2017 and 2018 World Snooker Championship Thread

[CaledonianCraig]

First topic message reminder :

I am surprised no topic up here yet for the World Championship so here goes a few days too late.

Mark Selby looks like a good bet for a third world title. Where will the main challenge come from? Perhaps Judd Trump, John Higgins, Ding Junhui and Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Selby looked very good in his opening match as did Higgins. O'Sullivan's mental demons have resurfaced again in time for The Crucible and will need to improve to win again.

Thoughts?

[temporary21]

8-4
Mark needs 3 frames in this session. Simple as that

[temporary21]

Oh dear
I think I'm gonna have to stop watching. I feel embarrassed for mark

[JDizzle]

If Selby gets this back to 10-7, I reckon he is favourite.

[temporary21]

Well turns out I was the problem. Where the hell did he get that from?

Higgins still favourite, but it's no guarantee now

[CaledonianCraig]

Well I was only expecting Higgins to get a maximum of 10 frames in the whole match and he has them after the first day. I think this afternoon's session could be pivotal. If Higgins can share the session he remains in a good place, if he wins it even 5-3 to go 15-10 up then that will be enough for him to be in an unassailable position. However, if Selby can win it 5-3 or better then he becomes favourite.

[temporary21]

10-8

Johns a little aggravated by the crowd. Needs to keep his cool he's still ahead of the 8 ball

[Guest]

you just get the feeling all the momentum is with Selby now, the cheat has stagnated really

[Guest]

Pivotal frame this one. Either 11-10 or 12-9

[Guest]

11-10 to Higgins

[temporary21]

Tough to call now. Both playing soo match tough

[EdWoodjr]

Rob Walker clearly sees himself as a 'character'.
I don't. I just find him plain annoying.

[temporary21]

11-11. The match enters a new phase. John may well come back a bit now

[Guest]

Selby 12-11 Higgins

What a comeback

[temporary21]

I still expect john to recover though

[Guest]

Selby 13-11 Scottish cheat

[88Chris05]

Don't think Higgins has got a prayer tonight, to be honest.

The Allen match aside in the second round, he's been nowhere near his best right throughout the tournament, even yesterday when he temporarily went 10-4 ahead. He hasn't been winning frames in one visit and has been missing a lot of straightforward balls; three or four really costly blacks off the spot, and that dolly of a pink yesterday when well-placed and trying to open the reds. That missed pink really let Selby off the hook, and he (Selby) hasn't looked back since, despite being nowhere near his best either.

Higgins has had a 'mare today, but to be honest the rot started last night. He should never have let Selby get back to within three frames and had plenty of chances to really turn the screw and give Selby a mountain to climb. He didn't do it, and just hasn't been at the races today.

Surprised how scrappy and slow the match has been, but Selby's long game and safety has just about kept him ticking over. Expecting him to pull away and win fairly comfortably this evening now. Think it'll end up something like 18-13 or 18-14. The Higgins of yesteryear would be more than capable of getting back in to this one, but he just ain't the same player anymore and always looks likely to miss a sitter when the pressure is on now.

[temporary21]

Don't know yet. That 2 frame cushion is nice though

[88Chris05]

Another frame absolutely gifted to Selby by Higgins' own poor play. 14-11. Higgins looks totally gone.

I can't believe how poorly Higgins has played today. Never seen him have a shocker like this before.

[temporary21]

14-12. He finally stops the rot but only just

Still hope

[Guest]

15-12 to Selby

Ominous

[temporary21]

15-12. Very important frame for john 16-12 would be brutal

[Guest]

Higgins is in a world of hurt now

[temporary21]

16-12 it is

Very tough now. John needs something from nothing like mark

[guildfordbat]

I'm not the BBC's biggest supporter by any means but their coverage of this tournament as always has been excellent. Lovely tribute as well just shown to forty years at the Crucible.

[temporary21]

Paul hunter.

[Guest]

That definitely hit the black

[guildfordbat]

That definitely hit the black

Trouble is the Indian Board won't allow a review system - whoops, wrong game!

[temporary21]

Big big frame now

[Hammersmith harrier]

I don't think it hit to be honest.

[Guest]

Selby 17-15 Higgins

[temporary21]

He has 3 goes at winning it.

Still tense

[temporary21]

There it is.
18-15 to Selby.

A bigger comeback to me than against Ronnie

Credit to both

[Hammersmith harrier]

Another victory for grinding it out, he's the best player in the world but I just don't enjoy watching him.

