SHANGHAI MASTERS Sept 8 - 14, 2014

[robertmac]

Bingham 7-3 however its not over yet.

I hope he can keep focused and win.

[scottley]

Why is a ranking event final not on Eurosport? Poor, very poor!

[Hal]

Why is a ranking event final not on Eurosport? Poor, very poor!

Because it is over.

Well played Stuart, bit one sided final, but well deserved victory. Congratulations!

[scottley]

Ok, why WAS it not shown live then?

[Hal]

It was broadcasted live from the start of the second session on the Eurosport 2, then at 3 pm switched to eurosport international.

[Odrl]

That's it then... Players win tournaments and finals with their B-game all the time, Robertson arguably did so at the Wuxi Classic, but I can't remember anyone struggling so much and still winning the final so convincingly. Allen was just all over the place... So, well done to Bingham for his second major title, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up in the second part of the season this time. :smile:

Good week all in all, a couple of close matches, a couple of unexpected runs, and great crowds all week. It's just a shame they couldn't get a closer final. :smile:

Unfortunately there is another pretty long break now until the International Championship. We could do with another major tournament in late September or early October. :smile:

[scottley]

It was broadcasted live from the start of the second session on the Eurosport 2, then at 3 pm switched to eurosport international.

Whoops, i've missed it then ha ha. What an idiot i am, D'oh

[SnookerFan]

Remember when Mark Allen said that Bingham had no bottle.

[cyberheater]

Good result Stuart. Well done. Another trophy to add to the cabinet.

SightRight will be well happy.

[DeanH]

That's it then... Players win tournaments and finals with their B-game all the time, Robertson arguably did so at the Wuxi Classic, but I can't remember anyone struggling so much and still winning the final so convincingly. Allen was just all over the place... So, well done to Bingham for his second major title, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up in the second part of the season this time. :smile:

Good week all in all, a couple of close matches, a couple of unexpected runs, and great crowds all week. It's just a shame they couldn't get a closer final. :smile:

Unfortunately there is another pretty long break now until the International Championship. We could do with another major tournament in late September or early October. :smile:

to be fair WS did have Indian Open scheduled for 13-17 Oct until it got postponed due to elections recently (why? :shrug))

[DeanH]

well done Stuart Bingham

[Odrl]

to be fair WS did have Indian Open scheduled for 13-17 Oct until it got postponed due to elections recently (why? :shrug))

Yeah, that would have filled the gap somewhat, although I can't say I am a fan of that tournament and its format. :smile:

[DeanH]

Yeah, that would have filled the gap somewhat, although I can't say I am a fan of that tournament and its format. :smile:

would you like to expand?

[Odrl]

would you like to expand?

Not particularly. :smile: I still remember all the long posts about the World Open, when it adopted the best-of-5 format with a one-session final, not to mention a completely random draw, but it still awarded 7,000 points to the winner... The Indian Open is slightly better, but still basically a short-format tournament, and it's just not acceptable to put it alongside the other major events, in my opinion, because the effort needed to win it (or to do well in it) is not the same as the others.

A good run in a major ranking event used to mean something... Everyone remembers Andrew Higginson's run to the final of the Welsh Open in 2007, he played some magical snooker all week and beat some great players on his way, he even made a 147, but for statistical purposes his achievement is now on par with Mehta's run in India last season. Or take Stuart Pettman for example, a professional player for 15 years without ever doing much, and then he reaches the semi-finals of the 2009 China Open, beating Allen, Carter and Dott on his way. No one can say he didn't earn it. Unfortunately the flat draw format has made runs like that a lot more common and less satisfying as a result, and it's even worse when they happen over short matches. For example, Robbie Williams' best achievement is now the same as Pettman's, but his run to the semi-finals of the Indian Open included a walkover against Kyren Wilson, and best-of-7 wins over Higginson, Mike Dunn and Anthony McGill. It just doesn't seem right.

Anyway, I have decided to just largely ignore the Indian Open this time and not spread my negativism, but since you asked... :wink:

[DeanH]

yep I did ask and I agree with much you say, especially the effort required to a "major" should be consistent across the season, no. matches/frames/prize.