The common link

[Odrl]

OK, it's been nearly two months... I'm thinking that this one is not going to get answered, so I guess I'll just have to give you the answer. But I'll give it another day, in case anyone wants to think about it one last time. Here's the the question and the hints again:

• Peter Ebdon, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Alan McManus, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Parrott and Matthew Stevens are the only 7 players to have achieved a specific feat in the history of the game. What is it?
  
• Two players have done it twice in their career, Ebdon and McManus.
  
• It's something that was achieved in ranking events.
  
• Neil Robertson had an opportunity to achieve it in the 08/09 season, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Had Robertson done it, he would have been the first player to do it in 8 years.
  
• Two players have done it at the Crucible, O'Sullivan and Stevens.
  
• Alan McManus was the first player to do it. In fact, he did it in successive years, while Peter Ebdon did it two years apart.
  
• It's about players doing something at a specific stage or round of a ranking event. There is only one player who managed to do it in a later round than those seven. It's Ali Carter.

And I guess I can also tell you that it's something that was done in semi-finals of ranking events. So that makes Carter the only player to do it in a final.

It's an opportunity that hasn't presented itself very often. In fact, those seven players and Robertson are the only players who have ever had the chance to do it, which makes Robertson the only player to actually fail once he got the chance.

I can't make it easier than that, so if there's no answer by tomorrow night, I'll just tell you.

[missneworleans]

Is it about comebacks?

[Odrl]

Is it about comebacks?

Nope, nothing to do with comebacks.

[missneworleans]

I give up

[ore]

Alright, Neil Robbertson appeared in 3 Semis in 2008/2009:
-Bahrain (won against Allen 6-4)
-Welsh (lost to Swail 6-4)
-WC (lost to Murphy 17-14)

Ali Carter was in 1 final in 2008/2009 when he won Welsh against Swail 9-5.
And before that he lost 2008 WC final to Ronnie.
(Not sure if he has appeared in any other finals).

Is this 'specific feat' winning or losing SF? Or this is not what matters?

[circle]

yawn

First it was 'only 7 players have done this' several replies later 'carter has done this too'

[Odrl]

Is this 'specific feat' winning or losing SF? Or this is not what matters?

You're on the right track with that thinking, keep going...

First it was 'only 7 players have done this' several replies later 'carter has done this too'

No, only the 7 players that I originally mentioned have done what I'm thinking about. I said it was something to do with semi-finals of ranking events, therefore the answer ends with "in a semi-final of a ranking event".

I only mentioned Carter because he is the only player that has done the first part of the answer in a final of a ranking event.

[ore]

You're on the right track with that thinking, keep going...

Well let's hope it could help someone else. Here someone who knows how things looked like 8 (& more) years before 2008/2009 season is needed

The only thing I could do is checking statistics of those years, and at least wikipedia does not have detail enough career stats of for example Ebdon or McManus (those who did it twice), and I don't feel like digging deeper for statistics pages at the moment... so this is where I stop - bring on the answer!

[Odrl]

OK, time's up...

The question was: What do these 7 players (and no one else) have in common?

Peter Ebdon, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Alan McManus, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Parrott and Matthew Stevens.

And the answer is: They have all beaten Joe Swail in a semi-final of a ranking event. And they are the only seven players that have done that in the history of the game.

Before last season's Welsh Open, Joe Swail had famously lost in 9 ranking semi-finals, without ever reaching a final. The first of his defeats was in 1992 against Alan McManus, the last one was in 2001 against Peter Ebdon. Those two players are also the only two players to beat him twice.

O'Sullivan and Stevens are the two players that have done it at the Crucible, in 2001 and 2000 respectively.

I said Neil Robertson had the chance to do it last season, which was when he played Swail in the SF of the Welsh Open. By losing that match, he became the first player to lose to Swail in a semi-final of a ranking event. It also means that Ali Carter was the first player to play (and beat) Joe Swail in a ranking final.


So there you go... I thought someone would have got that. I guess my attempt at this game failed miserably, hopefully someone else will give it a go.

[missneworleans]

Oh....dear
I couldnt match up that Neil hasnt done it at Welsh Open semi last year, while Carter did in the final, and about Stevens and O'Sullivan at WC
Probably I just thought a bit too serious about this one
Anyway well done Odrl, great quis

[Odrl]

As there has been no "quiz activity" on the forum for a while, I have come up with another common link, if anyone is up for it...

What is the common link between Mike Dunn, Joe Jogia, Rod Lawler and Andrew Norman?

Once again, it is something that only applies to these players and no one else.

[missneworleans]

Very interesting but I have no idea so far...

[andy carson]

As there has been no "quiz activity" on the forum for a while, I have come up with another common link, if anyone is up for it...

What is the common link between Mike Dunn, Joe Jogia, Rod Lawler and Andrew Norman?

Once again, it is something that only applies to these players and no one else.

they all appear in your post on a thread on the snooker forum...

[vucko117]

they have played in all PTC events?

[Drac]

They would all thrash me