World Championships 2016

PoolBoy wrote:

Master Blaster wrote:Why is Ding qualifying? Did I go to sleep for 12mths?

The will he?; won't he? surrounding Ding has been the overriding narrative for the past week during the China Open. Further evidence that you're not the snooker fan you claim to be!

It's been discussed in this fine thread.

viewtopic.php?f=584&t=6543

Yesterday, WPBSA made the draw and formay for the qualifiers for the World Championship 2016.

Click here for the draw

Click here for the format

The draw and format for the television stage, at the Crucible, are also available.

I must say that I don’t like Ronnie’s schedule at all. He will play his first match on Sunday, 17 April and Monday 18 April, with a morning session finish. Then, provided he wins, he has a big gap and is on again on Saturday, Sunday and Monday – 23, 24 and 25 April – and his final session is the last of the last 16 round. Quarters are played on 26 and 27 April, and, again, if Ronnie is still in it, he has the two last sessions on the trot to finish the round. Should he reach the semi finals, again, he will play in the last session of the round. That’s about the worst possible schedule anyone can get! In particulat, having two sessions on the trot in the QF to finish, and then the late SF finish, is due to leave the player very tired at the start of the final.

I'm now having my doubts sadly

How do I see the draw for the final stages? I want to see who I have tickets for.

Rockettim147 wrote:I'm now having my doubts sadly

He hasn't even struck a ball and you're being negative!

SnookerFan wrote:How do I see the draw for the final stages? I want to see who I have tickets for.

Found it.

Goddamn it, they've changed the format. So I have tickets to a lot of half matches, rather than full matches. Dammit.

SnookerFan wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:How do I see the draw for the final stages? I want to see who I have tickets for.

Found it.

Goddamn it, they've changed the format. So I have tickets to a lot of half matches, rather than full matches. Dammit.

Damn, blast, and two extra slices of buttered damn.

For example, according to the format for the finals Marco Fu, starts his opening round match at 10am on the opening day on table 2. He finishes it at 7pm on table 2 also.

So, somebody who isn't the World Champion starts and finishes their match on day 1, and the evening session of the opening day are two concluding sessions.

SnookerFan wrote:Goddamn it, they've changed the format. So I have tickets to a lot of half matches, rather than full matches. Dammit.

The way I understand it, matches remain on the same table. So for example, QF 1 and QF 2 remain on table 1 throughout, and vice versa for QFs 3 and 4. To me this seems logical, but if I interpret you correctly this is not the way it's used to be?

So here we have it. The single greatest event in the snooker calendar. No less than a Best of 19 at all in the tournament, including qualification. How it should be done. The Worlds retains it's prestige because of it's location (if Barry Hearn ever moves it war is afoot), the long-form matches and it's history. Whilst I was initially a strong sceptic of the change qualification and still harbour doubts I've warmed to it a bit, it's certainly increased the value of being in the Top 16, as Ding has found out.

As you'd expect the first round is a bit of a nothingfest, certainly expect a few shocks but can't see where they're going to come from.

Now onto the main event format - what've they changed?

Slightly off topic, I hope you don't mind but as this seems the busiest thread right now - you can watch the women's final at 2pm GMT today here: http://wlbs.mycuesport.com/

Grudge match between Reanne (ten times world champ) and last year's winner Ng On Yee

Dan-cat wrote:Slightly off topic, I hope you don't mind but as this seems the busiest thread right now - you can watch the women's final at 2pm GMT today here: http://wlbs.mycuesport.com/

What a strange camera angle. Watching for a couple of minutes made me feel almost tipsy...

kruppy wrote:The way I understand it, matches remain on the same table. So for example, QF 1 and QF 2 remain on table 1 throughout, and vice versa for QFs 3 and 4. To me this seems logical, but if I interpret you correctly this is not the way it's used to be?

I'm talking about first round matches.

Look again at the opening day. Marco Fu is playing on table 2 at 10am and concluding on the same table at 7pm. That doesn't happen usually. Traditionally only the World Champion starts and finishes on the opening day.

This may not seem like a big deal when you are just watching it on television, but it's changed the order of first round match sessions completely. I purchased tickets a year in advance, and tried to predict buying tickets so I could see full matches. (Opening and concluding sessions.) Now what I've got is on full match, and six sessions that don't relate to each other.

SnookerFan wrote:Look again at the opening day. Marco Fu is playing on table 2 at 10am and concluding on the same table at 7pm. That doesn't happen usually. Traditionally only the World Champion starts and finishes on the opening day.

