Before the World Cup began, I mentioned that the team with the biggest disparity of achievement was Australia, so congratulations to Neil Robertson and Steve Mifsud for qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Mifsud, a very experienced amateur, has played his part to the full in what has been a true team effort.
Like many Australian cueists, he has been inspired by the performances of his celebrated compatriot.
"What Neil has done for Australian snooker over the last six years has really inspired a lot of people back home," Mifsud said.
"The feeling for snooker in Melbourne is really good and there are lots of people playing and it's down to what Neil has done.
"All of the overseas players respect what he has done as they know how hard it is. But it's been a magnificent achievement to go to the UK and break through."
Of course, both Aussies will be heading to Bendigo next week for the Australian Goldfields Open, where Mifsud and his brother, James, have won wildcards.
A proud sporting nation, Australia's favourable climate has generally meant outdoor sport has taken precedence.
Robertson only began playing snooker because his father, Ian, ran a club in Melbourne.
But the more his fellow countrymen are aware of him and his achievements, the more will be inspired to give snooker a go.
The late Eddie Charlton was an industrious promoter who did his best to fly the flag for Australian snooker.
And Robertson, with his flair, personable nature and, most importantly, achievements on the table, can do the same.
14 comments:
Would it have not made more sense to have two points for a win, as opposed to the scoring system which rewards how many frames you win.
If there had been ties then you have used the frame counts to break them apart. It is a convoluted qualification process.
Pity Joe Swail didnt qualify for the northern irl team. he would add a bit more colour than green and is actually from northern ireland, unlike green who is english.
I agree 5.27. Anybody tuning into this match would see two teams represented by an English flag, 3 English players and an Irishman. Did nobody tell Eurosport that N.I have there own flag
The World Snooze more like zzzz
Im enjoying the tournament so far.
Its nice to see a few new players up against more seasoned pros and having the chance to beat them over one frame.
Regarding the points system, the only change I would make would be to award a bonus point for a win. This would avoid the scenario where a team could win all their matches and go out.
It would be nice to see some analysis though. Surely Mike Smith would be better at presenting than commentating. He has the voice and personality and could interview players and experts after matches.
It would give the programme a bit more of an organised feel about it instead of a constant stream of matches. Im not bad mouthing Eurosport. Im thrilled to have access to so much snooker over the season, but a couple of minor tweaks is all they need to knock the Beeb off their perch. For all Mike's faults, he is streets ahead of repetitive Hazel.
645
There was a northern ireland flag used on my tv
kc - good idea
is mike going to telephone the players and interview them via conference call?
New rule:
If you need 3 snookers or more to win the frame and there are no reds left on the table, you must concede.
Now Ronnie has drawn out. The non-surprise of the century. Had he gone I would have seen it as a change in his attitude (which was starting to build with the whole sports psychology thing) but it is apparently business as usual.
ronnie has pulled out
Didn't Matthew Syed once present snooker coverage on EuroSport?
This knocking off perch stuff is silly. The BBC should keep the majors to give the sport the large exposure. EuroSport do the rest of it, apart from Sky's two events. It's an ideal situation for now.
However, do feel that with now Autmn BBC event free to air viewers need another event to punctuate the long gap between the World and UK Championships.
If the points system had been like I said would it have altered the composition of the last eight?
Really enjoyed this month's Snooker Scene. It is nice to read about the sport heading places as opposed to having read articles about the internal wrangling that was blighting the sport. It feels that we are now talking about on-the-table things a lot more.
Although it was perfectly understandable that the magazine talked about all the wrongdoing of the previous regimes.
life on both sides of the fence, by jamie brannon
According to Marcus Stead, Syed did commentate on the snooker for Eurosport but not present.
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