With so much happening in the game over the last year, Power Snooker seems like a distant memory.
However, out of nowhere it is back. Next month a two-day event in Manchester will launch what is believed to be a grand prix series of several tournaments, which suggests Power Snooker organisers have received substantial investment.
The first event divided opinion sharply. Some thought it a bit of harmless fun in which players could show a different side to their personalities, others a moronic waste of time aimed at the lowest common denominator.
The top 16 have been invited – at rather late notice – to play next month. An ominous line in the invitation letter informs them that if they don’t accept they will be ineligible for any future Power Snooker tournaments.
With a first prize of £25,000 – and possibly much more to come – it is unlikely many players will turn down the invite.
The two days will be broadcast on ITV4. World Snooker’s attitude is that they should not deny their players a chance to earn more money, providing Power Snooker and such innovations do not clash with existing tournaments.
Many sports have these distracting off shoots. Indeed, as I wrote after the Power Snooker launch, that’s exactly what snooker originally was – a game devised from other cue sports.
It is never going to replace traditional snooker but we live and die by the market and, if sufficient interest exists, then it may be able to establish itself as a diverting attraction set aside the game we all know and love.
20 comments:
Dave, I was surprised you didn't comment on yesterday's news about the EASB being recognised as a national sports governing body by Sport England. I thought this was a big deal for snooker?
Stephen Hendry is now starting to see the advantages of losing his top 16 place.
An ominous line in the invitation letter informs them that if they don’t accept they will be ineligible for any future Power Snooker tournaments.
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if i was a player id be rejecting the invite what more insentive do they need they wont be asked again.
Power Snooker is a silly idea, and that is coming from me, a moderniser who wants a few shot clock rank events. Shoot out is better but still needs a few tweaks, but Power Snooker is overly complicated and a mess.
Players will never take it seriously because it will never carry rank points or be associated with Snooker in any way. There is nothing to play for but straps of cash.
It may well bring a few more fans to the game, that's great but I would much rather have a serious ranking shot clock event or 2 where fans and players can actually CARE about what is going on. Instead we get this absolute gimmick.
Liking the comment at 10.18.
Can't believe they're bringing this rubbish back after last year's fiasco.
It's only delaying the inevitable anyway. With so much proper snooker on offer nowadays, there's no place for this trash, and it'll just fizzle out, leaving its backers to nurse some serious financial bruising. The longer they persist with it, the more money they'll lose.
And I would go as far to say that this pathetic little gimmick was created with the soul intention of appeasing traditionalists.
At least it is confined to UK viewers this time around. There is nothing wrong with trying new things and gimmicks as there is an audience for all weird things, BUT the crowds were awful! That shouting and singing could not have been more misplaced. It never felt happy or supportive, just mean spirited and distracting.
I was glad to see power snooker last year. It was a welcome distraction as a light entertainment, in the way that big break was or Bullseye for darts.
Things are different now though.
As we move towards a full calendar of events, with players opting out of not only PTC's, but some rankers, events like this, for some players anyway, might serve as an alternative to a proper snooker event.
Why would a player travel to Brazil or India to play an invitation tournament when they can hop in the car and compete for the same money in a gimmick event down the road?
I can't see power snooker become a permanent fixture, so long term it is unlikely to damage the real game, but in the short term it might slow down the growth of the game overseas.
I think it is extremely sad that ITV4 do not appear to be interested in showing an actual snooker tournament, but are prepared to give something like 6 hours of live broadcast time to this.
Just looking at BARB for info on viewing figures for last year, Power snooker wasn't in the top 10 programmes on ITV4 that week, meaning it must have got less than 300,000 viewers (a showing of 'A View to a Kill' on ITV4 the following Monday got 417,000 viewers).
Does Trevor East still have such influence at ITV that he is able to get them to show this excerable bastardisation of a snooker tournament even though no-one wants to watch it?
Also will this be a World Snooker sanctioned event again? I can't see how it can after the awfulness of last year's event.
Have to agree with the last teo comments. Power Snooker- what a load of rubbish, can't ITV show some proper snooker??
Can't believe Power Snooker is back. It was rubbish the first time it was staged. It's not how snooker should be played, and the people who were shouting were apparently being paid to do so.
Barry Hearn has trumped them by coming up with the idea of the Shootout, which was a huge success and was great to watch. The sooner Power Snooker disappears the better
Maybe the commentators for this should be cage fighter Alex Reid and outspoken rugby pundit Brain Moore.
Don't say that too loud, Anonymous at 5.33...
Brain Moore?
I remember an old Gloucestershire bowler called Brian Brain.
I'll rather watch horse racing without horses than Power snooker !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anon, you'd be left with a bunch of guys holding whips, that would probably be better than anything.
crap gimmick
rubbish last year
stop altering it to suit one selfish player!
stop altering it to suit one selfish player!
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I dislike Power Snooker as much as anyone but it doesn't favour one player it favours one type of player, just like traditional Snooker favours the match player likes of J. Higgins. There is nothing wrong with catering to both sets of players and fans.
The problem is... Power Snooker is rubbish compared to Shot Clock Snooker or Shoot out.
snooker is snooker
snooker with gimmicks including shot clocks is snooker geared up for one player only. that player who can only win the egg and spoon events these days.
i wonder if we will be able to actually see the table this time.
horrible production last time.
will clive be doing any commentary?
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