2024 World Snooker Championship

[17 stone giant]

23 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

This is turning into a very unpredictable championship.

Your predictions are certainly making it look that way. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

19 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

Your predictions are certainly making it look that way. 

I can't believe how many of the games are going against the favourite. Selby is down 8-4 as I write this! No one could possibly have predicted that scoreline! 

[17 stone giant]

3 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

I can't believe how many of the games are going against the favourite. Selby is down 8-4 as I write this! No one could possibly have predicted that scoreline! 

I agree. 8-5 now though. Will be interesting to see if O'Connor can hold his nerve and get over the line.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

15 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I agree. 8-5 now though. Will be interesting to see if O'Connor can hold his nerve and get over the line.

Mindset is such a big part of playing at the Crucible, keeping your concentration for the whole match, something the more experienced players are tuned into doing which is why so many debutants do tend to struggle and so many of the old guard keep going strong. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

4 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

I agree. 8-5 now though. Will be interesting to see if O'Connor can hold his nerve and get over the line.

And Selby is out. The top seeds are dropping like flies! 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

This tournament is extroadinary. Another one of the favourites is out after Mark Williams lost 10-9 to the young Chinese player, Si Jiahui. 

[Moose]

The thing I’ve noticed most is the closeness of the players to each other when sat in their chairs. I’ve watched a fair bit this year and never seen any words or glances between one another. It looks very awkward at times. Maybe it is time to change to a larger venue.

Tomorrow afternoon sees the start of Ronnie’s Crucible campaign, looking forward to it, in my book he’s the favourite.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

On 23/04/2024 at 19:44, Moose said:

The thing I’ve noticed most is the closeness of the players to each other when sat in their chairs. I’ve watched a fair bit this year and never seen any words or glances between one another. It looks very awkward at times. Maybe it is time to change to a larger venue.

Tomorrow afternoon sees the start of Ronnie’s Crucible campaign, looking forward to it, in my book he’s the favourite.

The players rarely talk to each other in the arena. Their minds are totally focused on the match and nothing else, they are completely in the zone, focused on the table and won't be distracted by anything. 

You see this when they're stood waiting to enter the arena. Hawkins and Day yesterday were chatting away like the good mates they are backstage but as soon as they walked into that arena a switch was flicked and their minds were on the game.

You saw similar with Selby and O'Connor; really good friends who have known each other for 20 years, since O'Connor was a kid going into the club Selby played at. Selby basically mentored O'Connor and coached him when he was a kid and a teenager but they did not say a word to each other during their game. The moment the game ended however Selby jumped up with a massive smile on his face, congratulating his friend and giving him a massive hug. They're just professionals being professional. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

So far 8 of the 16 seeds have fallen in the first round, and Higgins' match with Jamie Jones is still very close after the first session so it might be 9. This is an incredibly unpredictable and intriguing championship. It really feels like anything could happen. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

The tables were re-covered last night and watching Judd v Tom Ford, it is obvious Judd is certainly not happy with the new cloth. He's miscued a couple of times and misjudged the pace quite a bit as well as making gestures at the table and faces and constantly smoothing the cloth. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Well I've seen players losing their cool many, many times before but I can't recall seeing a player throwing their cue across the arena as Robert Milkins did yesterday! 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Well done to Jak Jones for his victory over Si Jiahui! Jak has only ever qualified for the World Championship twice, this year and last, and on both occasions he has made it to the Quarter-Finals. He is a player that really thrives on the big stage! 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Ronnie certainly not playing his best against Ryan Day. He's making a lot of unforced errors and missing quite a few easy pots, including a couple of blacks off the spot (big no no) but Ryan is simply not taking advantage of this and Ronnie is still slowly pulling away on the scoreboard. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

An epic final session from Mark Allen and John Higgins! Some utterly mind blowing safety play, some of the best I've ever seen, just a shame one of these great players had to go home and its the Northern Irishman who'll have to wait another year to get to his maiden final. 

