Masters 2018

[daffie]

Alright then C'mon John...3 in a row would be just lovely.

[MrRottweiler]

You do realise the players can't hear the commentary?

I know that but when Ken was talking about those people in the audience it could have easily been another 'crack a joke' moment that would cause a titter in the audience while a break is in progress. I don't think it matters if the frame is safe it feels a bit unsnookery.

[Billy]

I know that but [...]

Ah! I see what you mean. Yes, audience feedback from a commentator's remark can be an issue.

On another matter, I wonder if the commentators / pundits will ever get it right when they predict the tournament centuries record is going to get 'blitzed'? They say it at nearly every tournament and it never is, just like it won't be at this one.

[Rane]

Great stuff in the last few frames.

[P.Smith]

Don't even know what I'd count as class.

As much as I'm not a Murphy fan, I think I'd count him as class. Judd more flairy than classy

I don't think anyone really knows what they mean when they say class...

[ADR147]

I don't think anyone really knows what they mean when they say class...

Well asking a journalist for a nosh is not classy.

[jonny66]

Well asking a journalist for a nosh is not classy.

Doesn't really have anything to do with him as a snooker player though.

[ADR147]

Doesn't really have anything to do with him as a snooker player though.

Class is on and off the table.

[Rane]

Congratulations. This means that we´ll have a tripple crown tournamentwinner tomorrow.

[Rane]

It was a great match.

[Shockerz]

great crowds in for every session every day through the week, it was difficult to see an empty seat!
been a while since we could say that through weekdays

Yeah loved every minute of it.

I used to go for years when it was at Wembley but this was also great and atmosphere superb.

[MrRottweiler]

I caught a glimpse of the potting machine of olde tonight and that is all I could ask for. JH should be very proud and it's sad to see him lose but Mark Allen played well and it's a well deserved win.

There was a shot by Higgins at 5-3 that made a lot of balls move on the table and it could have made it 5-4 if the balls had gone differently but it didn't and it's those kinds of moments that add the luck factor. Flukes and the rub are a tiny contribution but it can really make the difference in the course of a match. The cueball made contact with another ball near the bottom of the table and went even further south from the contact which resulted in Higgins having to play a safety but a different contact and it could have gone a few inches up and left a red in to the left corner. I can see Higgins would have realised how lucky he was to be left such a gift and made sure of the frame.

He's still a powerhouse but I yearn for those days of him in his prime. When he was the Mike Tyson of the baize.

[andy 7671]

Quite converted to eurosport now, did I hear Jimmy right "When you are 4-2 down there's only one result in your favour..6-5"..

[wemba]

Why does Ken think it's ok to start talking about other 'celebs' in the crowd when a player is at the table compiling a break and then actually talking to them through commentry "nice to have you here lads". Arrrrgh. The crowd are there to watch people play snooker not learn about other people in the crowd. Maybe between frames or an interval but I can't believe how they think it's ok to make inane chatter when a player is at the table.

Couldn't agree more. It's embarrassing.
Stick to commentary about the game or shut up.

[Odrl]

So, only the final remains...

Of the 64 possible combinations we had at the start of the tournament, I think it's fair to say an Allen-Wilson final wasn't anywhere near the top of most likely finals, although it's by no means a huge surprise either. Both players have already contested major finals this season. Wilson actually beat Allen 6-5 in the semi-finals of the World Open, before losing to an inspired Ding Junhui in the final. He also beat Allen in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters when he won it in 2015, and of course over three sessions in the World Championship a couple of seasons ago, so he definitely has a slight edge when it comes to their previous meetings on the big stage. To continue with Wilson's achievements this season, he also contested the final of the short-format English Open against O'Sullivan, and there too he was unlucky to run into an opponent in such great form. Today he faces someone who is a less-prolific winner and not such a veteran of these major finals, but the gap in experience is still there to some extent.

Allen has talked about wanting to win one of these major events before the end of his career, which I suspect is a much more modest goal than he would have set himself a few years ago. But the reality is that he is in his 30s now and hasn't really won all that much, so this is a fantastic chance for him. His first final of the season was against Selby in the International Championship, where he was the underdog and managed to make a match of it, but today he would probably be considered the favourite on paper. He dominated his matches against O'Sullivan and Higgins with some good scoring and solid tactical play, so there is no real weakness in his game this week.

I think Allen will probably get a couple of frames ahead in the early stages of this final, but of course the match is long enough for momentum shifts to happen, and I think Wilson's battling qualities will come into play at some point. Ding and O'Sullivan never really allowed him to play himself into the match in his first two finals this season, but Allen doesn't really have the same kind of killer instinct as them, so I think this will be a closer match. That said, Allen did win his two World Open finals very comfortably, so he can be a great front-runner if he senses his opponent can't really hurt him. I'm hoping for a 10-9 either way at midnight, but my feeling is that Allen will prevail. Allen to win 10-8. :smile: