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Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Roland

Actually he was burnt out after winning most of the preceding tournaments and Doherty was at his peak and I actually tipped him to win that year. All things considered, going in to the final Doherty was far from the underdog. And Hendry was far from past his best, he was still the best player in the world by a mile.

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Wildey

Sonny wrote:Actually he was burnt out after winning most of the preceding tournaments and Doherty was at his peak and I actually tipped him to win that year. All things considered, going in to the final Doherty was far from the underdog. And Hendry was far from past his best, he was still the best player in the world by a mile.

That was the First time this Arrogance of All out attack and not interested in Scrapping out frames appeared.

He made 5 centuries in that Final and outscored Doherty by over 100 points despite winning 6 fewer frames but Doherty was Fighting for every scrap where as Hendry was one visit frame winner or nothing.

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Roland

I don't remember much about it other than I was cheering on Doherty and was sick of the Hendry dominance at the time. I don't remember thinking Doherty wouldn't win during the match. I do remember the talk of Hendry burn out given he'd played many more matches than any other player going into the event and he looked like the final was one match too many.

For me I didn't really notice the all out attack persistence of Hendry despite losing the sharpness of concentration he had in his youth until a couple of years later. It was a flaw that he didn't adapt his game but in retrospect you have to admire his balls.

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Witz78

all i remember is i was in Halls of Residence and shared a room with this Mad Dubliner who was going mad

"Ah Jeez, yer man Doher-tee has done it!"

The main thing i remember from the 97 tourny bar the obvious like Ronnies mega 147 was being gutted as i was hoping for a Wattana - Robidoux final.

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Roland

Witz78 wrote:all i remember is i was in Halls of Residence and shared a room with this Mad Dubliner who was going mad

"Ah Jeez, yer man Doher-tee has done it!"

The main thing i remember from the 97 tourny bar the obvious like Ronnies mega 147 was being gutted as i was hoping for a Wattana - Robidoux final.

That reminds me actually, I was there for the semi-final Saturday last 2 sessions which was the first time I'd been to the Crucible since 1984 with my old man, and the last time I went there for about 10 or more years. Only got to see 2 or 3 frames of match snooker when Hendry polished off Wattana. Doherty had already beaten whoever he played (Robidoux?) so they put on an exhibition with Dennis Taylor and Tony Drago. Me and my mate were well excited about seeing Drago, but bucking Taylor hogged the table and told rubbish jokes the whole time and Drago couldn't get a rhythm going. Think he only managed a couple of 20 breaks.

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Roland

Well in 84 I was only 9 and it was my 10th birthday present in advance, and I got to see Griffiths v Werbeniuk which wasn't exactly the one I wanted going in but it went 13-12 and I was enthralled. My dad wanted to leave at 12-11 but I wouldn't let him. I remember being really proud of my dad that he chatted to Dennis Taylor in the car park. So obviously I was too young to know about atmosphere but for me it was magic and I still remember where I sat which would be about 4 rows back level with the blue spot on the left as you walk in the middle door.

In '97 me and my mate had a spliff in the car park before we went in and he was paranoid as buck and refused to go in, then when I finally got him through the door he felt the atmosphere and did an about turn and we went back to the car park for a bit. Then I finally got through to him and lead him to our seats and that's when we both realised how amazing the atmosphere was. Even though it was an exho with people shouting out it had a buzz. Then the evening session when Hendry and Wattana came out someone from earlier in the crowd didn't get that this was serious and shouted out a one liner and the whole place went "SSSSSSHHHHHHHHH" and the change in atmosphere from jovial to serious was fascinating because we suddenly got it and what it was all about. Shame we only got to see the end of a one sided match.

Anyway, in terms of crowds with today can't really compare. Obviously you've got more internationals in the crowd and you get your clowns turning up in matching clothes to get noticed on the tv (yes I know). But it's all pretty similar, snooker lovers who when the lights go down get themselves absolutely immersed in the action.

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Alpha

I wasn't massively aware of the ins and outs of snooker in 1997 (I was only 11), but I remember hearing about Hendry's World title wins (and other tournament wins) during the preceding years and was shocked when it came on the news that Doherty was leading 11-5 at the end of the first day's play in the final. And I was even more shocked that I somehow caught the very end of the 30th frame, Doherty's win and Doherty lifting the trophy after the interviews (which strangely seemed to go on forever).

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Roland

I just had to look up 84 then http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_World ... ampionship

so Taylor was playing the next day so probably went in for a bit of practice. And of course it was the year of the White v Stevens semi-final. I tell you what, I wouldn't mind seeing that again. Surely there must be some bootlegs kicking around?

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Roland

Alpha wrote:I wasn't massively aware of the ins and outs of snooker in 1997 (I was only 11), but I remember hearing about Hendry's World title wins (and other tournament wins) during the preceding years and was shocked when it came on the news that Doherty was leading 11-5 at the end of the first day's play in the final. And I was even more shocked that I somehow caught the very end of the 30th frame, Doherty's win and Doherty lifting the trophy after the interviews (which strangely seemed to go on forever).


Was that the first time you twigged what the Worlds was about? Did you watch it more the next year or did it grab you later in life?

