2018 World Championship

[thai_son22]

Really feel for Judd this time in his post match conference. Starting to warm up to him

[JimMalone]

I find it interesting seeing how the class of 92 have developed over the last 25 years, because the players I see today just seem different to how I remember them many years ago.

O'Sullivan doesn't seem to be quite as consistent at long range as before, but I think his shot selection, patience and temperament have improved. Also, his cue ball control is as good as ever.

Higgins seems more prone to lapses of concentration and missing easy balls, but IMHO this never say die attitude is something that he added to his game in his 30s. I think that the Higgins of 98 would have more likely faltered when 7-3 down, but on the flip side he was more clinical then so was less likely to find himself trailing.

Williams was easily the best potter I'd ever seen in the late 90s, he didn't seem to really need to play for position. These days I think his long game stands out less, but he's such a solid all rounder now, and no one seems to be able to boss him tactically (including Selby). Obviously Williams still has his trademark laid back attitude.

Agree on most points.

Ronnie has definitely found his patcience. He doesn't pot as excellent as once, though I've got to say his long potting was never that special for me.

I remember Higgins didn't always have such a mental strength. You really could see sometimes how angry he was when things didn't work the way he wanted.

Williams is the one who has changed the least I think, His potting was incredible (it still is, though not on the level as before). And he still is a bit careless with the cueball sometimes.

[The Rook]

Fitness doesn't play such a big part in Snooker as in other sports, but it still is a factor. Because it also goes hand in hand with concentration. And today most athletes - and I include snooker players here - in their 30s or late 30s are fitter than they used to be two decades ago. It's the same in tennis. In the 90s players who hit the 30 just vanished. Some, like Sampras, were so physically damaged, there was no chance to play on. Of course there were rare outliers like Connors or Agassi, but they were rarities.

But of course your last paragraph is absolutely correct as well.

I find it interesting seeing how the class of 92 have developed over the last 25 years, because the players I see today just seem different to how I remember them many years ago.

O'Sullivan doesn't seem to be quite as consistent at long range as before, but I think his shot selection, patience and temperament have improved. Also, his cue ball control is as good as ever.

Higgins seems more prone to lapses of concentration and missing easy balls, but IMHO this never say die attitude is something that he added to his game in his 30s. I think that the Higgins of 98 would have more likely faltered when 7-3 down (especially after losing a respotted black), but on the flip side he was more clinical then so was less likely to find himself trailing.

Williams was easily the best potter I'd ever seen in the late 90s, he didn't seem to really need to play for position. These days I think his long game stands out less, but he's such a solid all rounder now, and no one seems to be able to boss him tactically (including Selby). Obviously Williams still has his trademark laid back attitude.

[narl]

Weve been over this time and time again. Your crappy club table has old worn out cloth, whilst pros play on brand new cloth with table heaters. Has nothing to do with the size of the pockets. If youve ever played on a star or owned a table of your own you would understand this very clearly. The argument isnt wether the pockets are bigger or not, its wether they play more generously which they do to some extent. That being said you would still struggle on a star with brand new cloth over a club table simply because the pockets are much tighter and you (im guessing) dont play to a pro standard. On pro cut tables, the slightest variance off centre pocket looks like a wider miss simply because of the camera angle relative to the small pocket opening in coincidence with cloth sheen.

Oh so you've played on my club table? Nice of you to get all you said about it totally wrong. Assumptions eh? Gotta love them.

[JimMalone]

That's another debate, but O'Sullivan, Higgins and Williams are easily the best 40 somethings of all time. Whilst Higgins and Williams might not be playing at their absolute career best, they are certainly nowhere near their worst. For example, Higgins looks better now (on the table) than he did in his late 20s or late 30s. You can't compare snooker to tennis. In athletic sports the older player always has a clear physical disadvantage. There are no physical reasons that would prevent a healthy old player from playing snooker well, and the fact that Higgins still has the mental stamina to kill off a long match in a decider proves that.

In my opinion, one of the reasons that the top players tend to become worse in their 30s and 40s is because they lose their hunger for the game and just don't practice enough. I suspect that this is to a large extent what happened to Hendry and Davis. However, these days the snooker calendar is so full it is effectively forcing everyone into being match sharp, and so the class of 92 are still near the top of their game when one would have expected them to decline dramatically.

Fitness doesn't play such a big part in Snooker as in other sports, but it still is a factor. Because it also goes hand in hand with concentration. And today most athletes - and I include snooker players here - in their 30s or late 30s are fitter than they used to be two decades ago. It's the same in tennis. In the 90s players who hit the 30 just vanished. Some, like Sampras, were so physically damaged, there was no chance to play on. Of course there were rare outliers like Connors or Agassi, but they were rarities.

