Wildcards add an important local dimension to ranking tournaments but it seems unlikely any of the six involved in the Bahrain Championship tomorrow can cause an upset.
The six have been drawn from different countries in the Gulf region where snooker is popular but the standard is yet to reach that we are used to on the circuit.
Of course, part of the reason for having wildcards is to help encourage the growth of the game in a particular country.
Ding Junhui was a wildcard in the 2005 China Open in Beijing and went on to win the title, sparking a snooker boom in the process.
Oddly, the one wildcard possibly capable of springing a surprise, Bahrain’s own Habib Subah, who has previously played on the main tour, has not been put on the main table by tournament organisers.
This means Eurosport’s coverage launches with Rod Lawler’s match against Isa Ali Al-Hashimi and highlights of Mike Dunn against Ahmed Abdulla Asiry.
4 comments:
I would have thought Subba would have been on the TV bearing in mind he is the best player ever to emerge from Bahrain
But that's World Snooker for you!!!
In fairness the schedule was probably done before the wildcards were decided, although it could probably have been changed
Davis v Subah has now been switched to the TV table
Good to know you're reading the blog, Mike
Congrats to Marcus Campbell on his 147, what a way to get snooker off the ground in Bahrain!
Post a Comment