But for the IBSF World Under 21 Championship Neil Robertson may never have had his moment in the sun at the Crucible this year.
The young Australian had already made two attempts at a professional career but made little progress by 2003.
However, Robertson's capture of the world junior title gave him a route back on to the main tour and he has never looked back since.
This year’s World Under 21 Championship begins tomorrow in Letterkenny, Republic of Ireland.
Will it be won by one of the stars of tomorrow?
Among those who have triumphed in the tournament, which was first staged in 1987, in past years are Ken Doherty, Peter Ebdon, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Marco Fu, Ricky Walden, Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo.
There have been others, too, who have failed to make the step up to the professional ranks with any success.
The draw for the event can be found on Global Snooker here.
I see Neil has drawn Dotty again in the World Open after a random draw - nothing dodgy there then!
ReplyDeleteWhy wasn't this draw made in public?
They're billing it as the 'FA Cup of snooker'.
ReplyDeleteFair enough, but in the FA Cup the draw is a vital ingredient of what makes it special and it is always made on TV.
What's the point in making it behind closed doors and inviting people to say it's been rigged?
I welcome the World Open as an innovative format which can see some success (in fact I hope it to be a great success, or at least above average), but I do not understand the draw: weren't those 32 qaulifiers supposed to meet top 32 in the first round? Now it's mixed and it's a bit too confusing. :-(
ReplyDeleteAs for the IBSF U21, it would be nice to see Nick Jennings or Stephen Craigie or maybe Jason Devaney (if he's taking part) to win. Or Shachar Ruberg, for that matter.
if it was rigged do you seriously think they would have drawn Steve Davis to play Peter Ebdon doh
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can glean, the World Open works as follows:
ReplyDelete- First qualifying round is players ranked 65-96 and 32 amateur qualifiers
-Second round is players ranked 33-64 and the 32 winners
- Last 64 is the top 32 and the 32 winners
Each round is drawn at random, although it isn't clear who does the drawing or why it isn't done in public.
So in theory in the 1st round those 32 amateur qualifiers could be pitted against each other while those ranked 65-96 could also play each other, am I right?
ReplyDeleteWow, this REALLY gives an relatively unknown but talented player a chance to appear at the venue and be a star-out-of-nowhere. Could be Joel Walker, for example...
Yes that's the idea. It's modelled on the FA Cup. I just hope the new faces are actually put on the TV if they do get through otherwise the whole exercise will have been a bit pointless from a commercial standpoint.
ReplyDeleteslightly off topic.
ReplyDeletebut do we know if the new and improved Live Scoring will be available next week for shanghai qualifiers ?
Dave 11:21 Yeah I hope Eurosport or whoever decides who will be on TV are not going to be that stupid.
ReplyDeleteSeeing Jason Devaney vs. Jack Lisowski or Joel Walker vs. Michael White on TV - what a fresh air in comparison to the "regular" faces would that be!
So, who is going to televise the final, then?
ReplyDeleteHas Eurosport been confirmed?
Are they the only ones?
If you mean for the World Open it's on the BBC and Eurosport
ReplyDeleteDid Steve Davis put in a "request" for Ebdon after his announcement?
ReplyDeleteIf they've done the draw for the World Open why isn't on their website?
ReplyDeleteI am certain that the draw will throw up a number of anomilies throughout.
ReplyDeleteAlso its probable that the miss rule will come under scrutiny as it creaks and buckles with best-of-five formats, exposing it for what it is.
Robertson/Dott will be a mouthwatering opening clash and hopefully will be watched this time around.
ReplyDeleteLast time they played it was during the small hours with only the somnambulistic amongst us able to view safely.
Hi Dave,on a completly different note,have you any idea of the title of the music,played sometimes as the opening credits in the 80s for the world snooker championships.I think the composer was Vangelis?Any help would be greatly appreicated.Many thnks.
ReplyDeleteI know the theme tune you mean but I'm not sure what it's called
ReplyDeleteTo Anon @ 10.20 the draw was made in front of independent witnesses because I've spoken to some people who went to Bristol to watch the draw.
ReplyDeletethe music in question and cant remember its name was used in late night highlights show instead of the drag racer.
