3.3.13

ALLEN RETAINS WORLD OPEN

Mark Allen’s successful defence of the World Open title underlines his status as one of snooker’s foremost talents.

This exceptional Northern Irishman kept his head down this year after the controversies of his Haikou trip last season and, to dredge up an old cliché, let his snooker do the talking.

He wasn’t too happy with his form earlier in the tournament but his performance against John Higgins was absolutely superb.

That meant he went into today’s final full of confidence and he made the perfect start, building a 4-0 lead.

Try as he did, Stevens was unable to get close enough to supply enough pressure for Allen to come close to cracking.

Allen pockets £85,000 to go with the £75,000 he won last year. He may be getting to like Haikou.

Certainly he heads to the Crucible seven weeks from now as a live contender for the world title.

From what I saw of ITV4’s coverage it was mercifully gimmick free, concentrating primarily on the actual snooker.

The masterstroke was in engaging Clive Everton and Neal Foulds as commentators, both of whom have been marginalised by the BBC.

These two knowledgeable, articulate men behind the mic complimented each other well, also proving that commentary is less intrusive and more rounded when it’s a broadcaster/player pairing rather than two players indulging in relentless shot analysis.

The lead commentator provides context and observations based on information, leaving the player to do the bulk of the analysis. It has been the standard broadcasting model for decades in most sports.

The Everton/Foulds axis also shows what can be achieved when things are done for the right reasons rather than the wrong ones. World Snooker suggested Clive to ITV. He in turn suggested Neal. There was no agenda other than getting the best people.

A special mention must go to Foulds who spent so much time on screen either in the studio, commentating on the live match or dubbing the second match that I was half expecting him to crop up in the evening repeats of The Sweeney.

Contractually ITV4 can’t show any other existing tournament but there is nothing to stop them reviving, say, the British Open, which would give them live snooker in the evenings.

The main reason this may not happen is the production costs. From the World Open they were taking a feed from the host broadcaster. Any new event in the UK would have to be produced in house.

Even so, there is an outside chance it could happen. I understand the Premier League is unlikely to take place next season in its current form, spread over many weeks, so this would free up time in the calendar.

The tournament itself was badly attended but sponsors care less about that than the television ratings, which in China often top 80m.

There is a strange paradox at work here: in China they get blue chip sponsors but can’t fill the venues; in Germany they fill the venues but can’t get blue chip sponsors.

If you don’t understand why this is then don’t worry: neither do I. Snooker is very popular in both countries but there are underlying factors at work, primarily financial and cultural.
 

The snooker world has a week off now before the PTC Grand Finals head to Galway on March 12.

77 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Dave,

I thought British Open was Sky Sports? If it doesn't matter, could the International Open come back.

Also, regardless, of ITV taking a feed from China, the coverage was fantastic. ITV4's sport budget cannot be big, considering it's spent on european football, and they made a great effort. I agree I would cost a lot more to front up a British tournament production.

Eurosport could learn a lot from watching ITV this week. They seem to like doing more production work on Cycling, Tennis et al than Snooker. Yet, the game gets more coverage on the channel than other sports.

Think Eurosport may need a rethink or invest more on this side of the game.

On another note. Surely, getting rid of the Championship League - lovely breakfasts I know - and putting the Premier League back to its original start of January for a few months may help? Rather than it being dragged out as long as the CL.

Finally, crowds have been awful this week. And whereas we do take a lot of notice in the UK with regards crowds on TV - or should I say the broadcasters would - China doesnt. I think one day we will see a World Ranking tournament played on the internet/streaming for a lot of money with no-one there. If it was in China. I wouldn't be surprised.

Players go along with the wildcard situation today, which they despise, because they have to, what says, China call more shots in years to come over other things?

Its worrying to me, that China, like the Indian authorities in Cricket, are tending to have more of a say over things to Hearn, as they hold the cards; money, sponsors etc...Worrying signs....

Thanks, Joe

Anonymous said...

World Snooker suggested Clive to ITV.

