New Respect For Snooker Players.

[raybo147]

I know snooker is the most popular cue sport in UK, but don't most of the people just watch it, not play it?

Pool is more of a participant sport in the USA than snooker is in the UK. John

People do play snooker in the UK pretty much the same way they play pool in the States. I came from a small town in Nothern Ireland and there is a club there (Pot Black in Derry City) that has 39 snooker tables. It is quite common for there to be a wait for tables here. This is just one of several clubs in town.

 

[Boro Nut]

Sorry I should have said leave those kind of angles and then make the ball! Boro if you are ever bored a fun thing to do is buy a bunch of crisps and send them over to me!!! And the latest copy of Top Gear! Isn't Jon Birch from Middlesborough? Another top class player who is probably playing in some local league.

You've been there too long Ray. They don't sell crisps by the bunch.

Yes Brichy broke my heart when my first team were relegated to the D division. I hoped my opening day break of 47 would be enough to win the high break in the division that year - it was 6 more than the previous year. What the hell Birchy was doing (world amateur champion) playing at that level I have no idea (yes I do - he was handsomely remunerated). His 88 that first game was just the start. He made an instant impact as a pro, fell ill, and was never seen again.

I'd say Paul Lawrence was the most gifted player we've produced here. Alex Higgins described him as the best one shot potter he'd ever seen. Some compliment coming from Higgins, and I wouldn't argue with him. He's outrageous. But he only lasted one season as a pro. He couldn't hack the reality of the grind. He's far happier slumming it with his mates in the club and running away with most games he plays.

Boro Nut

 

[Jaden]

I can't say that its the first time I stepped to a snooker table.

I agree that is pretty strong. I've seen decent pool players not pot a thing the first time they've stepped up to a snooker table. It's a daunting experience when the pool tables here are mostly coin op 6 footers, with odd sized or weighted cue balls. I'm not knocking the skill of the best 8 ballers - look at their IPT showing - but it's not a proper game if the balls aren't all the same.

Boro Nut

It wasn't the first time I stepped to a snooker table only the first time playing the game of snooker. I played golf for years on a five by ten and then on a 6 by twelve and have regularly practiced potting balls in rotation on a six by twelve.

I think there are some tables here in the US that are so difficult that even the best snooker players would have difficulty on them. The first one that comes to mind is the snooker table at hard times in Bellflower, now THAT is one tough table...

 

[raybo147]

You've been there too long Ray. They don't sell crisps by the bunch.

Yes Brichy broke my heart when my first team were relegated to the D division. I hoped my opening day break of 47 would be enough to win the high break in the division that year - it was 6 more than the previous year. What the hell Birchy was doing (world amateur champion) playing at that level I have no idea (yes I do - he was handsomely remunerated). His 88 that first game was just the start. He made an instant impact as a pro, fell ill, and was never seen again.

I'd say Paul Lawrence was the most gifted player we've produced here. Alex Higgins described him as the best one shot potter he'd ever seen. Some compliment coming from Higgins, and I wouldn't argue with him. He's outrageous. But he only lasted one season as a pro. He couldn't hack the reality of the grind. He's far happier slumming it with his mates in the club and running away with most games he plays.

Boro Nut

England is full of leagues with guys like Birch playing in them. It shows what a tough and brutal way snooker is to try to make a living. When I was there all you had to do was pay your fee and you were on the pro tour so everybody who were big fish in their little towns moved as close to Blackpool as they could and gave it a go. A lot of these guys are still there with their dreams having been smashed a long time ago. My first time in England I was in Harrogate with Terry Murphy (we went to school together) and we were trying to get Bill Werbunuik to gamble with us. We were there for the UK under 18 and we both lost early. The big bugger wouldn't bite though. He knows we would have torched him. I was 17 at the time and thought I was unbeatable (reality hit hard a little later)

 

[Boro Nut]

everyone is missing what i said in the first place which was there is no comparison between pool and snooker at pool you dont need anywhere near the skill or training time that you need at snooker which i think is obvious all snooker pro's need hours of practise everyday to maintain there ranking at pool you dont need to play everyday for hours ask elex p or cory d if they put in 3 to 6 hours of disiplined solo practise everyday like the top snooker pro's, that is what i said. but at pool you need alot more thought as there are way more combinations of things that can happen thats why i like pool games better

I agree. It's the knowledge that will catch out the snooker player, not the ability to play the shots. One pocket would probably be the worst game from them tactically, and many shots just wouldn't occur to them, as they're so low percentage on a snooker table they wouldn't think to try them. You will also see them caught out by the pockets quite often. You can't fire a ball in at pace no matter how accurately from some angles - especially the middle pockets, yet you can miss the pocket by miles slowly and pot them. It goes against the grain for me and leaves you with a feeling you've been robbed by defective equipment. But it's just part of the knowledge of how pool tables are.

