Snooker Rankings Update (End of Season 2020/21)

As the 2020/21 season came to an end, we’re going to look at the movements in the rankings and how the World Championship has had an impact on the positions of those who ventured far within the tournament. Once again, the rankings highlight just how far ahead the Top 4-5 players are against the rest of the pack under the prize money system. But the race for No. 1 may be closer than you think…

The most interesting aspect of the rankings lie at the very top, primarily between Judd Trump and Mark Selby. This year’s WSC proved to be significant to the rankings because Trump would have lost his points from his 2019 WSC win, whilst Selby has now gained a stronger position for two years thanks to his triumph. This change has closed the significant gap that Trump had over second place to just under £100,000. Which, to these guys, is the difference between winning a ranking event or two. Selby and Trump now have ample motivation going into next season, so it’ll be fascinating to see to comes out on top.

Shaun Murphy and John Higgins have swapped places at 5 and 7. Murphy’s run to the final boosted his rank while Higgins saw the last of his WSC final points from 2019 erase from his status. Higgins would have seen a more drastic drop in his rank had it not been for his dominant performance at the Players Championship.

Neil Robertson and Ronnie O’Sullivan see drops in their rankings by one place as a result of Selby’s win. There isn’t much that separate these two but there is a substantial amount separating them from Trump and Selby. O’Sullivan is in a vulnerable position with regards to his ranking if he isn’t able to either win a major, or a few ranking titles to maintain his position. Given his current and recent form, do you think either of these is likely? Most of the points carrying O’Sullivan’s position come from two seasons ago so these will start to evaporate as next season progresses.

The disparity between positions 8-16, as always, remain close and within 100,000 ranking points. A ranking event win for any of these players along with a strong remainder of the season will see a dramatic rise in their ranking. But easier said than done, right? The same competitiveness exists in and around the Top 16 position. There’s going to be a lot of movement between players around this rank as each tournament progresses.

The players I’d be keen to see how their performances plays out next season are Jack Lisowski, given how he effectively doubled his points earned this past season. Also, Yan Bingtao as he will see his points from 2018/19 start to fade away. Unfortunately, his magnificent win at the Masters did nothing to benefit his rank so he remains at No. 10. David Gilbert fell out of the Top 16 at the end of the season as he and Gary Wilson’s impressive semi-final performances at WSC 2019 have been deducted from their point’s total. Lastly, Bingham is one of those players who are better than what their rank indicates, so I’d be surprised if he doesn’t win anything next season.

What do you think? Who do you predict will end next season as No. 1? Who will win the most events? And who will win the major events?

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Is Mark Selby an All-Time Great?

Following Mark Selby’s big win at the Worlds, many are left debating whether this cements his legacy among the elite as one of snooker’s all-time greats. Selby will humbly tell you that he wouldn’t consider himself at the same level of those handful of individuals who stand at the very top, but let’s look at his accomplishments and see how they stack.

Winning the Worlds has tied Selby at fourth on the majors list alongside John Higgins – only surpassed by the Trinity that is Davis, Hendry and O’Sullivan. That alone would normally be sufficient to warrant a claim to be an all-time great considering the (deserved) praise that Higgins frequently gets. However, I think those that aren’t necessarily fans of Selby’s playstyle tend to dismiss how well he’s actually done.

Being able to win a tournament isn’t easy in this day and age, let alone a major event. Even more impressive, and something I consider a player must have to be viewed as a great, is winning each major at least twice. Selby has 4 WSCs, 3 Masters and 2 UKs to his name. Technically speaking, this means that I considered Selby an all-time great even before his recent win. And I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that, because I knew that Selby was going to win another world title.

The stats clearly justify Selby’s position as an all-time great but the manner in which he’s done so is also something to be considered. He’s already established a legacy as someone who won’t go down without a fight and has partaken in a number of classics where he’s shown just this. In fact, one of my favourite things that I would hear would be when online commenters talk about Selby being 100 points behind and still coming back to the table to play for snookers. Whilst funny, I think of it as a positive characteristic.

Some may call him a torturer or grinder but the way I see it is Selby controls the game how he wants it and is able to feed off the weaknesses of his opponents when they become frustrated and start making mistakes. Every sport is like that. No one goes into a match with the intention of losing and after years of watching Selby play, you’d think players would still be better prepared for it. And if you ask any of these fans/players whether they’d switch snooker brains with Selby, they would take it in a second.

And he does have an underrated snooker brain. I think ‘Sat Nav Selby’ is his most appropriate nickname. When you’re in trouble, I don’t think there is any other player many would choose to have at the table (check out his epic snooker/safety battle against Marco Fu at WSC 2016). And when it came to pressure shots, there are fewer that buckled less than Selby.

A lot of people weren’t fans of Davis and his style when he was in his prime yet he’s considered as one of the all-time greats, without question. It seems like time will be one of those factors where people may consider Selby as an all-time great down the line. He still has plenty of years ahead of him and many more titles which will only further support his claim to be considered among the greats.