Things certainly have changed haven't they? Still, it's nice to hear phrases like "Higgins executed that shot with a high degree of precision control" rather than "'ee 'it that purrfikt" bellowing out in a gruff Lancashire accent.

That said, there was a rather bizarre exchange between Everton and Foulds a couple of days ago where Clive was rather insistent that Foulds wasn't alive in the 1970s. Cue Neal's protestations, and Clive's concession that "maybe you had just been born"...

Anonymous said...

Some good points in your blog Dave and it was a refreshing change to the BBC coverage which in the past couple of years I'm afraid has gone from bad to worse.A great deal relies on the expertise of the commentators and in Everton you have one of the most experienced commentators in the game and in Foulds you have a shrewd analyst and excellent commentator. He has become probably the top man as far as ex player-commentators are concerned. I hope ITV are encouraged by this week's success and continue with their coverage of snooker if possible as this can only help in increasing the popularity of the game to the benefit of all involved.

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see more snooker on ITV4, it was great. And the plus side of having no audience was that there weren't endless shots of wives/girlfriends/friends etc as you get on the BBC. Well done Neal and Clive, and to Allen who played great snooker.

Anonymous said...

Everton & Foulds were superb, a class above any two pairings BBC can offer to be honest.It was great to hear Clive's style again and Neal really shows his knowledge too.

Think it's time for World Snooker to perhaps put Clive forward for the BBC again and for them really to stand up and apologize to Clive, and ask him to return at least for the latter stages of the World Chp. I'm sure the BBC have known for a long time now they've made one of their biggest mistakes in dropping Clive but are not strong enough to admit they've made a ghastly error and to try and rectify it.

Personally the Premier League has lost the status it once had. I think it was quite obvious last year that some of the players were not up for it and treated it more like an exhibition. I think you can see that with some of the drubbings there were although Mr Bingham was certainly motivated!

Anonymous said...

ITV 4 certainly need an extra body, Fouldsy was excellent in both roles but it clearly took its toll. I reckon if they poached Terry off the BBC to alternate with Neal doing commentary/punditry and replaced Jill Douglas with the exceptional Dougie Donnelly, then they would have the best snooker presentation team bar none (please don't take that as a slight dave, unfortunately I don't have the pleasure of listening to you commentating).

Anonymous said...

maybe dave the reason the seats were empty is because the ordinary working people could not afford the ticket prices which were iv heard around 200 a pop,thats extortion and depriving the players of an atmoshere.

Anonymous said...

Contractually ITV4 can’t show any other existing tournament but there is nothing to stop them reviving, say, the British Open, which would give them live snooker in the evenings.

Dave, if this is the case how come they were able to show the World Open? What makes the World Open different to, for instance, the Wuxi Classic or Aus Open? I'm not doubting you, but it seems a bit strange that a loophole exists for the World Open if that is the case.

I'd love to have the snooker back on ITV if this week's coverage was anything to go by, but nothing indicated to me that they saw it as anything more that cheap filler for the morning and early afternoon schedule. A Chinese event was perfect for them in that sense, and I'm not criticising them if that's all they want, but you know, hiring four people and piping in someone else's broadcast is a world away from actually broadcasting an event. Beats the hell out of Power Snooker though, I half expected some drunk to stumble into the studio!

Anonymous said...

I don't get this "exceptional Dougie Donnelly" talk. Yes I do remember him covering snooker some years back and although he was ok, there are certainly a lot better out there with all respect. Jill Douglas did come across a bit raw with regard to her snooker knowledge etc. There was none better than the late David Vine and Hazel Irvine has improved vastly over the years for the BBC.

Anonymous said...

Have WS made any official comment on the problems of the tournament?

Gus_gorman said...

Good report Dave and I could not agree more.
It was refreshing to have Clive back and Neal was really good as the anchor man.
I like some of the gimmicks and extras the BBC do,but constant shot scrutiny does get dull.
The guys this week brought it back to life for me.
Take note BBC some of your commentators as experienced as they were as players do not have the overall gift of great commentary,this idea of moving away from 'non players' is nonsense when you have snooker purists like Clive who can offer much more than 'well I'd have played that! Or some other predictable comment!

