By Elliott West
“It’s the biggest win of my life”.
Ryan Day
Introduction
Ryan Day rocked the Marshall Arena stage by pulling off one of the shock victories in snooker history. His 10-7 win over the favourite Mark Allen in the final of the recently revived British Open, a tournament in its heyday that offered the most prize money with the exception of the World Championship, was not predicted. I and others were leaning towards a convincing Allen win and thought that Day wouldn’t be able to sustain the silky smooth snooker of the Northern Irishman.
Day who has been a professional since 1999, has already three ranking titles under his belt, having won the 2017 Riga Masters, 2018 Gibraltar Open and the 2021 Snooker Shootout but undoubtedly this British Open title is now the most prestigious in his snooker portfolio. This win equals Ali Carter’s ratio of ranking victories and shows that this player who was as of August this year ranked 27th and had his highest ranking of 6th in the 2009/10 season as a Celtic force to be reckoned with.
The Win
This was a final where the stakes were high for Ryan Day and many saw him as the underdog but as a day is a long time in politics so is the case in snooker. Finals are seldom predictable and sometimes the impossible happens. At 4-4 and 7-7, this match was all about who could step up another gear and surge ahead. Day who suffered in the early part of the match with movement off his head on the shot and missing long balls and slow blacks into the pocket, corrected his errors and stepped up his game. Allen looked a shadow of his former self in the concluding evening session, complaining that table conditions affected his game, causing him to lose his action and faith.
Day adapted better to the table than Allen and controlled his nerves when it mattered. I hate to be critical of players but Mark Allen has a problem in his match play. Sometimes he runs out of petrol when it matters and lets negativity creep into his game. This is of course an own goal for his opponent and one that allows them to punish Allen’s mistakes and surge ahead. Day saw an opening for the winning line and grasped it. The win was caused by Day’s steely determination and the ability to keep the match tight for the majority of play.
The Henry Factor
Chris Henry is widely regarded as one of the best snooker coaches in the business. A man who has worked his magic with a whole multitude of players dating back to Stephen Hendry and most recently Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby. So it is no surprise that Ryan turned to Henry’s expertise when his game was in the doldrums. Chris’s technique often works miracles and his pre-match and interval one-to-one sessions are pivotal to a resurgence of confidence and returning the fizz to your game when it matters.
Henry is the humanised iron that steams out the creases. An art that he is extremely good at and his pep talks with Day clearly worked. Ryan clearly listened to his mentor and turned his negative thoughts into positive ones. His game vastly improved as a result and he was able to cross that vital winning line when it mattered, leaving his opponent scratching his head and wondering how he had the title slip from his fingers.
Afterthoughts
As a result of this British Open win, Ryan Day not rejoins the top 16, now ranked 16th but automatically qualifies for the Champion of Champions later this month. It is a fantastic achievement for the Welshman, gaining vital ranking points and showcasing the brilliance of a player who is clearly a top 16 player. With all the twists and turns of snooker, this position won’t be easy to retain but it has been achieved and so he has achieved his goal and caused players to look over their shoulders in future tournaments.
Day has bucked a long trend of players winning the British Open and claiming a title that would become their only ranking title. Ryan has form and titles to prove it and will always be someone who could win something big in the near future. This will probably be when the big guns have left an event but to beat a formidable opponent such as Mark Allen, especially when in brilliant form is a formidable achievement. The Welshman is and should be elated. One that he should savour but remember to not become complacent when the moment has elapsed.
