Barry Hawkins Makes 147 at UK Championship!

Following his success at the Paul Hunter Classic, Barry Hawkins’ next season highlight came a few days ago when he completed his third career maximum break in his Round 1 match against Gerard Greene at York. This adds to his competitive tally following his 147 successes at the 2010 PTC and 2015 Champions League.

As the televised UK Championship gets under way, it’s already seen James Cahill beat David Gilbert, John Higgins beats Peter Lines for the first time in 25 years, whilst many other top seeds have already progressed past their first round matches. Hawkins was already 3-0 up in his best-of-11 first round match where probably the most difficult shot of the entire break presented itself.

Hawkins did very well to spot a plant set for left centre but even better to cut against a red below the two to secure it into left centre. The way he was cutting against his initial red was natural to position for the black as a shot-to-nothing. Regardless as to how set the plant was, it was still an impressive shot which was followed by a wonderfully constructed maximum break.

This was one of the few surprising 147s where there were no difficult shots or moments where the player fell out of position. That’s what made Hawkins’ break quite impressive; his temperament was ice cold as he manoeuvred his way around the black spot. I’m honestly picking at straws here but the only slightly difficult shot Hawkins had to face was on the 13th red where he had to lean on the table; but as a left hander, it was no problem whatsoever. Everything else was top positional play and focus.

The match was refereed by top official, Brendan Moore who, I believe has now overseen the most 147 breaks of any referee. It also secured the high break prize of £15000 for Hawkins, unless someone else can match it in order to get a share. Keep your eyes on Bingham. The 2019/20 season has now seen its fourth maximum break in its venture to produce 20 in order to trigger the prize winnings.

A lot of praise has deservedly gone Hawkins’ way since his success and hopefully it’s a start of great things to witness in this year’s edition of the UK Championship. Round 2 has a few matches that will be a great watch, including Fu/Wilson, Bingham/Gould Ebdon/Lisowski, and Hawkins/McManus. The UK Championship produces many classic moments; will this year have anything to offer?

The Impact of Snooker Tips

The tip of a cue is the part that takes the most physical abuse in the game of snooker. So it’s understandable that much like the cue itself, there are a few different variations of cue tips that can be used in order to have your desired outcome. This post will look at elements such as tip size and density (soft vs. hard).

Firstly, tip sizes in snooker generally fall between 9.5-10mm in diameter. This is reasonable for snooker but some players like Shaun Murphy do tend to opt for a smaller tip size like 8.75mm. Similar to snooker cues, tip variations and success is subject to personal preference. A larger tip will help with striking the centre of the cue ball easier however, you will have to compensate when playing with side as the cue ball will be deflected more than with a smaller tip.

The general consensus with a smaller tip is that it aids in playing shots with more spin. Despite this, the difficulty arises in having to be more accurate when playing shots due to the risk of placing unintentional side. Selby answered a fan question years ago stating the shot has to be spot-on when playing with a thin tip. Although, as always, success with side/screw shots will come down to practice and an effective cue action.

The next factor concerns the softness/hardness of the cue tip. Some players prefer the sound and feel of a softer tip. Although in practice we are talking about milliseconds, a softer tip ‘grips’ the cue ball a little longer which can create more spin. However, a softer tip will need to be replaced more often and will lose its shape more quickly (sometimes known as mushrooming). Also, a softer tip can leave more chalk marks which can lead to more kicks so that’s something to keep in mind. I’m personally not a fan of the loud clack sound that’s emitted from a hard tip so would opt for a soft-medium tip.

Some may prefer the louder, crisper sound that comes with a hard tip. A harder tip can transfer a little more speed to the cue ball which can help in long power pots. Furthermore, they hold their shape/maintain its durability for a longer period of time thus, offering a little more consistency. There is a slight chance to miscue more but if you know what you’re doing, this shouldn’t happen often. Additionally, harder tips will need to be sanded and filed to spec so that they can hold chalk better.

It’s difficult to know for certain the kind of density individual players’ use in their tips unless you have ask them directly or have a keen sense of hearing. This is why it is important for them to carry spare tips with them when they compete because chances are they won’t have the exact same replacement tips in the back on the occasions that a tip falls off. Fu, O’Sullivan and Robertson have all fallen victim to this.

Jimmy White once described it best where a tip can’t just be replaced then the player will carry on as before. Players hold the butt of the cue at the flat end so if the existing tip is repaired as opposed to replaced, but in the wrong orientation, this could have a negative impact. This is in particular for pros who play a lot of screw shots, and if the tips are soft, can cause a slight dent in the surface of the tip, which is why it’s paramount to orient the tip correctly.

A future Short will likely go into the different brands of cue tips like Elkmaster and Kamui. What are your thoughts on these brands and what density suits you best when playing snooker?

Types of Snooker Cues: A Guide for Buying Cues

You might be looking to buy a snooker cue but upon researching you realise there are a few things to be looking out for. If you haven’t thought about these things already, you’ll definitely come across these factors when looking to purchase a new cue for your game.

• Material – Maple or Ash?

The main types of wood you’ll come across when researching cues are maple and ash – which surprisingly, have more of an impact than you would initially think. Maple is a harder, denser material which can have the effect of deflecting the cue ball particularly when playing with side. It also has a plainer look, so it doesn’t have the darker lines along the cue that ash would have. The darker gradients can also help with aiming. Most professionals use ash-carved cues.

