Champion of Champions - Tuesday 4th Nov

[robertmac]

Robertson 5-3 and shooting well. Walden looks tired
but its not over yet.

[DeanH]

Just noticed Ricky plays with both legs bent, is he incredibly tall?

yep I believe he is over 6ft

[robertmac]

Robertson wins it but he had to fight for it.
Walden seemed to run out of steam and its
unfortunate for him.
Some more great snooker tomorrow.

Ding vs O'Sullivan

Trump vs Robertson

[P.Smith]

Best semi final lineup in a while imo.

[Byrom]

Best semi final lineup in a while imo.

I agree with this point it is rivalry that makes sport popular and these four don't meet often enough - You might not agree but I think this is the fault of the ranking system and short frame formats the sheer number of rounds and players taking part in each event perhaps and too the reason why the best players don't meet up as often as they should - I think I have yet to see a Ronnie v Trump final or Ronnie v Robertson - might be wrong? but it does not happen often enough to inspire the scribblers to put it on the back page and that is a disgrace seeing as they have all been around years now.

I think credit to this tournament and the Masters for giving it a better chance to happen

[Odrl]

I agree with this point it is rivalry that makes sport popular and these four don't meet often enough - You might not agree but I think this is the fault of the ranking system and short frame formats the sheer number of rounds and players taking part in each event perhaps and too the reason why the best players don't meet up as often as they should - I think I have yet to see a Ronnie v Trump final or Ronnie v Robertson - might be wrong? but it does not happen often enough to inspire the scribblers to put it on the back page and that is a disgrace seeing as they have all been around years now.

I think credit to this tournament and the Masters for giving it a better chance to happen

It's true that O'Sullivan and Trump have not met in a major final (I think the PTC in Belgium was their biggest one), and O'Sullivan and Robertson have only played the one-session World Open final four years ago. But that's just how it goes, some pairings never seem to happen, while others happen all the time. O'Sullivan and Higgins have won six of the last eight World titles between them, but they haven't met in a single major final in all this time. On the other hand, how many times has O'Sullivan played Selby? :wink:

Robertson and Selby also hadn't played each other for several years, despite both being at the top of the game, but since the 2012 UK Championship they seem to play each other all the time. Robertson against Allen and Trump is also very common, and Selby seems to play Hawkins a lot recently, with limited success. O'Sullivan against Ding is a less common pairing, but today will still be their third major meeting in the last year, which includes the Welsh Open final, so not too bad.

I definitely agree that the previous tiered system in tournaments was a better one, and it would be nice to go back to it, but personally I don't get the feeling the top players are not meeting enough. It should be a big occasion when they do play, and it would kind of devalue it if they played all the time. :smile:

[Catch 22]

Just noticed Ricky plays with both legs bent, is he incredibly tall?

Commentators said he had back problems as a kid and bending both legs helped him

[robertmac]

Some good frames and its 1-1. Both players look
relaxed and playing well.

Ding down 5-4 as he is making mistakes that you
cant make against top players without them taking
advantage. Some great snooker tho from both of
these players and its not over yet. A close match.

[JLiang91]

anyone watch the last frame?! GENIUS AT WORK!!

[Masterdoctorgenius]

what a last frame that was from ronnie

clive is right:" we are in the presence of a genius"

[Masterdoctorgenius]

oh my goodness

that black into the middle after potting great long red and getting a kick

genius

[thommo335]

Champion of Champions - Tuesday 4th Nov

he still thinks he's commentating on a matchplay golf tournament though!

[robertmac]

What an excellent match. O'Sullivan definitely the
better player but Ding showed flashes of brilliant
play as well.
I look forward to Robertson and Trump and expect
another close and high scoring match.

[Byrom]

It's true that O'Sullivan and Trump have not met in a major final (I think the PTC in Belgium was their biggest one), and O'Sullivan and Robertson have only played the one-session World Open final four years ago. But that's just how it goes, some pairings never seem to happen, while others happen all the time. O'Sullivan and Higgins have won six of the last eight World titles between them, but they haven't met in a single major final in all this time. On the other hand, how many times has O'Sullivan played Selby? :wink:

Robertson and Selby also hadn't played each other for several years, despite both being at the top of the game, but since the 2012 UK Championship they seem to play each other all the time. Robertson against Allen and Trump is also very common, and Selby seems to play Hawkins a lot recently, with limited success. O'Sullivan against Ding is a less common pairing, but today will still be their third major meeting in the last year, which includes the Welsh Open final, so not too bad.

I definitely agree that the previous tiered system in tournaments was a better one, and it would be nice to go back to it, but personally I don't get the feeling the top players are not meeting enough. It should be a big occasion when they do play, and it would kind of devalue it if they played all the time. :smile:

I don't agree it de-values it if the top players met in finals more frequently - I think it inspires the watching public - how many times did Davis Play Higgins or Hendry play White Or Hendry Play O Sullivan or Williams play Hendry or Ronnie play Higgins? Did it de-value any of them meetings?

Does it when Federer plays Nadal?

I like it when the new breed play but I think the watching public demand rivalries of the kind we are watching now - the only way to bring them back more regularly is to switch to either longer frame formats or bring back some protection for the top 16 so they need not have to qualify - they have earned these places by right - and these events need the top players completing in them to attract the watching public and the sponsors of these events.

Might not be the fairest way but it is one that breeds familiarity for the watching public. - Give these rivalries the chance to blossom and the journalists something more to write about - if the new breed are good enough they will work harder to get up into the elite group.

I thought it a good idea to open it up and like seeing the new players - but it is probably harming the game as much as it is helping I think.

[Billy]

Aaaahhh, Hot Sots! Thank you ITV

On another note, please get that screen in the studio cleaned!