By Elliott West
Every match, every frame, every ball is vital in the battle to survive”.
Alan McManus
Introduction
Anyone who has picked up a snooker cue and tried to play the game will know hard it is to play well and to those few who have the natural talent to turn professional, the task in hand to consistently win is a path that is fraught with danger. So it was exciting to hear recently that WST has created a fly on the wall series of seven-minute programmes, entitled ‘Make or Break’, following some of the up and coming players from the professional tour as they try to do well in the various qualifiers and tournaments across the snooker season.
The Arduous Task
Narrated by Alan McManus, a man who spent a considerable time in at the deep end of snooker as a professional, the Scot compliments the footage and interviews with the players, building suspense on the screen that makes you feel that are actually there, living and breathing their matches. The programme follows Alexander Ursenbacher, Aaron Hill, the Chinese rookie Wu Yize, Jackson Page, Iulian Boiko and Oliver Lines as they attempt to work their way through the maze of qualification snooker booths to get to one of the many snooker tournaments that the calendar offers.
Beginning in the heat of the newly reformed British Open and moving on to the Northern Ireland qualifiers and British Open qualifiers, the series manages to capture the stifling air of suspense, accompanied with well-chosen soundtracks, you can literally feel the tension build as the players prepare to walk out for their matches, leading to wins or defeats. They either walk the walk and talk the talk with their post-match interviews or return quickly to the practice table with the likes of the SightRight coach Steve Feeney, fighting their corner and rebuilding their confidence. Win or lose, the onward battle for success never ends, it is a sport that consumes you and becomes a vital component of the blood that flows through your body.
Away from Home
Now on episode three, the series also looks at those Chinese players who have made the brave move to travel the many miles from their homeland to reside in Sheffield at the Ding Junhui Academy. A place that Ding set up with the intention of bringing in talented players and growing their skills for the professional circuit. Many of the Chinese players here don’t speak English and so struggle to communicate outside the walls of this academy. When not on the practice table, they are either in the kitchen and rest area, eating or playing computer games.
To alleviate this protective snooker bubble, the staff that work within the complex try to get the players out of the snooker environment at regular intervals, taking them to Sheffield and the surrounding areas, allowing them to relax and not have to fret about the language barrier that the complex English language presents. Ding is proof that success can be achieved and he is the role model that every young Chinese hopeful strives to become.
The Benchmark
Ding was discovered at a young age, speaking no English and not yet proficient in the swirl of media attention that fame brings. Yet he has turned that around, now speaking fluent English and living between China and Sheffield. Yan Bingtao has followed in his footsteps, getting his first foot on the ladder when he won his first ranking title, the Riga Masters in 2019, followed by the Masters in 20121. However, he hasn’t been consistent like Ding and it remains whether any other Chinese player can emulate the past glories of Ding and go one step further and complete the Triple Crown with the World Championship title.
Summary
This mini-series, ‘Make or Break’ is so important because it not only opens the eyes of the viewer to the wonder of snooker but also the sheer fight players have to put up to survive on this snooker marathon, do well and make a profitable living out of it. It’s not an easy task but the players involved have been playing since a young age and have literally fallen in love with the game, prepared to revel in the glories and lick their wounds when they are expelled by the moment of defeat. It is a brutal process that is not for the faint-hearted and a journey that only favours the brave. Few do well in it and many have become victims to the sport that takes no prisoners.
