2011 World Snooker Championship

[Alderman Barnes]

2011 World Snooker Championship

Ah, come on. Trump may have got the juices rising, but you've got to admire Higgins's tenacity. That final frame and the way he forced that snooker was fantastic. He's the Jimmy Connors of snooker, except that he seems like quite a nice chap.

[Alderman Barnes]

2011 World Snooker Championship

And yeah, that interview was a bit off, I thought.

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

2011 World Snooker Championship

Trump looks and sounds like a young Marcus Stewart.

[Mumpo]

2011 World Snooker Championship

I guess the only thing left to do is ask what everyone (and Mr David Agnew in particular) thought of the puff pieces in the interval of the final session, spinning Higgins as the innocent hero and bigging up Hearn's new empire. I must admit to only catching the spiel from Davis at the end, glorifying the new setup in no uncertain terms.

[anton pulisov]

2011 World Snooker Championship

The crowd were having none of it. Hazel Irvine introduced the presentation committee of Bary Hearn and some other bloke and the crowd immediately fell totally silent and refused to clap. One guy shouted, "Who do you think you are? John Major?"

[David Agnew]

2011 World Snooker Championship

I never said how great I thought Higgins second day performance was in general. After the last 12 months (specifically his father dying), being 10-7 down in a world final overnight is probably the least bad thing that's happened to him, so he probably had a better night's sleep than Judd Trump, who must have spent all Sunday night saying "Fucking hell, fucking hell FUCKING HELL!!!!!!". The World Championship final is the only one that takes place over two days, and sometimes the most important spell from first break to the end of the match, takes place in a hotel.

Mumpo wrote:

I guess the only thing left to do is ask what everyone (and Mr David Agnew in particular) thought of the puff pieces in the interval of the final session, spinning Higgins as the innocent hero and bigging up Hearn's new empire. I must admit to only catching the spiel from Davis at the end, glorifying the new setup in no uncertain terms.

I think my views on the Higgins sting are well documented on this thread, and I think that, and the timing of it, was the difference in Hearn's proposals going through - they went through by six votes, with Higgins, (who I guess would have voted against it), not having a vote. If three other players had voted against it, it would be different.

As for Hearn's proposals Davis himself pointed out three times, he's biased, because Hearn and Davis are best mates. But looking at the proposals that went through one by, you can see that I think it's a bad thing overall, but there have been some good side-effects.

1. Changing the setup of World Snooker, so that Hearn's Matchroom Company owns 51% for £1. Crazy. Absolutely batshit mental. No-one should have a majority stake in the sport. And Snooker has had more than it's fair share of governing body internal politics over the years. When Hearn was appointed World Snooker chairman before the proposals, rival promoter Lee Doyle withdrew from the board. Hearn states that Doyle had no choice, as Doyle promoted other events, and there shouldn't be such a conflict of interest at that level. Hearn was (and still is) the promoter of the Premier League. Which is now listed as part of the official World Snooker Calendar. This is the same Premier League that forced four players (Higgins, Ding, Selby and Davis) to withdraw from the initial Bahrain Championship (a ranking event) so they could play a Premier League match. There has been no second Bahrain Championship. One of Hearn's claims is that the sport needs more ranking events.

2. Changing the Grand Prix to the World Open. This was done because "2011 is the last year of the BBC contract and they do not like the Grand Prix. I do not blame them, I think it is dull and tired". The format was hardly tired, as it had only been in place three years. Hearn's idea was to change it from being a best of nine-frame, free draw tournament to a best of five-frame free draw tournament. With amateurs invited to apply to enter (for a fee). Two amateurs made the TV stages. Darren Morgan (harldy a big draw when he was world number 8, fifteen years ago) and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (who had dropped off the tour four months earlier, having only reached 78 in the world rankings). The result was a farcical tournament, that had very few games that weren't poor, the most farcial being as a result of a different proposal.