ReplyDeleteIt's 'To the Unknown Man' by Vangelis
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_tV5LOvUrY
Snookerbacker
(Dave still a problem with WP ID's posting to Blogger)
It was used usually on the summary show called 'Frame of the Day'
ReplyDeleteSnookerbacker
i dont understand making the draw and only showing part of it
ReplyDeleteI would like to think that there would still be many stars in the future. The world is a big place with stars floating about, just wanting to be fine arted.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,5.03 many thanks for that info.Brings back great memories for me as a kid staying up on a saturday night to watch the snooker.Thanks again.
ReplyDelete@7.14pm - no worries mate, loved that tune myself, absolute classic - come on Dave let's have a revival on Eurosport for a late night snooker treat.
ReplyDeleteSnookerbacker
A panathaeon of lavish snooker awaits us in Glasgow.
ReplyDeleteI predict an unknown will reach the semi-finals.
'Vangelis- To The Unknown Man' is a beautiful piece of music when heard in its entirety, and is probably my favourite example of classical meets electro.
ReplyDeleteAnother forgotten snooker theme was ITV's theme from the late 90s/ early 2000s was called 'Death In Vegas- All That Glitters' and is available on YouTube. It worked pretty well for snooker, and was accompanied by a cleverly-constructed opening title sequence.
I think commercial realities will set in when it comes to the World Open, and the established names will be given the TV slots. Don't be surprised if the two former world champions who are invited receive prominent coverage, regardless of who they play, as will Reanne Evans.
I'm afraid I have some sad news that I haven't seen reported anywhere else: Jack Fenton, one of snooker's true unsung heroes, has died at the age of 84.
Older readers may remember Jack for always wearing a tweed jacket while playing, even against Joe Davis! A talented player, he became the first man to make a century break at the Stockport Advertiser Championship, which was the biggest event in the North West at the time. He won it in 1976.
However, his greatest contribution to the game came in his capacity as a tournament organiser between 1977 and 1983. He had a range of responsibilities, which included organising the officials, and was a popular figure at most of the major tournaments.
I've paid a full tribute to him on my website here: http://www.supremesnooker.com/news/1327/
Id give you 5000/1 that an unknown doesnt reach the semi final
ReplyDeletei'll take 5000/1 that an unknown doesn't reach the smi-finals.
ReplyDeletedefine unknown?
ReplyDeleteI'd take "unknown" to be someone who has never reached the televised stages of a tournament before.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd prefer to watch the players that regularly produce high quality snooker rather than someone struggling with stagefright. If an "unknown" reaches the quarters or semis then fair play, he's earned an audience, but the casual snooker watching audience don't want to watch Joe Blogs play John Smith. The highest quality matches last season all came from established players: Robertson/Higgins at the Grand Prix; Higgins/O'Sullivan at the UK; Ronnie/Williams at the Masters. Why choose nobodies over those guys?
exactly, 142, that was what i meant by my post at 954
ReplyDeleteat least you seem to have got what i meant, in that unknown isnt defined and so...
Betty - you mean the matches you saw. There were some excellent matches in the qualifiers, in particular Walden v Zhang in the World Championship.
ReplyDeleteBetty
ReplyDeleteevery player was a nobody at some point nobody is born to be a top star they all start somewhere.
a nobody today is a Ronnie O'Sullivan Tomorrow.
Journey men and up & comers often produce some cracking stuff in the qualifiers, but how many times do we see them flop at the venue stage? Who is more likely to produce top class snooker on TV? John Higgins or Ricky walden? Established names are established for a reason i.e. they regularly produce the goods. Robertson was a nobody five years ago, but he's earned his TV coverage now through his achievements and regular good form. That said, I hope if Jimmy qualifies we will get to watch him since we don't get many opportunities these days.
ReplyDeleteI think theres a far better chance of new players breaking through now.
ReplyDeleteWith the rankings changing regularly, the better players wont be knocking each other out in the early rounds all the time.
Up til now we had 4 or 5 plodders shoring up entry to the elite by winning a match or two in the world or UK championship each year.
Now they will be playing a seed in the first round if they have a poor season.