[temporary21]

It's like test cricket versus t20. It was a proper hard fought match. Not any exhibition really but a true display of the nitty gritty
Not everyone enjoys that

[88Chris05]

Not a great final, or one of the best world championships either, but a worthy winner.

Got to hand it to Selby. Three titles in four years, given the current competition and standard, is frightening. He's the best in the world by a country mile these days. Higgins is obviously a player effectively of a different generation to him, but it's alarming to think that, just two or three years ago, Selby and his contemporaries such as Robertson, Murphy and Trump were more or less on an equal footing. But he's left them eating his dust these last couple of years.

Given that he's joined such a select group in winning back-to-back titles, and his unbelievable consistency across so many years, he can't be too far off matching the guy he's beaten tonight in the all-time great stakes. And if he carries on like this for a few more years, he's going to be in that Hendry, Davis and O'Sullivan bracket before he's done.

[CaledonianCraig]

Congratulations to Mark Selby on his third world title and I am fairly confident it won't be his last. Came good after a sluggish start and can win all types of frames - with big breaks, with safety play and with scrappy frames. John may feel he blew it but he should feel proud of how he has returned to the big time in snooker.

[VTR]

Great to see the cheat being beaten - and hopefully I don't have to watch him in a world final ever again, thankfully I doubt he will get there and will hopefully decline rapidly and retire quite soon

Selby is a class player, and three wins out of four is Hendry-like domination. If he can win a couple more times then he'll be up there with Davis and O'Sullivan for me as the best players other than Hendry

[Beer]

Another victory for grinding it out, he's the best player in the world but I just don't enjoy watching him.

This is my view. Selby is undoubtedly this generations Hendry, but the way he plays, it's hard to watch.

[hogey]

Well done Selby, always happy to see that cheat lose.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Selby is the Nadal of snooker plays the same tedious way just grind after grind, not a good advert for snooker at all.

Disappointed that Ding couldn't beat him in the semis.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Well done Selby, always happy to see that cheat lose.

How is John a cheat?

[Beer]

Match fixing allegations.

[VTR]

Selby is the Nadal of snooker plays the same tedious way just grind after grind, not a good advert for snooker at all.

Disappointed that Ding couldn't beat him in the semis.

Very poor analogy - how is he supposed to play differently? He takes on a pot if it's there and plays safe when it isn't. He looks to win in one visit if he gets the chance. Are you getting him mixed up with Cliff Thorburn?

[Josiah Maiestas]

Match fixing allegations.

Didn't prove he took money to fix a match. He is clean.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Selby is the Nadal of snooker plays the same tedious way just grind after grind, not a good advert for snooker at all.

Disappointed that Ding couldn't beat him in the semis.

Very poor analogy - how is he supposed to play differently? He takes on a pot if it's there and plays safe when it isn't. He looks to win in one visit if he gets the chance. Are you getting him mixed up with Cliff Thorburn?

Most of the time Selby was taking 45s+ before he made his shot, it frustrates every single player to the point that they rush and make more mistakes. That is unsporting and he shouldn't be allowed to do it.

[temporary21]

It's snooker. Not football. He was taking his time to compose himself because it was a pressure atmosphere.

Go watch his 143 break and come back

[Hammersmith harrier]

It's snooker. Not football. He was taking his time to compose himself because it was a pressure atmosphere.

Go watch his 143 break and come back

He's done in all three finals he's won now against more fluent players; when Higgins and O'Sullivan had leads he slowed right down to the point of it being a deliberate ploy and did it at times against Ding. It's not a tactic I like and one that needs to be regulated better.

[Beer]

Match fixing allegations.

Didn't prove he took money to fix a match. He is clean.

Wasn't arguing, I was pointing out what he was referring to. Though if you buy the whole 'russian mafia' line, i've got some magic beans you might be interested in.

[temporary21]

You're allowed to take your time in snooker. It's a game that requires patience. All snooker players can deal with being off the table for a while

Nothing stopping anyone from doing that
He wasn't taking anything close to egregious amounts of time he paused to make sure of how to build the break and keep concentration

He's not cheating and plenty of players go slower when there huge pressure. Not need to address good match play snooker whatsoever

[Hammersmith harrier]

I'd strongly disagree, taking your time when the shot requires is it is one thing but deliberately playing slowly is something else, it isn't him taking his time it's him trying to disrupt the other player. It gets called good match play for no discernible reason.

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