The Chalk - Issue 3 - June 2020 by The Chalk

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JIMMY WHITE

THE WHIRLWIND

WOMEN’S TOUR REVIEW PAGE 6

RODNEY REMEMBERS PAGE 16

INSIDE >> SNOOKER BACKER’S BLOG >> RODNEY REMEMBERS >> WOMEN’S TOUR REVIEW >> BARRY STARK >> SNOOKER POEM BECAUSE EVERY CUE SPORTS PLAYER NEEDS IT // www.thechalk.co.uk

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04 WOMEN’S 06 SNOOKER REVIEW 10th JULY 2010

WELCOME TO

09 CHAMPIONSHIP 11 LEAGUE RIP 13 WILLIE THORNE COACH 15 BARRY STARK RODNEY 16 REMEMBERS SNOOKER 19 BACKER NEWS FROM 20 THE BAIZE SNOOKER POEM: 23 WE MISS. JIMMY’S MEMORIES

ello and welcome to edition number three of The Chalk. We hope you are all keeping safe and enjoy the read. As always thank you for taking the time to subscribe, download, open and flick through the digital pages of the sport’s newest, brightest, freshest publication. Every month we will aim to bring you insight into cue sports from around the globe. We have been overwhelmed with the fantastic reaction to issues one and two and hope this issue raises that bar even higher. Don’t forget that the magazine is also interactive, so you can watch videos by clicking on the images that have the play button on. In this month’s issue, we have an article from the WPBS reviewing the Women’s tour and the increase in the exposure they are enjoying. SnookerZone’s Chris Gaynor pens a poem about not being able to play the sport he and we all love. We are delighted to have Jimmy White talking about his Crucible memories - just click the image on page nine to hear what The Whirlwind has to say. Barry Stark returns with two new videos, coaching you on cue actions. Rodney Goggins also returns with a memorable game from the world of snooker. You can support us online by liking us on Facebook (facebook.com/TheChalkMag) and by following us on Twitter @_TheChalk. Instagram more your thing? Give _TheChalk a follow. Our thanks also to our advertisers, your support is really appreciated. If you would like to advertise please get in touch by emailing us at info@thechalk.co.uk. If you have any feedback, then please email us at the same address. Happy reading, stay safe and we hope you enjoy The Chalk. The Chalk is designed by JRH Media. james@jrhmedia.co.uk www.jrhmedia.co.uk | 07881237868

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10th JULY 2010 >> www.thechalk.co.uk <<

This chapter is taken from the book Snooker Legends written by Jason Francis and published by Bonnier Books. The chapter recounts Ray Reardon joining the Legends tour in Plymouth.

uly 10th, 2010 is another important date in Legends history. We were in Plymouth and Michaela announced words I’d been waiting a long time to hear. “The first frame, Ray Reardon to break.” ‘Dracula’, as he is affectionately known, was always on my original list of legends for the first tour. Ray was very rarely seen anymore, only occasionally popping up at the final of the World’s as a sponsor’s guest. I’d tracked him down via Churlston Golf Club in Brixham, Devon, where he was the President. He did contact me initially but felt that touring the country for eighteen nights was too much at his age. However, he did eventually agree to be the special guest at our show at the Plymouth Pavilions after I met him in person with Cliff in Milton Keynes. The original date had to be moved because of a clash with a qualifier Jimmy had. “No problem to me,” said Ray. “I’m retired.” He turned up at about 3pm, just the

three hours early! He wanted to get used to the table. Two of his closest friends had driven him down. They told me that he was still making centuries in practice on the table at their golf club; they too were delighted to see him honoured in this way. Jimmy, Cliff and the boys were generally excited and a little bit humbled to have Ray there – it was like the Godfather of the sport had arrived. Ray was a different generation to the rest of the players on the tour. Only Cliff and Dennis were playing when he was at his peak winning his titles – and they were just starting out. Ray was from the coal mining community of Tredegar in Wales. Wanting to play snooker, he turned down a place at grammar school to become a miner at just fourteen, following in the footsteps of his father. After a rock fall, in which he was buried for three hours, he quit mining, moved his family to Stoke and became a police officer.

