Post a reply

Good time to be a snooker player says Mark Selby ...

Postby Monique

http://www.worldsnooker.com/PTC1_news%2 ... tm?tid=166
Selby - Good Time To Be A Snooker Player

Image

Mark Selby is full of enthusiasm for the new snooker season and hopes that the sport is moving into a golden era.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn recently saw his blueprint for the game's future given the green light in a players' vote, which means that it's full steam ahead for exciting new events like the World Open, Players Tour Championship, German Masters, Seniors World Championship and the Sky-televised Shoot-Out.

Leicester's Selby has established himself as one of snooker's outstanding competitors in recent seasons, winning the Masters twice and the Welsh Open, as well as reaching the World final, and he is confident that with Hearn in charge, things can only get better for the sport.

“Everything Barry has touched seems to have turned to gold so I'm looking forward to him getting hold of snooker," said Selby, who celebrated his 27th birthday last Saturday. "If he can make it anything like darts then it'll be a good time to be a snooker player.

"The players are crying out for more tournaments and that's what Barry is giving us with the PTC. We'll be playing week-in week-out which is great - I will be trying to play in as many as I can."

Selby finished last season by reaching the semi-finals of the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship, and though he lost to Graeme Dott, his Crucible run allowed his to keep his place in the top ten of the world rankings. However, he will not be guaranteed that status throughout the 2010/11 campaign, as a shake-up of the rankings system means that the list will be revised at three cut-off points.

This means that many players who start the season among the top 16 will not be certain of their place at the Masters or the Crucible. Others outside the top bracket will have the chance to rise swiftly up the rankings, generating extra excitement among fans and media.

"It's just going on results so if you are good enough you are going to stay up there and you are going to earn money," said Selby.

The player nicknamed the Jester is also looking forward to the innovative World Snooker Shoot-Out in January, a quick-fire one-frame knockout event with a 20-second shot clock, which will be the first World Snooker event televised by Sky since 2004.

"It'll be a little bit cut-throat, there'll be a lot of nerves but it's something different and that's what the game needs," he said.

All 96 professionals on the Tour this season will have busy schedules, with 12 three-day PTC events leading up to a televised finale, plus seven ranking events and various invitation tournaments. So, since coming back from the Rundili Wuxi Classic in China where he suffered a surprise defeat to Tian Pengfei in the first round, Selby is making the best of a few weeks rest.

He recently went to Spain with girlfriend Vikki, taking in the sights of Valencia and Benidorm. He's also been on the golf course for the first time in four years, though his score of 123 for 18 holes won't give much to worry about to single-figure handicap players like Stephen Hendry and Shaun Murphy.

When it comes to darts, however, Selby might be able to lay claim to the unofficial title of snooker's king of the oche. "I beat Eric Bristow in a one-leg exhibition a couple of years ago," he added. "And I'm due to play Phil Taylor in an exhibition so I'm trying to spot some weaknesses!"

Re: Good time to be a snooker player says Mark Selby ...

Postby Wildey

its exciting times to be a fan as well.

im 40 this year followed snooker for 30 of those years and remember the 80s golden years very well but as a fan of SNOOKER as apose to a fan of a player for me the last 10 years has been the best time to be a fan nobody dominating and very competitive and i can only see the inclusion of Barry Hearn enhancing that and make it not only fan friendly,player friendly but also commercial friendly which has been missing of late.

i hated Barry Hearn for so long and thought he turned his back on the sport when the sport needed him in the 90s and walked away to do other things Boxing,Darts,Golf,Football even Fishing but now he has come back in to the fold of the sport that gave him so much.

i think had he fought harder with the WPBSA in the 90s he could have been chairman 10 to 15 years ago i resented him for not doing that when we saw what happened to the sport commercially in the last decade but at last hes back and in control let the Good Times Roll.

Re: Good time to be a snooker player says Mark Selby ...

Postby Bourne

123 for 18 holes hehe, makes me feel a bit better about my game
Rewind 12 months or so and I don't think you'd have got players getting anywhere near this sort of enthusiasm and genuine hope for the sport, so that's great. I just hope Barry can fully deliver on his word and get this sport rolling again. We do have some great characters in the game !

Re: Good time to be a snooker player says Mark Selby ...

Postby Wildey

Bourne wrote: We do have some great characters in the game !


yes we do have great characters but they been so bloody flat of late with whats going on we havent been able to fully see what characters they are.

also being ridiculed and been made to feel scared of being fined if they expressed that character is also a factor.

Ebdon for example when he was saying come on come on BIG bucking deal if that how he felt he should be encouraged to show that character he has and not being criticized for it to the point he was scared to do it no more.