Topic locked

Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

Image

12th~14th of November

The PTC This Week has made it way to The Sparkassen Arena in Hamm, Germany for the Ruhr Championship with only Stephen Maguire and Barry Pinches reaching 2 finals in the previous 10 Tournaments suerly someone will reach another final possibly winning another event ?

This Week the Return of John Higgins who's up against Joe Jogia will be the focus of attention and he would be hoping for a good run to get matches and confidence in the bag.

will Ronnie O'Sullivan make the Trip to Hamm that's another interesting point ?

But Playing there This week will be Neil Robertson,Mark Selby,Stephen Hendry and the Latest EPTC Champion Stephen Lee.

Asian contingent in this event will be Lacking No Ding Junhui,Marco Fu or Liang Wenbo they are taking part in the asian Games.

With Only 119 Players Playing this week Barry Pinches,Judd Trump,Tom Ford,Martin Gould,Dominic Dale,Mark Williams,Marco Fu,Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby are seeded through to the Last 64

DRAW

FORMAT OF PLAY

Some Interesting 1st Round Matches

Jimmy White v Rod Lawler
Greame Dott v Reanne Evans
Joe Swail v Ken Doherty
Joe Jogia v John Higgins
Barry Hawkins v Michael Holt
Jamie Cope v Zhang Anda
Matthew Stevens v Tony Knowles

EPTC4 Champion Stephen Lee playing Martin O'Donnell but EPTC4 Runner up Stephen Maguire has not entered.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Eirebilly

Being that its only a 2 hour drive for me, i may just pop on over to watch a few matches <cool>

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

http://www.worldsnooker.com/PTC10_news( ... but_Season)-2227.htm?tid=192

Loved this from McGill and i think he has hit the nail on the head Players had got Lazy doing virtually nothing

McGill feels that, despite his inexperience at the top level, the constant flow of events in the PTC series has been to his advantage. "Over the last few years I've been playing on the junior and amateur circuits where you have tournaments virtually every week, so I have got used to travelling around the UK as well as overseas for the European and World amateur events," he said.

"Maybe some of the pros had got used to only playing one event every six weeks or so, but for me all the travelling has been fine, I have loved every minute of it. It's great to go to different places like Germany and Belgium and see what people think of snooker there. The first event in Germany was mobbed."

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Alex0paul

I have a horrible feeling that Reanne will get her first win

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Eirebilly

Alex0paul WC wrote:I have a horrible feeling that Reanne will get her first win


Would it really be so horrible? :john:

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Monique

wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:http://www.worldsnooker.com/PTC10_news(McGill_Loving_Debut_Season)-2227.htm?tid=192

Loved this from McGill and i think he has hit the nail on the head Players had got Lazy doing virtually nothing

McGill feels that, despite his inexperience at the top level, the constant flow of events in the PTC series has been to his advantage. "Over the last few years I've been playing on the junior and amateur circuits where you have tournaments virtually every week, so I have got used to travelling around the UK as well as overseas for the European and World amateur events," he said.

"Maybe some of the pros had got used to only playing one event every six weeks or so, but for me all the travelling has been fine, I have loved every minute of it. It's great to go to different places like Germany and Belgium and see what people think of snooker there. The first event in Germany was mobbed."


And Maybe McGill, who is not yet 20 and free, will see it a bit differently when he will have done it for nearly 20 years and when it means being away from his family, week-end after week-end for several months.
It's easy to brand some players "lazy" when you are not in their shoes.
And don't come with comparisons with tennis or formula one or Golf. First they a not paid anywhere close to what tennismen or drivers or golfers are. Next, at least in tennis, they rarely pursue a pro career past their early 30th.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

Probably but lets face it theyve done virtually nothing for the last 10 years so they should pull up their sleeves and get to work as Pro Sportsmen without all this Whinging.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

There is no moral Debate.

in any sport to reach the pinnacle you got to make sacrifices do we really think Steve Redgrave in the sport he followed made much cash out of it but to get to 5 Olympic gold he had to make sacrifices to get to that standing and now he might make money out of it.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Bourne

All sportspeople have to make major sacrifices, I don't see why any would be singled out :chin:

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Monique

No it's not a moral debate. It's about some realities in life. People change over time, find themselves in different places in life, have different priorities. What I object to is the tag "lazy". There are certainly a lot of different reasons for the reluctance of some players to travel around week after week, not just lazyness.
Steve Redgrave obviously was ready to make a lot of sacrifices to be on top of his sport. I'm not sure though how much he actually had to travel for that (I mean how many times/year). And also the fact that his wife was a rower herself and shared his passion will probably have made things a lot easier.
My point is that it's easy for McGill right now. It's all new and fresh to him and he's free. So pointing at him as an example is hardly representative of all snooker players. As I said people and their priorities do change over time. Even Ronnie who is so reluctant to travel nowadays played as an amateur in India, Thailand, Belgium, etc. He went there on his own when he was only 15. And he's got 4 Asian ranking tournaments and the German Open to his name before he turned 25. I don't think "lazyness" is the reason for the way he's changed. And the same is probably true for others. Hendry is very reluctant about the PTCs. I'm not sure the Hendry of the early 90th would have been and I would never brand Stephen Hendry as "lazy".
Last edited by Monique on 10 Nov 2010, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

i agree Hendry in the 80s the Kid we saw playing Joe Johnson in that youtube Clip would have loved the PTC totally embrace them Hendry today is in a different place in his life but i love to see young players getting excited by the chance this will bring.... last season Anthony would have struggled to stay on Tour how the Rankings and Lack of Tournaments Was now he has a fighting chance.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Eirebilly

