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What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Tubberlad

Just two days remain before snooker's second most valuable ranking event gets underway, and it would appear the tournament has reached a crossroads of sorts.

This season sees the UK ditch it's traditional best-of-17 format for the first three rounds. Instead, matches will last just one session, with the first player to six, rather than nine, advancing. What it means is that the semi-finals of the UK Championship are now the only matches of the season that offer multiple sessions outside of tournament finals and the World Championship.

It's a big change for a tournament that many of us dearly love, and while I think we all understand that TV deals have a massive part to play in this change, it is hard to believe that the event will not lose some of the magic that has made it my, and many other's, second favourite tournament. However, I suppose we will have to wait and see before passing judgement.

To be fair, the UK has struggled as far as attendances are concerned for quite a few years now. It's move to Telford was hugely controversial, but it has now reverted back to a more popular past venue, the Barbican Centre in York.

I certainly have some great memories from the tournament: Ronnie O'Sullivan's stunning hammering of Ken Doherty in 2001 comes to mind, as Doherty, a very fine player, memorably admitted that he had been 'embarassed'. O'Sullivan was in similar form six years later when he played some scintillating, clinical snooker in dismantling Stephen Maguire at the same stage.

Mark Williams won a thrilling final in 2002, against Doherty again, on his way to claiming snooker's 'triple crown', it's also the tournament that saw Matthew Stevens complete a fantastic comeback from 0-4 down against Stephen Hendry in the 2003 decider, the Welshman's sole ranking title to date.

Stephen Maguire and Ding Junhui were back to back unseeded winners of the tournament in 2004 & 2005 respectively, titles that saw both of them proclaimed as future stars of the game. While Maguire has disappointed many since that win, Ding memorably defeated John Higgins in the 2009 decider to end a three year ranking title drought.

Just last year, Mark Williams was on the receiving end of one of the game's great comebacks. John Higgins, who had just returned having served a six month ban, fell 5-9 behind, and needed a snooker at 7-9... he found it, and took the title, drawing tears from the normally super laid-back Williams.

The UK, with it's time slot just before Christmas, has always had a certain amount of magic attached to it... outside of the World Championship, it's by far my favourite, and I include the Masters in that statement. Whether it thrives in it's new guise or not remains to be seen, the jury is out now like it's never been before.

But what are your favourite memories of this tournament, do you feel that the revamp will signal new life, or do you think it's a further downgrading of a once-great event?

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby SnookerFan

king.kauto wrote:What does the UK Championship mean to you?

buck all now. Its just another ranker


Let's look on the bright side. In my opinion there is never 'just another ranker'. A full ranking event on BBC is still something to enjoy. Even if the prestige of the event is gone.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Wildey

its quite clearly the BBC has no clue what so ever about what works in snooker and what did work brilliantly.

they was the reason that a best of 31 final was reduced and ever since despite some great matches it was never the same event Post 1992...

its now 2 Day away yes im Looking Forward its a Snooker Event but i Look forward to a PTC....

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Smart

Wild wrote:its quite clearly the BBC has no clue what so ever about what works in snooker and what did work brilliantly.

they was the reason that a best of 31 final was reduced and ever since despite some great matches it was never the same event Post 1992...

its now 2 Day away yes im Looking Forward its a Snooker Event but i Look forward to a PTC....


I'm going EuroSport all the way, programmed the reminders into the 7-day schedule. :hatoff:

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Wildey

Smart wrote:
Wild wrote:its quite clearly the BBC has no clue what so ever about what works in snooker and what did work brilliantly.

they was the reason that a best of 31 final was reduced and ever since despite some great matches it was never the same event Post 1992...

its now 2 Day away yes im Looking Forward its a Snooker Event but i Look forward to a PTC....


I'm going EuroSport all the way, programmed the reminders into the 7-day schedule. :hatoff:

Yes eurosport coverage looks where it at ..BBC are on the way out..

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby SnookerFan

I, too, enjoyed the UK Championship where Mark Williams beat Ken-Do. It seems so long ago now....

And despite only being a few years later, the final where Ding beat Davis seems like only the other year.

And talking of legends, my favourite recent memory was being there live in Telford when Stephen Hendry played Steve Davis in the first round. Somehow I liked that even better than the Stephen Hendry vs Jimmy White match I was at next year. It's a match that will live with me for a while. What an honour to watch a Battle Of The Legends. :hatoff:

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Casey

The ranking points and moneys on offer still make it the second biggest tournament on tour. Its a shame about the reduction, but at least we won't be missing any matches (looking on the bright side)

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Witz78

stand out UK moments for me

Higgins memorable comeback and win over Davis and the wild celebrations in the crowd

Jimmys win in 92 which slightly made up for the World Championship heartbreaks which were becoming sore to take every year by then

Ebdons win over Hendry in 2006

Who were you supporting in those R1 battles of the legends in the last 2 years Snookerfan?