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He won his first world title in 1970, the year I was born, beating John Pullman in the final 37-33; yes, the final was the best of 73, not 35 as it is today. It was played not at the Crucible in Sheffield but at London’s Victoria Hall. Between 1973 and 1976, Ray played seventeen World Championship matches without defeat and won the title four years in a row. When the snooker world rankings were introduced in 1976, Ray was the first number one, retaining that position until 1981/1982. His sixth, and final, world title came in 1978 when he beat South African Perrie Mans, his

only victory at the Crucible. Amazingly though in 1982, despite being forty-nine, he was still world number 1. He remains the oldest player, at fifty, ever to win a ranking tournament. Everyone talks about the 1985 final when Dennis Taylor potted the final black to beat Steve Davis in front of 18.5 million viewers. People forget that the person the Nugget beat in the semi-finals that year was Ray, who was fifty-two years old. I can’t see anyone in the modern day game getting close to repeating that feat although the recent antics of a certain Mr O’Sullivan may prove me wrong.

Back to Plymouth, and it was time to get underway. JV would always do some impressions at the start of the show. Ray wasn’t due to appear until later but we hatched a plan where tonight JV would do his ‘Reardon’ impression and pretend that Ray wouldn’t know he was doing it, telling the audience he was in the dressing room. We rigged a special light by the curtain and just as JV was doing the famous ‘Reardon Shoulder Shake’, the man himself popped his head round the curtain. It was staged but the audience didn’t know that, and I don’t think they cared. The place went mad. The amazing thing about the people who attend these Legends nights is that they are all there for a reason. This is not the sort of event that’s a tag-along, where reluctant relations feel they have to go – these are all snooker fans who are genuinely thrilled to see their heroes from yesteryear. I think Ray was shocked at the reception he got as well. The smile was beaming, even if the new shoes he had purchased to wear were pinching a little! He played remarkably well, made quite a few decent balls and laughed a lot. The legends who weren’t playing that frame usually stayed in the dressing room but they all came out to watch him. Here was an Honorary Legend, if there is such a thing. While the boys enjoyed a beer Ray refused to have anything but tea until after the job was done. Finally, when we did the autographs, Jimmy got the first gin and tonic into him, and it was lovely to see him relax. I know Michaela especially loved having him around. I only wish he was twenty years younger as I know he would have been so well received on the Legends Tour. On 10th July 2010 Ray Reardon played at Snooker Legends; on the same night, Alex Higgins died alone in his Belfast flat. It would be over a week until his sister Anne found him, a complete tragedy.

WHILE THE BOYS ENJOYED A BEER

RAY REFUSED TO HAVE ANYTHING

BUT TEA UNTIL AFTER THE JOB WAS DONE. FINALLY, WHEN WE DID THE

AUTOGRAPHS, JIMMY GOT THE FIRST

GIN AND TONIC INTO HIM, AND IT WAS LOVELY TO SEE HIM RELAX

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WOMEN’S SNOOKER REVIEW 2019/20 >> By Matt Huart - www.wpbsa.com <<

Matt Huart looks back on a 2019/20 World Women’s Snooker Tour season which has seen some fantastic snooker played across the globe by the world’s leading female players.

Onyee Ng and Reanne Evans - picture courtesy of www.wpbsa.com

f course, the end of the season has not concluded in the way that we would have liked with the unavoidable postponement of both the Festival and World Championship tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it has nevertheless been an important 12 months for women’s snooker with tournament entries and media exposure continuing to increase. Here we pick out a few of the highlights of the campaign and reflect on the action we have seen on the baize... Title Triple For the first time since the 2016/17 season we crowned three ranking event champions as regular champions Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee were joined in the winner’s circle for the first time by Nutcharut Wongharuthai. Having been knocking on the door for the previous 18 months with four ranking event final appearances to her name, the Thai star memorably broke her title duck at the Australian Women’s Open with victory against On Yee in the final. The win saw her become only the sixth active player 6

to have won a full-ranking event title and reach a new career-high ranking of third in the world where she remains today. Either side of her triumph came further victories for England’s Reanne Evans, who added record-extending ninth and sixth triumphs at the UK Women’s Championship and Eden Women’s Masters tournaments respectively. The wins helped our reigning world champion extend an unbeaten run dating back to October 2018 and underline her status as the

undisputed number one on tour. It was however Ng On Yee who ended the winning streak of Evans at our most recent competition in Bruges back in February, a 4-2 final success marking her own return to form as she claimed her first title in over a year on the WWS circuit at the second Belgian Women’s Open. Crucible Return Prior to the ranking event action, though, it was at the iconic Crucible Theatre in Sheffield where the new season was launched as women’s snooker returned to the home of snooker for the first time in 16 years. The new Women’s Tour Championship saw our top four ranked players take to the baize at the venue which has hosted the professional World Championship since 1977, with only Reanne Evans having competed there previously. With plenty of drama, tension and high quality snooker on display, the event represented a wonderful showcase of women’s snooker and demonstrated what our top players can do on the big stage. Participation on the Rise The primary objective of WWS remains to provide opportunities for women and girls to pick up a cue and play snooker, providing the platform for players around the world, of any age or level of experience, to do so competitively. We have been delighted this season to welcome several new players to the World Women’s Snooker Tour with no fewer than 35 women competing on the circuit for the first time.

