's safety game tonight was as extraordinary as in his heyday. Robertson hardly had an easy chance to get in the balls today (mostly he found himself less than one inch away from the cushion) and had to fight hard for everything. He played some terrific safeties as well, but couldn't quite sustain the pressure on Selby. And when he was in the balls his positional play wasn't as good as usual - but Selby wasn't exactly flawless among the balls as well, but mostly in control of the table.

[JimMalone]

I'm not sure what that was in the Trump-Wilson match just now, but I'm thinking McGill's chances are looking a little better. :wink:

That was a funny end to the frame, wasn't it?
Doesn't chance anything though and yes I know you are not serious.

[JimMalone]

What happens to the match balls after a tournament? Are they available to buy or sold at auction? I imagine a boxed set with certificate of authenticity would be desirable among collectors.

In past years I've heard that they are sold to a low prize to the players. Don't know if that's (still) true.

[Ronnie's tip]

I don't think that's true. The BBC have conducted polls about this and it usually comes up 2/3 in favour of tactical play. What people have always loved about snooker is the drama. As good as a series of quick one visit wins is, I think your average punter who's never picked up a cue, quickly find them uninteresting, it looks too easy to them, there's nothing to get their teeth into. But give them a few misses and the drama of a long and tense tactical battle and they're hooked. That's certainly been what I've found with people I know anyway.

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I believe it's those type of frames that are being played by the famous/popular names that are most popular, rather than tactical play involving anybody. With the greatest respect to Wilson, I don't think he's the type to pull in a crowd at all, regardless of the type of match. I don't really see a Wilson-Selby final as being one that is popular to the casual audience, though you never know with the current covid-situation. Some sports are having really great viewership simply because it is sport back on the tv.

Though it's still early to count out Trump regardless.

[PatBlock]

....Maybe it's just a rivalry I create in my mind.

No, I think that makes a lot of sense, you could kind of see it in Neil's face tonight.

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[JimMalone]

If Selby does go onto win tomorrow and potentially the tournament, I always feel as if Robertson will feel a bit sick at just how far ahead Selby has risen. Robertson looked to be the one to dominate of him/Selby/Murphy and whilst his achievements are quite amazing, Selby's trophy cabinet leaves them in the dust, with more majors than the other two combined. Robertson is keen on history and pedigree so I can't see it not bugging him.

Maybe it's just a rivalry I create in my mind.

From 2009 on I always thought that Selby would go on to have the best career of the pack. His game was already so complete. I was really surprised how long it took him to win the World Championship. But yeah, Robertson should become a two time winner himself.

This rivalry is just made up I'm afraid. Actually Selby and Robertson get along very well together. And you could see this today, as they were joking before the match and even after the end of the first session.
The german commentator told today that they even shared a room together when Robertson came to the UK first and Selby was very helpful in socialising him.
But yeah, Robertson is certainly disappointed that he has fallen behind a bit in terms of success. And friends can be rivals at the same time as well.