The Crucible Countdown !!!!

Sickpotter wrote:Is it just me or does the bottom half of the draw look like a walkover compared to the top?

Agreed. Just hope Selby is 100% else its a formality

Alex0paul wrote:

Sickpotter wrote:Is it just me or does the bottom half of the draw look like a walkover compared to the top?

Agreed. Just hope Selby is 100% else its a formality

formality for whom?

boris_the_butcher wrote:

Alex0paul wrote:

Sickpotter wrote:Is it just me or does the bottom half of the draw look like a walkover compared to the top?

Agreed. Just hope Selby is 100% else its a formality

formality for whom?

Zhang Anda


O'Sullivan of course

Where can I find the dates/times for the first round matches (specifically)

votesforgoats wrote:Where can I find the dates/times for the first round matches (specifically)

Here: http://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=416

Sickpotter wrote:Is it just me or does the bottom half of the draw look like a walkover compared to the top?

Yeah, the top-half does look stronger!
And for me, quarter 4 is the 'weakest', with quarter 2 being the 'strongest'.

Looking at the average World Ranking in each half:

Top half: 18
-----------------------
Bottom half: 25

And both top-half 'quarters' are, on paper, stronger than those in the bottom.
Average World Ranking by 'quarter':

Q1: 22
Q2: 15
-----------
Q3: 24
Q4: 26

I'm not buying into this 'the seeds will breeze through'. How many seeds fell at the first hurdle last year and what's the highest number of seeds to fall at a Worlds in round 1? Where's that skully!

Master Blaster wrote:I'm not buying into this 'the seeds will breeze through'. How many seeds fell at the first hurdle last year and what's the highest number of seeds to fall at a Worlds in round 1? Where's that skully!

If you'd shown any interest in other posts, you'd have seen that Andre147 has stated that the: Record of seeds tumbling in first round is 8 in 1992 and 2012.

It's interesting following threads - try it. Perhaps also try following snooker.
I'll send you a set of tweezers to remove the 'splinters' you're sure to get as you crawl out of the woodwork!

best four players on form in 2016 are ROS, Murphy, Trump and Perry. Three of which are in the so-called easy half of the draw.

So Ebdon gets what he didn't want a opening day match

I have surfaced from my snooker hibernation. Was swamped with work and being honest, there were just too many best of 7s for me to really bother.

Not really sure who is favourite. The season is long, and multisession matches are just a different ball game from everything else this season. We'll just have to wait and see who plays well.

Wildey wrote:So Ebdon gets what he didn't want a opening day match

Nobody wanted that. Take it back to the way it was, so I can order tickets properly.

boris_the_butcher wrote:best four players on form in 2016 are ROS, Murphy, Trump and Perry. Three of which are in the so-called easy half of the draw.

Seriously? Had to add Trump to that list even though he's not in the bottom half in order to add some kind of weight to your statement?

Average ranking per half supports the position that the bottom is the weaker half.

HIggins with 2 ranking titles this season.

Ding with everything to prove and showing good form.

Robertson always a threat.

Trump has had a good season.

Walden has had a good season too.

I simply can't follow the logic in your position.....

Master Blaster wrote:I'm not buying into this 'the seeds will breeze through'. How many seeds fell at the first hurdle last year and what's the highest number of seeds to fall at a Worlds in round 1? Where's that skully!

8 in 1992 and 2012.

I expect at least 5 or 6 this year to tumble out.

Selby reaching the semis looks quite likely for me. He isn't in great form by any means but his draw doesn't get much better than that to be honest. Reaching the quarters should be no problem and even if he plays Allen in the quarters. Allens best game is just not as good as the ones of the really big players. It'd be in Selbys hands to win that encounter.

O'Sullivan-Selby semi looks quite likely and it'd be by far the best possible semifinal for the bottom half of the draw.

As for the top half of the draw. No one so far has spoken about it but Higgins has a really good chance I think to reach the semis. The likes of Bingham, Carter, Maguire, Walden are all capable of beating a declining Higgins but it's just a really good draw for Higgins. He doesn't need to play his very best game. His B-game could be quite easily enough to go through..

And as people say. The second quarter is by far the best one. Trump, Ding, Robertson. Damn. Atm I'd say that Trump will go through to the semis. But just too hard to predict.




And btw. Welcome back Skull.

TheRocket wrote:Selby reaching the semis looks quite likely for me. He isn't in great form by any means but his draw doesn't get much better than that to be honest. Reaching the quarters should be no problem and even if he plays Allen in the quarters. Allens best game is just not as good as the ones of the really big players. It'd be in Selbys hands to win that encounter.

O'Sullivan-Selby semi looks quite likely and it'd be by far the best possible semifinal for the bottom half of the draw.

As for the top half of the draw. No one so far has spoken about it but Higgins has a really good chance I think to reach the semis. The likes of Bingham, Carter, Maguire, Walden are all capable of beating a declining Higgins but it's just a really good draw for Higgins. He doesn't need to play his very best game. His B-game could be quite easily enough to go through..

And as people say. The second quarter is by far the best one. Trump, Ding, Robertson. Damn. Atm I'd say that Trump will go through to the semis. But just too hard to predict.




