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Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Pink Ball

I'm putting together a list of the shittest Crucible matches of all-time. The criteria is:

1) Matches must be one-sided. First round, no closer than 10-5; Second round, no closer than 13-7; Semi-finals, no closer than 16-9/17-10; Final, no closer than 18-11.

2) I want matches that provided fuckall quality, fuckall entertainment value.

May the shittest match lose.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Iranu

Pink Ball wrote:
TheRocket wrote:Murphy-Honghao last year.

Yeah, that’s in contention

Robbo-Georgiou must be up there too. At least Murphy-Honghao ended up with the whitewash aspect.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby HustleKing

Haven't seen highlights or the full match, but would imagine Parrott vs Charlton in 1992 wasn't great quality on Charlton's side given he was 62 at the time of the match. Apparently there was only a handful of breaks over 50 (none by Charlton) and Parrott's highest was 87, so there wasn't that much quality on show from the defending champ either

Edit: just found the full match on Youtube uploaded a few days ago, must give it a watch at least to see how well Charlton held up

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby TheRocket

but to be fair. A topplayer facing a nervy qualifier in the first round is pretty much a guaranteed shitty match. So there have been so many at the Crucible over the years.

What I find worse are low quality+one sided semis or finals. But it has to be both aspects combined. If its one sided but a great display from the winner it can be good too watch.

Trump v Higgins (2019), O'Sullivan v Hendry (2004) prime example.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby TheRocket

when it comes to semifinals Hawkins has been involved in three of the worst semis. With Hawkins obviously being the reason for it.

v O'Sullivan (2014), Murphy (2015), Higgins (2017)

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Juddernaut88

2011 world snooker championship last 16 Selby 13-4 Hendry. I'm still annoyed about that 16th frame!

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby mick745

John Parrott 13-1 Tony Knowles

David Gray spectacularly following up his first round win v Ronnie O'Sullivan by losing 1-13 to Dominic Dale.

In 2003 5 of the 8 second round matches ended a session early.

David Gray again losing 2-13 in R2 to Peter Ebdon.

A shout out must also go to the 1989 final Davis v Parrott which apart from the story of it being Davis sixth title has nothing else to redeem it at all.

The only crucible match not to feature a single half century was the 1983 first round match between Jim Meadowcroft and David Taylor where Taylor's 43 in the opening frame was the highest of the match.

That match finished 10-2 to Taylor.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby mick745

Also add Graeme Dott, as a seed, losing 1-10 in the opening round to Joe Perry.

Also McGill 2-10 Maguire in 2017, two players who dont exactly get my pulse racing. In 7 consecutive frames from 2-2 to 2-9 McGill managed to cumulatively score a total of one solitary point.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby mick745

TheRocket wrote:when it comes to semifinals Hawkins has been involved in three of the worst semis. With Hawkins obviously being the reason for it.

v O'Sullivan (2014), Murphy (2015), Higgins (2017)


But the 2013 sf v Walden was a really good match when Hawkins recovered from 8-12 to win 17-14.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby mick745

If we are talking semi finals Hendry v Griffiths in 1992 was very bad - Hendry led 10-0 at one point before winning 16-4.

Both semi finals in 1985 ended a session early at 16-5. In fact of the 30 matches played in the tournament prior to the final only 2 went to a deciding frame.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Alex0paul

Stevens v Delaney in 2007
All of Stuart Pettman’s matches
Walden v McLeod 2011

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Alex0paul

Allen v Mitchell Mann
Davis v Dale
Wallace v King
Wallace v McManus

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby SnookerFan

Alex0paul wrote:Stevens v Delaney in 2007
All of Stuart Pettman’s matches
Walden v McLeod 2011


I was at that Stevens vs Delaney match.

I've never seen a player pot the cueball in one match as much as Delaney.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Andre147

Juddernaut88 wrote:2011 world snooker championship last 16 Selby 13-4 Hendry. I'm still annoyed about that 16th frame!


Selby had 6 century breaks in that match if I remember correctly.

Plus he he won that frame after he needed 4 snookers, still haunts Hendry to this day.

But it was a good quality match.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby SnookerEd25

mick745 wrote:
TheRocket wrote:when it comes to semifinals Hawkins has been involved in three of the worst semis. With Hawkins obviously being the reason for it.

v O'Sullivan (2014), Murphy (2015), Higgins (2017)


But the 2013 sf v Walden was a really good match when Hawkins recovered from 8-12 to win 17-14.


He was also in the late-night dramatic 2018 semi against MJW.

Kebabs all round!

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby D4P

SnookerFan wrote:I've never seen a player pot the cueball in one match as much as Delaney.


John Virgo's all-time favorite match...

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby KrazeeEyezKilla

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:Jimmy White v Peter Francisco in 1995.


Just noticed Peter Ebdon beat Rod Lawler 10-2 in the first round that year.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Badsnookerplayer

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:
KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:Jimmy White v Peter Francisco in 1995.


Just noticed Peter Ebdon beat Rod Lawler 10-2 in the first round that year.

Gutted I missed that

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby SnookerFan

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:
KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:Jimmy White v Peter Francisco in 1995.


Just noticed Peter Ebdon beat Rod Lawler 10-2 in the first round that year.


They were still playing in 1996.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby SnookerEd25

I suppose there are some matches that look pretty sh*t from the word go, and therefore don't stick in the memory for long, and a lot of the 1st round matches in the 80s fell into that category - more often than not, a hapless out-of-his-depth qualifier was served up as cannon-fodder for the established seed to get the feel of the table and the arena, and play his way into the tournament; there were an awful lot of 10-5s and lower in the first round throughout the decade.

More frustrating for me is when a match looks like it has the potential to go down in history, and instead fizzles out into a damp squib.

Which is why the sh*ttiest match for me was Ronnie O'Sullivan v Tony Drago in the '96 tourney; I was a bit of a Drago fan at the time, as when it all clicked he was one of the most fluent and exciting players to watch. He'd had a decent start to the year by picking up one of his 2 professional titles (the Invitational 1996 Guangzhou Masters) and had blitzed the ever-capable Steve James 10-2 in the 1st round to set up the match with Ronnie.

Both seemed to be playing well, and I was looking forward to a toe-to-toe shootout that was going to leave the referee breathless.

It started well enough, Drago took the first with a 50+, and levelled at 2-2 at the first MSI thanks to a 144. But then, he started to unravel. In the 6th, at 3-2 down, Drago was in with a 57 and a couple of balls away from the frame when he missed and let Ronnie in - RO'S clearing with a 62 and, with hindsight, the writing was already on the wall for Drago.

By the end of the first session, it was 6-2; 12-4 at the end of the second and all over after the first frame of the third.

Not the worst match, technically - Ronnie had 2 centuries and 7 50+'s, but from the anticipation I had beforehand it remains the most disappointing Crucible encounter in my 40 odd years of watching the tournament.

I also, at the time, was convinced that Drago would win a ranker at some point. This match lowered my expectation and taught me to just enjoy him when he was in full-flow, but not to expect anything in advance as he could come out some days and look like an average club player.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby SnookerFan

For all of Drago's attacking ability, he was his own worst enemy at times. I don't think he had a great temperament, and certainly his temper could get the better of him.

I know that's me stating the obvious somewhat. But I wasn't a into snooker in 1996.

Was Ronnie just brilliant, or was he helped by Drago?

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby SnookerEd25

SnookerFan wrote:For all of Drago's attacking ability, he was his own worst enemy at times. I don't think he had a great temperament, and certainly his temper could get the better of him.

I know that's me stating the obvious somewhat. But I wasn't a into snooker in 1996.

Was Ronnie just brilliant, or was he helped by Drago?


I think it was more Drago unravelling, though Ronnie was ruthless in pouncing on a wounded foe. I think (again, with hindsight) that Drago just wasn’t suited to multi-session matches - it was around this time that he was mesmerizing in opening up a 7-1 (I think it was) lead over John Higgins in a UK match, yet ended up stumbling over the line, 9-7 after a torrid second session.

Re: Shittest Crucible Matches

Postby Badsnookerplayer

Holden Chinaski wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpNb2v8R8uo

I never really understood why he was so upset as Angles would have potted the blue and pink. Have I missed something?


   

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