Snooker Thread

On Eurosport 1 for anyone interested. 

Just when I was starting to enjoy it, that cxxt Colin Murray's hosting it 

Is there any channel this fcuker isn't on?!

That's only because it's Dave's turn giving.

 

That said, if Selby was knocked out by someone else, Ronnie would be a near automatic favourite, his dislike of the format aside, and that would probably hold true for the next 2 or 3 years. 

Tis a stagnant game in a lot of ways, you mentioned Ronnie winning that tournament at 17, Hendry won the WC at 21, that kind of thing doesn't happen these days, and hasn't for more than a decade. Selby is 34, yet still thought of as one of the younger lads, as is Neil Robertson (35), while lads who have won tournaments in the past few years for the first time include the likes of Barry Hawkins (38), Stuart Bingham (41) and Mark King (43) .

The last tournament before this was won by Mark Williams (42) while Ronnie's opponent in the final Shaun Murphy is 35, but was world champion all the way back in 2005. Jimmy White beat a seeded Ali Carter in one of the earlier rounds, and he was in the WC final in 1984, no less. 

Dunno what it is, is it that this generation are close to snooker perfection, so close that nobody outside the top 16 or so can get a look in for more than a decade, or is it that young players aren't taking it up any more in the same numbers? Right now, a 17 year old UK Championship winner or a 21 yr old world champion seem a long way away. I think Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson are the only 2 players under 30 in the world's top 16, and there aren't that many more in the 16 after that, so for the next 5 years, we are going to be looking at more of the same lads that have been about for the most of the past 20 years. 

Great final frame.

but he is from Belfast not Dublin RB.