by elliott west
So the snooker season has drawn to a close for another year and what a season it has been. With a multitude of winners in the 2018-19 calendar it seemed certain towards the end that Ronnie would rule the roost after a late surge. However, snooker, never a game of certainties and the O’Sullivan ground to a halt when a certain James Cahill caused him to career off track with a massive defeat puncture. The standard of snooker has spiraled in recent years with players of all rankings causing surprises. The reason is probably a set regime of practice and more tournaments. Unlike years gone by players are dedicated to the sport and deviate until the season is over.
With Barry Hearn steering the ship snooker is in a good place and global audiences continue to grow, further expansion is needed but the seeds have been planted in countries far and wide with television coverage in a multitude of languages. Player streaming has allowed the viewer to watch snooker on the go and the market has been opened up wider by the recent launch of a PlayStation/X Box format of the snooker season. Virtual gaming creates an avenue for drawing in the young and those who don’t know anything about snooker into the fold. Of course the virtual table bears no resemblance to the real one in terms of actual play but it allows the gamer to experience what it could be like to compete in a major event; the pressures involved and the elation felt when won.
Away from the virtual baize exciting developments surround the making of a 147. A recent announcement by World Snooker means that the £5,000 rolling prize money has been scrapped and instead a one million pound prize pot will be created, allowing players to share the riches if twenty or more are made in the season. This a major development and puts an end to the degraded value of achieving an elusive 147. This in turn will spurn on players to do well and increase productivity on the green baize.
Sad news came to the sport earlier in the year that Mike Watterson had passed away. Mike was responsible for bringing snooker to the Crucible in 1977 and worked on a variety of sports during his career including darts, bowls and cricket. Mike, even in recent years could be seen chatting in the Crucible Player’s Lounge and often rang John Parrott to help him with his crossword clues. Secondly, it was announced the other day that Terry Griffiths will no longer travel as a coach. Instead he will concentrate his work from home and his club. It will be strange not to see Terry behind the scenes as I often come across him in the lift or making a cup of tea.
As this blog draws to a close and the final ball has been potted, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank my readership for their continued loyalty and support. It is wonderful to be believed in and for your writing skills to be admired and even praised. Fear not though the season may be over but I will continue blogging to quench your snooker thirst on a variety of subjects and before you can blink the new season will be with the World Cup starting on the 24/06/19.
