SLOWEST PLAYERS ( past and present)

[nlm247]

Remember Robbie Foldvari being painfully slow at times too

[The Statman]

I was at the Crucbile that day and I'm not going to say Ebdon wasn't slow - but I don't think I have ever watched it back until now and I hadn't realised how exaggerated the 5-minute time was. The clip is only on 4:03 when the referee calls the score '12' and that is after he has spent 20 seconds checking and spotting the pink.

[montoya10]

I was at the Crucbile that day and I'm not going to say Ebdon wasn't slow - but I don't think I have ever watched it back until now and I hadn't realised how exaggerated the 5-minute time was. The clip is only on 4:03 when the referee calls the score '12' and that is after he has spent 20 seconds checking and spotting the pink.

Now that you said it, I realized it, too.
But how is it possible even? What kind of a wrecked timer were they using?

[shrek25]

i play pool and i take my time when i play my singles i go to the table wit attitude i got all time in the world i love frustrating my oponent to the point he cant pot a ball.

[The Statman]

Now that you said it, I realized it, too.
But how is it possible even? What kind of a wrecked timer were they using?

Well, I've just realised that he must have thought about the opening shot for around 46 seconds before the clip starts - which of course counts towards the break, although it was a well found shot-to-nothing from an O'Sullivan safety that started it so 46 seconds is not unreasonable.

Even so, it is on 3:33 when the pink falls in to make the break 12, so even adding the 46 seconds on, that's only 4 minutes 20.

Still exceptionally slow, but no way was it a 5-minute break, especially when Ebdon has always been a player who is down on the shot for a long time.

[Le Ball Sack]

At 3:17, surely thats edited, who the hell cues for 20 seconds on a shot?

[eaoin11]

I don't think it was deliberate at all in this case. I just think he's a rather unsettled player who takes time to feel comfortable on the shot.

[Rane]

I find Ebdons play completely unforgivable, should have been suspended for 6 months for that type of play. Do not have any respect for Ebdon at all, fact is, I will never watch an Ebdon match.

I saw the match. O´sullivan had countless chances to get over the line. Yes Ebdon was extraordinary slow, but Ronnie lost the match himself.

[Rane]

Btw. I haven´t seen Lawler very often. But when I´m watching McLeod I always get the feeling that he would be better if he played a little faster.

[vmax4steve]

I find Ebdons play completely unforgivable, should have been suspended for 6 months for that type of play. Do not have any respect for Ebdon at all, fact is, I will never watch an Ebdon match.

The referee can stop this type of tactical slow play by warning the player concerned that if he continues to play deliberately slowly he will be guilty of ungentlemanly conduct and would forfeit the frame. It's also down to the opposing player to complain to the referee that he believes that he is on the receiving end of such conduct and asks the referee to do something about it before he wraps his cue around the other blokes neck.
The referees on the pro circuit know all about the rules of the game concerning ungentlemanly conduct but never implement them, 'bout time they did. I've used it in a local league match where I told the player concerned to get on with it or he would lose the frame and I've also used it when a player who plays off a 50+ handicap was playing on in a frame when needing five snookers with just pink and black left on the table. " Jesus wept man," I said, " Even Thorburn would concede at this point. What makes you think that you're going to get five snookers and win when you have'nt been able to string three balls together the whole frame. Accept that you've lost and let's get on with the next frame."

[FOXMULDER]

Ebdon can play brilliant, fast snooker.

He was obviously doing that annoy ROS and destroy his concentration near the end of the match. It worked. It's not nice to watch but snooker it a 'tactical' game, and this is 'tactics'.

[Gerry Armstrong]

Ebdon should be tried in the Hague for crimes against Snooker.

[ace man]

I don't find Ebdon or McLeod shockingly slow. Just a bit too slow for their own good sometimes.

That's probably because I was schooled by the dirtiest of the dirty pool players.

We have this guy in our national pool league who once took 15 minutes to pot four easy balls in a game of 9ball. No joke. Sometimes when he lines up a shot and starts feathering (about million times) not only does he look at the cueball and the object ball, but he also looks at his opponent just to check if he's looking at his antics. All that while moving his mustache in a funny way. Tournaments are often behind schedule because of him even though he always loses early (thankfully he isn't particularly good). Sometimes they put him on a shot clock with referees and everything, but to no avail. He still manages to slow the game down, even if by deliberately putting balls in difficult positions rather than going for easy pots, just to spoil the game. He talks a lot, asks a lot of questions about rules despite playing the game for more than 30 years...etc. Before the match he often asks his opponent whether he'd like to split money in half should they both get to the final (not that he has any chance lol).
Of course, he's one of the officials of our national billiard federation, so he always gets away with this crap.

[eaoin11]

Ebdon can play brilliant, fast snooker.

He was obviously doing that annoy ROS and destroy his concentration near the end of the match. It worked. It's not nice to watch but snooker it a 'tactical' game, and this is 'tactics'.

We all play faster or slower depending on how comfortable we feel, including ROS. I don't believe it was deliberate and it didn't look that way to me. Ebdon didn't look in good form when you consider the poor position he was playing, he looked like his head had gone to be honest...

[LittleMissAlexa]

Reply to Gerry

You mean crimes against snoomanity