Snooker's Class of 1992 - Thirty Year Later

Thirty years later and the famous Class of ’92 reside within the Top 8 of the world rankings and are still causing considerable problems for nearly all the opposition they face. In theory, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins shouldn’t be performing at the top level and still garnering the spotlight in the manner that they do, but is that because they’re still playing well, or the rest just haven’t been able to catch up?

For the 2021/22 season (prior to World Championship), the Class of ’92 have achieved the following:

  • O’Sullivan: 1x win, 1x final, 3x semi-finals, 2x quarter-finals

  • Williams: 1x win, 1x final, 1x semi-final, 2x quarter-finals

  • Higgins: 1x win, 5x finals, 2x quarter-finals

Considering that most expected these three individuals to be phased out as time pushes ahead, they certainly seem to continue finding their way into the business end of many tournaments. If these were freak, one-off occurrences then the argument could be made however, the consistency and level they continue to perform to reach these latter stages are a testament to their ability to adapt to the snooker eras they lived through and compete in.

O’Sullivan, Williams and Higgins have had to compete through the Hendry era of the 1990s, the Class of ’92 era during the 2000s, the Selby/Robertson/Trump era of the 2010s and now arguably the Xintong/Bingtao era of the 2020s. Where the players of past may have struggled to keep up with the next generation, the Class of ’92 seem to have found the formula to not only keep pace, but also remain at the very top throughout the decades.

The key factor to their longevity is their adaptability and continuous improvement. O’Sullivan, Williams and Higgins have been able to evolve their game to suit the playing styles of their competition through enhancing their safety play, shot selection and cueing techniques over the years, all whilst keeping to their respective strengths of break-building, single-ball potting and tactical knowledge.

A lot of the retirement claims pushed forward by some viewers fall in the matter that they are unable to convert many of the finals and latter stages of tournaments that they reach. Furthermore, in their recent ability to close out matches. This was particularly evident during the recent Tour Championship semi-final and final where O’Sullivan and Higgins fell short to Neil Robertson who, at the time, is the best in the world. Also, in a few of their recent ventures where they fell at the deciders against players they probably shouldn’t have lost to.

Having said that, I think that goes to show the level of opposition that it takes to still stop the Class of ’92 winning events. You either need to be one of the best in the world or playing out of your skin to come out the winning side against one of these three. It’s quite funny when you observe a player competing against someone who isn’t Class of ’92, and later when they do play O’Sullivan, Williams or Higgins. There’s a palpable change in tension as there’s a general rise in spectators, pressure and stakes that come along with these characters.

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Road to the World Snooker Championship 2022 – Players to Watch

The Tour Championship hasn’t yet concluded but having said that, we have a reasonable picture of some of the star performers this season as we approach the marathon of the World Championship. There have been a few standouts that make a significant case for their claim at the trophy but is the 2022 story going to be any different? Or is the World Championship once again going to end up with one of the usual suspects?

Neil Robertson – Best in the World?

Arguably the best player in the world currently, Neil Robertson has triumphed on three occasions this season: the English Open, Masters and Players Championship. Given that Robertson has been one of the top performers over the past several seasons, it’s surprising that he hasn’t gone beyond the quarter-finals on these occasions. He will definitely be referenced as the ‘form player’ as we enter the WSC, but can Robertson maintain his foothold for the full length of the tournament?

Ronnie O’Sullivan – World No. 1

Despite the many retirement claims thrown around by viewers any time Ronnie O’Sullivan reaches a final but doesn’t quite clinch the trophy, he is set to return to the top of the rankings as we enter the WSC. By recent standards, O’Sullivan has had a reasonably good season by reaching multiple ranking finals and winning his first event since his WSC win in 2020 with a triumph at the Grand Prix. While he probably wouldn’t be a favourite to win, he will definitely be a wildcard for me.

Mark Selby – Defending Champion

Mark Selby has established a reputation that will likely stick until he hangs up the cue. That reputation is always being one of the top favourites to win the WSC, as the player who seemingly is best suited for the occasion. Selby has had an understandably quiet season yet that shouldn’t diminish the perception of his chances at the Worlds. If Selby manages to get in the right mindset, don’t be surprised if there’s another successful defence.

Judd Trump – Finding Form at the Right Time?

As the Champion of Champions and recent winner of the inaugural Turkish Masters, Judd Trump has been able to return to picking up silverware following his drought after the several brilliant seasons he has had. A lot has come into question about Trump’s recent ability to perform and convert at the Triple Crown however, if he can reignite that confidence he had in 2019, he will be difficult to stop.

John Higgins – Never Count Him Out

Having reached three out of the four Home Nations finals this season, John Higgins is still competing at a level that many thought would have been phased out many ago by the current crop. Higgins always manages to produce the best at the WSC and, similar to Selby, isn’t one I would count out as long as he is competing.

Zhao Xintong – A New Winner?

Probably the most impressive player this season, Zhao Xintong is finally getting the recognition he deserves with the talent he brings to the table. Xintong won his maiden ranking title at the UK Championship and continued his formidable display with an emphatic victory at the German Masters. Having only previously qualified for the WSC once before, Xintong will enter this year as a seed with a significant number of eyes on him. How will he cope with this newfound pressure?

Luca Brecel – Will He Surprise Us?

Alongside Xintong, Luca Brecel is having the season of his career so far with a terrific run to the UK Championship final, followed by a victory at the subsequent Scottish Open. These victories have given Brecel the confidence in his ability to win trophies and compete at a high level. Brecel needs to keep his head held high and not retreat into his shell if he wants to make an impact at this years WSC.

Yan Bingtao – His Time?

