In an environment where the Shootout exists which limits players to 15 seconds a shot, there isn’t officially a time parameter which players are hindered by when playing in other snooker tournaments. When players average close to 30 seconds and above per shot, they’re seen as performers on the slower end of the spectrum.
Whether it’s Peter Ebdon making a break of 12 or its Mark Selby taking over 6 minutes on a single shot, there will be circumstances which require more thought than one would initially expect. Following Barry Hearn’s decision a couple of years ago to publicly display average shot times in order to speed up gameplay, it has seemed to have an effective response in order to achieve this despite the criticism received for this method.
I don’t think average shot times are much of a problem; I think issues arise when players are taking literal minutes on a single shot when it’s completely unnecessary. When situations like this arise, for instance, the Selby shot: the referees should become more involved to nudge the players to take their shot. Understandably, some shots will be significantly more difficult than others, but if a player is taking almost a minute per shot in a simple break, then the referee should notify the player to speed things up.
This was the case once between an Ebdon/Dott match that required a third session in their two session contest which prompted a backlash from Dott. Obviously, all referees will have different judgements if they were going to intervene with regards to a players shot length but it’s something most would expect a referee to be able to manage. If a player is in a tight snooker or a tense safety battle is ensuing then of course, there’s no need to enforce a timer. However, if a player seems to noticeably be slowing down play or taking an excessive amount of time on a single shot, then some intervention is required.
I like to think of snooker as an art; and you just can’t rush art. A shot timer would potentially increase the speed of play, but at the expense of good shot selection and an all-round quality match. Snooker has never been associated as a fast paced sport and there haven’t been any complaints from viewers to speed things up.
Snooker is also a highly tactical sport and I think the quick, efficient break-building aspect is balanced out by the long tactical battles of the game. While most may find entertainment in watching speedy action, they are still happy with watching the elements of the game which require the competitors to show some creativity and bottle.
If there are those who enjoy the format of the Shootout, perhaps there can be more alternative variants of this event, which encourages a rowdier atmosphere and high paced action. I reckon the Shootout would be more successful if there were brackets like the snooker Champions League as opposed to a one-frame match. But as it stands, with the increasing competitiveness and experience, players are becoming naturally quicker at the game where a shot timer just isn’t required.
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