However, if you look at what he’s accomplished as it stands, you can’t deny that Selby is at the very least one of the greats of the modern era. Undisputed World No. 1 for over four years, held the No. 1 spot for seven seasons, fourth on the all-time majors list and a fortress on the snooker table where he wouldn’t give his opponents a single inch. So yeah, I think Selby’s pretty good.

What do you think?

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The Differences Between a Snooker Club Table and Match Table

It’s pretty well known that the tables used in professional, televised snooker matches are different to the ones we play on down at the club. It’s also a known fact that these tables are significantly more challenging to play on, often turning a reasonable club break-builder into a novice on a match table. But what are the specific differences on a match table that causes these difficulties?

Since 1990, the pocket templates used for professional match tables haven’t changed. All match tables used in events are to the exact same specification which is regulated and checked by officials to ensure there aren’t any deviations. Templates that are used involve wooden pieces to check the size of the pockets, the cut of the jaws, as well as the distance of the slate from the hole of the pocket. This is particularly important given that the closer the slate is towards the pocket, the more difficult it is to pot a ball. And on a match table, generally speaking, the slate is measured further in towards the pocket.

Due to the jaws of the pockets being cut to a certain specification, the jaws are often quite sharper and less forgiving than a club table. This creates the narrower pockets which are associated with match tables and really emphasises the importance of a consistent cue action if you want to be able to string together a few pots. Since club tables don’t follow a consistent fitting format, there can be quite a bit of variation from one table to the next; and by not following the official templates (which are closely guarded by WST), it can lead to more generous pockets. However, the pockets are not the only factor that differs a club table from a match table.

The cloth is another significant factor that plays into the differences between a club and match table. Most will probably know that the match tables will run a finer cloth which allows for more reaction from the cue ball. This can make for a difficult transition for a club player who is used to playing on their regular table when adjusting to the speed of a finer cloth on a professional table. It’s quickly noticed that less force is required when playing screw or other positional shots on a match table, which can be quite tricky for amateur players to grow accustomed to.

The cloth used on competition tables are Strachan’s West of England No. 10 Cloth, which is a light, 100% woollen material weighing at around 30 ounces. Club tables tend to be heavier and require less refitting, but they are a cheaper alternative to equipping all tables with a tournament level Strachan cloth. This is why you see a lot of snooker clubs have a number of tables to play on, plus one or two match tables charged at a higher hourly rate.

Lastly, the balls used on a match table can be different to what’s used on a club table. Similar to how the pockets must conform to a specific template, snooker balls have a tolerance level of 3 grams, meaning that there can be no more than a 3 gram weight difference between a set of snooker balls. Tournament balls used take this further. Aramith 1g balls are used for professional tournaments which adhere to a 1 gram tolerance level, providing a consistent weight across a set of snooker balls.

Of course, there are other things to take into account such as the under-table heater, frequent cloth refitting, overall table maintenance and ambient temperature, but it all provides for an optimal playing field for professionals to compete on. And it doesn’t take a long time for even the newest of players to notice the difference between playing on a snooker match table and a club table.

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What Makes The World Snooker Championship So Difficult?

The World Snooker Championship is the pinnacle event for all professionals and is the ultimate test of endurance, mettle and consistency. A very different challenge to the typical ranking event, the WSC throws a few more hurdles into the mix to make matters more difficult for the players involved. What exactly makes this prize event so difficult to compete in?

Length of the tournament

Typically, events on the calendar last for one week. And the player that goes on to win an event generally plays every day throughout the week. Now, players aren’t necessarily competing every day in the WSC however, the WSC does span the duration of 17 days. Being able to hold a high standard over the course of this event is no easy feat. Which is why you commonly hear the phrase “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” associated with the WSC.

Length of matches

You won’t be seeing any best-of-9 or 11’s in the World Championship. The final of almost every event on the circuit ends in a best-of-19 final. In the WSC, this is just the length of the opening Round 1 match. And has been the format for the three-to-four qualifying matches in prior years. As a player progresses through the tournament, the multi-session matches only get longer, culminating in a final where the victor will need to reach 18 frames before their opponent.

No easy route to final

While there can be easier halves in a WSC bracket, it’s rarely an easy journey to the mountaintop for the eventual champion. Compared to a normal event, a winner can sometimes get to the title without fierce opposition. Due to the factors above, the weaker players often get weeded out of the longer WSC event until you’re left with the experienced veterans who have been there so many times before.

Qualifying

Historically, qualifying has always been a rigorous process for those outside of the Top 16. Successful qualifiers would often have to go through upwards of thirty frames just to reach the mainstage event, which in itself is a tremendous accomplishment. The last player to have to go through qualifying and actually win the WSC was Shaun Murphy in 2005 – following the likes of Alex Higgins and Terry Griffiths before him.

One/Two-table setup

The main reason that most events can be wrapped up in one week is because of the number of tables available to play on. When this is the case, it can be difficult to watch your favourite player as only one or two tables are televised. In the World Championship (at the TV stage), there are only two tables to play on until you reach the semi-finals where it reduces to one. Throughout the tournament, all eyes will be on you which brings its own bag of pressure.

What do you think? What are the most challenging factors a player has to go through during the World Championship? And what separates it from the rest of the events on the tour?

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