Did Selby throw in the towel a bit too early?

[rivercard]

I know it doesn't matter now, but I was very surprised that Selby conceded the match when 55 behind with 43 on. Two reds were on the side cushion, Ronnie missed the attempt to develop one of them and he was shaping up to a pot that was very missable to say the least.
Now, had he missed the red (very possible), the black was waiting on its spot, so if Selby could have potted the red he could have made it 47 behind with 35 on. That means 3 snookers to tie, but as there was still a red on the table, he could have got a free ball which means one 4 point penalty + free ball and black (8 points) and he could have tied.
I know that the possibility of this happening is 0,1% perhaps, but at 9-8 and especially after some of the misses they both produced I for one surely would have carried on, or at least wait for Ronnie to miss/pot that red. Plus, if he could have done it somehow that certainly would have made him the favourite for the decider.

Any thoughts?

[thinsy]

I don't think Ronnie would have missed the red he was about to go for, all he had to do was roll it in and Mark knew that.

Also, even if he did miss and Mark got a snooker the players at this level don't just get out of snookers they attemp to get out of snookers in a way that they don't leave anything... The chances of a free-ball was VERY remote... It was GAME OVER and Mark knew it!

WELL PLAYED TO RONNIE AND MARK, AND THANKYOU TO THEM BOTH FOR THE WONDERFUL AND MEMORABLE MATCH

Although, Maguire is ranked no.2 i firmly believe yesterday was a final between the two best players in the world at the moment. Ronnie was a mile ahead of anyone last season, but it seems Selby has just sprinted half a mile and left the others behind too.

Every comic book hero has his arch enemy, and it's the same in sport...

Alex Higgins had Steve Davis,
Jimmy White had Stephen Hendry,

We are seeing the start of a new era 'Ronnie O'sullivan - Watch out Mark Selby is coming after you!!!!'

[rivercard]

I don't think Ronnie would have missed the red he was about to go for, all he had to do was roll it in and Mark knew that.

Well it didn't look like an easy roll-in for me.

Also, even if he did miss and Mark got a snooker the players at this level don't just get out of snookers they attemp to get out of snookers in a way that they don't leave anything...

You're thinking a bit too highly of the players, I think. I've seen all kinds of balls missed, most of the great players miscue (like Ronnie on the yellow) and certainly a lot of easy looking escapes missed (like when Ronnie potted the brown while trying to hit a red). With so much pressure on and after the bad misses before it certainly wouldn't have been a formality.

The chances of a free-ball was VERY remote... It was GAME OVER and Mark knew it!

Yes, 0,1% is remote enough I think.. I still would have played on, but maybe I'm too stubborn.

WELL PLAYED TO RONNIE AND MARK, AND THANKYOU TO THEM BOTH FOR THE WONDERFUL AND MEMORABLE MATCH

Agreed.

[Phil]

at first I thought too, hm, maybe a bit early, why not wait that red. I probably would have waited for it. Yet, I don't think Ronnie would have made 3 fouls.

[rivercard]

at first I thought too, hm, maybe a bit early, why not wait that red. I probably would have waited for it. Yet, I don't think Ronnie would have made 3 fouls.

One foul with a free ball would have been enough as I wrote in my post.

I don't know, after I saw the famous Parrott-Hallett Masters semi where Hallett needed 3 or 4 snookers and got them (and there was no red on the table!), I think everything is possible.. Highly unlikely, yes, but you certainly can't do it if you don't even try.

[adrift]

I know it doesn't matter now, but I was very surprised that Selby conceded the match when 55 behind with 43 on. Two reds were on the side cushion, Ronnie missed the attempt to develop one of them and he was shaping up to a pot that was very missable to say the least.
Now, had he missed the red (very possible), the black was waiting on its spot, so if Selby could have potted the red he could have made it 47 behind with 35 on. That means 3 snookers to tie, but as there was still a red on the table, he could have got a free ball which means one 4 point penalty + free ball and black (8 points) and he could have tied.
I know that the possibility of this happening is 0,1% perhaps, but at 9-8 and especially after some of the misses they both produced I for one surely would have carried on, or at least wait for Ronnie to miss/pot that red. Plus, if he could have done it somehow that certainly would have made him the favourite for the decider.

Any thoughts?

I was surpised he threw in the towel that early. It was unlikely that he could have won from that position but certainly possible. Perhaps he was too tired by then to keep up the concentration for such a long shot.

[snookerfan92]

Well, I dont think so. Ronnie didn't ook like missing the red, anyway. In case anyone missed the ending, here it is:

[rivercard]

I was surpised he threw in the towel that early. It was unlikely that he could have won from that position but certainly possible. Perhaps he was too tired by then to keep up the concentration for such a long shot.

Yes, that and the way he lost the frame before affected him I think.

I don't blame him or anything, but I thought he's the kind of player who would continue in a situation like this (like Ebdon for example).

[snookerfan92]

Well, I dont think so. Ronnie didn't look like missing the red, anyway. In case anyone missed the ending, here it is:

[rivercard]

Well, I dont think so. Ronnie didn't ook like missing the red, anyway. In case anyone missed the ending, here it is:

Thanks for the video, but I'm not convinced that the red was going in anyway. Selby could have conceded right after Ronnie potted the blue, but he waited until Ronnie put the extension on got down for the shot (the camera is showing Selby all the time), and just when Ronnie was about to shoot, he conceded. Had he waited for 3 more seconds he might have seen Ronnie miss the red, and might not wanted to concede after all. It's not an error really, and I wouldn't have been surprised at all if Michael Holt would have done it, but from Selby it was surprising for me.

[zombieman]

In the Championship League about two weeks ago, in the third frame of the Hendry-Ebdon match, Hendry was leading 79-0 with 67 (5 reds) on the table. Ebdon potted 4 reds, 4 blacks for 32 points with 1 red left on the table. Ebdon snookered Hendry which he missed (79-36). Ebdon then tried getting another snooker, but accidentally potted the red in the process (79-37). After that he potted a long black (79-44) to leave himself 35 behind with 27 on the table. He then made a snooker on the yellow which left the yellow right over the green pocket. Hendry hit it but didn't pot it, leaving the yellow in the same spot, which Ebdon potted (79-46). He then made a snooker on the green which Hendry missed (79-50) and left a free ball. Ebdon potted brown as free ball (79-53), and made another snooker on the green, which Hendry missed again (79-57). Ebdon then cleared up from green to blue but missed the pink (79-69). After a couple of safety shots Ebdon potted pink and black to win the frame 79-82.

[RocketRoy1983]

Thats irrelevant zombieman..different game different everything. We'll never know if Ronnie wouldve potted the penultimate red but im sure he wouldve.

[rivercard]

The Hendry-Ebdon frame is a good example that it is possible to win from 3 snookers needed, so I wouldn't call it totally irrelevant. The frame is on youtube, BTW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxwo_sZK8TQ

[eric1234]

Selby looked defeted even before Ronnie was going for the first red and you could see it on his face. Ronnie was in a predatorial mood and Selby had no chance whatsoever and he knew it. Selby is a great player and he knew when to quit.I think he was mentally drained.

[Odrl]

I was surprised as well. The red was very difficult and in no way guaranteed. There was even a chance of getting an easy red+black if O'Sullivan missed it. He could then have tried to get the free ball, although it was extremely unlikely. But, if you find yourself in this situation a 100 times during a career, you just might win one. Perhaps yesterday was Selby's chance. It was a quarter past midnight (1am in Europe), they had been playing for more than four hours... why not give it 3 more minutes, to really make sure you've lost?