Snooker
Legends has been a successful series of exhibitions featuring players who
helped make the game such a successful TV phenomenon.
Launched
four years ago by Jason Francis, it has attracted large crowds to various
venues around the UK.
Nostalgia
tends to be the past with all the bad bits forgotten. However, the players in
the legends really are that – players who have become household names through
their success and popularity.
The
Legends mixes fun with competition. One of its pulling powers is that it isn’t grimly
serious like tournament play but neither is it a bash-up.
This
weekend, the Legends will be televised for the first time, by Eurosport. The
Rok Stars Cup features two star-studded teams: Dennis Taylor, Ronnie O’Sullivan,
Jimmy White and Steve Davis v Cliff Thorburn, Stephen Hendry, Neil Robertson
and Tony Drago. So just the 21 world titles between them.
It
will be O’Sullivan’s first outing since winning a fifth world title earlier
this week. He was on good form at the World Snooker awards last night,
reiterating that he would play next season without disclosing precisely which
tournaments.
He
did say that his preference was for smaller tournaments – and indeed the
Legends – because they don’t carry the intense pressure of, say, the World
Championship (though he coped admirably with this at the Crucible this year.)
In
my experience, though, players like Ronnie and Jimmy love to put on a show, to
entertain. This is why they are box office and it’s one of the reasons the
Legends has been successful: people want to come back again.
Coverage
starts at 5.30pm tomorrow on Eurosport2.
Can't wait !!! Sadly I can't go but have it on my sky planner in glorious HD.
ReplyDeleteGreat news - well done Eurosport.
ReplyDeleteFull list of awards:
ReplyDeleteWorld Snooker Player of the Year: Mark Selby
Snooker Writers Player of the Year: Mark Selby
Fans Player of the Year: Mark Selby
Rookie of the Year: Ian Burns
Performance of the Year: Ronnie O'Sullivan
Magic Moment of the Year: Jimmy Robertson
147 Club (players making a 147 during the season): Stuart Bingham, Ken Doherty, John Higgins, Tom Ford, Andy Hicks, Jack Lisowski, Kurt Maflin, Ding Junhui.
Hall of Fame inductees: Terry Griffiths, Joe Johnson, Ken Doherty, Peter Ebdon, Shaun Murphy, Graeme Dott and Neil Robertson.
How can you even have a "player of the season"when a player waltzes back in at the end and hands everyone their asses on a plate? The award is a farce this year. Was Selby actually there to receive it? I would have been too embarrassed to accept something like that after what has happened. I can understand why some people think Ronnie shouldn't have won it, but 20 years from now when people talk about this season the player they'll be talking about won't be Selby.
ReplyDeleteThis season best forgot, standard of plays been terrible, 20 yrs frm now this season will be recalled by no one.
ReplyDeleteI just hope someone else wins WC next year, sick to death of all this ronnie rubbish, quite frankly is boreing.
ReplyDeleteDo you know how pathetic you sound ? Snooker is much better with ronnie in it, he brings the crowds in when are you o'sullivan haters going to realise that ?
DeleteNot really no.
DeleteAre the pockets bigger at these legends events, they look massive?
ReplyDeleteYeah the pockets do look rather generous. Some of the pots along the cushion going in like they do on an American Pool Table.
ReplyDeleteThe event looks like a lot of fun, it is a shame that Eurosport has decided to turn the volume from the arena down so you can't actually hear the banter that is going on. It's what makes these Legends events.
Dave Hendon & Joe Johnson constantly referring to stuff "that JV has said" forgetting that the viewers at home can at best hear the muffled sound of John Virgo (on the BBC commentary this would be a good thing!).
I understand there was a bit of a hoo-hah trying to get this event screened on Eurosport in the first place, it's a shame that they've made a bit of a pigs ear of it and are trying to cover it like a normal run-of-the-mill Snooker tournament which, of course, it is not.
The start of the coverage where there was no commentary due to a technical hitch and full sound from the area was far more entertaining.
Does anyone know if today's (11th May) 5:30 showing on Eurosport is available to watch/catch-up on anywhere online? I caught the last session online but wanted to see it from the start.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Becky
if you've never seen it - this is the other and greatly entertaining side of snooker - complete with HUGE pockets.
ReplyDeletesame pockets, same (sort of) tables as any event. but not with the same pressure and conditions.
ReplyDeleteand 20 years from now I hope I'm alive to enjoy the great memory of Ronnie successfully defending the world title.
and another 20
What about the length on Drago's trousers ?
ReplyDeleteExpecting a flood ?
A snooker table with 9 ball pockets
ReplyDeleteNot big enough for Dennis !
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it's great to see these guys together representing different eras and watching how much the game has changed.
Pocket jaws have obviously been made wider for this event but nobody wants to see missed balls.
That aside, the Riley table looks great. I'm sure a proper Riley tournament table would be far more reliable than those made in China Star tables.
Re 12.20
ReplyDelete"nobody wants to see missed balls"
All I can say is... ??????????
12.28....
ReplyDeleteIn relation to this type of fun event, smart arse !
I had enough after an hour. Think WS need to be careful about overkill. Once a year would be enough for this kind of gimmickry
ReplyDeleteOk, its easy to watch Ron, Jimmy and Tony on big pockets with no pressure, but Thorburn? He was hard to watch in his prime but he's useless now. Same goes for Taylor.
Whatever I expected of the Legends it has proven to exceed it. Loads of fun.
ReplyDeleteLong live Eurosport for delivering all sides of snooker. And the Nugget is in his natural element giving me some rare belly laughs.
back to back world titles. o'sullivan is the man.
ReplyDeleteIsn't this an independent event? Not sure WS has much say in it. Maybe they should bring back Big Break with the "legends", which combined the banter and the potting well. I really miss that show.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.
ReplyDeleteWhat snooker used to be all about.
Shades of Pot Black and Big Break.
Actually, remember a mid eighties snooker quiz show, hot on the heels of the Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann series of the same name, 'Give Us A Break'.
When did you see all the players (esp Ronnie) enjoying playing so much ?
Hoping the tournament goes from strength to strength.
Easy gig for you tonight Dave
ReplyDeletewatching the wonderfully entertaining Cliff Thorburn render Steve almost to hang himself on Saturday night, (along with the watchers) makes me realise that there are no characters in snooker anymore.
ReplyDeleteWho nowadays could offer the viewing public such snooker gold as watching Cliff make a difficult game look ludicrously difficult.
how much do players receive for these shows??im sure a few grand each
ReplyDeleteWell it's got to be enough to cover a return fare to Canada I guess.
ReplyDeleteThey'd all be on different rates with o sullivan at the top and drago talor and thorburn at the bottom im sure
ReplyDeleteThe most shocking thing I have ever heard in a commentary box was in relation to the Legends. Dennis interrupted his commentary to promomote the Legends tour, and Willie expressed an interest in participating.
ReplyDeleteDennis's response: "You're not good enough, Willie."
Brief silence, and then Willie changed the subject quickly. I don't think Dennis meant to dismiss Willie so harshly, but it even topped Simon Cowell in the cruel "put down" stakes. I couldn't stop laughing for about an hour afterwards. The real tragedy is that it is true!