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Witz78

Casey wrote:The ranking points and moneys on offer still make it the second biggest tournament on tour. Its a shame about the reduction, but at least we won't be missing any matches (looking on the bright side)


£100k to the UK winner

£150k to the Masters winner

Sod the UKs ranking points, theres plenty of other events to gain points in

Id sooner win the Masters <ok>

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby SnookerFan

Witz78 wrote:stand out UK moments for me

Higgins memorable comeback and win over Davis and the wild celebrations in the crowd

Jimmys win in 92 which slightly made up for the World Championship heartbreaks which were becoming sore to take every year by then

Ebdons win over Hendry in 2006

Who were you supporting in those R1 battles of the legends in the last 2 years Snookerfan?


It was always a tough call, because I like all three men. Possibly Jimmy in the second one, because it's Jimmy. And, let's be honest, how many more runs is he going to have in tournaments?

When it came to Hendry vs Davis, I like both of them would have been happy either way. Perhaps favoured Davis a tad, but it was just good to be there for the match. The crowd were loving it.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby SnookerFan

Tubberlad wrote:The Masters is overrated. The UK wasn't, we'll have to wait and see about it this year.


I disagree. I think they are both special, but for different reasons. The UKs was because of match-length, the Masters was because it was the elite top-16.

Saying that the UK 'still has bo11, the same as The Masters' misses the point. It'd be like if they started letting qualifiers into The Masters, it wouldn't be the same.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Tubberlad

SnookerFan wrote:
Tubberlad wrote:The Masters is overrated. The UK wasn't, we'll have to wait and see about it this year.


I disagree. I think they are both special, but for different reasons. The UKs was because of match-length, the Masters was because it was the elite top-16.

Saying that the UK 'still has bo11, the same as The Masters' misses the point. It'd be like if they started letting qualifiers into The Masters, it wouldn't be the same.

Sorry, I made that statement as if it's a fact, it's not a fact because so many players and fans love it. It's just my opinion. I never understood why people placed the Masters ahead of the UK, I would agree that the Masters has produced more classic finals than any other tournament, but it always lacked something in my opinion because of their being no ranking points at stake... then again, I would be totally against bringing ranking points into the Masters, the Irish Masters was never as good IMO once they brought in points.

I wonder what Ally Pally will bring to the table actually...could be exciting.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Witz78

Tubberlad wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:
Tubberlad wrote:The Masters is overrated. The UK wasn't, we'll have to wait and see about it this year.


I disagree. I think they are both special, but for different reasons. The UKs was because of match-length, the Masters was because it was the elite top-16.

Saying that the UK 'still has bo11, the same as The Masters' misses the point. It'd be like if they started letting qualifiers into The Masters, it wouldn't be the same.

Sorry, I made that statement as if it's a fact, it's not a fact because so many players and fans love it. It's just my opinion. I never understood why people placed the Masters ahead of the UK, I would agree that the Masters has produced more classic finals than any other tournament, but it always lacked something in my opinion because of their being no ranking points at stake... then again, I would be totally against bringing ranking points into the Masters, the Irish Masters was never as good IMO once they brought in points.

I wonder what Ally Pally will bring to the table actually...could be exciting.


Drunken fans similar to the Ally Pally darts crowd with a bit of luck <ok>

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Tubberlad

First round: Best-of-17
Second round: Best-of-17
Quarter-finals: Best-of-19
Semi-finals: Best-of-25
Final: Best-of-31

That's still my ideal UK format. Unfortunately, due to tv scheduling restrictions, it's a non-starter. I still can't quite figure how they give ball-by-ball coverage for five days of test cricket, but snooker is being chiseled away at... then again, I suppose twenty20 is eating into Test Cricket.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby SnookerFan

Tubberlad wrote:First round: Best-of-17
Second round: Best-of-17
Quarter-finals: Best-of-19
Semi-finals: Best-of-25
Final: Best-of-31

That's still my ideal UK format. Unfortunately, due to tv scheduling restrictions, it's a non-starter. I still can't quite figure how they give ball-by-ball coverage for five days of test cricket, but snooker is being chiseled away at... then again, I suppose twenty20 is eating into Test Cricket.


Cricket gets higher viewing figures.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Snooker Overdrive

Nice to see a thread like this, I thought about starting one myself on that topic.