I need to cut this out of the International topic.

Crucible Memories

Postby Roland

A generic title which has been done before but created to cut and paste off topic from another section.

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Witz78

cool, can imagine you wanted to see a Jimmy, Alex, Kirk, Davis type rather than them but good to look back and say you saw Werbenuik play.

was it Lance Armstrong you went with in '97 :D Its always cringeworthy when someone does something like that and weird too after they get told to shut it, cos theres usually someone else who cant help but make a noise afterwards too which noises even more folk up.

Yeh i know what you mean about the crowds, you only need to look at old DVDs or clips and in the 80s it looks like a total working class male audience with a few token grannies thrown in. The snoopies have improved, thats one thing haha.

I did the whole 1st week unbroken 3 years ago and got immersed in the action more some days but the last few years ive been ive only managed a 2 or 3 day visits so the full focus has been on getting snake hissed and causing chaos, though once im back home watching the later stages, i always regret not being in the arena more, but i maintain my stance that overall snooker is better to watch on the tv than in the arena.

Well, both have their advantages, obviously a decider in a big match the arena wins hands down, but the earlier less important bits of matches i find i can into them far more watching them on the tv

Re: International Championship Wild Card and Last 32 Discuss

Postby Alpha

Sonny wrote:
Alpha wrote:I wasn't massively aware of the ins and outs of snooker in 1997 (I was only 11), but I remember hearing about Hendry's World title wins (and other tournament wins) during the preceding years and was shocked when it came on the news that Doherty was leading 11-5 at the end of the first day's play in the final. And I was even more shocked that I somehow caught the very end of the 30th frame, Doherty's win and Doherty lifting the trophy after the interviews (which strangely seemed to go on forever).


Was that the first time you twigged what the Worlds was about? Did you watch it more the next year or did it grab you later in life?

I need to cut this out of the International topic.


I'd seen and heard about bits of the Worlds previously and some years afterwards but the snooker bug didn't really bite me until the 2001 O'Sullivan/Higgins final. I knew how much the Worlds meant but it was that year when I realised what a big deal it truly was.

Re: Crucible Memories

Postby Roland

Yeah well as I've said many times but it's my story, I first became aware of snooker when Davis played Mountjoy in the 1981 final and it was on the tv and I was hooked from the very second I saw it, plus everyone in the room was hooked as well. So that tournament was always the one bigged up the most and the next year it was Higgins v Reardon preceded by the Higgins v White semi-final and both were repeated over and over for the rest of the year on the BBC. So from an early age, like 7 years old the Crucible was the biggest event of the year for me. And it's stayed that way ever since. I watched every single year when I could. I remember things like being snake hissed off with parents for taking me into town to get a coat on the Saturday morning of White/Hendry in 88 and I said I wanted the first one I saw just so we could get back home and I made it in time for just turned 12-11. I had the snake hiss taken out of me at school for the coat, but there was a reason I went for that and looking back it was the right choice.

<cool>

Re: Crucible Memories

Postby Smart

Sonny wrote:Yeah well as I've said many times but it's my story, I first became aware of snooker when Davis played Mountjoy in the 1981 final and it was on the tv and I was hooked from the very second I saw it, plus everyone in the room was hooked as well. So that tournament was always the one bigged up the most and the next year it was Higgins v Reardon preceded by the Higgins v White semi-final and both were repeated over and over for the rest of the year on the BBC. So from an early age, like 7 years old the Crucible was the biggest event of the year for me. And it's stayed that way ever since. I watched every single year when I could. I remember things like being snake hissed off with parents for taking me into town to get a coat on the Saturday morning of White/Hendry in 88 and I said I wanted the first one I saw just so we could get back home and I made it in time for just turned 12-11. I had the snake hiss taken out of me at school for the coat, but there was a reason I went for that and looking back it was the right choice.

<cool>


that was a classic match on that Saturday, one of those amazing Crucible matches <ok>

Re: Crucible Memories

Postby The Cueist

I got hooked in 1980,Higgins v Cliff the grinder.
Mountjoy v Davis,Halcyon days for snooker.

Higgins V Reardon,White semi final.Magic.

Joe Johnson and his 1986 campaign at sheffield.

Osullivan v Higgins 2001.

Hendry v Ebdon,A classic.

Worst final,2010,Best match,Martyn Gould and his struggle to kill off the eventual winner of that years title Neil "Lemsip" Robertson. <ok>

Re: Crucible Memories

Postby Witz78

the time i was walking up the stairs into the Crucible with a certain Scouse Slaphead who then almost spontaneously combusted with excitement :limp: when he spotted Front Row Brian in the distance......

Re: Crucible Memories

Postby jojo

white v hendry even though white was past his best in 1998 that was special

it was my seventeenth birthday on the thursday when white finished him off from 8-1 to 10-4 an unbelievable feeling and i remember at the time i couldnt care less about anything else

remember thinking the whole country went into a frenzy for a few days most genuinely thought out of nowhere jimmy would finally go on and win it everyone everywhere was talking about his run yet i remember feeling so deflated after ronnie easily beat him in the quarter finals