by elliott west
As we approach the end of 2019, our attention now focuses on the start of 2020 and with the start of the new year comes the second half of the snooker season.
We kick off with esteemed invitational event, the Masters, where only the top sixteen players of the main tour get a crack at the title. This tournament is steeped in tradition with the first event being won by John Spencer way back in 1975 when he beat Ray Reardon 9-8 at the West Centre Hotel. Since those early days, we have seen many players win at the New London Theatre, Wembley and now at its established home, Alexandra Palace with Paul Hunter winning the title three times. For years, the sport was tied to cigarette companies with Benson and Hedges sponsoring this tournament for many years and everyone who follows the sport will remember players lighting up before they took their shot.
The sport has of course moved on and some of those who won this great title are no longer with us However their memories live on in film and we can always relive their triumphs on You Tube. The next Masters will be interesting because Ronnie O’Sullivan hasn’t entered, citing his reason to be to give someone else a chance. Maybe he knows that his game is not what it was or he simply doesn’t want the pressure piled on him to win after a relaxing Christmas. Whatever the truth, he won’t be playing and this opens the doors to previous winners and those who haven’t claimed this title to be in for a chance when the week draws to a close.
Judd Trump, of course, won this tournament twelve months ago but that was when he was on a run of form and frankly his play was patchy before we ended with the Scottish Open earlier this month. Mark Allen, John Higgins, Ding Junhui, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson, in my opinion, have a chance of claiming glory and expect a good run by Jack Lisowski after reaching the final in Glasgow.
There are of course no ranking points involved to the players who are lucky enough to participate but as this is one of the Triple Crown titles, everyone wants to win in London. I have been attending this tournament for five years and until recently this was the only live snooker that I got to watch in the year. Having been to many venues now, this is definitely in my top three with the Crucible and Berlin’s Tempodrom being the others.
This event gets bigger every year with more seats added to the arena and this year, for the first time, there will be private boxes for those who afford it. I go to Alexandra Palace not only to watch snooker but to catch up with my snooker friends. It is great to just sit in the player’s lounge and mingle with the players and the media. I am lucky enough to have made friends in the sport and it is lovely when you enter the room and someone shouts out “ Hello Elliott!”. That of course hasn’t been easy to achieve and my first and closest friend in the sport will always be Joe Johnson. Just a thoroughly lovely person who I spent a lot of time with.
The Masters is a snooker battle that few players get to experience but those that do have earned their place with ranking points and titles. This is an event that could be won by a player who has already had their name etched on the title or a player surprises us all as this is his time to burst into form. There is no atmosphere like the Alexandra Palace as when play begins it becomes a conductor of joy, tension, and woe. This is a place that has no margin of error and will find out the weakest quickly. The victor will overcome everything that is thrown at him and can savour the joys of his victory but sadly few will regain this title the next year or anytime in their future. A contest that I wait for anticipation and great excitement.
