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The Snooker

Posted: 23:12 Sun 03 May 2009
by KillerB
Just finished watching a bit of the Snooker final. John Higgins going for his third World title against Shaun Murphy going for his second.

I like both of these players. Murphy has a fabulous cueing action and is a great break-builder. Under normal circumstances I would be wanting him to win. However, John Higgins is a real class act, probably the best all-round player in the game today, with great safety, long potting and break building. He has just completed a 7-1 drubbing in the second session when he looked like he was exhausted. He deserves to be in the elite group of three times World Champions of the Open era with Hendry; Davis; Reardon; Spencer and O'Sullivan. He's opened an 11-5 lead and looks like the champion tomorrow but I hope Murphy makes a good fist of it.

Anybody else watching?

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 23:22 Sun 03 May 2009
by DRT
I used to watch snooker lots but lost interest quite a few years ago. The era I watched faithfully was the 10 years or so up to the point that Hendry dominated. I think I got bored watching him win everything.

I watched a little of this year's championship but can't get back into it, perhaps because I have lost touch with the personalities. I think it is one sport where the player's personalities are a big part of their appeal, or otherwise.

Dos it finish tomorrow? I may watch some if it does.

Derek

PS: Do they still wear their glasses upside down?

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 23:28 Sun 03 May 2009
by KillerB
I agree, very few of them have personalities now. The trouble is that players used to be older and more worldly so had what maybe described as a personality. They also had the decency to be rampant alcoholics.

It was Steve Davis that blew it.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 23:50 Sun 03 May 2009
by DRT
I didn't know Count Dracula was an alcoholic!

Who was the big fat guy who needed 20 pints of beer to settle his nerves? I have a feeling he may have been Canadian.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 23:52 Sun 03 May 2009
by KillerB
DRT wrote:I didn't know Count Dracula was an alcoholic!

Who was the big fat guy who needed 20 pints of beer to settle his nerves? I have a feeling he may have been Canadian.
Drac was drinking the blood of young upstarts like Graham Miles and David Taylor to harness their talent.

The Canadian was Bill Wobbleneck or something.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 23:57 Sun 03 May 2009
by DRT
That's the one snookers answer to Jocky Wilson :lol:

I think the man who ruined sport from a personality point of view was Will Carling. The idea of a rugby team going on tour without beer or women involved is simply bizzare.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 00:16 Mon 04 May 2009
by KillerB
DRT wrote:That's the one snookers answer to Jocky Wilson :lol:

I think the man who ruined sport from a personality point of view was Will Carling. The idea of a rugby team going on tour without beer or women involved is simply bizzare.
Yep - he had Julia at home so thought he could ruin it for everybody else. Still managed to muck that up though - muppet.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 07:12 Mon 04 May 2009
by benread
DRT wrote:Who was the big fat guy who needed 20 pints of beer to settle his nerves? I have a feeling he may have been Canadian.
It was Bill Werbeniuk. Cult hero according to Wiki!

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 09:14 Mon 04 May 2009
by RonnieRoots
I usually watch quite a bit of the tournament, but moving to Oman has made this difficult. There none broadcasted here, and internet isn't normally good enough for live streaming. Is there still a bit of the final today? I might give the streaming another try.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 09:22 Mon 04 May 2009
by KillerB
RonnieRoots wrote:I usually watch quite a bit of the tournament, but moving to Oman has made this difficult. There none broadcasted here, and internet isn't normally good enough for live streaming. Is there still a bit of the final today? I might give the streaming another try.
Second half of the final is today. If it goes the way of last night's session, it will be all over very quickly.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 17:16 Mon 04 May 2009
by KillerB
Penultimate session is over, which Higgins won 5-3, leaving him 16-8 up and needing only two more for the Championship. Nothing is certain in Snooker but this looks like a pretty strong victory for Higgins.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 19:15 Mon 04 May 2009
by RonnieRoots
I'm going to give it a go with streaming, but last time I tried (cycling: Paris-Roubaix) it was a disaster.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 22:29 Mon 04 May 2009
by KillerB
It's all over and Higgins is the deserved champion with an 18-9 victory. Excellent tournament with a genuinely good snooker player as champion.

Murphy will be back as will Mark Allen who looks a real class act - both need to sort out their safety. Apparently, Murphy has been coached by Ray Reardon so his safety play and tactics should improve. Whatever coaching in that area, coming up against an in-form John Higgins is difficult for anybody - class act.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 02:55 Tue 05 May 2009
by jdaw1
DRT wrote:I think the man who ruined sport from a personality point of view was Will Carling. The idea of a rugby team going on tour without beer or women involved is simply bizzare.
I think it was George Best who said ‟I gave up women and drink in 1969. It was the worst twenty minutes of my life.”

And speaking of amusing players, Alex Higgins knew how to entertain a crowd. If the frame was safe, and his break couldn’t exceed ≈130, he would start doing trick shots. It’s a shame he so fell apart.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 06:43 Tue 05 May 2009
by RonnieRoots
Disaster again. Did a speed check and my so-called 4MB connection doesn't get any better than 254bk. Hopeless.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 09:23 Tue 05 May 2009
by KillerB
John Higgins has wrecked the 'Higgins Streak'. A Higgins has won the World Championship once in each of the last four calendar decades, he should have waited another year.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 17:01 Tue 05 May 2009
by Glenn E.
RonnieRoots wrote:Disaster again. Did a speed check and my so-called 4MB connection doesn't get any better than 254bk. Hopeless.
Advertised speeds are almost universally downlink speeds. 4MB down and 256KB up sounds like a pretty typical somewhat older cable modem connection to me, is that what you have? Mine, for example, is advertised at 6MB down and 384KB up but I usually get more like 4.5MB down and around 350KB up.

DSL is usually the only way to get uplink speeds above 1MB, and those lines can be really expensive.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 09:40 Wed 06 May 2009
by RonnieRoots
Glenn E. wrote:
RonnieRoots wrote:Disaster again. Did a speed check and my so-called 4MB connection doesn't get any better than 254bk. Hopeless.
Advertised speeds are almost universally downlink speeds. 4MB down and 256KB up sounds like a pretty typical somewhat older cable modem connection to me, is that what you have? Mine, for example, is advertised at 6MB down and 384KB up but I usually get more like 4.5MB down and around 350KB up.

DSL is usually the only way to get uplink speeds above 1MB, and those lines can be really expensive.
You are an optimistic man Glenn. I very much meant 254kb down. Before you say that I should contact the provider and complain.... it's of no use. There is only one provider, the state company, and their service is abismal. But it's not just them. All companies in this country have a habit of selling promises they can't deliver. It's the outside that matters. It's being offered, so we're a modern country. The fact that they don't have sufficient bandwith to actually give you a fast connection, doesn't matter one bit.

Sorry for the off-topic rant.

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 14:44 Wed 06 May 2009
by jdaw1
Time for a letter to a local newspaper?

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 06:34 Sun 10 May 2009
by RonnieRoots
jdaw1 wrote:Time for a letter to a local newspaper?
Ah, but you don't seriously think we have free press here do you?

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 00:59 Tue 01 Dec 2015
by jdaw1
John Higgins, in his second frame against Ali Carter, potted red-yellow-red-yellow. As the first yellow went in I wondered what proportion of reds are followed by a yellow; when the second went in I was confident that was rare. How rare?

Re: The Snooker

Posted: 01:18 Tue 01 Dec 2015
by DRT
jdaw1 wrote:How rare?
Very?