By Elliott West
Introduction
Believe it or not, The Snooker Shootout was originally started in 1990. Played in Stoke at Trentham Gardens, Darren Morgan beat Mike Hallett in the final 2-1 to raise the title and claim the winner’s share of £5,000. A tournament where Tony Knowles made the highest break of 120. However, for whatever reasons, it was axed after one tournament and consigned to the filing cabinet. Dust would build upon this idea before it was eventually resurrected in 2011 and held in Blackpool until 2016. Then broadcast on Sky Sports, this hybrid of snooker with an ever-watchful shot clock, wasn’t really the flavour of the season amongst a number of players, non-ranking and raucous, the event took on something that defied traditional snooker with its boozy audience and regular chants that came from a fan base that would normally be at a darts or football match.
Moving away from Blackpool, the event has since been played in Reading, Watford, Milton Keynes and has now found a new home at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. Now a ranking tournament, this competition is vital for lower-ranked players. By including all 128 players on the main tour, players can accumulate vital ranking points, especially if they are able to go deeper into the weekend. Of course, it is a game of chance and anything can happen in the short amount of time you have to win a frame. Not for the faint-hearted, you need to have nerves of steel to be able to concentrate through the full force of noise that is thrown at you.
The Weekend Starts Early
With its new slick Eurosport set and Rachel Casey overseeing the proceedings, you almost feel that you are watching this tournament down your local. The pundits sit on stools in a staged area in the arena and as soon as a player wins, they are ushered up for an interview, often standing behind the stage with their cue still in their hands. With only one day played, it is almost impossible to predict who will win this tournament and it is usually a dark horse that claims the title. Those top-ranking players that compete in it, often come a cropper in the early rounds and this event has an added advantage because it allows the victor to compete in the Champion of Champions.
In recent years, we have seen the likes of Martin Gould, Anthony McGill, Michael Georgiou, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Michael Holt and last year Ryan Day win the title. Nigel Bond, Barry Hawkins, Martin Gould, Dominic Dale, Michael White and Robin Hull have also won in the past. It’s a competition that doesn’t suit all players and Peter Ebdon was a notorious critic of it for many years. Although he later warmed to it and has even been working recently with Elliot Slessor in helping him improve his game in preparation. Elliot produced a good win in his first match against Rod Lawler, beating his opponent 52-3 in the evening session.
Good wins have also come on an opening day for Peter Lines, Jack Lisowski, Leo Fernandez, Mark Williams, Aaron Hill, Nigel Bond, Shaun Murphy and a relieved Mark Selby who managed to just win his match. The star of the show if at the moment though has to be the very talented 15-year-old, Stan Moody. He is someone I have been talking about for a few years. He reminds me of a mini Shaun Murphy in looks but boy can this teenager pot balls.
Moody’s 53-27 win over Lu Ning was a joy to watch and proves that there are a number of younger players starting to break through in snooker. Stan is definitely the man and if he continues to put on a show like this, he could stand a chance of going deep into the tournament and dare I say, potentially lifting the trophy after this frenzy of Shootout weekend play.
Afterthought
The Snooker Shootout is like marmite, you either love it or hate it and I know it does upset the traditionalists with its high volume and high octane play. Some would like to see its ranking status removed but for me, it has its merits and anything that helps the underdog is good in my book. Opportunity is key in any profession, especially snooker. A win in this event has the potential to earn you a large number of ranking points and play in the Champion of Champions, not an offer to be sniffed it.
Enjoy the moment and revel in the razzmatazz of the Snooker Shootout for this calendar weekend of utter mayhem!
