Snooker 2023 - 24

[souljacker]

Is there a way to switch John Virgo off?

 

[shifting gears]

Respot drama!

 

[Me76]

Is there a way to switch John Virgo off?

If only. Hearing 'where is the xx ball going' constantly does my head in. I feel like he's on on a bet that has to say it once in every frame.

 

[Silas Loom]

If only. Hearing 'where is the xx ball going' constantly does my head in. I feel like he's on on a bet that has to say it once in every frame.

He’s okay.

 

[Lotte]

That was a ridiculous black from Wilson. Tbh I don't particularly hate him or Jones. As long as the gruesome twosome of Murphy and Carter are out. Also, Wilson looks like an Asterix character.

Snooker commentary pisses me off so I watch it with the sound off.

 

[Silas Loom]

Re the Crucible debate, if anyone has been watching this filler piece, any move that means only one table and one audience for every televised match is fine by me, whether it’s in Sheffield or a parvenu petrostate.

 

[Me76]

Re the Crucible debate, if anyone has been watching this filler piece, any move that means only one table and one audience for every televised match is fine by me, whether it’s in Sheffield or a parvenu petrostate.

I will need to watch that back on iplayer.

One of the things I like about getting my first round tickets is that if one session finishes early I get to see another match too. Last year I really benefited from the two table situation. They'd need to lower ticket price as far as I am concerned.

 

[Me76]

That is what a final should be...

 

[Silas Loom]

I will need to watch that back on iplayer.

One of the things I like about getting my first round tickets is that if one session finishes early I get to see another match too. Last year I really benefited from the two table situation. They'd need to lower ticket price as far as I am concerned.

That makes sense, it’s likely only as a television viewer that noise from the other table is distracting.

 

[Silas Loom]

That is what a final should be...

I think he’d have switched off if he got the maximum. Hope he can keep it going now.

 

[Me76]

That makes sense, it’s likely only as a television viewer that noise from the other table is distracting.

£50 a ticket. Last year, the table I was booked on finished after three frames. But I got to watch the other match for the other 1.5 session.

I'm not going to pay £50 to only see a couple of frames..

Eta, plus travel costs.

 

[Silas Loom]

Oh well, curse of the Crucible next year for Wilson it is then.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Not a classic final, but a good one in the end. Jones came back well but made too many simple errors. I agree with whoever said earlier that Bingham would probably have beaten Wilson (in a totally different, high-scoring final). Not his fault, but Wilson got a bit lucky with the draw, only facing one other seed.

I'd like to see the stats on who has won the final over the years. I suspect that the player who finishes in the afternoon on the Saturday has won it more times than the player who finishes in the evening. Definitely a hangover from the day before for Jones in the first session, and not the first time that has happened.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Re The Crucible, I love the fact that the crowd are right on top of the players with the two tables. Plus wot Me76 said about one session finishing early. And it has the history to it that you can't buy. Bill Werbenuik popping his head around the partition to watch Thorburn's 147, for example.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

£50 a ticket. Last year, the table I was booked on finished after three frames. But I got to watch the other match for the other 1.5 session.

I'm not going to pay £50 to only see a couple of frames..

Eta, plus travel costs.

And they arrange it like that on purpose. Where possible you have a match to a finish on one side and a match at an earlier stage on the other.

Do they still do other entertainment if it all finishes early? Back in the day, John Virgo would come out and do his impressions routine.

 

[Me76]

Do they still do other entertainment if it all finishes early? Back in the day, John Virgo would come out and do his impressions roroutine

I would definitely ask for my money back if that was the case.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

It's only a game, so...

We enjoyed the final, and the tournament. Nice to see a few unfamiliar faces making the last 8/4/2 for a change.

I see Jak Jones has jumped up from 44th place in the rankings to 14th after losing yesterday. This'll stand him in good stead for next season I imagine. More tournaments, more sponsorship etc

 

[souljacker]

It's only a game, so...

We enjoyed the final, and the tournament. Nice to see a few unfamiliar faces making the last 8/4/2 for a change.

I see Jak Jones has jumped up from 44th place in the rankings to 14th after losing yesterday. This'll stand him in good stead for next season I imagine. More tournaments, more sponsorship etc

14th gets you in the Masters

 

[stavros]

14th gets you in the Masters

Only if he's still there after the UKs in December.

Wilson was probably the most consistent player over the 17 days, but he may well end up in the Parrott-Dott-Murphy-Robertson single win camp.

Hazel said that Kyren was the 23rd winner at the Crucible, so I set myself a little task to recount them all. I got to 22, then remembered that I needed Thorburn and not Mountjoy, but forgot that John Spencer's last win was the first year in Sheffield.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Only if he's still there after the UKs in December.

He doesn't have to do too much to stay there, though. Of his 300,000-odd points, 250,000 of them come from the world champs this year and last year. He basically isn't defending any points of note until the next world champs.

It is amazing really. He's been the definition of a journeyman, just about doing enough to keep his tour card, just about earning enough to get by. And now this. It is a great opportunity to push on.

 

[two sheds]

Do those 300,000-odd points represent £300,000-odd pounds?

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Do those 300,000-odd points represent £300,000-odd pounds?

Yes. Money won in ranking events over the last two years. It's rolling, so each event kicks out the corresponding event two years ago.

Top 64 keep their tour cards. You need to win approx 40k a year to do that. It's not a lot when you consider expenses, including forking out for flights to China, which the players have to pay for themselves. Snooker's quite a hard graft if you're not in the top 30 or so.

 

[two sheds]

Not like football then

 

[littlebabyjesus]

It's not great for inclusion tbh. Both the finalists are good examples of players who've been backed by their families. Without some form of backing, it's pretty much impossible to break into professional snooker. Unless you're a genius like O'Sullivan, most players struggle to earn much in their first few years.

 

[two sheds]

I'm not keen on the promises of much higher prize money. Better would be - as you suggest - to spread it across the sport.

 

[Nine Bob Note]

Is there a way to switch John Virgo off?

Last week I switched over to watch Countdown once I realised he was on commentary, and he was on there too!!

 

[two sheds]

I quite like "But WHERE'S THE WHITE GOING???" it's his catchphrase so of course he uses it every game

 

[Throbbing Angel]

I quite like "But WHERE'S THE WHITE GOING???" it's his catchphrase so of course he uses it every game

We were playing "if you were a snooker commentator what would your catchphrase be" during some mid session interval last week.

So I put it to you snooker Urbs - what would your be? I'll tell you mine in a bit

 

[two sheds]

"For those watching in black and white ...."

 

[Silas Loom]

“Fucking flukey git”. I’d use it in a tone of appalled outrage for pretty much every pot.