Anonymous said...

10.28...
Agree totally. Great to have Clive's unrivalled commentary once again. And, not a 'top drawer' in sight !

JAMIE O'REILLY said...

Hi David. The Final. Allen.V. Stevens.

Alln started great. Stwvwns had chances to win frame 1, but lost it, from a commanding lead. He did so, again, in frame 4. Allen won the first four frames, to lead, 4-0, at the mid-session interval.

Stevens won the next two frames. Allen leads, 4-2. Allen won the next two frames, to go 6-2 ahead. Stevens won the next. 6-3, to Allen, going into the final session.

Session 2 - Frame 10 - Stevens should have won it. He lost it after snookering himself on the yellow. Allen pots a great blue, and easy pink,and nlack, to lead, 7-3.

A great 100 break from Stevens in frame 11.7-4, to Allen.

Allen won the next three frames, to win the match, and title, 10-4. Unlucky, Stevens. Well played Allen, and well done to Allen on making a successful defence of this title. As he did today.

I expect Clive Everton's jacket, is back pristine again now, after it getting staine by curry, the other day.

JAMIE O'REILLY said...

Hi David. to follow on from my previous post, Clive Eerton, ofcourse, commentated on this event, for ITV 4. Great, in my view.

kildare cueman said...

Clive is a bit more than a journalist when it comes to snooker.

He has, after all played billiards professionally, so knows the levels of difficulty of specific shots, whether they are high or low percentage, and how tension and suchlike can affect a player.

Clive aside, I dont see why journalists are used in commentary at all. They talk too much, and at the wrong time. A perfect example was an Allen clearance today when Philip Shutt was talking about Allens game against Higgins the day before.

Allen left himself on the wrong side of the green and Shutt didnt appear to notice. Hallett tried to interrupt but Shutt kept waffling.
Allen potted the green and screwed the white around the angles and landed nicely on the brown. Shutt still waffled. As Allen was down on the brown he then quickly said "nice positional shot".

Nobody gave a shite about yesterday. Its the shot in hand that matters. Anyone can talk about stats or records or half centuries or whatever. You dont need a journalist. A fan would do.

JAMIE O'REILLY said...

Hi David. To follow on from my previous post, Clive Everton's jacket got stained by a curry, I meant to say.

NewsfoxSport said...

Lot of hype about how rich China is - but the cheap crap that you discard within a week has bene made there by adults who live in dormitories. Extrapolate and the 'leisure dollar' is not as easy to attract as other places.

In Germany, my guess is they need to sent up an office and do some cold calling. Think of brands where snooker's odd image may fit perfect.

Not German but, for example, Irn Bru is a good idea.

Come on World Snookerm, you best gizza job!

The Blog said...

"And, not a 'top drawer' in sight!"

You can't beat a "top drawer" comment from Willie 'the maximum' Thorne. Although

"top filing cabinet"

would make a welcome change of phrase! :P

trevorp said...

how will the premier league work next season any idea Dave ?.when you say itv may be trying to revive an event like the British open that usually means you have heard something ?.or are they just looking at adding a new event ?.it would be great to have a new event.

stuartfanning said...

Remember it was a bit of a homecoming for Clive. He was an ITV Snooker commentator until they gave up on the sport, which prompted Clive Everton and Ray Edmonds to join the BBC commentary team!

Anonymous said...

every time I try to look at content on World Snooker site, I get undesirable stuff & warning messages.

Double checked and this PC is clean so its not me.

Come on WS get it sorted.

Anonymous said...

is their any youtube links to itv4 coverage i would like to see it as sport is blocked in the republic of ireland on itv 4..mark allen played superb in beating higgins its been a while since i seen higgins being dominated like that..amazing stuff fair play to matthew stevens to a great player and fantastic talent

Anonymous said...