I presume the qualifiers will be streamed at some stage. It would be nice to see a highlights package on tv. This would give people the chance to see some of the "unknowns".
There was live darts on Bravo last night from 8 until midnight. Wouldn't that be a nice slot for a highlights package? Maybe Barry had Bravo in mind when he said he'd get the ptc finals on TV "somewhere".
Completely undermined your 'argument' with that last sentence.
ReplyDeleteAnd you don't seem to understand the point of having an FA Cup style event: it's to have a 'nobody' as you so politely put it against a big name, not the usual boring match ups we get at every single tournament
Betty - Jimmy White is a 1,000/1 chance for the title and yet you'd rather see this 'nobody' as you put it ahead of more established names? Very strange.
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with kildare cueman. I think from everything that has changed so far, the changes to the ranking system has to be the best thing.
ReplyDeleteThe rankings are now at the forefront of all the players minds every time they play and that is how it should be. The World's top 4 at the end of the year will have earned it by being the players most visible during the season.
In terms of Betty's comments, I think a bit of us all wants to see the established players matched up at the business end of tournaments but we need new faces and the fact that the ranking system is now a lot fairer than it has been to first season pros makes it possible for a player to establish him (or her) self in the professional game.
The Grand Prix needed a revamp, that's all it is. Not great for me from a betting point of view but good for the game I reckon.
Snookerbacker
P.S. Info for Dave - there seems to be a common problem with commenters between wordpress and blogger at the minute.
Snooker © The Fine Art Method
ReplyDeleteA secret is wasted if not shared.
Dear Mr 1:42 pm Hello Dave
Defining “Unknowing” is a very lively subject and is worthy of many hits without repetition.
Our man “Dave the Brave” could be called the “King of the Unknowing”.
In snooker parlance an unknowing is a lad that can’t play but would be vaguely remembered “Clearly” as a somebody if he caused the poor ole bookie to concede a big cash payout.
Snooker also has hundreds of Unknowing players that are capable of regular century beaks plus Weekly 147s.
Sadly in snooker an unknown is really a “Nobody” until a snooker somebody chooses to mention his name on TV with a likeable story to tell repeatedly though not necessarily true.
The Supreme Somebody in snooker is obviously a world champion but though we have a dozen or so to choose from the game does not have one player that has written an article on Snooker Technique that was not copied, therefore worthy of a copyright symbol. Mr Hey You
7.40pm
ReplyDeleteI once saw Dennis Taylor play with grandiouse skills while winning tournments back in the 80's.
This undermines your arguments regarding unknown players delving into the bleak unknown.
40,5 comments off topic!
ReplyDeleteBad!
My first thought would be in the affirmative regarding taking 5000\1 about an unknown not making the semi-finals.
ReplyDeleteThe law of the double negative striketh and could prove costly in a monetary fashion.
Kimball - Don't worry,I shall talk on topic.
ReplyDeleteStars Of The Future - The most overused comment in sport or
any other profession.
As the article related this to Neil Robertson - fair play.
However,everybody's contribution
in life is significant.
'Anybody' can be great if they
realise their inner potential !
CHRISK5 wrote:
ReplyDelete"Anybody can be great if they
realise their inner potential"
Yeah but if there are 500 people who 'suddenly' realize their potential and start to perform, then surely among them will be 5-20 players who are on top of this with-potential group, so the other 480 will not necessarily become great, will they? :-)
Executor - I wasn't just talking about snooker players.
ReplyDeletechris were you talking about tiddlywinkers?
ReplyDeleteThe newcomers deserve a chance though when they get on the television for the public to get a feel of them. However, Betty is right that the best matches are at the top end of sport. This is the case in any sport, can't see why anyone would even bristle at that statement.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the quality lower down is still very good and in certain situations like final qualifying for the World Championship, it can match a contest between O'Sullivan and Higgins for visceral drama.
That's right, Jamie. Which is why the world final was such a high quality match this year.
ReplyDeleteI was talking in general terms that the better players produce the best snooker. Clearly the qualifiers can produce top snooker, but they are in that jungle for a reason they are not as good as the top eight players or so in the world.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I do come out with some controversial opinions, but to me this seems a pretty run-of-the-mill stuff I am saying here.