Post a reply

Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Champs

Postby SnookerFan

When snooker’s great and good head to York’s Barbican Centre this week they will find one of their sport’s longest running events in receipt of a much-needed makeover.
The UK Championship, whose stature has undoubtedly been under threat in recent years, is being restored to former glories, with increased prize money and every match in the final stages played in front of the TV cameras.
As snooker developed a foothold on television in the late 1970's, new tournaments were needed to match the interest. The UK Championship was introduced to the calendar in 1977, originally for players resident in Britain. It was made a ranking event in 1984 and came to be regarded as second in importance only to the World Championship.

In more recent times, the Masters, with its elite field, London crowd and lively atmosphere, has in most eyes overtaken the UK as the game’s second biggest event. Some players have even suggested the eight-man Tour Championship carries more prestige. Pre-Covid, the China Open was worth more prize money.
The UK Championship has suffered from valuing quantity over quality, with 128 players crammed into the Barbican and some matches played in a cramped second arena variously described as a “car park” and a “toilet.” The whole feel of the event, at least in its early stages, resembled a standard ranking tournament, not one of the sport’s crown jewels.
World Snooker Tour have listened and responded. This year, the format apes that of the World Championship, with the top 16 ranked players seeded into the last 32 and six days of qualifying to produce the 16 players that will face them in round one proper.
The final stages are therefore reduced from eight tables to two, with the emphasis on excellence. Players will no longer be able to make their way quietly through the draw from the outside tables. The atmosphere in the arena should more closely resemble that of a major event.


Diehard fans mourn the loss of best-of-17 frame matches, which were a feature of the UK Championship until the format was shortened in 2011. These longer matches indeed produced great slow burning drama, but snooker needs to appeal to more than just the diehards. Advance ticket sales for York suggest that being guaranteed to see a finish in every session aside from the first afternoon of the final is a hit with punters.
The UK Championship roll of honour provides the perfect overview of the last five decades in professional snooker. From a typically dramatic win for Alex Higgins in 1983, to Steve Davis’s dominance in the 1980s, in which he won six titles, to Stephen Hendry’s takeover at the end of the decade. Hendry’s 1990's domination was never more apparent than when he made seven centuries in the best-of-19 frames 1994 final against Ken Doherty.
The tournament heralded the emergence of Ronnie O’Sullivan as an authentic new star when he won the title as a 17 year-old in 1993. It saw triumphs for leading players of their time, like Terry Griffiths, John Parrott and Jimmy White. John Higgins and Mark Williams soon became multiple champions, as did Ding Junhui, Mark Selby and Neil Robertson.
Surprise winners are thin on the ground, but Doug Mountjoy’s victory at the age of 46 in 1988 when he was thought to be in irreversible decline was a heart-warming upset. At the other end of the age scale, Stephen Maguire broke through at 23 with his success in 2004.
Last year, we saw the start of an exciting new chapter for the sport when Zhao Xintong, the frighteningly talented young Chinese sensation, landed his first ranking title by beating Luca Brecel 10-5.


And then there are the moments which defined careers in different ways, none more bittersweet than Willie Thorne’s missed blue when leading Davis 13-8 in the 1985 final. Davis came back to beat him 16-14.
Some legendary figures, such as Ray Reardon, Dennis Taylor and Doherty, fell short of having their names engraved on the trophy. Other more modern stars, like Shaun Murphy and Judd Trump, are looking to bolster their claims for greatness by winning it for a second time.
For years, the UK Championship was synonymous with the Guild Hall in Preston, but it has now found its home in the beautiful city of York and kept its pre-Christmas slot.
The prize money has been increased and this year the champion will pocket a record £250,000. An effort has also been made to make the event more of an experience for spectators, with an expanded fan zone and catering village.
Trump spoke out last week at the Champion of Champions on how snooker needs to do more to compete with other sports, especially as a live spectator experience. He has previously complained that the UK Championship is too long with a flat atmosphere. The changes, though not revolutionary, should go some way to satisfying one of snooker’s leading modernisers.