Who is Philip Shutt? Is he related to Philip Studd?

Then again anyone can learn names. Or not.

Living Snooker said...

If you'd permit me to bring to your readers' attention Neal Foulds' blog at wwww.livingsnooker.com, where he also touches on Clive's long overdue return to commentary.

Anonymous said...

Clive aside, I dont see why journalists are used in commentary at all. They talk too much, and at the wrong time

This isn't just restricted to journalists though, is it? Dennis Taylor babbles incessently too, as do a few others. It seems to me it is just the modern style of commentating. Maybe commentators are paid by the word these days?

Andrei said...

Have you seen what they want to do with the German Masters ? They want to make it seven tables in the main arena, with 64 players in five days.I think it's incredible, the Tempodrom is one of the best arenas in the game, the crowds are great,the atmosphere is great, and the players like it, but they change it into a format in which it is almost impossible to watch all the top players, because most of them will play in the same time.I don't understand why don't search for a good sponsor to make the GM one of the biggest events.

Anonymous said...

any youtube clips from 1tv 4?

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 2.20. I live in the ROI and have ITV 4. If you have a skybox press services, then other channells and it should be there along with a dozen or so others.
If its not there go to Add channells, then google SKY codes, where you will be given the code for every channell. Hope I've not got myself into trouble now. ha ha

wild said...

Remember it was a bit of a homecoming for Clive. He was an ITV Snooker commentator until they gave up on the sport, which prompted Clive Everton and Ray Edmonds to join the BBC commentary team!
________________________________-

wrong

Clive did work for ITV in the late 60s and early 70s but Clive was never part of the ITV team of the 80s.

Regarding Ray Edmonds he joined the BBC in late 80s as a swap with Jim medowcroft who went the opposite way to itv.

When ITV Gave up on Snooker in 1993 it was Dennis Taylor that joined the BBC.

Clive was with the BBC from 1978 until they gave him the push in 2010.

Anonymous said...

anonymous 2:20 itv four is not blocked in ireland its free to air and easily tuned into any satellite including the sky satellite.I live in ireland and i watched the snooker on ITV 4 .

jamie brannon said...

The attendance for the final was disappointing as it created a drab atmosphere, not befitting a major final.

jamie brannon said...

I was really hoping we wouldn't get a load of people saying the ITV stuff is lots better than the BBC. It isn't.

The BBC coverage still focuses primarily on the snooker, but actually throws in some interesting features too. Not forgetting it is advert-free.

Jill Douglas is not in the same class as Hazel Irvine, while Peter Drury is annoying on any sport.

I totally agree with Clive and Neal being a brilliant pairing but the BBC have some superb combinatioms too. Foulds himself was high in praise for Willie and Terry at the Welsh Open, a sentiment I'd echo. While Hendry is even better than Foulds, as he's not afraid to go alomg with the accepted cliches and perceptions of the current game.

He was totally right recently to question all this 'blind' talk about the standard being on the rise.

Personally, I'd just like to enjoy both channel's coverage, as it is good for snooker to have both broadcasters covering snooker.

Anonymous said...

re an earlier comment, why not hold the entire event in a TV studio in London.

Let the many Chinese living / studying in the UK have access to the tickets.

Still have the Chinese sponsor.

Hold matches at 06:30 and 11:30 GMT to satisfy Chinese TV.

:)

Anonymous said...

when I am watching on tv I couldn't care less if there is one person sitting at the venue watching it, or one thousand. I am watching the snooker, not the crowd.

if sponsors want to put on events that get great tv ratings but shite crowds at venues then id rather that than no tournament.

Anonymous said...

7:27 although some of the adverts on ITV4 are embarrassing (they seemed to mainly be for toilets, personal injury claims and Michael Parkinson plugging life insurance for old people) they are better than sitting through features that are either toe-curlingly bad (no amount of mind bleach can make me forget the BBC team's 'full monty' skit from the Crucible a few years ago) or indescribably boring (i.e. interviews with Dott or Selby, padded out with pictures of them looking at fountains or rivers). Basically the BBC coverage is a bit naff and has got more and more so over the last 10 years - they have forgotton the classy, gentle style of David Vine and Ted Lowe that prevailed when the game was at its most popular. Jason Mohammed is a step in the right direction, but the BBC has some way to go in recovering the class it used to have.