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF WWS REMAINS TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS TO PICK UP A CUE AND PLAY SNOOKER, PROVIDING THE PLATFORM FOR PLAYERS AROUND THE WORLD, OF ANY AGE OR LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE, TO DO SO COMPETITIVELY.

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Chucky Preston - picture courtesy of www.wpbsa.com

With a total of 152 players from 29 countries currently ranked – an increase from just 38 players only six years ago – the tour is bigger than it has ever been during the current generation with more players joining all the time. Among those to have joined the circuit, Northern Ireland’s Chucky Preston made an immediate impression at the Eden Masters by reaching the quarter-finals on her debut, while she was also one of a number of newcomers to reach the final of one of our side-tournaments during the campaign. For the first time we welcomed players from Morocco as African Games champion Yousra Matine and Hind Bennani travelled to England to compete, with Hind reaching the Challenge Cup final at the UK Championship despite playing with a borrowed cue after her own did not arrive in time. We have also been excited to welcome new players from Guernsey, Scotland, Russia, New Zealand and more. Ranking Risers It has been another season which has seen key movements across the world ranking list with a number of players reaching new career-high positions as they continue to develop their game. As already mentioned above the most notable example is Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai who climbed to third position behind leading duo Reanne Evans and Ng On Yee at the top of the list. Not far behind her and up to a new career-best of seventh is Emma Parker of England, who enjoyed another

strong season by reaching her second ranking event semi-final at the Belgian Women’s Open, as well as winning Under-21 tournaments in Bruges and Leeds. She also achieved success at national level by claiming the English Women’s Championship for the first time. Other notable players to have made significant gains at the top end of the rankings include former European champion Wendy Jans, while 17-yearold Ploychompoo Laokiatphong is up to 14th after she reached her first

ranking event semi-finals at the UK Women’s Championship and Eden Masters tournaments. Professional Opportunities It has been another season where together with our friends at the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and World Snooker Tour, we have continued to work to provide new opportunities for our stars to compete at the highest level. Most significantly this season saw our reigning world champion Reanne Evans qualify to play at the professional Champion of Champions for the first time, where she took on former triple crown winner Shaun Murphy live on ITV4. There she was able to recover from 3-0 down to force a deciding frame, before Murphy was able to get over the line with a one-visit break. Once again Evans was also invited together with Nutcharut Wongharuthai to compete at the Shoot Out professional ranking event, although both ultimately found themselves up against impressive performances from opponents Ian Burns and Thor Chuan Leong respectively in the first round. Both Evans and Ng On Yee also competed at the prestigious SangSom 6-Red World Championship in Thailand last September, while our top three ranked players were also set to play at the Betfred World Championship qualifiers in Sheffield this month, prior to the postponement of the tournament until later this summer.

Emma Parker - picture courtesy of www.wpbsa.com BECAUSE EVERY CUE SPORTS PLAYER NEEDS IT // www.thechalk.co.uk

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THIS IS THE WHIRLWIND, AND THESE ARE HIS CRUCIBLE MEMORIES >> www.thechalk.co.uk <<

immy White may not have won the World Professional Snooker Championship, despite making 6 finals, but he carries the tag of The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Champion. Much is reported about the times he came close to achieving his goal, yet there have still

been many other years of memories that have not always been shared. The Chalk is delighted to be able to bring you this interview with Jimmy where he talks about his memories of the Home of Snooker. This is the Whirlwind, and these are his Crucible

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CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE 2020 >> REPORT COMPILED WITH THANKS TO MONIQUE LINBOS <<

