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Of course! The original thread was deleted because it contained lots of informative quotes gathered from various sources freely available to all who choose to search for them, yet somehow illegal when gathered together - that's why I couldn't find it!
It's a shame really because there was quite a good debate going on about the 25 second rule. ANYWAY....
Last night saw Mark Williams beat Marco Fu 5-0 and pretty much prove that had he won the deciding frame against McCulloch in which he didn't get a single chance, then he would definitely have gone on to win in Sheffield for the third time. Awesome stuff, including missing out on a 147 with the balls set perfectly (unwanted cannon ruining black ball position). The highlight for me came when Williams twice missed a thin clip safety when tight on the baulk cushion with other reds in view, so he was issued with a warning that he had to contact a red this time or forfeit the frame. After much deliberation he reluctantly took on a difficult long red but was still standing up thinking about it as the 5 second chimes kicked in. Rather than calling for a timeout which was the obviously wiser option, he got down and knocked the red in without so much as a back swing.
And Ronnie actually played! Despite having to be interviewed just before the match with Skysports presenter Dave Clark - clearly feeling as awkward as Ronnie when asking the obligatory questions about Sheffield and the year out - Ronnie was in good form, seemed happy and played to a standard only idiots wouldn't miss from the game if it wasn't there for a season. He whitewashed Hendry 5-0 forgetting that he could take timeouts!
So then, this afternoon will see what really should have been this years World Final as a fitting finale to the season. Personally I can't wait - the two most exciting players in the game, both whitewashing their semi-final opponents and in superb form.
It reminds me of York a couple of years ago when I booked a full day off work in advance to go to the semi-final I predicted as these two. I left the house with the quarter final scores lying at 8-4 to Hendry over Williams and 8-4 to Ebdon over Ronnie, first to 9. When I got back home I half heartedly looked up the results on ceefax already resigning myself to an Ebdon Hendry clash the following day (not the worst line up ever admittedly) to find that both matches had been overturned to 9-8 victories. To say I went f*cking mental is an understatement
It's a shame really because there was quite a good debate going on about the 25 second rule. ANYWAY....
Last night saw Mark Williams beat Marco Fu 5-0 and pretty much prove that had he won the deciding frame against McCulloch in which he didn't get a single chance, then he would definitely have gone on to win in Sheffield for the third time. Awesome stuff, including missing out on a 147 with the balls set perfectly (unwanted cannon ruining black ball position). The highlight for me came when Williams twice missed a thin clip safety when tight on the baulk cushion with other reds in view, so he was issued with a warning that he had to contact a red this time or forfeit the frame. After much deliberation he reluctantly took on a difficult long red but was still standing up thinking about it as the 5 second chimes kicked in. Rather than calling for a timeout which was the obviously wiser option, he got down and knocked the red in without so much as a back swing.
And Ronnie actually played! Despite having to be interviewed just before the match with Skysports presenter Dave Clark - clearly feeling as awkward as Ronnie when asking the obligatory questions about Sheffield and the year out - Ronnie was in good form, seemed happy and played to a standard only idiots wouldn't miss from the game if it wasn't there for a season. He whitewashed Hendry 5-0 forgetting that he could take timeouts!
So then, this afternoon will see what really should have been this years World Final as a fitting finale to the season. Personally I can't wait - the two most exciting players in the game, both whitewashing their semi-final opponents and in superb form.
It reminds me of York a couple of years ago when I booked a full day off work in advance to go to the semi-final I predicted as these two. I left the house with the quarter final scores lying at 8-4 to Hendry over Williams and 8-4 to Ebdon over Ronnie, first to 9. When I got back home I half heartedly looked up the results on ceefax already resigning myself to an Ebdon Hendry clash the following day (not the worst line up ever admittedly) to find that both matches had been overturned to 9-8 victories. To say I went f*cking mental is an understatement
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