High Noon

HIGH NOON

Not for the first time the eyes of the snooker world turn to Sheffield but today we keep going three or so miles past the Crucible to the English Institute of Sport, venue for the WPBSA EGM and a kind of saloon bar for the sport's high noon.

Except it might not be quite so explosive as John Davison, who has put together a proposal to rival WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn's plans, has announced he will not be attending.

This is the latest twist in a tale so convoluted that it makes the Lost finale look like an average episode of Terry and June.

Davison is blaming Hearn for his own non-attendance. He said: "We do not feel that the board is adopting a fair process or creating a level playing field for all bids.

"I therefore cannot accept their invitation to attend. I very much want to address the players directly, something that the WPBSA board has expressly stated that I am not to do.

"I want them to have the chance to ask me the many questions I am sure that they have before making such a massive decision. I am always happy to compete - in sport or business - as long as I know that the rules are fair and being abided by."

For his part, Hearn is furious at what he sees as Davison's attempts to 'buy off' the voting membership - the top 64 - by promising them all a dividend of almost £5,000. He told The Sun: "I have a problem with the £5,000 a man to the top 64 players offer, especially when the integrity of the game has never been more important. I believe it could be against the Association's rules.

"Also, why wouldn't the whole player membership benefit and not just the 64 voting?

"The tactics being employed are not subtle and it brings into question the rest of what they are proposing."

I have gained the impression in the last few days that the tide was turning against Hearn and that he would struggle to survive.

He still might, but Davison's decision not to attend the meeting could backfire on the former Olympic shooter.

We'll see this afternoon. It would be nice to think all this could be sorted out calmly and rationally but it never has been before (see post below) so we may as well have another all out fight.

Opinions have been raging on snooker forums and in the comments sections of this blog. They have ranged from reasoned to outright insulting but I have let them all through because what is clear is that snooker fans really care about their sport and they want to vent their collective spleen.

We hear much about the players 'owning' the game. I'd argue those who pay their money to attend tournaments or watch on TV have an equal right to feel that they have some 'ownership' over snooker.

Whoever eventually emerges from this saga as the winner will have to carry the fans with them and persuade them of their vision for the sport

Without them, the players, businessmen, TV companies and sponsors who spend so much time grasping for control of the game would have nothing whatsoever to fight for.

case_master wrote:Well reading around the different forums and blogs, if we are to believe those who claim to 'be in the know', today's meeting will end in an adjournment.

davehendon EGM vote is on a knife-edge...no doubt that knife will
be plunged into someone's back shortly

case_master wrote:Keep the twitter updates coming folks

Sonny wrote:Is anyone getting nervous / apprehensive?

If Hearn gets voted out after what he's done in his short stint so far it won't surprise me given snooker's history of shooting itself in the feet. It would be an absolute travesty. Davison's time would be if Hearn doesn't meet his targets thereby handing control back over to the WPBSA i.e. if he doesn't meet his targets in 2-3 years time. That's only fair.

case_master wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00shk97

2hrs 28mins - Daviosn on BBC radio 4 this morning.

case_master wrote:Well we should hear within the next hour.....

wildJONESEYE wrote:

case_master wrote:Well we should hear within the next hour.....

ive never been on twitter this long before lol

case_master wrote:

wildJONESEYE wrote:

case_master wrote:Well we should hear within the next hour.....

ive never been on twitter this long before lol

No more updates from Dave then? I wonder what the player turnout is like? Is Higgins there (doubtful)

Sonny wrote:It means Hearn wins Bourne. The clue is in the sentence

Bourne wrote:

Sonny wrote:It means Hearn wins Bourne. The clue is in the sentence

Yeh I know but what does it mean for the game, is this the end of the politics ?

Bourne wrote:davehendon A rare outbreak of sanity in the snooker world...we should all mark the dates in our diaries
2 minutes ago via web

Bourne wrote:Did tgntg think he'd lose ?

Sonny wrote:nearly wild, it would "an" not "a"