World Snooker Championship 2010

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

That incredible period of indecisiveness from Robertson betrayed quite a lot - he genuinely looked as though having four options available to him (two perfectly achievable "pots to nothing" from which misses should have led to a safe outcome, having the balls replaced for Dott to have another go at getting out of the snooker he'd just missed on, or putting Dott into play again from where the balls had come to rest; he eventually, after some four minutes pacing the table, decided on the latter) was causing him such inner torment he'd frozen. That's clearly a sign of the pressure he's feeling, and I think that will manifest itself more and more as the finishing line draws nearer tonight. Dott's been missing (or rejecting) plenty of shots he's been making en route to the final, too - he seems extremely reluctant to take on any long opening reds.

I think we could be in for one of those midnight finishes tonight, simply because each of the potential 13 remaining frames might take 20 minutes or more. There's only been one century in the match so far (Dott's, in the last frame of the afternoon). For some people who actually like watching the top players play no better than the good players at your local club this makes for riveting stuff, but it's probably not the advert snooker needed from this final, tonight, in particular.

I can't actually decide if I still want Robertson to win, either. I think I do, but I wouldn't begrudge Dott the win.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

It hasn't helped that Robertson didn't settle in the first session, and Dott was making mistakes from being knackered in the second (the adrenaline of winning the semi meant he didn't get to sleep until after 2.30am). Dott was always going to be better this afternoon, so it was going to be a case in seeing whether Robertson has won last night's session through ability or through default - and in some respects it's been 50/50. Robertson's clearly letting the pressure of the final getting to him, and he has the frames on the board (which invites more pressure). If Dott has got enough rest overnight (and doesn't lag in the later sessions) his experience here in beating Ebdon, and in winning a final that went close to 1am, is crucial.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

First frame of the final session has just tipped over 40 minutes, and with blue and pink on the cushions shows no signs of ending soon.

This could be a 2 in the morning job.

[Mumpo]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Robertson, with 15 frames under his belt now, could bring it to a fairly swift end. At least he could, if he was displaying an ounce of consistency.

I've found this final less than engrossing, to be honest, and have spent most of the evening watching episodes of Outnumbered. I had the misfortune, however, of turning back to the match just in time to experience the horrendous 23-shot safety face-off a few frames back.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

I have to say, engrossing as it always becomes, one of the things Barry Hearn must surely need to look at going forward is having a World Championship that actually finishes during prime time TV - ideally between 8 and 9, so kids can watch it before bedtime. It's frankly ridiculous that snooker's World Championship, supported so well during the fortnight by BBC TV coverage, habitually rewards that same audience by finishing well after midnight - long after most people would have bothered staying up to watch a sporting event being broadcast from America, never mind Sheffield. No wonder most people can't remember any recent snooker world championships, they only saw the winning shot on Breakfast TV the following morning.

Even some of the fans in the Crucible itself must be looking nervously at their watches and thinking "this is taking the piss, now," as well. I know I'd be getting serious arse numbness by now, sitting in a theatre for this long (especially in the utter silence required of a snooker audince) - they've been in there since 8 o'clock already, and at 15-13, and at the rate they're playing, they're looking at at least another hour.

[anton pulisov]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Why didn't the Screws do a job on Dott instead...

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Maybe when they cut back to the studio after what looks like being an interminable 29th frame, Hazel Irvine will have changed into her pyjamas, and will be lolling around on a sofa drinking wine with the similarly-attired female referee they have at the championships.

Well we can but hope. My mind is wandering, as you can tell. This frame in itself could take until 12-30, the way it's going, and both players look completely knackered.

[Central Rain]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Have there always been 13 frames (max) in the final session? It seems very unbalanced, especially as it didn't start until 8pm.

[Calvert]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Fucking hell.

This is awful to watch.
Terrifyingly poor snooker.

Come on somebody, please kill this.
Dreadful.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Dott's just missed even hitting a red, when he wasn't even in a snooker. You get the sense even the players want this over and done with, really.

Mercifully Robertson's won that 48-minute frame to go 16-13 up. Fucking hell, I've never been involved in a 48-minute frame at my level, and that normally involves none of us being able to pot more than two balls at any break.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

I think this table's got a lot to answer for - there's been a lot of misjudgements in terms of pace, and Dennis Taylor played on it, after they changed cloths on Thursday, and he said it's the fastest he's ever played on.

Also, a lot of players have suggested that it's rolled off towards the right - from Mark King in the first round up to Dott a couple of frames back. It's the first time they've used these Strachan Star tables at the Crucible, after years using Riley tables. I hoep they go back to Riley for next year.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Fair play to Graeme Dott for going for that real John Spencer "hit and hope" smash the pack up shot there. I actually wanted it to come off for him, even though it would have extended this farce by another half an hour.