Luca Brecel is your champion

uca Brecel made a tremendous century in the final crucial frame against Ben Woollaston to win the Matchroom.Live Championship League. After 11 days and 126 matches involving 64 players, the tournament came down to the very last frame. Woollaston, leading 2-1, needed to win the match to take the title, while Belgium’s Brecel only needed a draw. Leicester’s Woollaston attempted a tough red early in the frame and it wobbled in the jaws of a top corner, and cruelly that proved his last shot as he spent the rest of the match in his chair watching his hopes of winning his first televised tournament disappear. After slotting a red into a baulk corner, Brecel compiled a marvellous break of 111 to end the event in style. It’s the second pro title of the 25-yearold’s career and first since the 2017 China Championship. He left the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes with total prize money of £30,000 plus a spot in the lucrative Champion of Champions at the same venue in November. “I am usually cool under pressure but on that break I was very nervous, shaking on every shot,” admitted world number 37 Brecel, who was the only player to go unbeaten in all nine matches during the tournament, winning three and drawing the other six. “That frame was probably the biggest test of my career because Ben was playing so well. It was a struggle to pot the balls, until I got to 50 or 60 and then I knew I wasn’t going to miss. To win a title is amazing. “To be in the Champions of Champions as well is a massive bonus, that made the final more special. It gives me something to look forward to.” Earlier on the final day, Brecel beat Stuart Bingham 3-0 and drew 2-2 with

Ryan Day, while Woollaston scored a 3-1 success over Day and lost 3-1 to Bingham. That left Brecel a point ahead of his opponent going into the decisive last match. And when the Belgian took the first frame, making a break of 67, he knew he needed just one of the last three for the title. The contest turned when world number 38 Woollaston made a 141 total clearance in frame two – aided by a huge fluke on the pink on 25. And the 33-year-old fired another century, 126, in the third. But his narrow miss early in the last frame turned out to be costly. He finished second in the group and takes home £18,000. The next tournament at the same venue, also televised on ITV4, will be the Coral Tour Championship from June 20th to 26th. Again it will be behind closed doors and the same rigorous procedures on testing, sanitisation and social distancing will be followed.

All 116 players, staff and officials at the Matchroom.Live Championship League tested negative for Covid-19 as snooker made a successful return to live action. I enjoyed the event. One reason for this is the fact that we got to see players who we usually never see on the main table, unless they play one of the top boys, more often than not in the rather grim setup of some qualifiers. Here the setup was nice, the commentary was quality. There weren’t many dead matches, the prize money structure being such that, even when out of the event, a player had always a financial incentive to try their best. I’m very happy to see Luca and Ben playing well again. Both are quality but have gone missing in recent years for some reason. Luca seems to have been around for ages, but he’s only 25. Well done Luca and well-done WST.

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WILLIE THORNE T

04/03/1954 - 17/06/2020

he Chalk is upset to report the passing of a Snooker Legend. Mr Maximum Willie Thorne passed peacefully on the 17th June in a Spanish Hospital following a short illness. A true icon of the sport, both on and off the table and also part of the BBC commentary team Willie picked up his cue in 2018 after a 27-year break to compete on the World Seniors Tour. Here he is ‘back home’ playing at The Crucible Theatre in August. RIP the great WT.

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COACH BARRY STARK >> www.patreon.com/barrystarksnookercoach <<

RESIDENT COACH BARRY STARK GIVES HIS MONTHLY ADVICE TO THE CHALK READERS Here at The Chalk we are delighted to have Barry Stark as our resident coach. Every month we will feature two videos from Barryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s YouTube page to help you improve your snooker game. To watch the videos just click the images below.

This video is Part 4 about Cueing in a straight line. Barry teaches you how to establish fixed points in your cueing action and what you should do to establish a good fixed point to the body. This will help you strike the cue ball correctly.

This video is Part 5 about Cueing in a straight line. Barry teaches you how to establish fixed points in your cueing action and what you should do when the ball is near the cushion. This will help you strike the cue ball correctly. BECAUSE EVERY CUE SPORTS PLAYER NEEDS IT // www.thechalk.co.uk

