Masters draw

case_master wrote:Williams/Higgins could play in the QF's. When was the last time they played in a major? It must have been years.

When was the last time they played at all in a ranker event/Masters tournament?

SnookerFan wrote:

case_master wrote:Williams/Higgins could play in the QF's. When was the last time they played in a major? It must have been years.

When was the last time they played at all in a ranker event/Masters tournament?

Last seasons China Open which Williams won 5-2. They also met in the Shanghai Masters which Higgins won 5-1.

Alex0paul WC wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:

case_master wrote:Williams/Higgins could play in the QF's. When was the last time they played in a major? It must have been years.

When was the last time they played at all in a ranker event/Masters tournament?

Last seasons China Open which Williams won 5-2. They also met in the Shanghai Masters which Higgins won 5-1.

That's right. I remember getting the match taped at one of the tournaments in the Far East because the whole tournament happens when I am at work. I got to half past four, forgot and looked up the results on the internet before I remembered I was watching it.

snooker_news wrote:The Masters draw for 2011 including the format, sessions times and dates can be found here: 2011 Masters snooker draw

I notice the Wildcard rounds have vanished.

SnookerFan wrote:
I notice the Wildcard rounds have vanished.

Though I notice that Ticketmaster and SEE Tickets don't realise this yet... Typical World Snooker. Selling tickets for matches they aren't sure exist.

wildJONESEYE wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:
I notice the Wildcard rounds have vanished.

Though I notice that Ticketmaster and SEE Tickets don't realise this yet... Typical World Snooker. Selling tickets for matches they aren't sure exist.

The Wild Card Rounds are Free on Sunday and Monday you Pay £10 For the Afternoon play that contains 2 best of 11 matches and You pay £10 For the Afternoon of Tuesday to watch 1 match.

For some reason watching Hendry v Robbo on Wednesday afternoon is £15

Oh thank you wild for explaining to me, a lowly mug who has been going to The Masters for several years running how the ticket purchasing works...

What I am pointing out is that on the format above, and on the one on the World Snooker website they have removed the Wild Card matches. According to that format they aren't happening at all. They claim play starts at 1:30pm. According to the format on ticketmaster and SEE tickets though, there are still matches happening at 11:00am. In other words World Snooker are publishing that play is starting at a different time to what the website that sells the tickets are saying. Are there Wild Card matches or not?

wildJONESEYE wrote:point i was making if they decide to add a wild card you will get that as bye 1 get one free

And the point I was trying to make was that the Wild Card match is always free. It's never included in the price of the ticket. The ticket counts for morning and afternoon matches on Sunday and Monday, it always has.

The point is more as to whether there will be a Wild Card round this year, as according to the format, it's not being advertised.

wildJONESEYE wrote:ive said on this thread earlier Barry Hearn was in favour of scrapping the wild card round but firstly he had a meeting with the BBC to see what they say and it looks like between them its been decided to drop it.

And as I said earlier in this thread, it seems as is the people selling the tickets haven't noticed this....

We could be here all day.

Seriously, am I the only one who thinks this is really sloopy on the part of World Snooker? The fact they are selling tickets when they don't know the times matches are starting?

I must stress that the argument about getting the 11:00am matches free doesn't wash. It's not a benefit, because that happens every year. You always get the 11:00am Wild Card match included in the price of the afternoon tickets.

Basically the tickets are advertising match start time at 11:00am. World Snooker are advertising matches at 1:30pm. Surely the format should've been worked out fully before tickets go on sale. Personally I find this a pretty unforgivable mistake. Especially for people who aren't used to buying tickets.

wildJONESEYE wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:Seriously, am I the only one who thinks this is really sloopy on the part of World Snooker? The fact they are selling tickets when they don't know the times matches are starting?

I must stress that the argument about getting the 11:00am matches free doesn't wash. It's not a benefit, because that happens every year. You always get the 11:00am Wild Card match included in the price of the afternoon tickets.

Basically the tickets are advertising match start time at 11:00am. World Snooker are advertising matches at 1:30pm. Surely the format should've been worked out fully before tickets go on sale. Personally I find this a pretty unforgivable mistake. Especially for people who aren't used to buying tickets.

with respect mate on the scale of WSA Sloppiness that registers just below 1

I appreciate they are an organisation that is known for it's sloppiness. And I appreciate I could know play a game whereby everybody on this forum could follow this post by giving their favourite gaff World Snooker have made without anybody repeating themselves. But I can't forgive any sloppiness that detracts from selling tickets. Surely the number one priority is creating bigger crowds.

It's annoying when live feeds, or live scoring goes down on the internet. And World Snooker should be looking at that. But how many casual fans watch these, or even know of them. Surely if World Snooker is losing a fan base at the live arenas, or at the very least not encouraging the already small crowds there to become bigger, then we have to learn where our priorities are.

If a new fan buys a ticket, expecting there to be an 11:00am match, then when the tickets arrive, he finds out there isn't one until 1:30pm, surely there's a possibility they won't stay a fan of buying tickets for very long. These marketing issues should be very important to World Snooker. I'm not sure why they aren't important to fans, to be honest.

eirebilly wrote:

case_master wrote:It was only a few week ago that Jimmy was on TV begging for a wildcard again. I wonder what he makes of there being none......

As much as i love Jimmy and want to see him at the Masters, i really hope he never gets another wildcard. It makes a mockery of them.

We can all agree on that, I think. Still, we aren't sure whether the wildcards are happening now or what.

Here is a sort of clarification... Though I'm still not sure whether they are having a wildcard or not. I guess it is as Wild said, if a qualifier wins the UK Championship, they get a wildcard. I presume if one doesn't, they don't have a Wildcard round. Very odd way of doing it, if you ask me.

World’s Top Snooker Stars To Compete In Masters
The best 16 players in the world will make up the field of snooker's most celebrated invitation event, The Masters, in January.

The tournament will feature the sport’s in-form players, as the new rolling ranking system gave the chance for all professionals to strive for a place in the top 16 ahead of the seeding cut-off point, which fell earlier this month.

A spokesman for World Snooker said: “The Masters is all about prestige, it’s an invitation event for the very best, and we’ve got all of the elite players in the line-up. To ensure that all the in-form players are there, if a player from outside the top 16 wins the UK Championship in December, we will award him a wild card entry into the tournament.

“It’s going to be a glorious eight days of snooker and the atmosphere at Wembley Arena is like no other venue. We’re urging all snooker fans, and those who want to find out what the sport is all about, to get their tickets booked for what is one of the most thrilling events on the sporting calendar.”

The tournament runs from January 9 to 16, 2011, at Wembley Arena.

wildJONESEYE wrote:basicly he dont want a wild card round

but with UK Seeding and masters seeding already confirmed he would want the UK Champion at the masters chances are the UK Champion already at the masters we just got to wait and see.

It seems unprofessional to me, to sell tickets to something without knowing exactly what matches are going to happen.

If he's that worried about the UK Champion being outside the top-16, why doesn't he just make one Wildcard round, and scrap the other one? That way people could buy tickets months in advance, knowing exactly what they were getting. The 16th place could play a Wild Card on Sunday morning. If the UK Champion was a qualifer, it is automatically given to him. If not it's given to the the person ranked 17th.

It might seem a bit harsh on the person ranked 17th, but they didn't used to announce the wild card to a month before the event anyway, so I don't see how it's that different.

wildJONESEYE wrote:personally i would not be selling tickets until everything crystal clear.

WC Tickets not on sale until February etc.

I think I'd prefer that, to be honest. That way you wanted feel pressured to buy tickets blind. But I dare say others would moan about it not being early enough.