As I said above, I think even Dott just wants this over, now, playing shots like that. This is a bit like getting the World Cup football finalists to run a half-marathon around the edge of the pitch before they kick off the 90 minutes itself, in terms of the quality it's producing.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote:

I have to say, engrossing as it always becomes, one of the things Barry Hearn must surely need to look at going forward is having a World Championship that actually finishes during prime time TV - ideally between 8 and 9, so kids can watch it before bedtime.

Like it did last year, and the year before, you mean when both finished between 8 and 9?

It's frankly ridiculous that snooker's World Championship, supported so well during the fortnight by BBC TV coverage, habitually rewards that same audience by finishing well after midnight - long after most people would have bothered staying up to watch a sporting event being broadcast from America, never mind Sheffield. No wonder most people can't remember any recent snooker world championships, they only saw the winning shot on Breakfast TV the following morning.

This will be the fourth time in 33 years that the final will finish after midnight, and we're 20 minutes away from it being the latest ever finish.

Now, I 'd argue that the final sessions could start at 2pm and 7pm on the Monday, but the final has between 19 and 35 frames, which can realistically each take between 10 minutes and an hour. Short of playing the last frame first and working backwards from there, it's impossible to dictate when it will finish - but then last years and 2008 finals finish during Coronation Street, and the Beeb get low ratings for the final.

Even some of the fans in the Crucible itself must be looking nervously at their watches and thinking "this is taking the piss, now," as well. I know I'd be getting serious arse numbness by now, sitting in a theatre for this long (especially in the utter silence required of a snooker audince) - they've been in there since 8 o'clock already, and at 15-13, and at the rate they're playing, they're looking at at least another hour.

If you're paying £50 to watch the most important session of snooker in a year, when you can have the best seat in the house for free at home, then it's fair to say you're a big enough fan to not really care how long it'll take.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Central Rain wrote:

Have there always been 13 frames (max) in the final session? It seems very unbalanced, especially as it didn't start until 8pm.

Yes, ever since it went to the best of 35 in 1980, anyway, but there's only been an average of 6 frames in the final session (and three matches didn't make it that far).

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

"Now, I 'd argue that the final sessions could start at 2pm and 7pm on the Monday, but the final has between 19 and 35 frames, which can realistically each take between 10 minutes and an hour".

Very fair point, Phoebe, but that's true of any sport that plays to an eventual (lengthy) target number. Most of those - racquet sports, darts and even bowls - have now introduced the concept of "sets", breaking up matches so that (in darts for example) it's no longer "first to 31 legs" (as it used to be, in the early big tournaments) but "best of 13 sets, first to 3 legs in each set". Bowls went from first to 21 points, to an initial set up of best of 3 sets (first to 7 points in each), to its new audience-timing guaranteed format of two sets of 9 ends each, with a rapid three-end tie breaker if neither player won both "sets".

Do you think there's any way snooker could similarly tinker with its long-game formats to retain the excitement, and fairness, but guarantee a more definite conclusion time to matches like this? The bowls innovation, for example - in a 2-day final, have one first-to-9 "set" on Sunday, another on the Monday, and then a three (or single) frame tie-break if neither player wins both?

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Short of introducing time clocks for shots, having a set number of frames, rather than a best of, and whatever shit Barry Hearn has introduce for his Sky Premier League, no.

It's not broken. It doesn't need fixing. The biggest viewing figures for a snooker frame were those for the last frame in the 85 final that finished after midnight.

And all of those sports have a tiebreaker system so that the last leg in important competitions finish when one person reached a certain point and led by two points/legs/etc.

Bowls may need a "TV guaranteed format" to try and stimulate interest, because at it's peak, it struggles to attract viewers and TV coverage. Every snooker tournament gets televised in the UK, and gets prime time slots, and millions of viewers, because it isn't broken, and doesn't need fixing.

[David Agnew]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Is Neil Robertson the first man to win the World Championship without making a century in the final at the Crucible?

[Gerontophile]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Steve Davis made a good point for the final sessions on the last day to be played at Noon, and 6pm.

And I think the final session is usually 11 frames, but they only played 6 of 8 in their 3rd session this year, so 13 were scheduled and a late night was certain.

Congratulations to Robertson, as he has been great for a couple of years, and now, well, good luck to him, and Dott.

Cheers Phoebe, brilliant contributions to this thread, as ever.

[Calvert]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Terrible match it has to be said.

Hearn's a bit of a geezer, and that Land Down Under thing is laughably hackneyed.
Why not just rip the arse clean out of it and go with the theme from Skippy, for fuck's sake.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

World Snooker Championship 2010

Don't know about that, but I bet he was simply resigned to having "Down Under" imposed on him as his theme tune.

I have a horrible feeling that the next African snooker star is going to be saddled with that one by Toto as their entry music.

[Guest]

World Snooker Championship 2010

This doesn't even get televised in Australia but, in the last few minutes, I've had 2 emails and 2 people come into my office to boast about Australia beating Scotland.

Bloody hell, this once great sporting nation is clutching at straws.

[anton pulisov]

World Snooker Championship 2010

I fell asleep during the third last frame and woke up to see the trophy being lifted.