RODNEY REMEMBERS >> www.thechalk.co.uk <<

RODNEY GOGGINS LOOKS BACK AT A MATCH THAT PULLED HIM INTO SNOOKER

irst round matches and best of nine frame contests aren’t usually spoken about when you’re dealing with great matches. The following match wasn’t the greatest ever standard. But for excitement and atmosphere it rates very high. I make no apology in my writing that it can be nostalgic at times but this was the era of players I grew up in and I wouldn’t change a thing. Over the last few years there has been many an article written about these two complete opposite snooker players and even a film made (The Rack Pack). Maybe this wasn’t even their greatest encounter, maybe the 1983 Coral UK Championship final was better but I decided to go on the atmosphere and something different for people to read. I try not to get into the rivalry and polar opposite of night and day that them as people were and their games brought. This has been done many times before, but with this match, I wanted to show how important these two players were to snooker, and to a younger generation, when they played, the level of expectation playing a match against each other would reach fever pitch. I would class myself a snooker nerd and an oddball, I love the two of them as players, which would be very odd, you were either for one or the other, one was getting an outdated natural artist at this stage, who maybe reached his playing height in 1980, an artist who was beginning to use darker volatile colours for the picture of life; the other a well-oiled winning snooker machine that was pushing the standard to its maximum height, and for future generations would show as a blue print for technique. As for the rivalry overall, in hindsight, too much romantic notions has been said about it, the machine would wreck the artist many a time. This wasn’t Borg and McEnroe. When a fully charged and pumped up Alex Higgins, the Irishman decked out in a rather conservative dress for him, mainly black, a red back waistcoat, no bow tie, white butterfly shirt with black spots, the only bit of extragravent wear were the white spats on the black shoes, and the excessive jewellery on his left hand, holding onto his new cue he received from a taxi man one night only three weeks previously, got announced and walked out to a packed and expected 16

Wembley Conference Centre crowd on a Wednesday night of the Benson and Hedges Masters in late January, 1985, he was about to play his opponent, reigning World Champion, Steve Davis, wearing from his head to toe in a black suit, bow-tie and white shirt, for the fifth time of the 1984/85 season. It was 4 nil record to Davis that season and a 13-2 record, since 1980, for the Englishman. The record didn’t make a difference to the paying public, especially the loyal Higgins fans, as all the tickets were sold out before Christmas 1984, 2,692 of them, which were just a few weeks before when Davis scolded Higgins 16-8 in the Coral UK Championship final. Steve Davis got announced in front of his own home London crowd and a chorus of boos with the minority of the section. Davis, and the referee, John Smyth, would have his hands full this particular night, with the crowd being on Higgins’s side, the Romford player in later years admitted that he didn’t like the claustorophic boiling pot of the Conference Centre. Who could forget the beautiful light creamy brown table and the lovely flower arrangement arena awaited for them, with photographers awaiting the last few photo’s they need for their deadlines for the following morning’s

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papers. Everyone expected and waited, even though it was only a first round game. In the first frame, a tentative first few shots in the opening frame with Davis, getting the first potable chance, but missing a red over the corner pocket, Higgins making 14 then miscueing completely and fouling the black, the Nugget got going and making 66 and looked like he was concentrating on a high break and a clearance, elected to cannon out a red, this unhinged his positional play, giving him a very awkward red to go at, thus missing it, with the cue ball stuck on the side cushion. The Hurricane making 32 but missing a red gifting Davis the frame with the last red over the pocket and remaining colours. 1 nil Davis. Second frame, Higgins broke off, looking back now, the Irishman always had a lovely break off, strange that sounds, always got a great length on the cue ball, and kept the pack tight and not just this match, I watched him a lot over the years. Tactical exchanges between them were evident again, with Davis winning the first opening, but only making 6, Higgins won the frame in three visits, losing the cue ball at vital times, but his long potting was in range and that was getting him in. 1 Frame all. In the

third frame Alex led the frame 56-17, Davis making a major hole in the gap, Higgins back in the seat, living every shot that his opponent was playing, concentration of a chess grand master and a nervous energy of an excited child, another thing he had in abundance was aura from the seat. Davis making a 25 break and missing a very similar red to the famous black in the same pocket that he would miss

office and a shot maker, he proceeded to make a 61 but mispositioned on the last red and missed a cut back with a ton of check side on the white, leaving the red in the jaws. Davis clearing the last red and the colours for 33 and a 4-3 lead. “Cool as ice” bellowed Clive Everton in the commentary box. A determined Higgins took the next frame 74-35 with Davis failing to put the match away and with an early

cushion side cushion and on a pink in the middle, which was dispatched a few seconds later, this was followed by a slap on his thigh and a respectful handshake to his Davis. A great night for Higgins and his spectators state Everton from the commentary box. He looked into the crowd, his adoring public yearning for him, and with a clenched fist, he spoke out “we are f*****g back”. That was picked up

