Poland has for a number of years now been an area in which snooker has become increasingly popular.
As in Germany, new fans have been created by the exposure of the game on Eurosport and I’m sure there’s great excitement in Warsaw for PTC6, which began today, with the professionals coming in tomorrow.
For this reason it is a shame so many of the sport’s top players have decided to give it a miss.
Those who have gone have the chance to gain valuable ranking points ahead of the first seedings revision of the season.
The top 16 on Monday will be at the Masters, so it’s a big few days for players such as Martin Gould and Mark Davis, who are battling for a place in the elite group for the first time.
In the various other bands, too, the race for places is on. There is no material difference between being ranked 17th and 32nd but a world of difference if you are 33rd and not 32nd.
The value to snooker of the British PTCs, certainly in Sheffield, is open to question, although they do provide players with the playing opportunities they have been calling for.
But the European PTCs, which carry television coverage on Eurosport, are important. There may be a full blown ranking event in Warsaw one day but most events – the World Championship included – have started on a small scale and then grown.
Poland of course have their own players, including teenager Kacper Filipiak, who impressed in the World Cup.
Like all youngsters he has a lot to learn but there’s no better way than to be rubbing shoulders with the leading professionals.
A word of caution, though, when it comes to scheduling, and this links back to the World Series, which also visited Warsaw.
The best sport is competitive. A series of processions on the first couple of days do not provide drama or entertainment.
Therefore, matches chosen for the television should be competitive, not a series of slaps handed down by top players to plucky amateurs.
I would personally rather watch a couple of middle ranking pros playing each other than a member of the top 16 hammering an unknown 4-0.
Of course, that’s easy for me to write. In the real world, with commercial concerns, it isn’t so simple.
It’ll be interesting to see who comes through the pack this weekend. The likes of Judd Trump, Stephen Maguire, Shaun Murphy and Ali Carter must be fancying their chances with many of their leading rivals not present.
But the most important thing that can happen is that Polish snooker fans have their emotional investment in the sport repaid so that they want to come back and watch again in the future.
9 comments:
Lets hope its a success. Echoes of Brazil again though with so many big names missing as snooker tries to crack a new market which is dissapointing.
Is it merely concidence or is there a reason why so many big names have chosen to skip this event?
The live streaming picks to date seem to regularly feature the old legends like Drago, Jimmy and Davis who are popular, Eastern players to cater for that market then the top 16 players who have attractive matches on paper. I guess this is a fair balance shown to date as it ticks most boxes.
In hindsight its easy to be annoyed at one sided matches being shown as most are predictable 4-0s beforehand but i guess the big names have lots of fans wanting to view their games, plus theres always the chance a shock result might happen which would be a shame not to be caught on camera.
Is there going to be a 'Hendrycard' round at the Masters?
Dave, you are right to question the value of the Sheffield PTC's. I know I've harped on before about promoting the EPTC's prizemoney and rankings above the Sheffield ones, but an addition of 25k to each EPTC and 10k less to the British ones, would have a nett cost of only 60K.
With a similar change in ranking points and a 20k first prize, the EPTC's would become medium rather than minor events, and the Sheffield events would offer lower ranked players an opportunity.
Some might say that the EPTC's would have too high a tariff, but they would be virtually a ranking tournament by then anyway, and would still only be worth about a third of the Chinese totals, which should carry the same points as any other best of nine ranker.
Obviously the world championship points need to be increased as well.
Am I right in believing that, at present, the EPTCs are paid in Euros, as opposed to pounds for the home PTCs, and that Euros are worth less than pounds?
So, at present, the EPTCs are worth less than the PTCs?
Reminding joke: Q: Why is the contour integral of western Europe equal to zero
A: All the Poles are in the east...
This is not meant as sexist, but watching the ptc match between trump and gorecki on europsort today i could not help but wonder if the ref (i think she is ben wollenston's wife) is more likely to leave hairs on the table after she replaces a ball. this not a problem most male refs would have
This is not meant as sexist, but watching the ptc match between trump and gorecki on europsort today i could not help but wonder if the ref (i think she is ben wollenston's wife) is more likely to leave hairs on the table after she replaces a ball. this not a problem most male refs would have
2:51 PM
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most of the male refs are going bald though so there as likely to shed hair haha
Nice crowds. Poland is no disappointment.
Wow, Steve Davis is on a roll! Three wins, apparently with a borrowed cue.
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