Trump heads to York having just made a 147 in the Champion of Champions final, which he ultimately lost to O’Sullivan 10-6. His sole UK title to date came 11 years ago, although he has since appeared in two finals.
O’Sullivan is looking to win the UK title for an eighth time, his most recent success coming in 2018. The format changes should suit a player who admits he finds it hard to get motivated in the multi-table environment.
The UK Championship did not deserve to be regarded as the poor relation among snooker’s majors. Its rich history has provided countless treasured memories for players and fans alike. To become UK champion remains an ambition all players hold. For many, it has been a career highlight.
New life is now being breathed into this firm fixture of the snooker calendar. A memorable week awaits us in York.

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/snooker/uk- ... tory.shtml
Last edited by SnookerFan on 08 Nov 2022, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby SnookerFan

The_Abbott wrote:I don't like what they have done. I mean a UK Judgement Day is so lame. They couldn't even come up with a new name for it and not replicate the Worlds.

All to please Judders.


I prefer the way they've done it now.

Having an old school top-16 get through automatically makes the tournament feel a bit different and more special to the usual last 128 stuff.

Now all they need to do is lengthen matches. And maybe make the Qualifiers a bit of a bigger deal. They only announced tickets were on sale a week or two in advance. Market it better, get more people in there. Get a good atmosphere going.

What they've done so far is a step in the right direction though.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby The_Abbott

SnookerFan wrote:
The_Abbott wrote:I don't like what they have done. I mean a UK Judgement Day is so lame. They couldn't even come up with a new name for it and not replicate the Worlds.

All to please Judders.


I prefer the way they've done it now.

Having an old school top-16 get through automatically makes the tournament feel a bit different and more special to the usual last 128 stuff.

Now all they need to do is lengthen matches. And maybe make the Qualifiers a bit of a bigger deal. They only announced tickets were on sale a week or two in advance. Market it better, get more people in there. Get a good atmosphere going.

What they've done so far is a step in the right direction though.


I just feel unless you change the length of the frames it makes this step pointless. I liked the random draw for one of the major events. Gave a chance for players to shine rather than see mugs like Murphy on TV.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby SnookerFan

The_Abbott wrote:I just feel unless you change the length of the frames it makes this step pointless. I liked the random draw for one of the major events. Gave a chance for players to shine rather than see mugs like Murphy on TV.


It doesn't completely make it better than it was, but it's a step in the right direction.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby SnookerEd25

The_Abbott wrote:I don't like what they have done. I mean a UK Judgement Day is so lame. They couldn't even come up with a new name for it and not replicate the Worlds.

All to please Judders.


pmsl

FFS, Judders :grrr:

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby lhpirnie

As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.

I think a major trigger towards the move to a tiered draw was Shaun Murphy's outburst last year. He attacked his amateur opponent (who was not able to respond) "that young man should not have been in the building", etc. So, one year later, he's been given a bye into the 5th round, and 112 players are indeed 'not in the building'. WST, the organisers and the BBC are mainly concerned about having the big names in the later stages, and the top players are able to exploit that to get what they want.

Although the new format has many positives, the tour does lose out in that there aren't any events where all of the players are present. Everything is now split into 'qualifiers' (at a different venue) and 'main event'.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby McManusFan

lhpirnie wrote:As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.

I think a major trigger towards the move to a tiered draw was Shaun Murphy's outburst last year. He attacked his amateur opponent (who was not able to respond) "that young man should not have been in the building", etc. So, one year later, he's been given a bye into the 5th round, and 112 players are indeed 'not in the building'. WST, the organisers and the BBC are mainly concerned about having the big names in the later stages, and the top players are able to exploit that to get what they want.

Although the new format has many positives, the tour does lose out in that there aren't any events where all of the players are present. Everything is now split into 'qualifiers' (at a different venue) and 'main event'.


I'm not sure about the importance of the Murphy comment, he was widely lampooned at the time (and since).

I agree wholeheartedly with your point about it being a shame everything is somewhat like this now. Having 'qualifiers' for the Home Nations events has had a real negative impact for those events, whereas it seems to be an improvement for the UK championship.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby gninnur karona

lhpirnie wrote:As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.

I think a major trigger towards the move to a tiered draw was Shaun Murphy's outburst last year. He attacked his amateur opponent (who was not able to respond) "that young man should not have been in the building", etc. So, one year later, he's been given a bye into the 5th round, and 112 players are indeed 'not in the building'. WST, the organisers and the BBC are mainly concerned about having the big names in the later stages, and the top players are able to exploit that to get what they want.

