Snooker Thread

[G-Force]

So the Gibraltar Open (ranking event) is going ahead today albeit with quite a few withdrawals which is understandable given the current situation. Higgins, Robbo, Mark Allen, Dave Gilbert, Stephen Maguire, Ali Carter and Graeme Dott have all pulled out.

However, Bingham, Trump, Selby, Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams, Yan Bingtao, Joe Perry, Jack Lisowski and Barry Hawkins, amongst others, are still playing so hopefully it will turn out to be a decent tournament.

[CorkonianHunger]

Will watch it, would have thought Williams wouldn't bother with his health issues last year.

[G-Force]

This final is shaping up nicely, two frames in and two centuries hit. Both players in good form.

It's strange without any fans or atmosphere. They restricted the audience to 100 on Friday then restricted it completely from Saturday. Understandable though.

[CorkonianHunger]

Trump unstoppable at the moment, not sure how the WC will pan out at the moment though.

[Airneanach]

Ronnie's been in the news today for humming and hawing about his decision to appear in the World Championship. The prerequisite news story that means the World Championship is very much on, of course. I was quite excited to realise it's starting at the end of the month. I'm still working from home so it's the most frames of the tournament that I will conceivably be able to watch since a bunch of us lived together on the dole, where the BBC coverage would be the permanent backdrop to soapbar smog and cheap cider as a sort of baize endurance marathon.

[Carnage]

I wonder will they actually show it in the evenings instead of fucking off to the iPlayer/red button? It's just not the same on Eurosport, very much bargain bin commentary/punditry.

Either way, good to see that it's going ahead. Been missing the tradition of this and the likes of Wimbledon.

[Caomhaoin]

RTE used to show Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and the Irish Masters back when I was a chap. Whenever I go home, the sports coverage outside of GAA is absolute shite. Granted, you needed BBC for the snooker worlds, but unless it's hurling, I wouldn't be arsed with anything they put on. Trying to charge a fiver to watch League if Ireland matches now aswell the brass necked fuckers.

[CorkonianHunger]

BBC coverage is king. I cannot stand Eurosport or Quest or ITV. The house I'm with has Free to air box, so there's actually a red button channel.

Working (college thesis) at home is a blessing and a curse, once I get sucked into good snooker it's hard to get out. Here's hoping we get good quality.

[Thorn]

I'm away to Eurosport every time I hear Dennis Taylor, same as always, can't have is simpering.
Always back four (one from each quarter) to win it, this year I've gone for
Bingham 30/1
Higgins 18/1
Wilson 16/1
Murphy 16/1

Wish I had a fortnight  off work.
Looks like a run to the finish line for Trump here, unfortunately.

[Carnage]

At least bargain bin Eurosport are showing it in the evening (and a match on each channel, to boot), pricktease BBC just give you an hour to warm up and then fuck off.

Sad to see that the audience, limited though it was in numbers, will be gone from tomorrow. At least there was some kind of atmosphere for a few hours.

[Thorn]

Well, I've gotten use to it in the football so for a quiet game like snooker it shouldn't be overly offputting. Also there'll be none off the 'c'mon Ronnie' brigade.
I will miss the rather stately, posh looking old bird who has been sitting in the crowd for every match at every finals as long as I can remember though!

[Carnage]

Not to mention the ubiquitous Nicko McBrain appearance.

Wadn't there a bit of a kerfuffle a couple of years ago over the guy who wears a football top every year, they banned them or something?

[Scáthach]

Yeah they made him stop wearing the, even Barry Hearne was moaning about him. Also missing from the crowd will be the snooker goths 

[Airneanach]

I echo the shame on the audience being gone. Dwindled though it was, I'll accept any kind of spectator ambience at this stage.

I'm on the Eurosport because I don't have the beeb on TV and have an inherent mistrust of all these VPN yokes. There's no comparison obviously. The amount of video packages etc that they do for this tournament is half the fun, and turns it into not just a tournament but a sort of global convention/celebration of snooker.

Might have to sort something out to get iPlayer. Using the old man's Sky details to get a Sky Go login but it doesn't carry BBC.

[Scáthach]

I'm delighted to be able to see snooker on BBC again. It's not just the awful commentators on ITV (captain bloody obvious Neal Foulds), but the table view is gack. They foreshorten the angle by quite a bit, to get the sponsor logo in view and it makes it hard to tell if something is on or how much space is between balls.