But of course your last paragraph is absolutely correct as well.

[OmaMiesta]

That black wouldn't have went in on my club table ffs but on a supposed "pro" table it did...

Weve been over this time and time again. Your crappy club table has old worn out cloth, whilst pros play on brand new cloth with table heaters. Has nothing to do with the size of the pockets. If youve ever played on a star or owned a table of your own you would understand this very clearly. The argument isnt wether the pockets are bigger or not, its wether they play more generously which they do to some extent. That being said you would still struggle on a star with brand new cloth over a club table simply because the pockets are much tighter and you (im guessing) dont play to a pro standard. On pro cut tables, the slightest variance off centre pocket looks like a wider miss simply because of the camera angle relative to the small pocket opening in coincidence with cloth sheen.

[cantpotforshíte]

Has anyone had the chance to view the green again that Higgins played in the decider? Both Davis and Taylor sort of suggested there was a hint of a push shot. I'm unsure either way right now but it was a close call

Just had a look on Youtube and it looks perfectly OK to me. The thing is, Judd was sat right next to it with his eyes peeled and would have noticed. He never even glanced at the referee, just looked up at the monitor to see where the white ball was finishing. I don't think the post-match handshake would have been quite so amicable if he had doubted it. I think it was just Steve Davis thinking aloud, as is his wont. Taylor didn't say that he thought it was a push, just that he knew what Davis was thinking, but he didn't agree with him, quite the opposite.

[The Rook]

That would say more about the low standard of the game to me.Just like Federer and Nadal even though they are the best players, they still win everything these days because all the younger players are not so good...

That's another debate, but O'Sullivan, Higgins and Williams are easily the best 40 somethings of all time. Whilst Higgins and Williams might not be playing at their absolute career best, they are certainly nowhere near their worst. For example, Higgins looks better now (on the table) than he did in his late 20s or late 30s. You can't compare snooker to tennis. In athletic sports the older player always has a clear physical disadvantage. There are no physical reasons that would prevent a healthy old player from playing snooker well, and the fact that Higgins still has the mental stamina to kill off a long match in a decider proves that.

In my opinion, one of the reasons that the top players tend to become worse in their 30s and 40s is because they lose their hunger for the game and just don't practice enough. I suspect that this is to a large extent what happened to Hendry and Davis. However, these days the snooker calendar is so full it is effectively forcing everyone into being match sharp, and so the class of 92 are still near the top of their game when one would have expected them to decline dramatically.

[philmac74]

Has anyone had the chance to view the green again that Higgins played in the decider? Both Davis and Taylor sort of suggested there was a hint of a push shot. I'm unsure either way right now but it was a close call

[The Rook]

Some stats info:
It's the 9th WC semifinal for John Higgins. Only Hendry (12), Davis, O'Sullivan (11) and White (10) have more at the Crucible.

It's the 6th semifinal for Mark Williams, his first since 2011.

It's the 5th semifinal for Barry Hawkins - and also his fifth in the last six years.

And as we all know it's the first semifinal for Kyren Wilson, who at 26 years of age could become the youngest world champion since Shaun Murphy in 2005.

If Higgins wins he will have beaten Joe Davis's record of 19 years between first and last titles, and if Williams wins he'll hold the record for longest gap (15 years) between titles.

[kibo]

I'd be happy to see any of these players win, but I'd like to see a Higgins-Williams final. What an achievement it would be for a 40 something to win it.

That would say more about the low standard of the game to me.Just like Federer and Nadal even though they are the best players, they still win everything these days because all the younger players are not so good...

[Rane]

I'd be happy to see any of these players win, but I'd like to see a Higgins-Williams final. What an achievement it would be for a 40 something to win it.

I have it the other way around. I think they´ve had their share of World titles, but a Higgins-Williams final could easily end up beeing one of the best finals ever as they usually have some good matches against each other.

[JimMalone]

Some stats info:
It's the 9th WC semifinal for John Higgins. Only Hendry (12), Davis, O'Sullivan (11) and White (10) have more at the Crucible.

It's the 6th semifinal for Mark Williams, his first since 2011.

It's the 5th semifinal for Barry Hawkins - and also his fifth in the last six years.

And as we all know it's the first semifinal for Kyren Wilson, who at 26 years of age could become the youngest world champion since Shaun Murphy in 2005.

[Rane]

Trumps a wee tadger, how he can be critical of anything considering his hit and hope 50mph shots that end up with him getting a fluked pot, a safety or a snooker is beyond me.

Walden said that he could be talking all evening if he had to have an opinion on every risky shot Trump takes on.

[The Rook]

I'd be happy to see any of these players win, but I'd like to see a Higgins-Williams final. What an achievement it would be for a 40 something to win it.