3. The World Snooker Shoot-Out. A non-ranking One frame shoot out, with a 12 minute maximum frame, won by Nigel Bond. "You might as well just toss a coin" - Peter Ebdon. Most notable for the match fixing claim surrounding Jimmy Michie's loss to Marcus Campbell.

4. The German Masters. The first attempt at a major ranking tournament on the continent since the 2007 Malta Cup, and the first attempt at running one on the Continent since 1997's German Open. A brave attempt (The only German player on the tour was Wildcard Patrick Einslie, and he had to withdraw froim the tour before qualifying because of illness), and one that went down well. Snooker is a growing sport in Snooker, and it's the best time to capitalise (and hopefully learn from the mistakes of not holding tournaments in Belgium and Holland when it held cult status over there).

5. The Players Tour Championship. 12 optional minor ranking tournaments (best of 7), and a finals event for the best 24. A good idea in principle, but the English one's are held at the Snooker academy in Sheffield (and not open to the public), and the ones abroad are a good way of launching the game (although the promotion has been crap). However, way too many ranking points are on offer (compared to minor ranking tournaments of the past). Mark Selby is provisional world number one based not on the traditional events (he's number three on that scale), but because he's entered the most events of the top players. It almost cost the retirement of Stephen Hendry (who has decided to carry on for the next 12 months), who would be ranked 11th traditionally, but almost lost his top 16 place because he didn't enter many. The finals were announced for Dublin, after the finalists had qualified. No Ronnie, no World Champion, no World Number one, no Irishmen, one Northern Irishman (Gerard Greene), just six top 16 players involved (one of those - new father Stephen Maguire - withdrew). The first PTC tournament starts next month - ridiculously early for a snooker season.

6. Change in tour eligibility. The eight PIOS (year-long qualifying school) tournaments have been replaced by a three tournament qualifying school. Too early to judge. However, the PIOS favoured players who could afford to base themselves in the UK for a year, so automatically favoured British players. The new Q School costs £1000 to enter (no prize money, but a guaranteed place on the tour where you get prize money), and has mainly been entered by the people who entered the PIOS tournaments, with the occasional exception (India's Dr Mohammed Khizar "Khizzy" Raoof being an rare exception). It also allows the 24 chucked off the tour to get back on (they would normally have to take a year trying to get back - 14 have entered, including James Wattana), but you have to reach the semi-finals of one of the tournaments to get on. Event 1 has thrown the two veterans who have entered (Tony Knowles and Mike Hallett) together, and world number 83 Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon has been drawn against other players who have lost their place this year in the first two events. Belgian Luca Brecal is the one to watch. If you could watch it. Which you can't. Four more places through Q School are on offer than the PIOS, so Hearn has got rid of the Wildcards (Patrick Einslie, Igor Figueiredo and Reanne Evans being the last recipients, with Figuiredo retaining his place, Einslie withdrawing, and Evans losing all 18 of her matches), and some of the home nations places through the Amateur ranks (although all four home nations still get to put their best amateur, as do the Republic of Ireland, with Europe selecting two amateurs, and Asia choosing three), as well as the Amateur World and U21 champions being invited. All those have to be earned on merit. For example, Asia have nominated the Asian Champion (Thailand's Passakorn Suwannawat), the runner up (Indian veteran Aditya Mehta) and their U21 champion (China's Cao Yupeng). The European Champion (yet to be decided and the U21 champ (Poland's Kacper Filipiak) will be Europe's nominations.

7. The Ranking System changing from static to "dynamic". Everyone understood the old system. You spend two years earning ranking points, and at the end of those two years, you have a ranking position, which you retain for the next year. Everyone knew where they were, and how they stood. Except Barry Hearn. So it had to change. Now Barry Hearn understands it, but no-one else does. The results from three seasons ago were suddenly relevant (for a bit), with Dave Harold suddenly having three months, rather than a year, to try and recover the points he would lose from the 2008's Northern Ireland Trophy (He was runner up, and the tournament disappeared). As it was he dropped 15 ranking places and had to qualify an extra round for the rest of the season. Liang Wenbo was world 16 at the time of the vote (meaning that he would have qualified for the Masters and the last 32 of every ranking event for a year). Instead, he dropped just outside the top 16, costing him what he had previously been guaranteed.