Although the new format has many positives, the tour does lose out in that there aren't any events where all of the players are present. Everything is now split into 'qualifiers' (at a different venue) and 'main event'.


The only thing I disagree with is your assertion that the new format has many positives. Frankly, I don't think it has any.

Yesterday I enjoyed watching parts of Zhou Yuelong v Michael White, Ding Junhui v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Joe Perry v Yuan Sijun, and Anthony Hamilton v Marco Fu. However these four matches should not have been part of a "preparing the cannon fodder" sub-competition. The eight players deserve a lot better than that, they deserve to be participating in a single competition, in this case in York.

Last season the one and only day that I watched every single ball struck was UK Championships semi-finals day. If my memory is correct number 40 beat the number 5, and number 26 beat number 14 (who knocked out number 101 in the quarters).

The reaction of WST and BBC - how best to stop that ever happening again.

Dave Hendon has the right to nostalgically pine for the 1980s, his podcast caters excellently for those with similar views, but if snooker is to have a glorious future it has to have greater ambition than to hope it can once again stage a World Championship final in front of only 18.5 million television viewers.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby Iranu

gninnur karona wrote:
lhpirnie wrote:As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.

I think a major trigger towards the move to a tiered draw was Shaun Murphy's outburst last year. He attacked his amateur opponent (who was not able to respond) "that young man should not have been in the building", etc. So, one year later, he's been given a bye into the 5th round, and 112 players are indeed 'not in the building'. WST, the organisers and the BBC are mainly concerned about having the big names in the later stages, and the top players are able to exploit that to get what they want.

Although the new format has many positives, the tour does lose out in that there aren't any events where all of the players are present. Everything is now split into 'qualifiers' (at a different venue) and 'main event'.


The only thing I disagree with is your assertion that the new format has many positives. Frankly, I don't think it has any.

Yesterday I enjoyed watching parts of Zhou Yuelong v Michael White, Ding Junhui v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Joe Perry v Yuan Sijun, and Anthony Hamilton v Marco Fu. However these four matches should not have been part of a "preparing the cannon fodder" sub-competition. The eight players deserve a lot better than that, they deserve to be participating in a single competition, in this case in York.

Last season the one and only day that I watched every single ball struck was UK Championships semi-finals day. If my memory is correct number 40 beat the number 5, and number 26 beat number 14 (who knocked out number 101 in the quarters).

The reaction of WST and BBC - how best to stop that ever happening again.

Dave Hendon has the right to nostalgically pine for the 1980s, his podcast caters excellently for those with similar views, but if snooker is to have a glorious future it has to have greater ambition than to hope it can once again stage a World Championship final in front of only 18.5 million television viewers.

Why on earth do those players deserve better? Half of them aren’t even in the top 64!

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby Iranu

It’s also worth pointing out that plenty of lower ranked players prefer the tiered system as well.

So maybe let’s not assume we’re talking on their behalf when we say they’d all want it to revert to a flat 128?

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby McManusFan

cupotee wrote:
lhpirnie wrote:As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.



I think he just uses snooker as a career pathway, its hard to see how he genuinely likes snooker I don't hear it in his commentary at all.


Absolute codswallop! He's clearly a snooker nut.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby cupotee

McManusFan wrote:
cupotee wrote:
lhpirnie wrote:As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.



I think he just uses snooker as a career pathway, its hard to see how he genuinely likes snooker I don't hear it in his commentary at all.


Absolute codswallop! He's clearly a snooker nut.


I literally can't be asked to count the number of times he didn't comment on key shots in matches like he's in a hurry to get his next cappuccino, I'd take the ambience and no commentary of Bet365 over him all day by a country mile.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby HappyCamper

the heck! hendon clearly passionate about snooker.

what exactly would be his grand scheme here. "if i spend two decades as a journalist and commentator on this minority and often dying sport then everyone will start watching my plays!"

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby Iranu

cupotee wrote:
McManusFan wrote:
cupotee wrote:
lhpirnie wrote:As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.



I think he just uses snooker as a career pathway, its hard to see how he genuinely likes snooker I don't hear it in his commentary at all.


Absolute codswallop! He's clearly a snooker nut.


