9.5.13

AND THE WINNER IS...

The season just gone will be celebrated at the World Snooker awards in London tonight.

The truth is, though, that there was no one definitive player of the year. At various points in the campaign, various players were on top.

Mark Selby won two of the three big titles – the UK Championship and Masters – and ended the season as world no.1 but at other times, most notably the Crucible, did not impress.

Neil Robertson was arguably the most consistent of all, reaching four major finals and winning one, the China Open.

Judd Trump set a new centuries record, won the new International Championship and was twice world no.1

All 11 ranking titles were won by a different player, the last of them by Ronnie O’Sullivan. The world champion is traditionally a strong contender for the overall prize but as O’Sullivan didn’t play in any of the other major tournaments his claim on the prize is tenuous.

One player who deserves recognition of some sort is Barry Hawkins. He began the season outside the top 16 but has ended it as world no.9 having won his first ranking title and contributed to a terrific world final.

Pankaj Advani must be favourite for the Rookie of the Year prize having reached the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open.

Many players have enjoyed pockets of success during the longest, busiest snooker season in history. With nearly 30 tournaments big and small, the opportunity to play and to achieve has been unprecedented.

There have been many great matches, frames, moments and stories but there almost isn’t time to consider them.

Q School starts at the weekend to find new professionals for next season, and then we’re off and running again.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

How can they not give it to Ronnie? He made a mockery of them all. It would be a complete farce if Selby or Trump picked up the award, after we have just witnessed one of the greatest sporting feats of all-time.

Anonymous said...

Player of the year should go to the calibre of person capable of waltzing into the Crucible after having been away from the game for the whole season, save for one game, and obliterating the field to lift the trophy and title no 5.
Envelope please.....

Anonymous said...

Have they said who is going in the Hall of Fame? Clark McConachy?

Anonymous said...

"One of the greatest sporting feats of all-time."

Bollocks

Anonymous said...

shame!

Anonymous said...

Dont y think this is overdoing it a tad

Anonymous said...

Considering rons only entered 2 events it would be a little un-fair to award him player of season dont y think
the standard of play overall this season has been poor, most would have to agree with selby that he's played rubbish & still come away with 2 of thebig 3 events.
So i put to you the award should go to a player who has achieved more than he could hav dreamed winning the first event of the season & finnishing a deserved runner up in the last event & competed thoughout the season, barry hawkins would be a worthy winner.

Anonymous said...

F god sake, will the osullivan fans please give it a rest, the hype is now getting ridiculas, lets have some balanced opinions please.....

Anonymous said...

Are they coming up with a new 'player of the last 9 days of the season award'

I find if laughable the talk about 'a long seventeen days at the crucible' they all play a two session match over one day or two. Then some have nearly a week off before playing for 9 days- the first 2 or 3 of which is a max of 8 frames a day just like a best of 9 ranking tournament. no one plays 17! and it only really gets intensive for them from the last friday onwards where they play 2 sessions a day.

Anonymous said...

I'm a ronnie fan but selby winning the award was well deserved, o'sullivan won best performance award.

Anonymous said...

Anyone reckon Ronnie has a genuine shot at Sports Personality of the year, this year? No Olympics, no major footie tournament, so provided Murray doesn't go and win Wimbledon I think he has to be in with a shout. If a player in any other sport had a year off and came back and won the world championship they would be a shoe-in.

ollie said...

Selby won it. See the full report at http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2253477,00.html

Anonymous said...

The last and only player to win it was steve davis in the 80s wasn't it? To many ignorant people out there who don't consider snooker as a genuine sport in any other sport he might of had a chance. I think hes worthy of the award he definetly has personality lol

Anonymous said...

Quite honestly......no, snooker players rarely win this, think davis may have been the only one but not sure at a tme when snook popularity was on rise in uk not on way down, 3rd place pos but absolutely no chance what so ever.