A GREAT MATCH ONE THAT WILL LIVE IN THE MEMORY; UNFORTUNATELY IT GOT MARRED BY A FEW UNRULY SPECTATORS. against Dennis Taylor in April of that year. Higgins potting the half ball last red on the table and winning the game 87-36. 2-1 Higgins. Davis made a 75 in the fourth frame. 2 frames apiece as they went to the interval. Davis came out and went 38 nil up, Higgins had 63 missed a bad red with the rest beside the pink by electing to roll it instead of stunning the shot. Davis clearing up to the pink when he misjudged cannon, made 20. Played a thin cut safety, Higgins clearly able to clip the pink but hit the black, the current World Champion asked him to play the following shot, Higgins playing an extraggravent banana safety but it didn’t work out, pink left over the middle with Davis potting the quarter ball pink. 3-2 Davis. Sixth frame Higgins won a scrappy and uneven frame, 66-57. Three frames each. Seventh frame, Davis went 34 nil up, Higgins was on a break of 3 with a tight pack to go at, surely a safety was next, but he concocted a plant, which he screwed back to baulk, which meant he wasn’t confident of potting it, reds scattered everywhere, the frame was at his mercy. The crowd was at its loudest after this shot, this is what they came to see, this is why the Hurricane was box

35 break in the eight frame. 4 frames each. The ninth and final frame, Davis started off with a 36 and mispositioned after potting a red, the cue ball got stuck to the pack, the next shot; he showed his tactical brain in pushing the black to the top cushion. A safety battle ensured, and Higgins overhit two safeties, and Davis inched for the winning line at 53-0 up, but after he badly missed a mid-range red that maybe was 7 foot away from the white, the determined Higgins as ever, seen a chink in the armour of Davis, and boy did he expose it. Not for the first time in his career, produced a gutsy 51 when his back was against the wall. He played a poor positional shot from potting the last brown to blue when he looked nailed on for victory. He ran off the blue back to safety. But the master cueman played a home dinger safety, catching Higgins in a snooker behind the black, but he swerved out of it and got the blue to safety once again. Another few safety shots, Higgins caught Davis in a snooker with the pink coming into the line of the shot. Davis left a chance on his visit, and the bouncing Higgins came to the table and potted a thin cut blue in a blind pocket with the white running side

by the BBC cameras and the sound system. The crowd baying for their people’s champion hugged and clawed at him, when one of the ushers quickly got his cue away. Later on that evening he did an interview and said he personally hated Steve Davis, but respected his as a professional. A few months after he got fined for the curse and the interview, bringing the game into disrepute. Two days after, the famous first round encounter, proved another false dawn for Higgins and his supporters, Terry Griffiths who would undo Alex Higgins a lot in his career would once again put an end to the Irishman, 5-1 in the quarter-finals. With Cliff Thorburn going onto win his second out of three Masters titles and defeat Doug Mountjoy 9-5 later in the week. A great match one that will live in the memory; unfortunately it got marred by a few unruly spectators. As for the two players, for the rest of the 80’s, Higgins and Davis, they would be like ships in the night, briefly encountering each other but from afar distance in terms of standard, the machine was gunning down titles and the artist, running out vibrant colours on the table fast, instead off the table misdeamours would take precedent. I still love and respect the two of them.

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SNOOKER BACKER >> www.twitter.com/snookerbacker <<

POPULAR SNOOKER BLOGGER @SNOOKERBACKER PENS HIS REGULAR COLUMN

o snooker is back, but not as we know it. The first competitive action we’ve seen since lockdown took place in Milton Keynes under strict(ish) quarantine rules and was successfully completed without anyone having to be sent home or inconveniently die (yet). A huge congratulations obviously to all at Matchroom and World Snooker who made it happen in the face of many challenges. Ironically, it was won by virus denier Luca Brecel, who presumably huffed and puffed in indignation when turning up at the venue only to be confronted by all that bloody hygiene and someone wanting to ram a stick up his hooter with the ridiculous intention of making sure everyone was safe and well. While the snooker on the table was mixed, the main talking points off it was how lockdown had treated some of the players and as ever the main focus was on Ronnie O’Sullivan. Ronnie arrived on our screens with an impressive moustache, almost Willie Thorne-esque in terms of volume and colour, though I’d mark him down slightly on shape. But The Rocket was clearly proud of his new look. Further hilarity ensued as Ronnie claimed he’d carried off the Mexican druglord ‘El Chapo’ look, when the common concensus on social media was that he looked something like a cross between that leather clad 70’s gay icon from The Village People, Yozzer Hughes from Boys from the Blackstuff and Blakey from On the Buses. Another high profile player whose appearance changed quite drastically was Kyren Wilson. Kyren appeared to have gone from black haired warrior to grey squirrel in a matter of weeks, leaving fans wondering if the Darius from Pop Idol look he’s been carefully cultivating for all these years may

