Shorts Thoughts

Snooker Season 2021/22 Overview – Shorts Thoughts

It was an eventful season which represented a shift back to normality as events were once again housed in their respective domains. This, of course, was following the circumstances that required almost all events take place in Milton Keynes last season. Having said that, it was a season that saw familiar faces, rising stars, and a storybook conclusion.

Home Nations

John Higgins was a frequent flyer at the ‘Opens’ as he reached three of the four finals. He suffered final frame deciding defeats in during his first two encounters at the NI and English Open against Mark Allen and Neil Robertson. Luca Brecel would then surpass Higgins at the Scottish Open, continuing his fine form after reaching the UK Championship final the week before. Joe Perry would claim his second career ranking title later in the season with an impressive victory over Judd Trump. I also feel the need to mention Robert Milkins winning his first ranking title at the Gibraltar Open against Kyren Wilson.

New Events

This season saw the introduction of the Turkish Masters and the reintroduction of the British Open (last seen in 2004). Judd Trump succeeded in lifting the inaugural trophy, making a 147 in the process. This follows his earlier success at the Champion of Champions where some were wondering when his winning drought would end. Mark Williams would win at the British Open at the beginning of the season, with two maximum breaks being made during the event.

Coral Cup

There are always those that write off Ronnie O’Sullivan and this was particularly the case considering he made numerous finals last season but couldn’t convert. O’Sullivan halted those claims with victory over Neil Robertson at the Grand Prix. However, this wouldn’t stop Robertson becoming the player of the season as he scooped the remainder of the Coral Series with triumphs over Barry Hawkins and the Players and John Higgins at the Tour (again, in the decider).

Rising Stars

Zhao Xintong has made a name for himself this season as he became the standout performer in most viewers eyes. His brilliant run that led him to secure the UK Championship, beating Luca Brecel and his whitewash of Yan Bingtao at the German Masters left many players and fans wondering if they are staring at the future of snooker. Brecel also found a level up in his form aided by his terrific couple of weeks at the UK and Scottish Open. And we don’t want any of this to overshadow Fan Zhengyi winning his first ranking event against O’Sullivan in the deciding frame. Zhengyi had never made it past a quarter-final before this triumph.

Triple Crown

The first of the majors were won by Xintong, as mentioned above. Neil Robertson would meet Barry Hawkins before their encounter at the Players, where Robertson would win his second Masters trophy, ten years after the first. And I’m sure all reading this are aware of the conclusion to this snooker season. In a tournament where many records were broken, Ronnie O’Sullivan put on his surgical gloves as his opponents attended his clinic, which culminated in a record-equalling seventh World Championship title (click here to read about that).

What was your favourite parts of the season? What are some things/events/players that you are looking forward to next season?

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Ronnie O'Sullivan Is The Greatest - World Snooker Championship 2022 – Shorts Thoughts

Ronnie O’Sullivan achieved a perfect symmetry at the 2022 World Snooker Championship as he etched his name in the history books once again. His tremendous triumph balances the scale of perfection across the Triple Crown board as he compiles 7 World Championships, 7 Masters and 7 UK Championships over a glittering thirty-year career.

It was a tournament filled with broken Crucible records: most appearances, most quarter and semi-final appearances, most wins, oldest winner and of course, equalling the great Stephen Hendry. But the stats are the easy part. I wanted to highlight an appreciation towards the manner in which O’Sullivan approached and performed in this unforgettable year at the WSC.

The sheer level of concentration on display by O’Sullivan was unlike anything I have ever seen from him before. Even more so than in 2020. He was putting more care into his shots and showing a lot more patience rather than having a bash and throwing caution to the wind. Perhaps prior to the tournament, O’Sullivan said to himself that he would make a determined effort at the Worlds seeing as he doesn’t know if he would get so far again. This was probably coupled by the fact that he chose to film a documentary surrounding his attempt that year.

Secondly, O’Sullivan was clinical. Extraordinarily clinical. Over the past few years his potting didn’t seem to be as reliable as it once was. There were unforced errors and simple pots missed that you wouldn’t expect from O’Sullivan. However, that seemed to be long forgotten throughout this arduous event. O’Sullivan was devastating when left in and had a formidable safety game to fall back to whenever he needed. Furthermore, his long potting was terrific, so all aspects of his game were exactly how they needed to be.

O’Sullivan’s ‘comfortable’ performances on his way to the trophy have led many to question that he had a favourable draw. I don’t necessarily agree this to be the case. Granted, his opposition for the first few rounds weren’t up to par but they were also against a player that was firing on all cylinders (with the exception of his match against Maguire). He didn’t face any relatively unknown players as many do in the first couple of rounds and each of his opponents had a good chance of beating O’Sullivan in their own right.

I’ve always seen O’Sullivan as having four ‘boogeymen’ in snooker: Mark Selby, Neil Robertson (particularly recently), John Higgins and Judd Trump. He beat two of these four in the latter stages of the sport’s largest tournament. There is no doubt in my mind that had he faced Selby or Robertson in this event that the result would be any different. His focus and performance would have put a stop to anything that they could have thrown at him this year.

Of course, there were spells of drama during the WSC and not all of it defensible. But I also think it went to show how much O’Sullivan really wanted to make an effort at going all the way. When he won in 2020, he was deflective in his interviews, talking about his cue action and the Joe Davis book. And I think this helped relieve the pressure that’s normally on him as he made his way through the tournament. He was more insightful this time round with his interviews and had a calmer demeanour off the table. It’s like he already knew he had it all won.

There seemed to be an air of inevitability at this year’s Worlds as each round progressed. All the top contenders were getting through, but all eyes were gravitating back towards O’Sullivan. Obviously, this happens every year but why did it feel different this time round?

