Time to sort out the 'kicks'?

The game is played at such high levels now the industry needs to try out of the square technology or thinking to address the amount 'kicks' are influencing results.

What causes them isn't 100% clear other than the main two explanations being 'bits' getting jammed between the balls at contact and the white ball lifting of the surfacing before hitting the object ball.

Hawkins had more than his fair share of them and if its happening as often as every frame then players need to play shots with a potential kick in mind- there's a right and wrong time to get a bad kick that's for sure.

One possible solution- with the digital technology available a player should have the option of replaying the shot if a review proves there was a kick- one review per frame or match kind of thing. Certain restrictions can be made- ie a review is only allowed when only the cue ball and object ball are the only ones to move- removing having to replace smashed packs, and not any old shot can be reviewed, he kick must be at a certain level of 'obvious' for which there need to be guidelines. etc.

The replace process is already used now for foul and miss, so this is just a positive use of the same process. It also gets included in any breaks. With a review the refs cleans both the cue and object ball and only one re-shot is allowed, and the same ball must be played.

Obviously its limited to where the technology's available but it usually is where big money is at stake and it at least addresses part of the unfairness that all players, and fans suffer needlessly. Tennis, cricket, rugby etc all get the benefit of HD technology...why not snooker, especially when its probably the most precise ball sport there is...ie where millimeters can make a world of difference.

Wasting time might be a negative- some players overusing it just because they didn't get their 'preferred' position and use it as a practice shot etc. and that would need to be regulated.

As I'm from New Zealand we won't get it here but in the UK it could make a difference. As a player theres nothing worse than breaking down because of kick. I'd hate to feel what losing thousands of pounds because of it would feel like.

I am not sure about replaying a shot because of a kick... Its a part of the game and is what happens. Its almost like the 'bounce of the ball' in most other sports.

Shaun Murphy's done a lot of research into kicks and what causes them. He says that the table heaters contribute towards them and they'll keep happening until they're switched off. I believe there's another reason on top of that - sometimes the ball is already bouncing after the player hits it so when the cueball makes contact with the object ball a kick is inevitable. Sadly, World Snooker refuse to put the heaters off.