2023 Welsh Open

[Cue crafty]

The ferrule looks crap and thinner at top end due to sanding but that still shouldn’t cause the tip to come off 🤷♂️

Jeez I can’t understand why that has been done to the ferule, making it thinner just weakens the cue. I agree with Cueman that if the wood has weakened inside the ferule it may be time for another cue.

these guys hit so many more balls than most of us so no real surprise a cue doesn’t last a lifetime for them.

[mikee]

5-0 so Ronnie bites his tip off once again, now it's time for a new ferrule as the one on the cue is cone shaped to such an extent that the tip itself must be about 8.5mm. Titanium is hard enough to stop that happening again but will he go for it and start a titanium ferrule stampede or stick to good old brass, something he's familiar with.

Looking at those pictures ,I’m surprised he let it get to this stage , probably time for a new cue and while he’s at it might as well use a titanium ferule and bin the standard chalk too.Ronnie has time on his side now before Sheffield it would make sense .Trouble with a brass ferule ,its soft material and standard chalk over the years in that square shape often contacts the ferule with chalking ,most brass ferules when worn are so shot the sides are all different thickness and worn unevenly.When my ferule had gone and I was getting horrible noises out of the cue ,a new titanium ferule didn’t really help ,the cue felt brittle and old and soft and springy like a cheese string when compared to my new stiffer cue ,after twenty years even the butt section was worn and thinner where you hold it .Mind you V Max you know all this but cues just age and at some point a change is needed and old faithful needs retiring..Days gone bye people like Joe Davis could use the same cue for years I guess but pros like Joe didn’t play the modern aggressive game that snooker is now and stuff wears out quicker .

[vmax]

I reckon O'Sullivan will be changing cue soon. He's been off form for a while now and I wonder if this cue has just had it. He's had this one for a fairly long time now and given he's got nothing to prove in the game, he might decide now is the time to try another one..

Not quite off form but patchy and that's due to age. If I was him I would go back to when I was 16 years old and, according to him, playing at my best, and that means a longer cue as he was shorter then so his standard length cue was therefore longer relative to his height.
He had a longer bridge to ball and that aided his sighting, especially the long shots, he didn't have to bring the tip all the way back to his thumb on the backswing, cue arm was behind vertical at the address point so he wasn't prone to dropping his upper arm before the strike.
This is something that players who started out very young need to keep in mind when reaching maturity, at what point were you potting the best and was that because the cue suited your height perfectly, and if you grow to be about six foot tall or taller then you need to keep that aspect of your set up the same. Of course you get to be a better player as you gain experience but your potting abilty might wane as your cue gets shorter as you get taller.

Those of you who aren't above average height need to understand just what the game would be like for you if the table was six inches lower, everything would change.

[vmax]

Days gone bye people like Joe Davis could use the same cue for years I guess but pros like Joe didn’t play the modern aggressive game that snooker is now and stuff wears out quicker .

Yes you're right and also if Ronnie doesn't know how to stick a tip on then he doesn't know how to look after his cue and keep it at it's best. I clean mine regularly and re-finish it every year, it still looks good and plays the same but of course I don't play as often as a pro. Made for me in 1985, note the sd joint at the end of the mini butt as I couldn't find extensions for the original joint, works fine. And yes it is a lovely colour

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[Cue crafty]

Cracking looking cue there vmax! I think Ronnie could do with taking a leaf out of John Higgins book, not bigging JH up, but at least he has managed his cue progression pretty well over the years and is open to trying new things because he understands things change both body wise and materials wise.

[Delphi]

I reckon O'Sullivan will be changing cue soon.

Probably won't have to wait 7 years like we have to

[itsnoteasy]

What a cracking looking cue Vmax.
3/4 split above the splices a la Mark Williams.

[vmax]

What a cracking looking cue Vmax.
3/4 split above the splices a la Mark Williams.

38 years old too, no badge but apparently David Hart was in a partnership with Robert Osborne before Osborne went solo. I answered an ad in Cue World magazine, cue maker just finished his apprenticeship, sent him my dimensions and he charged me £25 for materials and £50 when the cue was finished, bargain at twice the price for a standard cue in a shop like Hendry's Powerglide. Note the dead straight grain, I've bought some ash like that last year and will be making about five cues out of the same board in the summer, that's what I call an ultimate ash shaft.

Good luck to Bob Milkins in the final tomorow, I like the way he plays. Interesting to hear in his post semi interview that his good form is simply down to him watching video of himself and noticing that he raised his head on the strike sometimes and took steps to stop it. Had seen some coaches but none of them picked up on that and spent their time to get him to play the 'certain way'.
Kyren : WERE YOU LISTENING ! keep it natural and look out for the obvious flaws.

[mikee]

Nice cue v max ,very good for the age .what size ferule you got with that

[Dakotakid]

Seven Chinese players banned for match fixing. How did this come about? Who squeeled? My guess the bookies were hit and they squeeled like a pig!!! But when they win there is no inquiry. Case in point Ronnie OSullivan loses 5 straight frames in two tournaments against low ranking Chinese players. News papers say shocking losses. The loss the other day made no sense. Horrible shooting. Amateurish safties. Nothing said. Too bad to be real. Bookies smiling all the way to the bank. BTW I had no bets on the match.

[vmax]

Nice cue v max ,very good for the age .what size ferule you got with that

A shade under 10mm, stainless steel ferrule. Look after your cue like I have and it will serve you well for decades. Yes I know I make cues but looking after my own was the start.

[Cue crafty]

Good luck to Bob Milkins in the final tomorow, I like the way he plays. Interesting to hear in his post semi interview that his good form is simply down to him watching video of himself and noticing that he raised his head on the strike sometimes and took steps to stop it. Had seen some coaches but none of them picked up on that and spent their time to get him to play the 'certain way'.
Kyren : WERE YOU LISTENING ! keep it natural and look out for the obvious flaws.

Totally agree! I completely support the natural approach, don't spoil players or make them too robotic.

[itsnoteasy]

I love Milkins when he's on form, must be a nightmare to play, so naturally quick and he looks effortless.

[Cue crafty]

Rooting for Murphy tonight, which I guess is unusual for me, but it’s more his style of play that I support! This kid pangs had more than his share of ball run tonight so making me root for Shaun even more as Pang hasn’t really scored heavy.

[Cue crafty]

Yay! Got ourselves a nice gun fight of a final tomorrow now!