30.6.12

SEMI-FINALS DAY

It’s a semi-final line-up few would have predicted in the Wuxi Classic. In fact, scrap that: it’s a semi-final line-up nobody would have predicted.

But the four men in action today all have one thing in common: they are all committed to the sport.

Stuart Bingham, Mark Davis, Ricky Walden and Marcus Campbell each love their snooker. They love playing. If they weren’t playing today they’d probably be practising.

There have been some unlikely semi-final match-ups down the years. The old ITV tournaments produced a few.

In 1990, the last four of the Mercantile Classic looked like this:

Steve James v Steve Davis; Warren King v Silvino Francisco

The same year’s British Open featured this semi-final line-up:

Alex Higgins v Steve James; Bob Chaperon v Robert Marshall

In fairness, this event used a random draw.

Anyway, there’s £75,000 available for someone. I suppose the logic suggests a Bingham v Walden final as these two are already ranking title winners.

But sport is the great theatre of life, and the ending isn’t pre-ordained.

Mark Davis and Marcus Campbell, as I wrote yesterday, have worked very hard to get to this position.

For those who have never been at the qualifiers, it’s no fun at all. They don’t feel like tournaments. There’s hardly anyone watching. There’s no atmosphere. It’s a trial.

Mark and Marcus have been mired in the qualifiers, at various unglamorous locations, for the best part of two decades.

I don’t care what anyone says: they deserve their moment in the sun. I hope they enjoy it.

8 comments:

Monique said...

Good luck to all four of them. I hope they get a decent audience to cheer on them. They deserve it.

Anonymous said...

im more excited at the line up than i would have been if the spotlight kid was in it.

well done those who bothered to go, rather than try to spoil things because of their own self impo(r)tence

Anonymous said...

Good performance by Bingham to win the decider and Davis to go from 0-4 to 5-4.

A question for Dave/other knowledgeable people: has anyone ever won a tournament with every match going to a decider?

kildare cueman said...

11.30, Didn't Selby win the masters a few years ago with all matches going the distance?

Anonymous said...

Ronnie O'Sullivan has once again used unsubstantiated thinking out loud to make himself look silly.
A series of 8 man tournaments which are without gravitas and history played by puffed up has beens will interest nobody.
Bore off Ronnie.

kildare cueman said...

I suppose if you were going to run some 8 man tourneys in opposition to the governing body, you could always call it world series....

Oh no wait, thats already been tried.

Anonymous said...

only the world series wasnt anything like what "ron" proposes...other than its got snooker players in it.

i think the idea sux kc, but your post was nonsense.

the world series was an invitational promoting the game in places around europe and showcasing local and upcoming talent along with pros

rons idea is top players competing...and im sure it wont travel around like a circus...hes not one to travel.

still, if u want to pretend theyre very similar, do so. doh

Anonymous said...

Why discuss Ronnie here? Let Ricky and Stuart have their day without it being overshadowed by that idiot.