higgins opened the pack wide open at 12-11, ronnie missed a sitter. higgins in for the kill
2026 World Snooker Championship: April 18 - May 04
- Thread starter BeiberLvr
- Start date
"goarn ronnie". make it hill-hill
he did. 12-12
Found the forward gear. This is what we came for here. Hill/Hill, what a thrill. 
tempers running hot. selby on the other table smashed the cue against the rail
he's down 12-9
he's down 12-9
don't think i've seen higgins literally shake before. missed.
but pressure gets to ronnie and he misses too
but pressure gets to ronnie and he misses too
higgins takes it down. ronnie conceded, needing one snooker
Oh My oh my. From down 9-4!!!!
uk_9_ball_convert
Active member
Didn't matter in the end, but what a time for Higgins to get a kick. Can't help but wonder if its down to the chalk Ronnie uses which leaves more residue on the table/ball as you see a lot less kicks since most of the players have started using Taom.
that match was schizophrenic. partly error strewn, partly excellence. i need a drink after that
Just listening to the post match interview with John Higgins. He was talking about Ronnie still using the older brand of chalk and how it increases the chances of poor contacts (what we call kicks over here).
But he also claimed that Ronnie’s chalk made the pockets play tighter. This has me scratching my head. Can anyone enlighten me?
But he also claimed that Ronnie’s chalk made the pockets play tighter. This has me scratching my head. Can anyone enlighten me?
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Aye, just imagine if he hit two balls almost simultaneously and the kick changed the direction of the cue ball. The pressure on the physicist-referee would have been insane
he's right about the first part. but the corner pockets have been tighter than normal since day one. just a smidge but it makes a big difference.
Perhaps chalk residue on the cloth of the rail provides more friction at contact hence the balls don't slide in.
That is what I deduced John must have meant too, sir, but find that quite surprising if true.
Well the comments on the changed cloth indicate there's a bigger pocket with new cloth.
Stephen Hendry in the commentator booth said this match with Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins was the best session he's ever seen, Coming from him, that's pretty strong. It was a good one. Ronnie did have chances, but Higgins was a little too strong for him at the end.
Here's the stats.
Here's the stats.
he did say it speculating, it was a suggestion more than a statement.. but it's still snooker player science, that probably doesn't hold water
Trump and Vafaei take up again next. It could be epic as well. 
9-7 Judd but ya never know.
9-7 Judd but ya never know.
As others have mentioned, chalk on the cushions reduces the slide and makes the pockets less forgiving. Also, there's the chance that small changes in throw (American sense of throw), will cause shots to go a little wider.
Chalk on the cushions can also cause big bounces, as you can get sort of a spring-loaded action off the rail.