By Elliott West
“To win it this year is absolutely amazing. It was the same thing that Joe Johnson did in 1986, never winning a match here and then winning it”.
Luca Brecel
Introduction
Luca Brecel’s famous 2023 World Championship victory places him in a very exclusive club. Only Terry Griffiths in 1979, Johnson in 1986 and Shaun Murphy in 2005 were the previous players to the Belgian, not to win a single match at the Crucible before their victory. Apart from Brecel, the other two were all World Championship qualifiers with Joe Johnson having the staggering odds of 150-1 to win the title. So it only seems fitting to compare the striking similarities between the Bradford potting machine Johnson who walked his way to the title in his infamous pink, red and white shoes and Brecel, the cool customer who was prepared to go the extra mile to win a match. Both players could easily have the word fearless stamped on their cue, a breed of player that excites and entertains with their style of play, one that is full throttle and cooking on all gas.
Lasting Impressions
One piece of footage stands out for me regarding Joe Johnson and it dates back to the late 1970s in a tournament on television called the Tyne Tees Challenge. A youthful Joe was up against Graham Miles and produced a break that was to die for. Yes, these were different times, the snooker balls were made of different material, the nap of the cloth thicker and some say the pockets more generous but the way Johnson cleared the table was amazing to watch, especially as it was his first television experience. This was fast and furious snooker that broke away from the rather stale and old-fashioned game, providing a flavour of what was to come. A player who went on to defeat Steve Davis almost twice at the Crucible with back-to-back appearances in the final in 1986 and 1987 and who could forget that blue that he slotted into the corner pocket to win the title and send the audience absolutely hysterical? A classic 18-12 victory. So focused was Johnson that he later said that her could have potted anything in that final even if they were on top of the table. He was elated. A player who Ronnie O’Sullivan calls a “proper player” and Ted Lowe remarked at the time that it was the most remarkable final that he had ever seen with the crowd “going completely mad”.
Luca Brecel has proved that raw talent can mature and provide the full package to win the prized title. The 28-year-old who cut his teeth on a pool table on a family holiday has been dubbed as the new Alex Higgins of snooker. Like Joe Johnson did in 1986, had never lost the faith. Up against one of the most hardened players of his generation, Mark Selby, someone who has strong similarities to Steve Davis in his pomp, the Belgian proved that the winning line couldn’t beat him. Luca had the bit between his teeth, smelt blood and struck harder than any iron hammer, producing an epic finish to win the match 18-15.
So special was this win, and that was born out of his parent’s belief in him with monetary support and his father driving him to every tournament that he was given a hero’s welcome in his hometown of Maasmechelen, Belgium with over 500 people attending. The legendary coach Chris Henry was one of the guests and saw Luca turn up in his brand-new red Ferrari 488 and go on to receives rapturous applause with congratulatory video messages from the likes of footballers Thibaut Courtois and Simon Mignolet, darts player Dimitri Van den Bergh and WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson.
Afterthoughts
The similarities between Joe Johnson and Luca Brecel are striking. Neither were predicted to win the World Championship yet against all odds, proved the doubters and the bookmakers wrong. Like an experienced ice skater, they not only scratched the ice, they dug their own game into it, producing snooker from the gods and finals that any snooker fan would have loved to have had a ticket for. This was electric snooker that had the generator doing overtime, not afraid to take on that risky pot when it counted most and producing punchy and meaningful breaks. Snooker that produced a seismic shockwave to their opponents leaving them well and truly dazed and confused.
