Snooker actually
Boiling hot yesterday and many people were basking in the rays outside Sheffield’s Crucible.
With a carefree, holiday feel to day 11, it seemed like snooker may have been the perfect bow for cupid’s arrow. Or not. I saw a couple of lads taking a very long time to explain the miss rule to two student nurses who stopped by the big screen. Wonder how the bemused-looking ladies got on – with both the explanation and the ‘hidden’ amorous advances. From what I could see, didn’t look like either was very well appreciated. Better luck next time boys.
But there was plenty of scoring in the O’Sullivan-Higgins encounter. You’ve got to fancy the player who wins this. John is looking very focused while Ronnie, still not on top form, is doing enough to keep level. He looks to be dealing ably with the job in hand this year – avoiding all the peripheral nonsense we have seen in previous tournaments. One just hopes the Rocket can keep his derailing demons at bay and stay in tune with his game. Seen a glimpse of his tip-top genius so far, would be good to see a bit more.
Still rooting for outsider Mark Selby myself. After a slow-ish and, dare I say, dull start for him and Ali Carter, things picked up and Mark cantered ahead, looking sincere and a little bit mischievous.
Another cheeky visage is that of Shaun “baby face” Murphy. We might not be seeing much more of it though as he’s really struggling against an increasingly powerful Matthew Stevens. Hope the 2005 World Champion can pull some frames back today.
Yesterday also saw Stephen Maguire rack-up the highest break so far with an impressive 143 in his second quarter-final session. Very nearly there…... Will it stick? Nah, my money’s on Higgins. I reckon he’ll close the deal very soon.
Cuezone was non-stop. Cuefactor kept everyone happy with their popular competitions and quizzes. A favourite contestant was little crowd puller, eight-year-old Oliver Mulcahy. All dressed up, hair coiffed and pink cue in hand, he came third in Cuefactor’s Pot Idol – then bravely took on former tour professional Gary Martyn. Quite the little charmer, and unlike Anthony Hamilton, you won’t catch Oliver complaining about the height of the table - even though he could barely peer over it. Hope we see more of him, both in Cuezone and at the Crucible in a few years time.
To end, I just have to mention Clive Everton’s party-pooping commentary. After Stephen Maguire left a red hanging over the pocket, the Scot jokingly jumped up and down as if trying to ‘drop’ it in. His actions received a mild laugh from the crowd. But Clive set viewers straight by making them aware of the rules.
He said: “Well, if the ball had potted due to vibrations caused by that jump, it wouldn’t have counted”. Really? – I do that all the time in the pub!
