World Grand Prix 2023

[Cue crafty]

Allen doing his best Selby impression tonight. Shame that he's resorted to playing a very cagey and deliberately negative safety game purely to get into Lisowski's head. I just wish players would play the game in the right spirit and stop resorting to mind games. It's bad enough with the sport having all this match fixing without players trying to bore the audience to tears with negative snooker. Allen needs calling out on this after the game, no ifs or buts.

If that's the future of TV snooker I'll just be watching the results from now on. It might be all about the W for them, but it's not for every viewer I can assure you! Zzzzzzz 😴😴

[neuronic]

In the end that's consequential when you make snooker a big money sport... so of course it's all about the win. It's a profession, the guys need to win to make a living, so they do everything to win.
It's not show business and Mark Allen ain't Elton John.

And it's consequential because the guys have become so good at what they're doing that one mistake equals defeat on many occasions. Hence the MJW breakoff shot. And hence destructive safeties when you consider yourself not in form.

It's the nature of the game nowadays that one player absolutely is able to win without his opponent really interfering. So if you want do anything about that, you gotta tinker with the rules... like limiting a break to 50 points per frame so both players get at least one chance to score. Or introducing a rule that every third shot has to be an attempt to pot a ball. But do we want that?

[PatBlock]

In the end that's consequential when you make snooker a big money sport... so of course it's all about the win. It's a profession, the guys need to win to make a living, so they do everything to win.
It's not show business and Mark Allen ain't Elton John.

And it's consequential because the guys have become so good at what they're doing that one mistake equals defeat on many occasions. Hence the MJW breakoff shot. And hence destructive safeties when you consider yourself not in form.

Exactly. And, they're people, not robots.

It's the nature of the game nowadays that one player absolutely is able to win without his opponent really interfering. So if you want do anything about that, you gotta tinker with the rules... like limiting a break to 50 points per frame so both players get at least one chance to score. Or introducing a rule that every third shot has to be an attempt to pot a ball. But do we want that?

No.

-

[vmax]

It's the nature of the game nowadays that one player absolutely is able to win without his opponent really interfering.

That's the way the game had to go in order to make the Aramith balls work. We all saw the way the worlds went in 2020 when it was played in the summer in humid conditions, moisture in the atmosphere created slower conditions, pots were being missed thick and there were a higher percentage of kicks and bad contacts despite the overall use of Taom apart from Ronnie and Judd. Matches were better to watch as a result as big breaks and clearances weren't certain, the two semi finals will never be forgotten but many players were simply beaten by the conditions lottery.

So no need to tinker with the rules, world snooker simply need to put out a tender for a better material with which snooker balls are made from to put and end to the kicks situation. Super crystalate balls were used from 1973 up until the late 80's and despite the chalk used there were very few kicks, the cloths had a heavier nap which one had to understand and use in order to break build, today nothing rolls off unless the table isn't level, the tables are so fast that there's very little need for power and when there is the pockets can take full power pots off the jaws.
Selby, god bless him , pointed it out in an interview at the english open when he said that a black that he potted shouldn't have gone and that was the problem with the game and why the potters are now winning almost every tournament, the small nuances of the game are now almost immaterial. I don't like Selby because of his gamesmanship but I do appreciate his attacking safety game, if only he would just play the shots a bit more quickly rather than pretend that it takes five minutes to think of one.

We can go back to go forwards, Aramith have the patent for super crystalate as they bought out the composite ball company who made them and if world snooker simply tell them that they will no longer use their phenolic resin balls I'm pretty certain they will once again manufacture SC balls for all of us, either that or another company can come up with a better material but Aramith balls as they are will be dumped.

[DeanH]

We can go back to go forwards, Aramith have the patent for super crystalate as they bought out the composite ball company who made them and if world snooker simply tell them that they will no longer use their phenolic resin balls I'm pretty certain they will once again manufacture SC balls for all of us, either that or another company can come up with a better material but Aramith balls as they are will be dumped.

Has anyone played with the Chinese ball make?
I can not recall the name but there seems to be an up-coming maker.

(Maybe a topic for another thread )

[balkend]

Has anyone played with the Chinese ball make?
I can not recall the name but there seems to be an up-coming maker.

(Maybe a topic for another thread )

Chinese Meatballs Recipe: How to Make It (tasteofhome.com)

[vmax]

Has anyone played with the Chinese ball make?
I can not recall the name but there seems to be an up-coming maker.

(Maybe a topic for another thread )

I've got a set of 2 & 1/16 inch pool balls that I use on a snooker table, they were quite cheap and made from a nylon resin, they don't kick half as much as aramith balls.

[DeanH]

so...
Allen or Trump?

I find it too close to call myself; Trump is definitely not firing on all cylinders and Allen is only just creeping back up into some sort of form.

[cueman]

Don't feel like this is going to be a good watch. Allen is playing such anti snooker that it's a chore to watch. 19 frames potentially of one player playing the most calculated style of snooker I think I've seen in all my time watching is not something I'm prepared to endure. He's basically playing 1 frame snooker, win at all costs. He can moan all he likes about he wants to play well but if your game plan is to take zero risk how can you score well. He's lying if he says he's not doing this purposefully.

Im sure the purists will enjoy it but it could be the death of the game if other players follow suit.

[cueman]

Has anyone played with the Chinese ball make?
I can not recall the name but there seems to be an up-coming maker.

(Maybe a topic for another thread )

I bought a set of Cyclop balls which are the only brand that make an almost identical type ball a few years back from billiards boutique who've gone bust now.

They are slightly different in colour but in terms of feel and reaction, there is barely a difference. I've never really bothered comparing to TCs though to experiment exactly just what difference there is. Weight wise they are all 142g with the odd ball 141. Pretty consistent all round.

[itsnoteasy]

Strap in folks, it's going to be a long day.
Trump just gave a frame up only needing one snooker, I know he was snookered but it was one more shot.

[itsnoteasy]

I've got a set of 2 & 1/16 inch pool balls that I use on a snooker table, they were quite cheap and made from a nylon resin, they don't kick half as much as aramith balls.

Do you know what they were weight wise Vmax. I think Aramith balls are the same as star tables for the pros. It's what they have to play with and play on so it's what they all buy as their tables and balls. That then trickles down to us.

[mikee]

I’m not sure what the problem is it’s not like the Aramith balls are a new thing ,we’ve all been Using them for 25 years or so .Taom chalk has eliminated most of the kicks ,cloths have improved even down to club table level ,even the heaviest cloths are not like the slow clunking things from years ago where you had to aim at the far jaw of the middle pocket against the nap to pot the ball ,who wants to go back to that .
As for Mark Allen he’s playing like a boring stunt that’s bordering on gamesmanship ,I hope he loses and goes back to his cheese burgers again .

[cueman]

Trump seemingly given this up now. Not surprised given he's basically gone a full 2 weeks of none stop playing, eventually it takes its toll and with the way Allen is playing, it can be very tough trying to compete against that when you're running on empty.

I think tonight trump needs to just play ultra attacking, just swing his arm and see if something happens. Can't see a turnaround though so I think Allen will go on to win easily 10-4.

[theplough]

Great comeback with a few lovely shots so far from Judd at 7-8 down