Foul & miss, there has to be a better way for the ref

[Alan Tibbles]

Watching some of the referees (especially the older ones) trying to replace cue balls after a "foul & mss" is agonizing. It gets especially bad when the ref is communicating with the assistant who has the TV. He's saying "a bit left" and the ref moves it right, then "up a bit", and the ref moves it down a bit. Then the player has to offer his opinion. We sent someone to the moon 53 years ago but we can't get a snooker ball replaced properly. Also, watching the refs crouch down with one eye closed to assess where the cue ball should be can be very distressing. I was quite prepared to dump the missus and run off with the lovely Desislava until I saw her impersonation of a one-eyed pirate. Ergh!

[gg29]

snooker was a beautiful game until the miss came in

[Cue crafty]

In my head I can imagine some overhead coloured laser system that can take a snapshot of the ball positions before an escape attempt is made and then is able to display exact positions on the table so the ref just runs around putting the balls back on the laser dots on the table.... surely thats possible if not slightly Doctor Evil mad! 😄

[Alan Tibbles]

Perfect. I'd like you to get started on that right away.

[Cue crafty]

Perfect. I'd like you to get started on that right away.

Aah - therein lies the problem... is Elon Musk interested in snooker..? 😋

[Alan Tibbles]

Lasers are good but there's a simpler way. You know those thingies that the ref uses when the white ball has to be cleaned? Well, all they need is something similar that the ref uses when there's snooker. The ref puts it under the cue ball. It has a little device that deposits 4 tiny white chalk dots on the cloth at each corner. All the ref then has to do is to put the thingie back on the dots and put the cue ball on the thingie. Attention WPBSA: Plans for my "4-dot thingie" are available for a very reasonable fee.

[Cue crafty]

Lasers are good but there's a simpler way. You know those thingies that the ref uses when the white ball has to be cleaned? Well, all they need is something similar that the ref uses when there's snooker. The ref puts it under the cue ball. It has a little device that deposits 4 tiny white chalk dots on the cloth at each corner. All the ref then has to do is to put the thingie back on the dots and put the cue ball on the thingie. Attention WPBSA: Plans for my "4-dot thingie" are available for a very reasonable fee.

Like it - you could brand it as " The Thingie Magic" ( see what i did there - Thingamajig ) 🤣

[Alan Tibbles]

Cue Crafty. Send me your resume quickly. I want to get the Thingamajig ready in time for the Crucible. I presume you have a degree in engineering, and good at injection molding - also a PhD in chalk would help. As for my skills, I'm quite good at making bank deposits. Let's get this thingie rolling.

[Cue crafty]

Cue Crafty. Send me your resume quickly. I want to get the Thingamajig ready in time for the Crucible. I presume you have a degree in engineering, and good at injection molding - also a PhD in chalk would help. As for my skills, I'm quite good at making bank deposits. Let's get this thingie rolling.

Alan, I am afraid i'm now retired and have no desires to be famous or rich anymore - I now live on a small island in idonesia and care for the feral cats whilst mumbling the tune of snooker loopy...

[Alan Tibbles]

I don't believe it. We're neighbours. I'm in prison in Manilla. Stop by when you have time and bring a file.

[kehall]

They seem to have overhead cameras these days, it wouldn't seem too far a stretch to have the ability to overlay the still shot where the balls were with a live image on a tablet computer display (pinch zoom to get fine positioning to probably within a 1/32" with a good eye) - the number of times I see on the telly a ball is 1/4" out or more and even the commentators say that's perfect... no it's NOT! Larger screens clearly needed for commentators

I wonder what happened with Hawkeye too - not seen that for a long while - you'd think that tech could have been adapted.

[Cue crafty]

They seem to have overhead cameras these days, it wouldn't seem too far a stretch to have the ability to overlay the still shot where the balls were with a live image on a tablet computer display (pinch zoom to get fine positioning to probably within a 1/32" with a good eye) - the number of times I see on the telly a ball is 1/4" out or more and even the commentators say that's perfect... no it's NOT! Larger screens clearly needed for commentators

I wonder what happened with Hawkeye too - not seen that for a long while - you'd think that tech could have been adapted.

yes - watched some footage of a match with Hawkeye myself a few days ago and thought WTH happened with that tech.. bottom line is always about investment with these things sadly.

[itsnoteasy]

Turn the monitor round and let the ref work off it, instead of having someone describing where the balls should go, in a bizarre type of charades game.

[Alan Tibbles]

I have heard they are using technology in China but I have no idea what it is. I'm sure it would be an easy and inexpensive thing to fix but, you're right, it all boils now to money and, as Judd Trump said in his interview before the C of C final with humble Ronnie, none of the snooker sponsors are doing anything to promote the sport in the UK. He used the Honk Hong event last month as an example. 6,500 in attendance, day-care for the kids while mum and dad watched the games, hi quality dining and executive viewing, autograph sessions - the lot.

[butch75]

check this one out .... https://projectionprobilliards.com