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Tales from China (Hendon blog)

Postby Roland

http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/2010/0 ... cuit3.html

Overseas trips with snooker have always been fun, usually because no sooner has the plane left the tarmac that something goes catastrophically wrong.

China is a country snooker players have had to get used to visiting in the last decade. It has two ranking events with talks underway to convert the Jiangsu Classic, currently an invitation tournament, into a third.

I recall two incidents from the 2002 China Open in Shanghai that sum up the way British snooker players have had to adjust to life playing a long way from home.

The first concerned Mark Selby, then just 18 and so understandably not worldly wise.

Selby had beaten a 14 year-old wildcard by the name of Ding Junhui in the opening round and then Joe Swail and was due to face Stephen Hendry in the last 16.

This was, of course, a big deal for the teenager and you could understand his excitement at the prospect of playing one of his heroes.

That said, it was still a surprise to see him fully dressed in his waistcoat, cue in hand, in the lobby of the tournament hotel at 1am.

I had been enjoying light refreshments with other journalists and officials and as we made our way to the lifts, there was Mark and his mate talking to the concierge.

One of the referees approached him to check all was well. Selby explained he was trying to arrange transport to the venue as he was “playing at half two.”

The ref said something like, “yes, half past two in the afternoon.”

It was here that the penny finally dropped. Selby looked up at the glass atrium of the hotel and saw that it was pitch black outside, a fact that had not previously registered.

After such a bewildering experience, there was only one result possible. Selby beat Hendry 5-1.

Credit to him, he told the whole story in the post match press conference. He then beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-3 in the quarter-finals.

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So an 18 year old Selby suffering jetlag did the Hendry/O'Sullivan double way back then just like at this years Crucible. <laugh>


Selby :ahh:

Re: Tales from China (Hendon blog)

Postby Casey

Not bad at all considering three weeks later Hendry and O'Sullivan were contesting the Semi final at the Crucible. <ok>

Re: Tales from China (Hendon blog)

Postby Wildey

they proberbly took selby for granted being a 18 year old and knackered

Re: Tales from China (Hendon blog)

Postby N_Castle07

I remember Selby’s victory over Hendry well. Hendry said that he wouldn’t have recognized Selby in the street before the match and the media where shocked with Selby’s win. I remember talking to one of my mates saying, “I bet he is a one to look out for in the future,”

Re: Tales from China (Hendon blog)

Postby Roland

The one to look out for event for me came when he reached the final of the British Open in 2003 losing out to David Gray.

Re: Tales from China (Hendon blog)

Postby The Cueist

Sonny wrote:The one to look out for event for me came when he reached the final of the British Open in 2003 losing out to David Gray.


Still Ronnie has done a lot better than Mark Selby in his career and will no doubt accrue more in my opinion Sonny. <ok> <cool> :ahh:

Re: Tales from China (Hendon blog)

Postby Roland

What's that got to do with anything? The fact you're already comparing Selby to Ronnie shows that you rate him I guess. It's obvious Selby won't win as much as Ronnie, but that doesn't stop him being a potential great of the game when you look back at this decade.