The reverse is true for pool players. Snooker is pretty straightforward tactically - if you can't score just make sure your opponent can't is about all the there is. It's all about being able to play the shots successfully.

Boro Nut

 

[Boro Nut]

I think there are some tables here in the US that are so difficult that even the best snooker players would have difficulty on them. The first one that comes to mind is the snooker table at hard times in Bellflower, now THAT is one tough table...

It is 6 x 12. That is where the similarity ends. It is clearly not a snooker table. You can fire a ball in from any angle at any speed on a snooker table. The only requirement is increased accuracy at increased speed, with zero margin of error along the cushion. The Bellflower table is just a tricked up gambling table. Believe me, there are plenty of defective tables every bit as hard as your fabled Bellflower table in ropey clubs over here. Pockets that will not take a ball at any speed along the cushion for instance, incorrectly cut or with too much rubber. They spit them out like pinball machines. There is little fun to be had on them.

Boro Nut

 

[chamillionare]

Hi Johnn

so john

if pool and snooker have equal amounts of skill required why dont you and the best pool players head over to england to play snooker, even with the big reduction in prizemoney since tobacco companies left you would still make alot more than what you make now on pool tours, you could even play both pool and snooker and double your earnings i think there are only 6 or 7 major snooker comps a year. thats what i did most of my career i just flew over for a week every month or so and then flew back to australia only part time so you can still play lots of pool.

i mean i was nothing special only ranked between 15 and 20 most of my career and never got past a semi final in a ranking event, so if i can come across and beat some of your best. well just imagine what your best players could do.

It seems strange they would not go and try??
Maybe they know there is no point in even trying? I think this is closer to the truth I see you got very defensive about my statements. I think deep down you know what your saying is wrong but you think your defending pools champions by saying they could.

the real facts are the 2 games are very different
I was just pointing out that the training for a riley tour table takes years. Where as a snooker pro coming to pool can do it very easily like I did in 2 ipt comps and im not a top player. But we can agree to disagree that?s ok and I know im not a very popular person too and thankyou for pointing out that you don?t like the way I act. Its funny even us players hang shit on each other.

Im not barking but your obviously a great 14-1 player if I come over and played you what start would you give me to say 1000 points, I mean I would really really have to love it to start practicing and fly there so why don?t you try and intice me a little?

 

[Scott Lee]

Sir...If I know this, then you should as well! The English snooker tournaments are not open events that anyone can play in. Actually it is a very closed "old boy" network, and outsiders (like Americans) are never invited to play. That makes your boast pretty hollow, since John could not play, even if he wanted to.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

so john

if pool and snooker have equal amounts of skill required why dont you and the best pool players head over to england to play snooker, even with the big reduction in prizemoney since tobacco companies left you would still make alot more than what you make now on pool tours, you could even play both pool and snooker and double your earnings

 

[chamillionare]

actually the old days like your talking about are very old like before 1992 i believe they opened up the game in 1992 for around 7 or 8 years i joined in 1996 by paying $4000 approx and then had to make my way through 400to 500 qualifiers in 9 tournaments i won my first 28 pro matches 3rd longest winning streak ever and around 45 matches altogether but only finsished 237 in the world i had to live in blackpool engand in cheap accomadation for 3 months. then the next year i won around 35 matches in 2 months qualifiying and still only finished 104 in the world.

in my third year as a pro they changed the system to what they use now and players qualified through regions by beating not so hard opposition and came into the same round as it took me 2 hard years to earn by beating hard opposition so i think i know which is a harder system.

so now it is much easier to get onto the tour via regions and when you do your alot closer to the money, so john can qualify through an erea i believe but did not look up called americas and there is oceania and different parts of asia alot better than playing hundreds of english guys, that would be like going to the philipines and them opening up the game to 500 of there best players? so i think its pretty simple for any pool player to try it

 

[memikey]

I know snooker is the most popular cue sport in UK, but don't most of the people just watch it, not play it?

Pool is more of a participant sport in the USA than snooker is in the UK. John

Far more people in UK play snooker than play pool (of all types added together). Obviously some people play both.

As far as pool in Uk goes, 9 ball and any other version played on American style equipment probably has less regular participants than dwarf throwing contests It is the minority sport to end all minority sports.

Less than 10% of all pool players in Uk play on American style equipment. The rest play uk style/rules 8 ball on uk style equipment which is significantly smaller and with completely different balls, cloth, rails and pocket design.