His record at the WSC hasn’t been all that great, and neither has his current season. However, Yan Bingtao always attracts a lot of eyes when he competes and he has already established himself as a Triple Crown winner with the Masters a couple of years ago. Age is on Bingtao’s side and given that he already plays at top level suggests that it’s a matter of time before he ventures deep into the Worlds.

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Ronnie O’Sullivan vs. John Higgins Masters Final 2006 – Instant Classic

The Masters final in 2006 is one of those matches that will always be referenced by snooker fans as one of the finest the sport has witnessed. A match that consisted of swings and roundabouts, shifts in momentum and a finish that left fans on the edge of their seats. This final, and particularly the decider, is the very definition of an Instant Classic.

Aided by two strong centuries, O’Sullivan stormed into a 3-0 lead, but Higgins didn’t take this lying down. He hit back in similar fashion by taking the next five frames to lead the opening session 5-3. O’Sullivan was able to level the score-line despite being two frames down on two occasions, before eventually levelling once again at 8-8 on a thrilling black ball frame.

O’Sullivan was able to take the lead for the first time in the match since it commenced as he found himself one frame away from successfully defending his Masters title which, funnily enough, was against Higgins in the previous year, where the result was far more one-sided. However, Higgins in true form wasn’t going to let this one get away from him as a break of 40 forced a decider in what was already a match to be remembered.

All deciding frames have the elements of drama and suspense that typically come with a one-frame shootout however, on this occasion stakes and the tension were far more palpable. It was a major final that involved the two top players of the decade playing at the top of their game as they displayed their respective strengths throughout the match. O’Sullivan with his formidable break-building and long pots (3 centuries and 7 50+ breaks) and Higgins with his crushing tactical prowess.

However, this deciding frame came down to nerve. Despite being in first with a brilliant pack split, O’Sullivan broken down on a break of 60 with a tricky cut to the top left corner. There were still 75 points on the table but it was a tall ask under the insurmountable pressure. The opening red that Higgins potted to begin his epic 64 clearance almost wasn’t to be, as the red just about had the pace to eventually roll into the right centre.

The rest of the break was a matter of composure and bottle. And Higgins demonstrated that in abundance. The memorable feat of this break that most remember is the fantastic double on the final red that Higgins took on. It wasn’t a double he was forced to take on by falling out of position; rather it was a shot he intentionally left himself to give him a slight chance of continuing the break that could win him the Masters. It was an enormous risk, but one clearly worth taking on.

And the rest of the match is history (literally). Higgins went on to expertly clear the remainder of the colours with one of the greatest breaks of his career as he avenged his prior year loss. The crowd were behind both players as they appreciated the classic that just witnessed as Higgins lifted his second Masters trophy in a contest that is still vividly remembered to this day.

Do you remember this match? Which other matches or moments go down in your mind as Instant Classics?

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Does the Format of the Masters Need to Change?

The format of the Masters has primarily remained unchanged since its inception, yet there seems to be a dispute as to whether the qualifying structure of the event could be improved, particularly where it relates to the seeding cut-off. It’s something that has come into discussion recently for this year’s edition of the Masters where Luca Brecel was unable to qualify despite being one of the form players this season. So how does it all work?

In order to qualify for the Masters, a player must reside in the Top 16 of the World Ranking list (i.e. the two year money list). The defending champion is seeded at No. 1, the World Champion at No. 2 and the remainder seeded based on their ranking position. The top half of the rankings are then drawn against the bottom half and the tournaments progresses from there. Places are topped up based on ranking if players are unable to compete (case in point, Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski last year).

The cut-off point in order to determine the participants of the Masters lies at the end of the UK Championship. This gives players a clear visual point in the season calendar where they would need to string together a series of good performances to qualify for the upcoming Masters, especially if they’re already hovering around the Top 16 position. While this may seem like a reasonable checkpoint to set as the cut-off, is it really the optimal choice?

Central to the debate surrounding this matter is that there are a further two ranking tournaments (this season, that is – sometimes this can vary) which are considered irrelevant for the purpose of Masters qualification. So if a player has two strong performances which boost their world ranking it won’t impact their eligibility in competing at the Masters as the draw has been finalised.

This was the case with Luca Brecel who had a brilliant performance at the UK Championship, falling short to Zhao Xintong in the final. While his ranking did drastically improve (from 40th to 18th), he was unable to qualify for the Masters. The real talk followed the next week as Brecel claimed the Scottish Open trophy; a victory that pushed him to No. 15 in the world. Despite this win and the points he would have earned from the subsequent Grand Prix, Brecel was ineligible to compete in the Masters due to the cut-off technicality.

Given the current structure, does it make more sense for the cut-off to lie at the final event before the Masters takes place? Obviously, for WST the commercial reasons behind announcing the Masters draw during the UK final makes more sense but could this be at the expense of the players that should deservedly be involved? Having said that, I doubt that they would want to change the announcing of the Masters draw to an event on a competing broadcaster, during a tournament that potentially gets fewer views.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins were vocal during/after the Scottish Open to state their positions on Brecel being unable to compete in the Masters. Similar to the viewpoints of others, they believed that it was a wasted opportunity that an in-form player such as Brecel wasn’t allowed to compete in the Masters given his recent performances.

O’Sullivan offered a potential solution involving the allowance of one wildcard to be considered if they had a strong end-of-year performance. He suggested the Top 15 players competing with a wildcard, if an argument could be made for said player. Is this a plausible solution? Wildcards were formerly used in the Masters from the 1990s to late 2000, where players would compete against No. 15/16 (or however many wildcards were given) which would provide them the opportunity to reach the main stage event.

This would seem like a reasonable alternative if the cut-off wasn’t changed., but what do you think? How would you change the format of the Masters, if at all? Let me know in the comments!

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