It all goes back to his performance and concentration. O’Sullivan had a reasonably good season with numerous latter stage performances as well as the Grand Prix win. Although, he definitely saved his best performance for the very end. The concentration aspect was arguably an even more significant factor. It was actually quite unusual watching O’Sullivan focused for such a sustained period of time. This is probably why there was such an outburst of emotion after all was said and done because that’s what it took out of him to reach the winning line. Just watch his Eurosport interview following the win.

This victory cements O’Sullivan’s status as the greatest of all time. It was admirable watching Hendry throughout the event via commentary and post-session interviews as he foresaw what seemed to be inevitable and took it all in great stride and respect. And when Hendry commentates on O’Sullivan’s matches it’s clear as day how much he enjoys watching him play the game…’the way it’s meant to be played’. And who puts a mic on themselves for an entire WSC and has winning merchandise on the ready just in case they win? That’s G.O.A.T. stuff.

Indeed, it takes two to make a great final. And there’s a lot to say about runner-up, Judd Trump. But that’s all to come next week, so stay tuned! What did you think of this year’s World Championship? What were your highs and lows? Let me know in the comments below!

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Mark Selby World Snooker Championship 2021 – Shorts Thoughts

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The World Snooker Championship has just wrapped and Mark Selby has reached the mountaintop once again as he claimed his fourth world title, last winning in 2017. When Selby last won the WSC, he was at the height of his powers showing his best form with multiple ranking titles each season and winning three championships in four years. Since then, Selby’s success dwindled leaving many to wonder whether he’d be able to reach the summit once more.

Selby had a relatively faultless journey to the title with comfortable victories over Kurt Maflin, Mark Allen and Mark Williams up to the quarter-finals. It wasn’t until he faced a qualifier in Stuart Bingham who gave him his first real signs of trouble. Despite not being in the Top 16 (at the time), Bingham is a problem for any top seed. Bingham’s attacking playstyle almost negated the effects of Selby as he almost ran him all the way to another semi-final decider.

Consistent long-potting, break building and always formidable match-play carried Selby through to the final. However, it wasn’t until his second session against Shaun Murphy where prime Selby really shone through. Prime Selby is the guy who dictates the pace of the match to go how he wants. Prime Selby is also the guy who doesn’t give his opponent a single inch. Prime Selby is methodical, lethal and a blockade for anyone who he comes up against. And from the second session of the final, Murphy experienced just that.

The most impressive thing about Selby is how he doesn’t crumble under the pressure. When it comes to the difficult pressure shots, Selby doesn’t miss. He is probably the most reliable, under pressure potter there is. He did begin to lose his long potting a little when he got closer to the finishing line when Murphy was closing in, but Selby’s patience along with the damage he did throughout the contest was enough to see him through to his fourth world title.

There aren’t any players that I think would have withstood the impact of Mark Selby in that final. I think Judd Trump would have made for a good matchup given the contrasting styles, but I feel that Selby would have gotten the better looking at both players form during the tournament. Ronnie O’Sullivan’s approach last year may be the only way to stop Selby in his tracks, which Bingham almost honed in during the semis, but at the end of the day, the WSC is a test of patience. And Selby has this in absolute abundance, which is why he was my favourite going into this year. He hasn’t won the most events this season, but he didn’t need to. He’s won enough and played well enough over the past couple of seasons to put himself in good stead.

And now Selby is among those considered the greatest. Four WSC’s puts him ahead of Williams and level with John Higgins. If he didn’t lose in the semi last year (which really, he shouldn’t have), then it’s safe to presume he would have won last year as well. Nevertheless, there can be no argument as to the legacy Selby has created for himself. The modern day Steve Davis, Peter Ebdon, whoever you want to compare him to; Selby has forged his name into the history books by playing the game the best way he knows how.

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World Snooker Championship 2021 – The Favourites – Shorts Thoughts

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As the World Snooker Championship approaches, we’re going to take a look at some of the key performers of the season and see who stands the best chance at taking home the crown of World Champion. It’s been a limited yet familiar season with the usual suspects of the past couple of years continuing their impressive performances as we build to climax of the 2020/21 campaign.

Judd Trump

The World No. 1 continues his dominance following his six ranking title success from last season as Trump secured another five (and counting) in the current season. This includes the English and NI Open, Grand Prix, German Masters and Gibraltar Open. It’s silly not to include Trump as a fan favourite, however, his Triple Crown success since his WSC 2019 victory has been less than expected.

Neil Robertson

Easily a top favourite going into the Worlds, UK and Tour Champion Robertson is a player well suited to the longer format matches involved in the WSC. With his two ranking trophies coming from victories against the two players ranked above him, really who is there to stop Robertson from lifting his second world championship?

Mark Selby

Maybe this guy. Selby has found himself back in good form over the past couple of seasons and his capturing of the European Masters at the start of the season as well as the Scottish Open has put him in good stead and confidence going into the WSC. No one knows better than Selby what it takes to reach the summit and following his close encounter last year, he will be aching to go one step further.

Kyren Wilson

Always a focused and consistent player, Wilson got closer than ever before at last year’s WSC. Wilson has had a couple of triumphs at the Championship League throughout the season and after knocking out the defending champion last year, Wilson is capable of taking down the big names and favourites in order to forge his name into the history books.

John Higgins

After a stellar Players Championship campaign, Higgins will be looking to replicate that performance throughout the marathon that is the World Championship. Only dropping a handful of frames, Higgins has found a boost in confidence and form at just the right time, following his recent attempts at winning the big one the past few years. Can the always reliable Higgins make it this time round?

Ronnie O’Sullivan

Who knows?

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