2024 World Championship Qualifiers

[neuronic]

I really hope Dom's gonna make it...

[Cue crafty]

Shame for Heathcote and Kendrick, bet they're gutted after all the effort expended. It's a tough tough school getting through these qualifiers.

[Nifty50]

That’s interesting. Sunny Akani made Maguire’s cue.

[neuronic]

To be fair to Jack he's had pretty tough opposition in his finals with who he's faced - Trump, Robertson and Selby. Compare that to someone like Gary Wilson whose won three ranking titles against Joe O'Connor, Noppon Saengkham and Martin O'Donnell and it's fair to say Jack hasn't exactly had luck on his side in who he's faced, whereas you could argue Gary has. I don't think it's 'fanboy' to acknowledge that.

That was mostly tongue in cheek...

But on the other hand the way Rob was raving about how everybody thinks Jack is the best thing in snooker since sliced bread, he definitely, if as unequivocally great as Rob painted him there, should be able to beat anybody in a finale, Trump, Robertson or Selby.

Yet in reality...

[vmax]

I find the discussion around the prices in clubs a bit disingenuous as regard to the professional game. Professional snooker players of the future are going to come through the academy system rather than clubs, the club scene is dead and has been for many many years. It's kids whose families are wealthy enough they can get them a table as a kid in their own home and then get them fast-tracked through the academy system when they start showing ''natural talent' which in reality is their better than their peers whose parents can only afford 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon at £7 an hour (my club, which is actually fairly reasonable, but I'm more a pool player) or whatever snooker tables cost these days elsewhere. The day's of working class snooker stars are over and have been for a long time. Ray Reardon turned pro at 35, that's not going to happen in this day and age.

Where does one start to play ? certainly not at an academy and those who have a house big enough for a snooker room won't bother simply on the whim of their child who might just give up after a couple of weeks of missing everything and go back to their smartphone and X box.
Snooker is a working class game, always has been despite the efforts of Joe Davis to keep the riff raff like Ray Reardon out, and cost is a major factor and seeing as old snooker tables are being given away these days a club can be started with little cost for equipment, and with emptying high streets properties are plentiful, the main bugbear is business rates, salaries for staff and actually getting people interested to play regularly enough to keep the club viable.
Small clubs with less than six tables are the way forward to my mind, separate bar with dart boards and pool tables, plenty of empty shops big enough for that but if people don't come then they'll fold in a week.

[snookerfollower]

You gotta love how Rob Walker is making fanboy excuses for Jack Lisowski losing six finals to fail to win his first title... according to Rob, that was only because Jack's opponents "were greats of the sport"... it was bad luck, so to speak. You couldn't make it up.

To be fair to Jack he's had pretty tough opposition in his finals with who he's faced - Trump, Robertson and Selby. Compare that to someone like Gary Wilson whose won three ranking titles against Joe O'Connor, Noppon Saengkham and Martin O'Donnell and it's fair to say Jack hasn't exactly had luck on his side in who he's faced, whereas you could argue Gary has. I don't think it's 'fanboy' to acknowledge that.

[neuronic]

You gotta love how Rob Walker is making fanboy excuses for Jack Lisowski losing six finals to fail to win his first title... according to Rob, that was only because Jack's opponents "were greats of the sport"... it was bad luck, so to speak. You couldn't make it up.

[Cue crafty]

I was playing last night and a couple of pool players from a visiting team had a peek inside the door and watched me and my mate playing, one said to the other, 'We'd have no chance playing on something that size' and they left shaking their heads.
It'll take more than just decor to get them interested I think, cost of living crisis, jeez what a bloody slogan that I'm truly fed up with but if working people don't have enough spare cash to have a go at something they have no confidence in then they won't come even it is built and shiny and new and brightly coloured.
The money needs to be shared around better than it is now, revolution is needed and I don't say that lightly, POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

For me it's not about being shiny and new but relevant to what is seen on TV. I watched the film Bank of Dave the other day, more of that please.

[Nifty50]

Yeah, that's Luise... I guess being a busy mum and a pro snooker ref she's pragmatically sporting the tomboy look now

Thanks mate.

[neuronic]

Ben Martens 9-9 with Si. Can’t beat a final frame decider.
PS Who is the ref? Is that Luise Kraatz with a new short haircut?

Yeah, that's Luise... I guess being a busy mum and a pro snooker ref she's pragmatically sporting the tomboy look now

[neuronic]

I'd say "This is England"... very much from an outsider perspective, of course (that's a perspective of someone who grew up in central Europe and for whom nowadays' England is pretty much a social experiment of financial elites maxing out privatization for personal profits. No offense, you keep voting for them).

My club charges €15 for 24h of play for non members (a club member must be present) or €50 for a 24/7 membership (you get a key to the club).
No profit, all earnings are getting re-invested into the club. "Socialism!", they scream. Works quite well, though.

[snookerfollower]

I find the discussion around the prices in clubs a bit disingenuous as regard to the professional game. Professional snooker players of the future are going to come through the academy system rather than clubs, the club scene is dead and has been for many many years. It's kids whose families are wealthy enough they can get them a table as a kid in their own home and then get them fast-tracked through the academy system when they start showing ''natural talent' which in reality is their better than their peers whose parents can only afford 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon at £7 an hour (my club, which is actually fairly reasonable, but I'm more a pool player) or whatever snooker tables cost these days elsewhere. The day's of working class snooker stars are over and have been for a long time. Ray Reardon turned pro at 35, that's not going to happen in this day and age.

[itsnoteasy]

I was playing last night and a couple of pool players from a visiting team had a peek inside the door and watched me and my mate playing, one said to the other, 'We'd have no chance playing on something that size' and they left shaking their heads.
It'll take more than just decor to get them interested I think, cost of living crisis, jeez what a bloody slogan that I'm truly fed up with but if working people don't have enough spare cash to have a go at something they have no confidence in then they won't come even it is built and shiny and new and brightly coloured.
The money needs to be shared around better than it is now, revolution is needed and I don't say that lightly, POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

My old club is 12pounds an hour, how the hell can anyone go in and practice two or three hours a day three or four times a week at those prices.

[vmax]

If you build it, they will come.... Quote from a film Field of Dreams springs to mind here! If there were newer clubs with up to date facilities I'm sure grass roots snooker would find a way back. Clubs called the 900 or the Shoot out lounge etc with decent deals would pull people in. We all know a Star table doesn't really cost £10k and if WST gave a toss, they could create a few clubs with these facilities using older tournament tables etc blah blah.

Can't expect youth to want to venture into dusty old clubs with vampire crypt decor and play on 100+ year old tables, of course there will be a few but there could be so many more interested if this existed.

I was playing last night and a couple of pool players from a visiting team had a peek inside the door and watched me and my mate playing, one said to the other, 'We'd have no chance playing on something that size' and they left shaking their heads.
It'll take more than just decor to get them interested I think, cost of living crisis, jeez what a bloody slogan that I'm truly fed up with but if working people don't have enough spare cash to have a go at something they have no confidence in then they won't come even it is built and shiny and new and brightly coloured.
The money needs to be shared around better than it is now, revolution is needed and I don't say that lightly, POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

[vmax]

Tremendous match between Si and Ben Mertons, great 18th frame with Si winning it needing a snooker but Mertons had a chance at a green for the match at 9 - 7 but decided to roll up behind it instead, bad choice in the end that cost him.