have come from a bottle. Alternatively, he might just have taken a shine to the Philip Schofield look and decided to lighten it up a bit. As someone who has spent far too long than is healthy watching Philip and Hollie during lockdown I can empathise a bit with this. Other highlights and lowlights were slowly seeing Judd Trump turning into Terry Griffiths, Neil Robertson coming out as Shirley Temple, Daniel Wells arriving as one of the Bros brothers and Nigel Bond sporting his grey locks in the style of Liam Gallagher when he first started going full on John Lennon. This lockdown has done some serious

there would arguably have been no need at all to have any distancing

THIS LOCKDOWN HAS DONE SOME SERIOUS THINGS TO THE POTTERS. things to the potters. The one thing I’d question a little about the whole hygiene thing is the testing regime. Most players were tested first on the day they were playing or the day before and I’m surprised given that the government says the virus can incubate undetected for 7 days that this was given the thumbs up as being OK. If they’d all got there the week before and been tested then

or separate rests. It’s almost like the government are making it up as they go along, surely not. Anyway, thoughts now turn to the World Championship and we’re hoping to have more details on the qualifiers soon. World Snooker seem determined to hold them in Sheffield in July so we await the next move with baited breath. Until next time.

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NEWS FROM THE BAIZE >> BY TOM MOORCROFT <<

SNOOKER IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA

t’s finally back. The moment which many snooker fans across the nation, nay, the world, have been waiting for. Snooker is finally back on our screens. No more dreams of high-breaks and jaw dropping frames, all we need to do is flick ITV4 on and it’s there for all to behold. However, there’s one question which has rattled everyone’s minds... Why doesn’t it feel the same? I think my initial response to this question, as I sat there wondering where all the passion had gone from the sport, was quite simple really. There’s no crowd. Of course, the average snooker crowd isn’t inept to the odd person falling asleep, but it’s also chock full of crowd engagement. The ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. The shouts of “come on Ronnie” as he’s about to sink a 147. With the Championship League played behind closed doors, it’s clear that the lack of a live crowd doesn’t only affect how we take in the sport, but the players are under a unique feeling of stress. The aforementioned Ronnie has spoken out about this in depth over the last week. The ‘pod’ format, in which players are having to take COVID-19 tests prior to their games, then isolating themselves for an entire day, is adding more complications to the sport. I guess not having a crowd might relax a few players, but people like Ronnie, who thrive off of that audience, will be seriously impacted. Discussing the nature of the competition, he said: “If every tournament was to be like this, then I’m not sure I would be able to do it.” “I have struggled. I was in the room for 24 hours so I have had a bit of a headache and started to get a bit of a cough and can’t even get the window open.” The current situation sees players arriving at the venue one day prior to

Neil Robertson’s Instagram post.

their performance, being tested for COVID-19 and then self-isolating in their own private area, before their test (hopefully) comes back negative. Ronnie’s even spoken out against the food provided by the catering company at the Marshall Arena, where the Championship League is being played. He said: “I done 16 hours in a cell once, and it was better cause I got to choose my own food.” Neil Robertson also highlighted the unique nature of this tournament, showing fans the process which players are going through on his Instagram. He posted a photo of the area in which players are getting tested. He captioned the photo: “Just got to the venue. Extremely professional set up and now I’m in the “bubble zone”

and can’t leave my room until I get my COVID results back.” Another factor which is making snooker a bit different would be the quality of play that we’ve been seeing. The fact that some players might not be having appropriate practice, given that they may not have the benefits of a practice table at home, means we’ve been seeing more static, complicated snooker than ever. Whilst we seem to be heading towards a period where an audience may be slowly integrated into live games, Hearn is still taking appropriate measures in ensuring we see a World Championship on our screens soon. However, I don’t know about you but I almost want them to wait out until we can have a live crowd in, before they host the tournament. A few months ago I wanted nothing more than snooker back on our screens, but it’s just not the same game. I imagine people would rather wait a bit longer to see someone lift the trophy in front of a roaring crowd, instead of a silent applause from an empty arena. With no major protest from the snooker audience, proceedings will go on for a ‘behind-closed-doors’ tournament, but for now we’ll have to wait and see. Stress from the rigorous health restrictions, combined with a lack of sufficient practice and crowd engagements, are a recipe for tedious snooker. One will hope that, as this new structure starts to become the norm, players will become more adjusted to the unique layout. However, until that moment comes, we’ll be left yearning for the moment when restrictions are lowered, crowds are slowly re-introduced, and we finally have the snooker that we know and love back.

james@jrhmedia.co.uk | 07881 237868 |

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BECAUSE EVERY CUE SPORTS PLAYER NEEDS IT // www.thechalk.co.uk