Its a bit harsh to lable players lazy. It wasnt their choice that there were so few tournements. If you look at it in a practical way... If you work 20hrs a week for several years and then are suddenly asked to work 40 hours a week, well tht is a big adjustment to your life. Its far more easier to decrease work than it it is to increase.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

eirebilly wrote:Its a bit harsh to lable players lazy. It wasnt their choice that there were so few tournements. If you look at it in a practical way... If you work 20hrs a week for several years and then are suddenly asked to work 40 hours a week, well tht is a big adjustment to your life. Its far more easier to decrease work than it it is to increase.

but they been begging for more work for god knows how long it just beggers belief now they moan.or some moan.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

eirebilly wrote:Your not going to please everyone Wild.

but surely this is not about pleasing anyone its about having a proffesion.

i just think players got cumfy in their ivory towers while the peasants scratched about for scraps ....the PTC has leveled the playing field out a bit and they got to perform to survive.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Eirebilly

I dont see the need for players to be called lazy but i also dont see the need for complaints from them about too much snooker.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Monique

eirebilly wrote:I dont see the need for players to be called lazy but i also dont see the need for complaints from them about too much snooker.

I haven't heard any of them complaining. Some simply chose to manage their career in a way that is compatible with their family and personal needs. But they didn't "complain".

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Eirebilly

Sorry Mon, i guess i used the wrong word. Maybe i should have said 'raising concerns'. Would that be ok?

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

Monique wrote:
eirebilly wrote:I dont see the need for players to be called lazy but i also dont see the need for complaints from them about too much snooker.

I haven't heard any of them complaining. Some simply chose to manage their career in a way that is compatible with their family and personal needs. But they didn't "complain".

fair enough but dont cry over spilt milk if the sport moves on without them.

in life you cant have your cake and eat it which i think some want.

"more Tournaments but play when i want to" it doesn't work like that and it should never work like that.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Monique

wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:
Monique wrote:
eirebilly wrote:I dont see the need for players to be called lazy but i also dont see the need for complaints from them about too much snooker.

I haven't heard any of them complaining. Some simply chose to manage their career in a way that is compatible with their family and personal needs. But they didn't "complain".

fair enough but dont cry over spilt milk if the sport moves on without them.

in life you cant have your cake and eat it which i think some want.

"more Tournaments but play when i want to" it doesn't work like that and it should never work like that.


I does work like that in many sports though.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Witz78

Monique wrote:
wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:
Monique wrote:
eirebilly wrote:I dont see the need for players to be called lazy but i also dont see the need for complaints from them about too much snooker.

I haven't heard any of them complaining. Some simply chose to manage their career in a way that is compatible with their family and personal needs. But they didn't "complain".

fair enough but dont cry over spilt milk if the sport moves on without them.

in life you cant have your cake and eat it which i think some want.

"more Tournaments but play when i want to" it doesn't work like that and it should never work like that.


I does work like that in many sports though.


the way i see it if the older established stars decide to pick and chose what events they attend then it will eventually come back to haunt them as the hungry young players who are keen to play pick up points here and there.

Take Ronnie for example, hes down to 9th now in the rankings. Now we all know he isnt really only the 9th best player in the world, but the rankings dont lie. If you play events and pick up points,, you will rise up the rankings and vice versa.

Allen has been a critic of the PTC eventsand sees them as beneath him. The penny has finally dropped and hes started entering them as hes suddenly seen his supposed safe top 16 place under serious threat. However he is way off the pace having missed so many competitive games early in the season and is now paying the price. Also in the one year rankings so far this season he is languishing around 70 i think and this will come back to haunt him soon.

Players should be pleased to have as many opportunities as possible. That is their profession and its their job whether they like it or not. If they arent prepared to put in the time or effort then they dont deserve it. We fans, would all love to swap positions with them.

And yes i agree that players will be slightly able to pick and chose what events they attend as happens in other sports but the pressure is then on them to perform when they do play.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Wildey

Monique

name me 1 sport that the players dictate when they play the tournament ?

the tournaments is put on then they decide to play or not.

that is where snooker is heading but then we can not have a situation we had in offenberg when players couldn't play or not enough tickets sold because of lack of big names the tournament moved to Gloucester.

they got to be prepared for players not to play in these tournament and still go on and make the best of it.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Tubberlad

Witz78 wrote:Players should be pleased to have as many opportunities as possible. That is their profession and its their job whether they like it or not. If they arent prepared to put in the time or effort then they dont deserve it. We fans, would all love to swap positions with them.


No more needs to be said than that. Tennis players, golf player etc. aren't pitied for all the playing time they get, are they?

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Witz78

wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:Monique

name me 1 sport that the players dictate when they play the tournament ?

the tournaments is put on then they decide to play or not.

that is where snooker is heading but then we can not have a situation we had in offenberg when players couldn't play or not enough tickets sold because of lack of big names the tournament moved to Gloucester.

they got to be prepared for players not to play in these tournament and still go on and make the best of it.


i hope Hearn has kicked the Chinese events into shape and squeezed far more money out of the sponsors. These events have been the equivalent of the Welsh Open halfway round the world with their paltry 300k total prize funds.

Snookers watched by hundreds of millions over there, China is the fastest growing economy / superpower in the world so there should be some serious dough up for grabs.

Re: Ruhr Championship (EPTC 5)

Postby Bourne

You sometimes get 3 tournaments a week in tennis and players can pick and choose which one they go to depending on how they feel they'll do there, I hope snooker can get to that stage eventually, I think it's great.