As has been said before, all the more remarkable that a tiny nation like Uk with next to no-one playing 9 ball or any other game on American equipment can produce a significant number of competent and internationally competitive 9 ball players.

 

[memikey]

IIRC, he was a top 16 snooker player a few years back, maybe top 12. One of the few, if not the only, highly-ranked snooker players to use an open break during professional competition I believe he is currently serving out a multi-year ban from professional snooker due to allegations of throwing a match in a tournament, which is a shame because he is a very entertaining player to watch. Highly talented, but highly unpredictable, at times Hann seemed to be about as likely to get into a fistfight as to post a century in a particular frame. He was the definitely the undisputed "bad boy" of professional snooker for a while.............



Aaron

You are answering a question that 9_Ball_King wasn't asking

If you read it again you will see that when 9_Ball_King posted that he didn't know how good "he" was, the player being referred to was Marlon Manalo, not Quentin Hann.

So how good was Marlon?

As regards Quentin's fisticuffs I believe at one time a few years ago he did have a quite well publicised official boxing match with Darren Appleton, who is a friend of his. I think that some of the proceeds went to charity but no doubt Quentin will spill the full beans if he feels like it

 

[ajrack]

Quinten, I was with Peter Gray a couple of years ago at Legends when you played a couple of frames. When Aaron M. came to the USA about 5 years ago he played Marcus Chamat and Tang Hoa in LA. He did quite well but they simply wore him down. He was ahead of Marcus for about 2 hours and was ahead of Tang Hoa for over 4 hours. Playing in Snooker tourneys is a different matter than playing 9 ball in a pool room. He was used to playing tough, always playing hard under control, which is more tiring, where our guys relax alot when they play and pace themselves differently.

If you see Pete , say howdy from "Jackson"

 

[Cornerman]

im flattered that you think i could be competitive in snooker.i however do not think i could be, especially in only 2 years.i would have to have never played pool and only snooker for the last 15 years then i would think its possible.i have in the little snooker ive played on a 6by12 ran two centuries its quite tough but if i played it all the time i think running a 80 in 14.1 would be of about equal difficulty.there is things in my stroke stance grip etc that probably is not helpful to playing great snooker.these same things that hurt me in snooker are needed to play great pool.likewise some things you have to do to play great snooker do not help at all in pool.yes snooker players pot great but so do i and im usually hitting it hard and going 3 rails for shape.when they do that in snooker the crowd goes crazy.in pool we do shots like that all the time .just different games thats all ,not harder than each other not easier than each other just different.

Great post John. Since you're a professional with some experience in playing on a snooker table, I think your post is going to have more merit.

When someone like me said the same exact thing a dozen times over in the past decade, my words meant nothing.

Fred

 

[Cornerman]

Jaden that is pretty strong. It took me over a year to hit my first 50 (I was 13 at the time). If you can even hit 30's and 40's steadily you will be playing good snooker.

Not for nothing, but I also hit a 50 break the first day I played snooker on a 6 x12. And I'm terrible.

Fred

 

[mnorwood]

im flattered that you think i could be competitive in snooker.i however do not think i could be, especially in only 2 years.i would have to have never played pool and only snooker for the last 15 years then i would think its possible.i have in the little snooker ive played on a 6by12 ran two centuries its quite tough but if i played it all the time i think running a 80 in 14.1 would be of about equal difficulty.there is things in my stroke stance grip etc that probably is not helpful to playing great snooker.these same things that hurt me in snooker are needed to play great pool.likewise some things you have to do to play great snooker do not help at all in pool.yes snooker players pot great but so do i and im usually hitting it hard and going 3 rails for shape.when they do that in snooker the crowd goes crazy.in pool we do shots like that all the time .just different games thats all ,not harder than each other not easier than each other just different.

I'm saying that if the financial incentive were there you could make a run at it. I agree it would take total immersion in the game. There isn't an American version of Mr. Puyat (spelling?) that would sponsor you? There isn't anyone on this board that is rich or knows someone who is rich enough to bank roll such an experiment? This would be cool to see. and please save the KT jokes.

 

[john schmidt]

hi

so john

if pool and snooker have equal amounts of skill required why dont you and the best pool players head over to england to play snooker, even with the big reduction in prizemoney since tobacco companies left you would still make alot more than what you make now on pool tours, you could even play both pool and snooker and double your earnings i think there are only 6 or 7 major snooker comps a year. thats what i did most of my career i just flew over for a week every month or so and then flew back to australia only part time so you can still play lots of pool.

i mean i was nothing special only ranked between 15 and 20 most of my career and never got past a semi final in a ranking event, so if i can come across and beat some of your best. well just imagine what your best players could do.