I literally can't be asked to count the number of times he didn't comment on key shots in matches like he's in a hurry to get his next cappuccino, I'd take the ambience and no commentary of Bet365 over him all day by a country mile.

This is so hilariously incorrect.

You only have to listen to his podcast to know how much he knows and cares about snooker.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby cupotee

Iranu wrote:
cupotee wrote:
McManusFan wrote:
cupotee wrote:
lhpirnie wrote:As usual for Dave Hendon, it's really all about trying to recapture the 1980's yet again.



I think he just uses snooker as a career pathway, its hard to see how he genuinely likes snooker I don't hear it in his commentary at all.


Absolute codswallop! He's clearly a snooker nut.


I literally can't be asked to count the number of times he didn't comment on key shots in matches like he's in a hurry to get his next cappuccino, I'd take the ambience and no commentary of Bet365 over him all day by a country mile.

This is so hilariously incorrect.

You only have to listen to his podcast to know how much he knows and cares about snooker.


Thats cool but we're on different wavelengths, Ali Carter once tweeted that he reckoned Phil Studd had never picked up a cue in his life, for me its much the same with Hendon, my snooker experience is better without him, its nothing personal though.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby Iranu

cupotee wrote:Thats cool but we're on different wavelengths, Ali Carter once tweeted that he reckoned Phil Studd had never picked up a cue in his life, for me its much the same with Hendon, my snooker experience is better without him, its nothing personal though.

SF has never picked up a cue in his life, does he not like snooker either?

Hendon is a journalist. He’s not there to analyse the shots, that’s the player-commentator’s job.

You’re welcome not to like his commentary but claiming he doesn’t like snooker is just plain incorrect.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby lhpirnie

Iranu wrote:It’s also worth pointing out that plenty of lower ranked players prefer the tiered system as well.

So maybe let’s not assume we’re talking on their behalf when we say they’d all want it to revert to a flat 128?

That's why I say there are some positives. I'm not against tiered draws at all, if anything I want variety and distinctiveness. But I do have a problem with trying to exclude most of the players from venues. I think I called it 'ranking-based apartheid' in an earlier post. There are lots of fine professionals, and some great matches. The tour seems to be steadily becoming more and more exclusive, which could ultimately damage the game.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby lhpirnie

HappyCamper wrote:the heck! hendon clearly passionate about snooker.

what exactly would be his grand scheme here. "if i spend two decades as a journalist and commentator on this minority and often dying sport then everyone will start watching my plays!"

I actually think Dave Hendon is the best of the commentators. It's just my personal gripe that he keeps harking back to the 1980's. Most snooker fans love all that!

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby SnookerFan

lhpirnie wrote:
HappyCamper wrote:the heck! hendon clearly passionate about snooker.

what exactly would be his grand scheme here. "if i spend two decades as a journalist and commentator on this minority and often dying sport then everyone will start watching my plays!"

I actually think Dave Hendon is the best of the commentators. It's just my personal gripe that he keeps harking back to the 1980's. Most snooker fans love all that!


To be fair, many of the BBC commentators are far more guilty of that.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby lhpirnie

SnookerFan wrote:
lhpirnie wrote:
HappyCamper wrote:the heck! hendon clearly passionate about snooker.

what exactly would be his grand scheme here. "if i spend two decades as a journalist and commentator on this minority and often dying sport then everyone will start watching my plays!"

I actually think Dave Hendon is the best of the commentators. It's just my personal gripe that he keeps harking back to the 1980's. Most snooker fans love all that!


To be fair, many of the BBC commentators are far more guilty of that.

Yes exactly. That's the real problem. Almost all of the commentariat are steeped in the past. That's why it's so good to hear the likes of Steve Hallworth. But Dave Hendon at least had the chance to be less old-school, he's an intelligent man.

Re: Hendon comments again on the short matches at the UK Cha

Postby SnookerFan

cupotee wrote:
I literally can't be asked to count the number of times he didn't comment on key shots in matches like he's in a hurry to get his next cappuccino, I'd take the ambience and no commentary of Bet365 over him all day by a country mile.


Are you basing that on his commentary this week? It's been more informal, reading out of tweets etc. That's because it's qualifying, and only available on streaming. He's not always like that.