And btw. Welcome back Skull.

TR I would enjoy a Ronnie v Allen Semi a lot more at this stage, purely because both have only played each other once at Crucible and it was an epic match that one. They always seem to avoid each other every tournament, either because of the draw or because one of them didn't reach the stage for both to meet.

But of course a Selby v Ronnie is always a dream prospect.

I do agree about Higgins, but I actually think either Day or likely Walden will take care of him.

The top and bottom of the draw are roughly evenly matched for strength when you adjust for the fact that Ronnie is the real number 1 by a distance.

boris_the_butcher wrote:best four players on form in 2016 are ROS, Murphy, Trump and Perry. Three of which are in the so-called easy half of the draw.

Exactly, it's not the easier half, it's about even for me.

Thing is with Selby, he's a bit of an uncertainty right now. He's gone off the radar a bit, which I think suits him, but since he missed the last two event for personal reasons, we don't know what he's been doing.

If it's a serious family illness or something similar, he could've not touched his cue for a month for all we know.

Top quarter, Carter can take Bingo, Bingo can take Carter. No surprise whoever wins there. With Higgins, it depends on who can take him close. Higgins has produced good stuff over the last season or so but I still think he's a shadow of old Higgins in terms of mental strength. Long format used to be his forte but I think if someone gets a good lead against him (not Walden he's an awful frontrunner), he can be stopped.

For Ronnie, either Murphy or a surprise qualifier can beat him I'd say. Hawkins has got close but has never beat him, Fu doesn't bother him anymore since Steve Peters. Same with Ebdon.

Andy Spark wrote:The top and bottom of the draw are roughly evenly matched for strength when you adjust for the fact that Ronnie is the real number 1 by a distance.

Sory but the real WN1 is Mark Selby, even if atm he's not playing the best Snooker out there.

Robbo and Ronnie are, Trump too, but my point is Selby is WN1 for a reason. Those 3 players didn't earn enough money to be WN1.

Hawkins could be a danger for Ronnie. It's quite similar like with Bingham last year. No one gave Bingham a sniff of a chance because of his very poor record but we know what happened.

And GJ I think said it a couple of weeks ago. In the semis of the last two years against Murphy and Ronnie he had nothing left in the tank after a marathon quarter final. This time Hawkins would be playing Ronnie in the second round which definitely increases his chances.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if Hawkins was playing like he did in the 2013 WC final. At the end of the day though the match is still in the hands of ROS. If he plays anything close to his A-game he should go through.

Andy Spark wrote:The top and bottom of the draw are roughly evenly matched for strength when you adjust for the fact that Ronnie is the real number 1 by a distance.

Okay, I've now looked at this.
Even Ronnie ranked at no.1 (and obviously adjusting the other players accordingly) doesn't change anything.
The bottom half remains weaker - and the 'quarters' are, similarly, still rated the same in order of difficulty.
Absolutely nothing would change!

TheRocket wrote:Hawkins could be a danger for Ronnie. It's quite similar like with Bingham last year. No one gave Bingham a sniff of a chance because of his very poor record but we know what happened.

And GJ I think said it a couple of weeks ago. In the semis of the last two years against Murphy and Ronnie he had nothing left in the tank after a marathon quarter final. This time Hawkins would be playing Ronnie in the second round which definitely increases his chances.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if Hawkins was playing like he did in the 2013 WC final. At the end of the day though the match is still in the hands of ROS. If he plays anything close to his A-game he should go through.

Good comparison TR, last year Bingham was almost seen as a walkover for Ronnie and like you say we all know what happened there.

Hawkins definately has the game to beat him, it's more down to belief that he can actually do it.

As I said above though, a Ronnie v Allen Semi at this stage would please me more than a Selby v Ronnie.

Andre147 wrote:

Andy Spark wrote:The top and bottom of the draw are roughly evenly matched for strength when you adjust for the fact that Ronnie is the real number 1 by a distance.

Sory but the real WN1 is Mark Selby, even if atm he's not playing the best Snooker out there.

Robbo and Ronnie are, Trump too, but my point is Selby is WN1 for a reason. Those 3 players didn't earn enough money to be WN1.

You go by world ranking which thinks a player who hasn't entered an event (with no data on performance) is worth the same as a player who has entered but loses first round (with available data suggesting he's not at even a level to win one match). World rankings are nonsense because they are based on nonsense. Garbage in, garbage out.

Also winning the World championships gives more money than not winning it.

I think Hawkins at the crucible is a force to be reckoned with against anyone...

... but after his masters final with Ronnie I can't see him as that much of a threat to him, I really thought that final would go close and Hawkins crumbled.

TheRocket wrote:Hawkins could be a danger for Ronnie.

Are you on crystal meth?

I must say it's a shaggable first round draw.

Wildey wrote:What was your favorite Match from last years Championship?

Trump v Bingham

Pink Ball wrote:

TheRocket wrote:Hawkins could be a danger for Ronnie.

Are you on crystal meth?

Most said the same thing about Bingo last year v Ronnie, almost as a walkover, and we all know what happened there...