It seems strange they would not go and try??
Maybe they know there is no point in even trying? I think this is closer to the truth I see you got very defensive about my statements. I think deep down you know what your saying is wrong but you think your defending pools champions by saying they could.

the real facts are the 2 games are very different
I was just pointing out that the training for a riley tour table takes years. Where as a snooker pro coming to pool can do it very easily like I did in 2 ipt comps and im not a top player. But we can agree to disagree that?s ok and I know im not a very popular person too and thankyou for pointing out that you don?t like the way I act. Its funny even us players hang shit on each other.

Im not barking but your obviously a great 14-1 player if I come over and played you what start would you give me to say 1000 points, I mean I would really really have to love it to start practicing and fly there so why don?t you try and intice me a little?

the reason you guys do well in pool is because we play short races and play lucky games like 9ball 8ball.in my opinion 14.1 is similiar to snooker in difficulty.if i played you a month straight of snooker you would rob me and if you or any other snooker pro played me a month straight of 14.1 i would rob you.if you think your great at pool and its so easy heres what i propose.you and i can play 8ball,9ball,10ball,1pocket,banks,rotation,14.1,and then when you realize how bad you are at pool i will then play you some snooker and give you a spot and an autograph.lol

 

[john schmidt]

hi

so john

if pool and snooker have equal amounts of skill required why dont you and the best pool players head over to england to play snooker, even with the big reduction in prizemoney since tobacco companies left you would still make alot more than what you make now on pool tours, you could even play both pool and snooker and double your earnings i think there are only 6 or 7 major snooker comps a year. thats what i did most of my career i just flew over for a week every month or so and then flew back to australia only part time so you can still play lots of pool.

i mean i was nothing special only ranked between 15 and 20 most of my career and never got past a semi final in a ranking event, so if i can come across and beat some of your best. well just imagine what your best players could do.

It seems strange they would not go and try??
Maybe they know there is no point in even trying? I think this is closer to the truth I see you got very defensive about my statements. I think deep down you know what your saying is wrong but you think your defending pools champions by saying they could.

the real facts are the 2 games are very different
I was just pointing out that the training for a riley tour table takes years. Where as a snooker pro coming to pool can do it very easily like I did in 2 ipt comps and im not a top player. But we can agree to disagree that?s ok and I know im not a very popular person too and thankyou for pointing out that you don?t like the way I act. Its funny even us players hang shit on each other.

Im not barking but your obviously a great 14-1 player if I come over and played you what start would you give me to say 1000 points, I mean I would really really have to love it to start practicing and fly there so why don?t you try and intice me a little?

the reason you guys do well in pool is because we play short races and play lucky games like 9ball 8ball.in my opinion 14.1 is similiar to snooker in difficulty.if i played you a month straight of snooker you would rob me and if you or any other snooker pro played me a month straight of 14.1 i would rob you.if you think your great at pool and its so easy heres what i propose.you and i can play 8ball,9ball,10ball,1pocket,banks,rotation,14.1,and then when you realize how bad you are at pool i will then play you some snooker and give you a spot and an autograph.lol by the way ive won major titles in my sport why dont you do the same before you try and convince me you can dominate pool.you cant even dominate snooker.

 

[Blackjack]

the reason you guys do well in pool is because we play short races and play lucky games like 9ball 8ball.in my opinion 14.1 is similiar to snooker in difficulty.if i played you a month straight of snooker you would rob me and if you or any other snooker pro played me a month straight of 14.1 i would rob you.if you think your great at pool and its so easy heres what i propose.you and i can play 8ball,9ball,10ball,1pocket,banks,rotation,14.1,and then when you realize how bad you are at pool i will then play you some snooker and give you a spot and an autograph.lol by the way ive won major titles in my sport why dont you do the same before you try and convince me you can dominate pool.you cant even dominate snooker.

John,

Until his stature in snooker eclipses your stature in pool, I would seriously consider charging him for that autograph.

 

[chamillionare]

what can i say ill bring my autograph book buddy

 

[worriedbeef]

the reason you guys do well in pool is because we play short races

for me thats the bottom line with the snooker players winning a few games. look at drago for example in the mosconi. not taking anything away from him he played well and i love to watch him. but would he stand a chance in a race to 50 against corey, earl, svb, archer, etc? i dont think so. race to 6 it's anybody's game. corey said a similar thing in an interview and he came accross as a bitter loser. maybe he was, but factually he is right.