6 reds World Champ??

[garyng147]

from BBC:

A new shorter form of snooker is set to be trialled at the World Championship in Sheffield later this month.

The reduced version - provisionally titled 'Super6s' - will feature the same number of colours per frame as the regular format but only six reds.

It is hoped the new format will help snooker replicate the success of Twenty20 cricket.

It will be trialled with a contest between a legends team and a rising star side at the Crucible event.

"As an observer of snooker you cannot churn out the same diet year after year," said the chairman of World Snooker, Sir Rodney Walker. "Look at what Twenty20 has done for cricket.

"It has brought in a whole new audience so what we have in mind we think would be appealing to a younger audience.

"The working party who looked into this thought that a six-ball tournament with matches that take an average of six to seven minutes to play, with maybe the best of five, best of 10 frames," he added in the Guardian.

World Snooker has come in for some criticism of late for not doing more to keep the sport fresh or appealing.

World number one Ronnie O'Sullivan branded snooker a "dying" sport and called for it's governing body to seek ways to revitalise it.

Two-time world champion John Higgins has been particularly critical of the inability of the WPBSA to promote snooker overseas.

In August last year, the sport's two biggest sponsors - World Championship backers 888.com and Saga Insurance who supported the Wembley Masters - terminated their contracts, costing the game £1.5m.

However, on Wednesday, World Snooker announced online bookmakers Betfred.com had signed a four-year deal to sponsor the World Championship.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/othe...er/7991487.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009...y20-revolution

[garyng147]

from guardian:

Fewer balls, six-minute matches and *moving its world championship around the world – snooker is about to undergo its own Twenty20-style revolution.

The sport's governing body is going to launch a new short form of the game, provisionally called "Super6s", at the world championship later this month. Each frame would have the same number of colours but only six red balls.

Sir Rodney Walker, the chairman of World Snooker, also revealed yesterday that he would consider moving the world championship from its traditional home at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre with Manchester or China a potential new host, and in a further move to increase the game's popularity he also wants a major shake-up of its ranking system, with the creation of more less-important tournaments.

The Super6s will be trialled with a contest between a legends team of former players-turned-pundits and rising stars away from the main Crucible arena, where Ronnie O'Sullivan will be defending his title. It will be broadcast digitally by the BBC and viewers will be invited to offer feedback.

"As an observer of snooker you cannot churn out the same diet year after year," Walker said. "Look at what Twenty20 has done for cricket. It brought in a whole new audience so what we have in mind we think would be appealing to a younger audience. We'll ask them to tell us what they think of it via the red button. The working party who looked into this thought that a six-ball tournament with matches that take an average of six to seven minutes to play, with maybe the best of five, best of 10 frames [could work].

"We think it would give players other than top-rank players chances of winning because once you get on the snooker table with fewer balls, other people might have a chance."

Walker added that many of the sport's prominent players had been consulted and there had been "a very positive response". There was also a similar reaction, he said, to the idea of revamping the ranking *system through the creation of more minor tournaments which carry "less ranking points and lesser prize money" so that players could select when they compete.

"What I want to do is completely rehash the way it works – give much higher ranking points to competitions like the World Championships [and other] fully prized events, but then look at putting on low cost ones that carry fewer points and lower prize money," he said.

"Having discussed it with a number of players there's quite an appetite for that, providing we can put on tournaments with something to play for." This, he said, would allow players greater flexibility. "Consider golf, where you can opt in and out because by not taking part the consequences are not that great. But you wouldn't opt out of the tournament that carries five times as many ranking points."

[crucible77]

thread #3 on this subject

[RocketRoy1983]

thread #3 on this subject

The introduction of a 6 red comp is a superb idea to run ALONGSIDE the other, and hopefully more, ranking events and not to take the place of. Sir Rodney should also understand that diehard snooker fans actually like the same "diet" of snooker year in year out but would simply like to see more events added to the calendar.

[mushka]

The introduction of a 6 red comp is a superb idea to run ALONGSIDE the other, and hopefully more, ranking events and not to take the place of.

I am against any kind of introduction of 6, 13 or how little balls you want red competitions.

It reminds me too much of the boiling frog story. If you want to boil the frog alive, you cannot throw it into a kettle with boiling water, for it will jump out. But if you start heating the water slowly..

It starts with little promotional events and ends with ranking tournaments!

[crucible77]

The introduction of a 6 red comp is a superb idea to run ALONGSIDE the other, and hopefully more, ranking events and not to take the place of. Sir Rodney should also understand that diehard snooker fans actually like the same "diet" of snooker year in year out but would simply like to see more events added to the calendar.

why did you quote my post to say that

[RocketRoy1983]

why did you quote my post to say that

[noel]

...... perhaps this is a Betfred idea? *







=o)

Noel



*
afterall, this is the traditional, end-of-the-month way to make snooker money quick.

[MattCash]

this may be a good idea to bring the game to attention of a new audience, but as RR said alongside not to replace the original game.

[crucible77]

you quoted :
thread #3 on this subject

then said your comment