TSB - Higgins wins again to Judd in final of PTC4

[ferret]

Article Source on The Snooker Blog

John Higgins beat Judd Trump in the final for the second time this season to win the Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy in Gloucester. more .....

[Ginger Freak]

Congrats to Higgins, to come through that many deciding frame matches (playing 27 frames in one day) and still defeat the in form world no 1 is quite some achievement. Higgins is still the master, Trump still has things to learn. I'm sure he will get there one day though!

[cueman]

I don't think Trump has anything to learn in all honesty. I think that Higgins is just one of the best players ever to play the game and in a short final like that anyone can win. Usually its who gets the better run of the ball that determines the winner and Judd didn't get the run this time around. Judd being world number one would indicate that he is 'there' as you put it and his titles and his form over the 2 days says so, 10 centuries must be a record in terms of frames played to centuries ratio, he must be doing something right!!!

[SnookerFan]

I'm glad Trump didn't win. I hate it when a World Number 1 farms ranking points from these sort of events.

[Stevie]

They are both great players to watch, I'm abit dissappointed I missed this final! ok run makes a difference over best of 7, as does the match length itself but Higgins is the better match player by a mile, he would win the vast majority of best of 7 finals with anyone and to think Judd can't learn anything from players like higgins is laughable!

[cueman]

You don't get to number 1 without a strong game, okay he might not have Higgins' tacital nous but then Higgins doesn't have Judd's shot making or cue power. They play different styles of the game that is why I said he can't really learn from Higgins, its not his style of play and doesn't want to be another Higgins. Same as Higgins didn't want to be another Hendry when he was losing all the time to him in his early years, he didn't learn from Hendry he developed his own game.

[Stevie]

Fair enough, good point about Higgins lacking in some of Judd's strengths, I just love watching Higgins, you know you're watching someone great when you never question anything he does, no matter what and rather figure out why he's played it. He's got to be admired though, how he has changed his game over the years to keep with the young guns in that he takes shots on full blooded when he knows he probably shouldn't be, and never used to, but commits to it and more often than not makes it pay off-

[Looki]

You don't get to number 1 without a strong game, okay he might not have Higgins' tacital nous but then Higgins doesn't have Judd's shot making or cue power. They play different styles of the game that is why I said he can't really learn from Higgins, its not his style of play and doesn't want to be another Higgins. Same as Higgins didn't want to be another Hendry when he was losing all the time to him in his early years, he didn't learn from Hendry he developed his own game.

Of course hHiggins learned from Hendry and he'll be first to say that. I think he has, actually. Learning from somebody doesn't mean copying someone's game. And Judd may surely have something to learn from Higgins, I think...

[cueman]

Of course hHiggins learned from Hendry and he'll be first to say that. I think he has, actually. Learning from somebody doesn't mean copying someone's game. And Judd may surely have something to learn from Higgins, I think...

Would you say Hendry learned from Davis then?
The point I'm making is they learn the winning habit, they learn to be ruthless etc. Of course all players learn from others but once you get to world number 1 I don't think you can learn from anyone really, they've got the game to get there, just stick with what they are doing because they must be doing something right.

[nrage]

Would you say Hendry learned from Davis then?
The point I'm making is they learn the winning habit, they learn to be ruthless etc. Of course all players learn from others but once you get to world number 1 I don't think you can learn from anyone really, they've got the game to get there, just stick with what they are doing because they must be doing something right.

You can get to world #1 on the back of an amazing potting ability, but perhaps your safety isn't as good. Does that mean you should not bother to learn/improve your safety? No, of course not. Stop learning and you won't stay world #1 for long, IMO.

[trains]

I suspect the difference wherever anyone heard it between the tactical nous of Higgins and Trump is an empty generalisation,the commentator was questioning Higgins shot selection in the penultimate frame just before Trump missed with the rest,likewise the last frame when Trump missed a couple of semi awkward pots to take it to a decider,so the difference was missed pots at key times as opposed to tactics.

[cueman]

You can get to world #1 on the back of an amazing potting ability, but perhaps your safety isn't as good. Does that mean you should not bother to learn/improve your safety? No, of course not. Stop learning and you won't stay world #1 for long, IMO.

Well Hendry had 10 years at the top without much of a safety game, in fact he even said he didn't have a safety game and that was his downfall in his later years. I think Trump has a good safety game, its certainly not poor and he is also pretty good at getting snookers too. Difference with Trump is or I will say his main downfall and again this is a bit like Hendry, he thinks he can pot everything and is probably too aggressive. That will always be the main criticism but I think its what makes him so exciting to watch.

At times it comes off and can put your opponent under massive pressure, more so than someone who plays a percentage game like Higgins does. Its just at this moment in time Higgins has a bit of a psychological edge over Trump having beaten him in every final they've played in, that is a massive factor that you don't know how that affects a player.

[Looki]

Would you say Hendry learned from Davis then?
The point I'm making is they learn the winning habit, they learn to be ruthless etc. Of course all players learn from others but once you get to world number 1 I don't think you can learn from anyone really, they've got the game to get there, just stick with what they are doing because they must be doing something right.

Yes, I think Hendry learned from Davis as well. And Hendry has said that too. And then took the game to another level.

But, yes, surely Trump is doing a lot of things right at the moment. No-one's nro 1 by accident. But I feel he could be even better, there's still room for improvement. And I think the improvement can happen in the department(s) that Higgins master.

[SouthPaw]

They are both great players to watch, I'm abit dissappointed I missed this final! ok run makes a difference over best of 7, as does the match length itself but Higgins is the better match player by a mile, he would win the vast majority of best of 7 finals with anyone and to think Judd can't learn anything from players like higgins is laughable!

I don't believe that to be true to be honest, i feel John's better suited to longer sessions and as we all know he doesn't always start that well!

[Stevie]

Of course theres a chain, I'm sure Davis learned from Reardon etc, etc,
I'd rather see Judd carry on being aggressive though rather that go negative (like me), i'd go as far to say the tactical side messed Ronnie's long potting up, even if has played like a god since, because I think a safety game comes hand in hand with slight self doubt. Neil Robbertson doesn't pot like he used to when he was gung-ho, same could be said for Murphy, Ronnie and maybe Williams.