The UK means a lot to me. It might be my favourite tournament of the whole year. Of course the WC is more important and bigger but after that the season is over, while it just really starts with the UK. It's perfectly timed just before Christmas and there's just something special about it. The UK was the second tournament I watched after becoming a fan and it was incredible. The Ebdon - Hendry match is still very fresh on my mind, just the like the little dance Ebdon performed after his semi final victory. The 2007 UK is my overall favourite tournament I have ever seen. Of course that has something to do with Ronnie. He hasn't won a ranker for two years before the tournament (just like today) and of course everyone was talking about it none stop. He lost the final of the Grand Prix a month before and I wanted nothing more than Ronnie winning a ranking title. He struggled against Michael Holt in the first round 9-6 but than blew away Mark King and Jamie Cope 9-1 and 9-2. After that of course the famous Selby match came up which is my favourite Ronnie match next to the 2007 Masters final I have ever witnessed. Selby was tough as nails and went in front and looked like winning the match. Ronnie had a spoon and counted spots to help his concentration and he dug as deep I have ever seen Ronnie dig in a match. We all know the stunning decider including that terrific black in the middle. The final was a demonstration of power and Maguire could have been whitewashed (he was 0-8 behind after the first session). Ronnie fans will agree that this tournament and especially the semi final had a huge impact on Ronnie. I don't think he would have won the WC should he have lost that match. He finished the season as the best he ever played (2 majors, World No.1, 3x147). That's why I wrote at the start that the UK might be my favourite tournament of the snooker calender. Also the UK trophy is the best looking piece of silverware snooker has to offer.

But this article isn't about if I like the UK, the Worlds or the Masters best or something like that. I love all the 3 majors and these 3 tournament stand above everything else in snooker - frame reduction or not.

I wasn't happy after the frame reduction news but I can understand the reasons perfectly and I don't think they will ruin the tournament - best of 11 is still pretty long. Also the first round matches don't always need to be that long and it was very annoying that for example Ronnie played the first session Sunday afternoon but the match was decided on Monday morning and I couldn't watch it. But I would really would want the best of 17 matches back at the quarters and the last 16.

But nonetheless it will be great tournament with great coverage. That's what I have to say about the UK Championship.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Muppet147

Higgins beating Davis in 1983.

Higgins was cueing beautifully in that tournament and he opened up a 6-0 lead against the higher-ranked Tony Knowles in an earlier match.

Jimmy White also had a good run in that tournament but was comfortably beaten by Davis in the semi.

Higgins was asked who he would rather play in the final and he said Davis. Because he had got his safety game working well.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby hitman_ronnie1

remember watching the mountjoy-hendry match back in 1988.

that's my first snooker memory.

ronnie in 93. :bowdown:

williams-doherty.

doherty flunking the black on a 147. :emb:

stephen maguire looking the boss in 04. :D

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Smart

Witz78 wrote:
Casey wrote:The ranking points and moneys on offer still make it the second biggest tournament on tour. Its a shame about the reduction, but at least we won't be missing any matches (looking on the bright side)


£100k to the UK winner

£150k to the Masters winner

Sod the UKs ranking points, theres plenty of other events to gain points in

Id sooner win the Masters <ok>


thats bullocks and you know it. Masters is an invite only overrated event, classy but overrated. UK pisses all over it. :win:

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Wildey

Smart wrote:
Muppet147 wrote:That might have been true once but now Hearn has ruined the UK by making it a race to 6 they are much of a muchness.


race to 6 ???

Where are you based, NYC or Chicago :gag:

<laugh>

despite the downgrade and it is the Advantage is every matched televised and it is the second biggest event no question BUT it just doesent have the same aura about it anymore and the fact mainstream BBC Coverage is also reduced and ironicly when its the best of 17 semis the coverage increases.

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Witz78

Smart wrote:
Witz78 wrote:
Casey wrote:The ranking points and moneys on offer still make it the second biggest tournament on tour. Its a shame about the reduction, but at least we won't be missing any matches (looking on the bright side)


£100k to the UK winner

£150k to the Masters winner

Sod the UKs ranking points, theres plenty of other events to gain points in

Id sooner win the Masters <ok>


thats bullocks and you know it. Masters is an invite only overrated event, classy but overrated. UK pisses all over it. :win:


:ymca:

nah not at all, the Masters all the way for me <ok>

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby Bourne

It still means more to me than the Masters, which I haven't seen anyone moaning about it being a 'short' event: more frames, more players, more matches, more TV coverage, longer semis and it has ranking points, absolute no-contest <ok>

Re: What does the UK Championship mean to you?

Postby SnookerFan

Bourne wrote:It still means more to me than the Masters, which I haven't seen anyone moaning about it being a 'short' event: more frames, more players, more matches, more TV coverage, longer semis and it has ranking points, absolute no-contest <ok>


Yes, but the prestige of The Masters is based on the elite field, not on length of the matches. UK with shorter matches is like The Masters adding qualifiers. :spot on: