Post a reply

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby Iranu

SnookerEd25 wrote:
Dan-cat wrote:Dene O'Kane


Dene was very chilled out and laid back, during his career; was into meditation and yoga for example. He was also pretty well known in New Zealand and seemed to be very content with how his career panned out. Some players just seem happy to be earning a living doing something they enjoy so much, and winning trophies is almost incidental to them. I would say Dominic Dale is a modern-day example.

You could even argue the case for someone like Bingham being the same way, considering how many Pro-Ams he enters and stuff like that.

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby SnookerEd25

Iranu wrote:
SnookerEd25 wrote:
Dan-cat wrote:Dene O'Kane


Dene was very chilled out and laid back, during his career; was into meditation and yoga for example. He was also pretty well known in New Zealand and seemed to be very content with how his career panned out. Some players just seem happy to be earning a living doing something they enjoy so much, and winning trophies is almost incidental to them. I would say Dominic Dale is a modern-day example.

You could even argue the case for someone like Bingham being the same way, considering how many Pro-Ams he enters and stuff like that.


Wins trophies, though, Bingo - doesn't he?

And keeps KFC afloat.

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby Iranu

SnookerEd25 wrote:
Wins trophies, though, Bingo - doesn't he?

And keeps KFC afloat.

<laugh>

Yeah he does. But Dale’s won two rankers too. I get the impression Bingo just loves snooker and would be (almost) equally happy just playing without winning tournaments.

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby SnookerEd25

Iranu wrote:
SnookerEd25 wrote:
Wins trophies, though, Bingo - doesn't he?

And keeps KFC afloat.

<laugh>

Yeah he does. But Dale’s won two rankers too. I get the impression Bingo just loves snooker and would be (almost) equally happy just playing without winning tournaments.


You could be right there; puts no pressure on himself and therefore collects big prizes, whereas other players beat themselves up to the point they can’t perform to their full ability, and miss out...

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby SnookerFan

Iranu wrote:
SnookerEd25 wrote:
Wins trophies, though, Bingo - doesn't he?

And keeps KFC afloat.

<laugh>

Yeah he does. But Dale’s won two rankers too. I get the impression Bingo just loves snooker and would be (almost) equally happy just playing without winning tournaments.


I agree. Remember, when Bingham won The Australian Open, it was the first time he'd got past the quarters in a tournament in the 400 years that he'd been playing.

I'm sure he's enjoyed his victories, but I get the impression that he just loves the game regardless.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Travel round playing a game and earning thousands of pounds, or sit in a shitty office job for a living. It's not a tough choice.

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby SnookerEd25

SnookerFan wrote:
Iranu wrote:
SnookerEd25 wrote:
Wins trophies, though, Bingo - doesn't he?

And keeps KFC afloat.

<laugh>

Yeah he does. But Dale’s won two rankers too. I get the impression Bingo just loves snooker and would be (almost) equally happy just playing without winning tournaments.


I agree. Remember, when Bingham won The Australian Open, it was the first time he'd got past the quarters in a tournament in the 400 years that he'd been playing.

I'm sure he's enjoyed his victories, but I get the impression that he just loves the game regardless.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. Travel round playing a game and earning thousands of pounds, or sit in a shitty office job for a living. It's not a tough choice.


Tough day at work, SF?

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby SnookerEd25

Dan-cat wrote:
The_Abbott wrote:Steve James


+1

One of my favourite players. I follow him on Twitter he's mad about snooker still.


Thanks for the heads-up Dan <ok>

TheSaviour’s on Twitter too, apparently...

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby Iranu

Muller wrote:Seems to me a lot out there don't give Selby the credit he deserves.

In answer to the question I would say: A Higgins, White, M Stevens and even arguably Williams (Mark not Rex) could have achieved more.

MJW’s a great shout actually considering he went about 7 years between winning ranking events before the 2017 NI Open. Based on talent, ability and temperament you’d think he’d be at least at John Higgins level in terms of tournaments won.

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby badtemperedcyril

Muller wrote:Seems to me a lot out there don't give Selby the credit he deserves.

In answer to the question I would say: A Higgins, White, M Stevens and even arguably Williams (Mark not Rex) could have achieved more.

Rex Williams is not such a silly answer actually.


He won the English Amateur Championship and the British U-19s in 1951 aged just 17 and then turned professional. After spending the next 4 or 5 years working through the ranks, he gradually improved his game to become one of the top players in the game and was tipped by Joe Davis as a future World champion. Unfortunately, Leicester Square Hall closed and within two years, professional snooker was dead. Rex was just 24 years old but had no choice to abandon his snooker aspirations and go into his father's printing business. In 1964, he was responsible for getting the World Championship revived, albeit on a challenge basis and he himself made two unsuccessful challenges to Pulman over the next 2 or 3 years. Nevertheless, opportunities for competitive snooker were very few and far between and by the time the boom took off in the late 70's, the edge had gone from Rex's game and he never did win a major tournament.

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby SnookerEd25

True about Rex, but there was a whole ‘lost generation’ who couldn’t (not ‘didn’t’ so much) fulfill their potential because there was just no money in the game; Rex is amongst them, though still did remarkably in the twilight of his career to feature in the top 16 & a ranking final in the 80s. Cliff Wilson was another, Patsy Houlihan, Kingsley Kennerley, Marcus & Gary Owen and many others who were born just a bit too early to make a decent fist of the ‘boom years’, but too late to have provided real competition in the Joe Davis era.

Re: Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

Postby badtemperedcyril

SnookerEd25 wrote:True about Rex, but there was a whole ‘lost generation’ who couldn’t (not ‘didn’t’ so much) fulfill their potential because there was just no money in the game; Rex is amongst them, though still did remarkably in the twilight of his career to feature in the top 16 & a ranking final in the 80s. Cliff Wilson was another, Patsy Houlihan, Kingsley Kennerley, Marcus & Gary Owen and many others who were born just a bit too early to make a decent fist of the ‘boom years’, but too late to have provided real competition in the Joe Davis era.

Very true of course.


The sad thing is, certainly in Cliff Wilson's case, he is remembered as an older player who potted balls for fun, didn't win all that often, liked a laugh and a joke and enjoyed a pint and a fag. Had there been the opportunity available to him in the 1950's, he may well have been remembered today as the original Hurricane, Whirlwind or Rocket, and, maybe also as a former World Champion?

It is often said that professional snooker died in the 50's because of the advent of television. People were staying at home watching the box instead of going out to watch snooker. The same reason why so many cinema's and music halls closed. I do often wonder if it was more to do with the fact that professional snooker became a 'closed shop' and the public simply got bored of watching Joe, Fred and Donaldson contesting matches over 73 or 145 frames? Burroughes Hall in Soho Square was always packed to the rafters whenever Wilson or Houlihan played there - people had to be turned away at the door. In 1965, some 1,600 people saw Houlihan beat Spencer to win the English Amateur Championship at Blackpool Tower Circus. So, the demand WAS there - if only Joe had had the foresight to use those exciting young talents - it could have breathed new life in to the game.