The quarter finals are looking very intriguing. 4 qualifiers have got through to the last 8 with 1 guaranteed a place in the semis as Dave Gilbert takes on Stephen Maguire. Maguire has really surprised me this tournament, playing really confidently, scoring strongly, he looks really up for it and with all the shocks we've been seeing in this tournament and with Allen now out on Maguire's side of the draw, I could honestly see him making the final. 

[17 stone giant]

10 hours ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

An epic final session from Mark Allen and John Higgins!

A brilliant match. The double and then the red potted by Higgins to clear up, was pure class. I thought he almost had to go for the double because it wouldn't have been easy to avoid leaving Allen the red over the bottom left corner. But the red he played was incredible bottle - he could easily have played safe off it, or played a pot but with safety in mind. To play it at that pace to go up for the brown - and considering the risks involved - it's one of the best shots I've ever seen. It's a shame there had to be a loser, because both of them were immense.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Two frames for the snooker purists at the start of Trump and Jak Jones's second session and I'm loving it!

Two ridiculously long, tactical frames, no big breaks at all, just the odd ball potted between dozens of safeties. Second frame is still ongoing as I write this and we're heading towards an hour! I love snooker!

[The Hallucinating Goose]

The final session of Trump and Jones, and Jones has taken the first frame, and got a 9-8 lead. We're watching Wales' next superstar here! I'm so glad it's my day off!

[17 stone giant]

So Trump needs to win the remaining frames at least 4-1 to stay in this year's Cazoo World Snooker Championship (said in a John Virgo voice).

That's a tough ask given how he's playing. I think his goose is cooked! No offense, Goose.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Jak Jones. Wow. Just wow. 

[HaxbyKnight]

Great performance from the Welshman. Made even better by the fact John Virgo was nowhere near the commentary box. 

Does anybody know why this match continued this morning even though they played the evening session yesterday? Surely O'Sulliven v. Bingham should have have been today's morning and evening session.

[17 stone giant]

4 hours ago, HaxbyKnight said:

Does anybody know why this match continued this morning even though they played the evening session yesterday? Surely O'Sulliven v. Bingham should have have been today's morning and evening session.

I was wondering that but assumed maybe because it's Ronnie they wanted him broadcast at a better time than 10am. But then I heard Neil Robertson talking in commentary about having to play a similar session before himself, so I really don't know.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

5 hours ago, HaxbyKnight said:

Great performance from the Welshman. Made even better by the fact John Virgo was nowhere near the commentary box. 

Does anybody know why this match continued this morning even though they played the evening session yesterday? Surely O'Sulliven v. Bingham should have have been today's morning and evening session.

I'm really not sure, I think it's just random but it could be because they wanted each session to have a match that ended because if you notice each session in the quarters aside from the last one has had this, a game to the finish and one that doesn't, maybe so if the one going to an end ends quickly there is still some play for all the fans in the arena to watch. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Stuart Bingham, you legend! What a performance that was, performance of the whole tournament! I can't believe the snooker I just witnessed, that was incredible, truly, truly incredible! Where has this form been from him in the last couple of season?! 

What a semi-final lineup we have, absolutely no one could have predicted this last 4. 3 qualifiers have made it through and the games are so unpredictable. All 4 players have played so unbelievable stuff and any of them could win the championship! What a championship this has been! 

Semi-finals:

Dave Gilbert v Kyren Wilson

Jak Jones v Stuart Bingham

[The Hallucinating Goose]

This is the first time since 1977 that 3 qualifiers have made it to the semi-finals. This has been an extroadinary championship. 

[17 stone giant]

I've always liked Bingham so if he wins it again I'd be perfectly happy with that.

My preference though would be to see a new winner, partly so we get to see the Crucible Curse being tested again next year.

I don't have a clue who I think is going to win. If I was betting on it, I'd probably say Wilson, but Bingham, Jones and Gilbert have all been excellent.

It's been a great tournament so far.