NEWS FROM THE BAIZE >> www.facebook.com/WorldSeniorsSnooker <<

AMAZING AMOUNT RAISED FOR CHARITY

hen the lockdown began The Snooker Family started a project to keep interest going. Based around those players who had access to private tables the Blue Ball Challenge was created from a conversation between World Seniors Snooker Chairman Jason Francis and their number 1 ranked Super Seniors Player Gary Filtness. The challenge was to attempt ten blue balls off the spot with a league table being created and donations requested for the NHS. The initial idea to raise £1470 quickly got superseded as players from all over the world joined in for the cause. Gary, who we interviewed last month in The Chalk, quickly set the target achieving 10 out of 10 and this was followed with live perfect score efforts from Brian Milne and also a recorded effort from WDBS Champion Andy Johnson. The initiative also saw notable efforts

from the professional and women’s tour as well. After the blue ball players recorded a charity single which again pushed the fundraising towards the £10,000 mark. The song, a cover of Every Breath You Take by The Police, was launched on the final of the World Championships and was played to

Sting who sent a message of support. In order to help get to the revised target of £14,700 Jason came up with a new challenge, First Poke. This has been running for a few weeks with the likes of Jimmy White, Stuart Bingham, Joe Perry, Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy having a go. Highest score to date, at the time of going to print, however is from Austrian amateur Florian Nuessle (pictured) who has made 137. Shaun Murphy pledged to donate £10 for every point he scored, although he managed only 24, he immediately doubled it and his £500 meant the target was reached over the weekend. A fantastic effort from the whole snooker family, but the challenges are continuing with a new target to raise £14,700 to help fund a helpline for the Silence of Suicide Charity, set up by Women’s Tour Player Yvette Greenway-Mansfield and her husband Michael Mansfield QC. The Challenges happen most days on the Facebook page of World Seniors Snooker - www.facebook.com/ WorldSeniorsSnooker/

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BECAUSE EVERY CUE SPORTS PLAYER NEEDS IT // www.thechalk.co.uk

SNOOKER POEM: WE MISS. >> BY CHRIS GAYNOR <<

With UK snooker clubs still closed for many, apart from the professionals, SnookerZone writer Chris Gaynor penned this little number to illustrate how he’s feeling about not being able to play the game he loves. It’s not just playing the game we miss! We miss the sound of the balls thundering in the pockets…

We miss the sound of voices echoing around, shouting, “yes, get in there, my son”.

We miss the sight of our opponent missing the pot and sighing and making a sound… Why did I miss?” he shouts.

We miss watching the Rocket pot them all on the tele…

We miss the rattle of the drink’s glasses and the sizzle of the sausages cooking in the frying pan. We miss the sight of seeing the scores go up and up – yeah, it’s 100, man. We miss the clap of that one person who utters, “cracking shot mate.” But most of all, we miss, we miss…

We miss being able to shake hands with our mates. And being able to impress those female dates.

We miss being able to bang the cue down on the floor,

In desperation of leaving and desperately wanting to return for more… We miss to miss…

We miss those special moments of laughter, tears, and joy. We miss the joy of playing with our little girl or wee boy… We miss being able to tap the table in appreciation. Or banging our knuckles in desperation. But most of all, we miss to miss…

We miss chatting to that guy who works hard for free table time We miss asking him if he’d like a frame.

We miss knocking in a belter down the rail

And hearing that guy kick up a stink on another table. We miss feeling how we used to…

Parking the car, getting that snooker feeling meeting you know who… But most of all, we miss to miss…

We miss the smell of rotten tobacco outside in the bins… Nah, we don’t really.

But we miss watching others light up outside,

Trying to de-stress from the pressures of missing,

As we miss having our own intervals with a cup of Rosie and a sausage butty… We miss to miss…

We miss running our hands over the rough nap of the cloth, Or swatting that damn pesky Moth,

We miss seeing the lampshade flicker,

With that guy Pete telling us it’s time for dinner… But most of all

We miss to miss…

We miss meeting up with coach, who tells us we’re knocking them in OK, And we miss when he gives us a big boost and then likes to say… “Here’s your homework for next session, enjoy”… We miss time flying,

Working on those new routines, stressing about too hard trying… But most of all,

We miss to miss… BECAUSE EVERY CUE SPORTS PLAYER NEEDS IT // www.thechalk.co.uk

BECAUSE EVERY CUE SPORTS PLAYER NEEDS IT // www.thechalk.co.uk