By Elliott West
“I played in world finals, UK finals, Master finals, but nothing compares to the atmosphere tonight”.
Neil Robertson
Introduction
The veil of Coronavirus wiped out the staging of snooker tournaments in Asia for the best part of three years but thankfully World Snooker is starting to turn the keys in these doors and gradually events are starting to be scheduled. Good news comes in the form of the Six Reds tournament returning to Thailand in September and an early Christmas present of the Hong Kong Masters to be staged at the Hong Kong Coliseum at the beginning of October, the last time this tournament was held was way back in 2017. The added bonus is that this tournament will be televised on Eurosport and Discovery +for the first time.
Snooker in Hong Kong
The origins of the Hong Kong Masters actually date back to 1983 when Britain still governed this magical Asian metropolis. Part of six events organised by Barry Hearn’s Matchroom stable, the event has been won by a string of snooker legends over the years. Here’s a list of the winners:
Hong Kong Masters
1983 Doug Mountjoy v Terry Griffiths 4-3
1984 Steve Davis v Doug Mountjoy 4-2
1985 Terry Griffiths v Steve Davis 4-2
1986 Willie Thorne v Dennis Taylor 8-3
1987 Steve Davis v Stephen Hendry 9-3
1988 Jimmy White v Neal Foulds 9-3
The tournament then briefly changed names for two years.
Hong Kong Challenge
1990 James Wattana v Jimmy White 9-3
1991 Stephen Hendry v James Wattana 9-1
Then and Now
The tournament has now reverted back to its original title and was last held in 2017 when Neil Robertson defeated Ronnie O’Sullivan 6-3 in the final. However this year the venue will move from the Queen Elizabeth Stadium Stadium to the Hong Kong Coliseum which can hold an audience of 12,500 compared to the 3,500 of its predecessor. Although not a ranking event, the tournament does hold big prize money. Robertson won £100,000 for winning it last time and whoever wins it this year will bank the same money.
After Ronnie O’Sullivan announced that he wouldn’t be playing in any events until October due to a tennis elbow injury, this will be one of the first times that we will see the ‘Rocket’ in action. Ronnie loves the culture and people of Asia so he will be keen to put on a good performance when he plays in front of what will probably be a capacity crowd. Although he lost last time, he did produce an immaculate 143 break in the fifth frame of the match.
This year the tournament will be made up of the world’s top eight players plus local snooker legends Marco Fu and Ng on Yee. Ask any player who has played in this tournament and they will tell you the atmosphere is second to none, probably only topped by the German Masters in Berlin. With the switch from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong is a city that is a fusion of British shadows and Chinese influences. Its cramped and noisy buildings and streets produce a vibrant culture of commerce, cuisine and many thriving family businesses. Where else could you come and have a beautifully tailored suit made before the sun sets?
Afterthoughts
The return of the Hong Kong Masters has brought a smile to the faces of snooker fans and players across the globe. Tireless work between World Snooker and HKBSCC has managed to get this event off the ground and slotted into the snooker calendar. A bold move seeing as it wasn’t that long ago that Hong Kong was engulfed with a late surge of Coronavirus. This is a land which produced the airline Cathay Pacific, a vibrant place where over seven million people reside and the airport’s runway once extended into the sea. A special place where snooker is loved and whose return will hopefully open up the Chinese market for the return of tournaments such as the China Championship, International Championship and the Shanghai Masters.
