This is effectively a direct follow up to the mid-season review of the 2019/20 campaign which I published back in November, after the Northern Ireland Open. At that point in time, it would’ve been quite difficult to accurately predict the events and their winners that followed. Nevertheless, that’s the great part of snooker, which is to expect the unexpected!
After Trump defeated O’Sullivan in the NI Open to secure his third ranking title of the season so far, he had the momentum to carry himself to the UK Championship along with the added pressure of being able to capture all Triple Crowns in the same calendar year. In one of the major shocks of the season, veteran Nigel Bond managed to secure a 6-3 victory over the World No. 1, as well as impressively reach the quarter-finals.
However, it was Ding Junhui – yeah, that’s right – who was able to find and hold his form to win the UKC as he claimed his first ranking trophy since 2017. This led to the final ranking event of the season and decade, which entailed Mark Selby cruising through Glasgow (more or less) to secure his second ranking title of the season. The Masters saw another underdog clinch the title as Stuart Bingham became the oldest champion at age 43, with a 10-8 victory over Ali Carter – who wasn’t even supposed to be in the tournament until O’Sullivan withdrew, earning him a £100,000 cheque.
The following few weeks though, belonged to Neil Robertson. Similar to earlier in the season where Trump reached three consecutive finals, losing only one of them to Robertson, parity was restored as Robertson made it to three consecutive finals and won two of them (European Masters and Grand Prix). But what about the third? Alas, Trump would return the favour in the German Masters during the second week. This made for an interesting race between the two best players as they battled for the newly created European Series bonus.
Before we get to the last of the Coral Cup events, we should acknowledge Michael Holt winning his first ranking title at the Shootout, as well as Trump managing not only to equal Hendry, Ding, Selby and O’Sullivan with five ranking titles in a season, but one-upping them as he added the Players Championship and Gibraltar Open to his collection for the season.
Unfortunately, this was the time where snooker was coping with the challenges of a global pandemic, which saw the remainder of the season played without the presence of a crowd. This made for a bittersweet moment as Trump lifted his sixth ranking title with great pride to an empty arena. Nevertheless, the show must go on, by which snooker took the reins in bringing the Championship League back to television. A group high break as well as a solid final day performance led to Luca Brecel’s first non-ranking title.
Other winners included Shaun Murphy who added a second title to his cabinet this season with a dominant 9-1 victory over Wilson in the Welsh Open final. Furthermore, Stephen Maguire impressed all as he defeated Robertson, Trump and Allen to win the Tour Championship, along with the Coral Cup bonus that comes with the top performer in the series.
It took over a month following the Tour Championship, but we did eventually get the World Championship that players and viewers were yearning for. And if you’ve been following my tweets, or checked out the last few Short posts that have been written, then you understand my general reaction to the events that unfolded in the WSC. The main result being that O’Sullivan takes advantage of the lacking crowd presence in order to lift his sixth World Championship to close out the season. A WSC that included the best day of semi-final matches one could ever hope to see with both contests going to the 33rd frame.
Overall, the season provided something for all fans to enjoy. Even though Trump didn’t succeed in his Triple Crown ventures, he dominated everywhere else as he still remains the best player in the world by following his WSC win with a phenomenal follow-up this season. He also managed to make 102 centuries throughout the season; just one shy of Robertson’s record in 2013/14. Trump now holds three of the top five spots when it comes to most centuries made in a single season.
Selby managed to break his drought as he claimed two ranking titles as well as finishing the season by finding the form that helped him win previously. Murphy and Robertson also added two ranking titles while O’Sullivan ended the season as well as he started (if we just ignore the middle).
But I want to know what you think! Do you think any of the matches topped Robertson and Trump at the Champion of Champions? Was there any better clearance this season than Trump’s brilliant counter-clearance against Maguire in the Players semi-final? Which player(s) this season impressed you the most? And what are your predictions for next season?
Like this Short? Click here to read: Snooker Season 2019/20 Mid-Season Review – Shorts Thoughts
Have an idea for a Short post? Feel free to get in touch using the social media links below! Thanks for reading!