Over the course of the World Championship I’ve challenged one snooker aficionado to highlight the best quirky, outlandish, unusual, laughable and questionable observations of each day.
As if to further enhance his (or her!) alter ego as snooker’s sleeper, this spy has elected to go through the tournament in disguise.
Read below for the latest offering, but who is behind the Free Ball?
Fine Lines
By Free Ball
Sorry Peter and Oliver, this isn’t about you. This mostly concerns two world champions.
Dennis Taylor – 1985 champion and Masters winner in 1987.
Ken Doherty – 1997 champion and winner of six ranking titles in total.
These two stalwarts of the commentary box are guilty of a heinous crime. A crime that can debilitate my enjoyment of snooker as a TV viewer. A crime that has had me swearing under my breath for years. A crime which could so easily be eradicated. The crime? The lines placed on the screen to suggest a shot; in particular a shot to escape a tricky snooker.
I appreciate their imparting of wisdom. I understand that it is probably in their contracts to impart said wisdom. No doubt, they will get a feeling of satisfaction if a player carries out their suggestion. Very good. Well done.
My grievance is, they all too often refuse to take the lines off the screen before the shot is played. If I was watching a snooker match live at a venue, I wouldn’t expect to see masking tape angled from cushion to cushion during certain shots. Or maybe a few white circles or oversized cue balls strewn around the table, miraculously not interfering with the route of the ball.
They are not the only guilty parties, but definitely enjoy control of this toy in the comm-box the most. Use it yes, but let me enjoy the shot! Or let me work out a shot myself as the player ponders around the table. Apologies for the rant; bit of a quiet day in Sheffield yesterday.