However, if you’ve used a maple cue for quite some time, you may prefer sticking to a cue of that weight which you are comfortable with. Also, some do prefer maple cues as the smoother finish doesn’t catch on their chin as they feather and play the shot. The main choice between maple and ash will come to your preference when it comes to weight and feel which you’ll get from experimenting with both.

• One piece vs. Two Piece vs. ¾ Jointed Cue?

Most would recommend a One-Piece cue where there are no joints but this may not be practical for all players. One must consider travel as well as the extra cost of purchasing a One-Piece cue. A Two-Piece cue jointed halfway is a reasonable starter cue which I am sure most fans started with, but eventually you may want to change up as a common issue lies where you can catch the joint on your bridge as you strike.

Lastly, a ¾ piece cue is a practical compromise between the formers as the joint is positioned further down the cue and is not as expensive as handcrafted One-Piece cues. Most pros use One-Piece cues but you do see many that use ¾ jointed cues as well.

The main difference between a One-Piece and a jointed cue is that jointed cues will feel a little heavier. Due to the lack of joints in a One-Piece, you can get extra feel from the stroke which may make certain shots like the soft screw easier to play.

• Tip*

Tip sizes in snooker generally fall between 9.5-10mm in diameter. This isn’t something you will think about too much particularly if you are a newcomer, but certain players as they increase their skill may prefer smaller tips. Shaun Murphy once mentioned his usage of an 8.75mm tip. My main advice is to stay away from screw tips if you can as they offer a noticeable difference in your strike which you likely won’t be happy with. What some tend to do is if they buy a cue online, they immediately get their tip changed as the default can often be too hard to play with.

*There will be a follow-up Short post looking at the impact of cue tips.

• Accessories

Whether you purchased online or in person, you are going to want to make sure you get a carry case with the expensive cue you just bought. A lot of cues purchased online can have set packages which come with cases but also the necessary extensions and butt-ends. This can come in handy if you’re not a fan of the extra-long cue and extension at your local club.

These are the main factors to take into consideration when buying a snooker cue. The most important thing a cue will come down to is personal preference. That’s why I didn’t mention things like height or weight of a cue because those will differ among individuals. I would recommend to go to a shop if possible to try out various cues to find what is suitable for you but a lot won’t have that luxury so are limited to what they can find online.

You will have a snooker cue for quite a long period of time so it’s important to ensure you get the right one. The best approach is to assess your cue right now. Or if you use a cue provided by the club then what things do you think you would benefit from? Is the cue you are currently using a little too light? Is the tip too hard? Is there any irritation against your skin when gliding the cue? Or maybe you would benefit from a One-Piece? Having a few of these things in mind will aid in what to look for when purchasing a new cue.

Why David Gilbert Shouldn’t Be Disappointed After The English Open

Even though he was on the receiving end of a one-sided, near whitewash David Gilbert shouldn’t be too upset with how the final of the English Open went. Of course, he would have at least wanted to provide a little more of a competition to his opponent but his career is in an upward trajectory right now where he should continue to ride and maintain this wave.

As mentioned in the last Short post, Gilbert didn’t actually do much wrong in the final. Most top players would have struggled against Selby in that form; similar to how Wilson struggled against O’Sullivan 2 years ago. It actually doesn’t happen too often when a player brings out the kind of rare unbeatable form that Selby did on that occasion; just look at his previous round matches in the Open. This just makes it clear to Gilbert that each shot counts, but he knows that he would normally get a few more opportunities in every match.

It’s easy to look at the final alone and forget about everything else, but Gilbert had a tremendous week in Crawley at the Open; including victories over Ricky Walden, Tom Ford as well as strong early round victories. Clearly, he’s getting the grip of the flat 128 draw formats and considering most tournaments adopt a similar approach should be useful going forward.

Prior to last season, Gilbert had only been in one ranking final which was back in 2015. Last season, he made two finals, a semi-final and 3 quarters-finals. So far in this season, he has made a final and 2 quarter finals (not including 6-reds). His career is now going in the right, steady direction that he would want it. If he keeps making significant ground in tournaments which will give him more chances at finals, that first ranking title won’t be too far away. Obviously, the first ranking title will be the most difficult obstacle, but once he gets his maiden title, I don’t imagine it will stop there.

With players like Stuart Bingham and Barry Hawkins who seemed to have found their stride relatively later in their careers; and players like the Class of ’92 seeming to get better with age, Gilbert should take some positivity from the fact that these guys are still winning titles and are not going anywhere. Gilbert’s recent induction into the Top 16 shows his game is good enough and that he is a strong contender going forward into any tournament he enters.

Gilbert just needs to focus on getting used to the pressure situations – which comes with more experience which he is now getting. The more he gets used to the pressure, the more relaxed he will be which will make his potting and safety improve. One of the big flaws in his game on Sunday was that he wasn’t coming close to matching Selby’s safety – his safety was constantly under or over-hit.

It’s obviously all easier said than done, but if Gilbert can take his mentality in practice and translate it to the main table, much like Selby has been doing, then Gilbert may find himself having a slightly easier time and perhaps not overthinking too much on certain shots.