8. The loss of the 147 prizes. These came from insurance, but as the maximum breaks have increased, the premiums soared, and although there had only been one in the 2009/2010 season, there had been seven in 2007/2008. With 20 tournaments instead of 6 on the horizon, insurance would have been exhorbitant. And rightly so, as there were seven last season, including two in two days in one of the PTC events. This led to Ronnie O'Sullivan almost refusing to pot the black when on 140, due to the lack of a maximum prize. Maybe they could use the money raised from the Q School, and split it amongst those who make a maximum? This is the most unpopular with the players.

9. There are plans for two further major ranking tournaments this season: One in July (which sounds ridiculously early, but the rumours are Australia, which would be the best time to hold it, and a barrier broken down by Neil Robertson, more than Barry Hearn), and one in April betwen the China Open (the day after the final(!)) and the World Championship. No word on the second one, but Hearn will do all he can to get the extra tournament, if only because it'll be extra cash for him! If Kacper Filipiak makes a good enough start, or Luca Brecel qualifies for the tour, or Tony Drago has a good season, maybe it'll be another European one. Major tournaments are always good for the game.

[adams house cat]

2011 World Snooker Championship

I have really enjoyed reading this thread, being isolated from snooker in the wilds of Missouri. Thanks DA and all the other contributors.

The game has survived turmoil before and will survive this time. Does anyone else see Barry Hearn as Don King with better hair?

[Gerontophile]

2011 World Snooker Championship

Quick question DA: how come you got everything correct with your summations, and barely got a result correct?

[Gerontophile]

2011 World Snooker Championship

aach, ignore that... its easier from outside in.

[adams house cat]

2011 World Snooker Championship

With regards to Barry Hearn I remember hearing or reading somewhere that Hearn and some of the Matchroom crew parted on less than amicable terms - Meo, Griffiths, Foulds, Thorne - amidst claims of creative accounting, favoritism, and Hearn's arrogance. Any truth in this DA?

And thanks for a fascinating thread.

[David Agnew]

2011 World Snooker Championship

Snooker is full of players parting with their managers on acrimonious terms, especially in the 1980s, and there have been a fair few allegations of creative accounting (like boxing it's a sport for individuals, but a lot of those individuals see the big numbers floating around, but don't mentally knock off the various expenses), but I've never heard of any serious suggestions of Hearn being one of the creative accountants, but favouritism - yeah, Hearn's always been guilty of that. Steve Davis was always his favourite, and he's never really hidden that - but then, Davis has made Hearn the most money, and show me agent who doesn't show favouritism to their most lucrative client. Hearn didn't sign that many, mind - he only signed Griffiths, Meo, Dennis Taylor and Thorne after Taylor won the World final in 85 (which deflated Davis a little at the time), Foulds in 86, and Thorburn and White in 1988 with Allison Fisher his last signing (I think) in 1989, but by the late 80s, it was Ian Doyle's Cuemasters stable basically took over the sport - he not only had Hendry, but pretty much every other non-top 16 player of the late 80s/early 90s bar John Parrott (who has had the same manager since he was 15), meaning that when important votes around the players came round, Doyle would have a bloc vote if he needed it. That said, only Dennis Taylor left Matchroom for Cuemasters (via Tony Jacklin's Foremost management company), with most of the rest dropping down the rankings and/or retiring, although the first two departures Foulds and Thorne were amicable - Thorne's contract with Hearn expired, and Foulds' dad Geoff retired from playing, and managed Neal full-time. To be honest, Hearn's matchroom stable seemed more about signing up players to his Matchroom League than anything else (and the stepping stone from it being a management company to an 'events' company, branching into other sports, such as boxing), but that stopped being exclusive to his stable in 1989 as it made financial sense to include Hendry.