This may not seem like a big deal when you are just watching it on television, but it's changed the order of first round match sessions completely. I purchased tickets a year in advance, and tried to predict buying tickets so I could see full matches. (Opening and concluding sessions.) Now what I've got is on full match, and six sessions that don't relate to each other.

Ah, I see. That's not good at all.

kruppy wrote:

Dan-cat wrote:Slightly off topic, I hope you don't mind but as this seems the busiest thread right now - you can watch the women's final at 2pm GMT today here: http://wlbs.mycuesport.com/

What a strange camera angle. Watching for a couple of minutes made me feel almost tipsy...

Hahah I know it's on a slope! Also the scoring isn't working, no idea what's going on.

I'm delighted two matches finish on the first day now. Opening day can be a damp squib if the champion glides through.

I'm sure historically the format has been designed to try and avoid matches concluding in the same session where possible, this isn't just for TV audiences. It means that if there is two 10-0/10-1/10-2 runaways it's fine as they aren't in the concluding same session so the audience can just watch the other match.

If it ain't broke don't change it.

Pink Ball wrote:I'm delighted two matches finish on the first day now. Opening day can be a damp squib if the champion glides through.

What if both of them glide through? Or is that the joke?

I have no idea why they would change it. Having one match finishing and the other starting always worked well in the first round. Last year I was home all day for the second Monday and got in total eleven frames all day as it was full of one sided second round matches finishing. Up to now that couldn't happen in the first round.

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:I have no idea why they would change it. Having one match finishing and the other starting always worked well in the first round. Last year I was home all day for the second Monday and got in total eleven frames all day as it was full of one sided second round matches finishing. Up to now that couldn't happen in the first round.

I've e-mailed World Snooker to mention I wasn't happy. The tickets I purchased would get me three full matches under the old way. Why change the order, there's no real reason for it.

Currently I'm seeing both Bingham sessions, and one session of Walden, Higgins, Mark Williams and Maguire. I don't mind seeing any of those four players, but I'd rather see a full match, then see half a one. What if the first half of the John Higgins match is tense gripping stuff, and then I'm travelling home the next day? Or watching the end of Maguire? I won't feel anywhere near as involved if I haven't watched the start. That's like watching the second half of a film? Maybe I'll watch it on the big screen outside, or in the hotel.

I know that this happens in the World Championship, because I work through some of it, so there will be half-sessions that I see at some point. But I thought that during the time I was there, I'd at least see full matches. That's kind of the point of going.

I was in two minds last year, about whether to book tickets or not. Somehow buying tickets feels like the wrong decision. As does down scaling what I usually see. I picked the wrong year to do that. Last year felt like my greatest ever Crucible trip. Should've left it at that. This year potentially could feel like my worst.

Snookerfan: All trips to the Crucible are great.

Dan-cat wrote:Snookerfan: All trips to the Crucible are great.

Yeah, I guess. Something a bit different from what I usually do, I suppose.

I can always catch the sessions I'm not in on the big screen outside, in the pub or back at my hotel. And at least I missed Ronnie, unlike when I was in Cardiff.

I wonder when the BBC are going to produce that list they normally do when they tell you what's on what TV?

SnookerFan wrote:

Pink Ball wrote:I'm delighted two matches finish on the first day now. Opening day can be a damp squib if the champion glides through.

What if both of them glide through? Or is that the joke?

Obviously then it's still a damp squib, but it's less likely to happen when you've two matches going to a finish.

I completely agree with you being unhappy ticket-wise though.

Pink Ball wrote:Obviously then it's still a damp squib, but it's less likely to happen when you've two matches going to a finish.

I completely agree with you being unhappy ticket-wise though.

At least somebody does.

Like I said, it's my own fault for cutting down on what I usually see.

Dan-cat not being negative. Jus stating a concern.

Just found some tickets for the World Final session May 2nd and they start at £262 appox per ticket. A joke of a price

About this time of year some Sports 'journalist' write articles claiming they don't know who the top 16 are. Somehow their lack of knowledge, and inability to research something they're paid to talk about will be snooker's fault.

Rockettim147 wrote:Dan-cat not being negative. Jus stating a concern.

We are opposites. I absolutely guarantee Ronnie will win. I truly believe there's no other outcome.

Hope so Snookerfan. I've got semi tickets

Tickets for 2017 go on sale on the last day of the final again.