Anonymous said...

worldsnooker.com website seems to have some virus everytime i try to access their website

Geoffrey Mc Donnell said...

Great that this team is back on ITV...i enjoy most commentators-Hendry has the EXPERIENCE and it shows in his comments. Taylor-well he loves talking, pretty much most i enjoy hearing from no-one on my hate list!~ my dad is sending me the DVD's he recorded so i look forward VERY much to listening watching, all the biys i fouynd on U Tube wwre in a chinese language!~

Anonymous said...

still a virus on World Snooker website

For crying out loud why cant they sort this out

Unbelievable

Ray said...

On a different subject Dave,what on earth is the delay with the results of the Steven Lee enquiry? It seems to be going on longer than the Spanish Inquisition.
I know they have to go through any evidence but this is ridiculous and doesn't portray the WSA in a very good light. It's also not fair to keep someone in limbo all this time.
Are you aware if a resolution is imminent?

Dave H said...

Apparently within the next few weeks

Anonymous said...

It will be better for everyone in a way if he is guilty, otherwise World Snooker has effectively destroyed the career of an innocent man. Strongly disagree with suspensions: if the evidence was so compelling then the case should have been tried on what they had within a few weeks of the allegation. Suspending someone for five months to undertake an investigation is simply not on, since the very nature of an investigation can reveal someone to be innocent. If he's guilty then chuck him out of the game, but not before.

@1204 - what antivirus are you using because I'm not getting any alerts on mine? It could just be a false positive; anyone else getting virus alerts?

@Jamie - yeah, we are saying the ITV coverage was better than the BBC coverage. Not because it was great, but because the BBC presentation is abysmal these days. ITV poached its best two commentators, Hazel isn't really that much better than Jill Douglas despite doing in for ten years, and Hendry can't commentate to save his life, always missing obvious shots. Apart from that, I am grateful they supported the game when no other British broadcaster would.

Anonymous said...

Re 3:31 AVG, but before AVG kicks in, you get a wierd warning screen which says something along the lines of not protected, and pretends/actually starts downloading stuff. I didnt get it until I tried to check the schedule for Galway on the WS site.

Not really prepared to try again as PC is a business machine.

Galway schedule is on livescores which doesnt have a similar problem...

Anonymous said...

Just seven weeks to go and the sponsor for the World Championships in Sheffield is ???

press 1 for nobody yet
press 2 for a global name
press 3 to call Betfred urgently

Anonymous said...

i use mcafee and I get a warning half the time I am on ws site

Anonymous said...

Ok, I've just accessed the website in three browsers. Opera and Firefox nothing, and when I opened it in Internet Explorer I got hit by a "security warning" exposing my "vulnerabilities" and trying to convince me I had a load of trojans, and asking me to download a security package. This security package is almost certainly spyware targeting Internet Explorer. If this were a proper World Snooker promotion then i) it wouldn't attempt downloading itself to your system and ii) it would be made "available" to users of other browsers. I strongly advise everyone not to allow it to download otherwise you may discover your credit card being billed in India or Russia. Dave, it may be worth notifying World Snooker than some of your readers are getting surity warnings: if it is legit then fair enough, but it needs to be made clearer that it is a promotion, and perhaps should be less intrusive; if it isn't then they definitely need to be aware that someone has possibly hacked their site.

Anonymous said...

4.53. Why do you care if theres a sponsor or not?

Thats Bazzas problem. All you have to do is sit back and watch it and stop being such a busybody.

Anonymous said...

Unbeatably good commentators:

Dennis Taylor
Ted Lowe
Clive Everton

Good commentators:

John Virgo
Stephen Hendry
Steve Davis
Neal Foulds
Dave Hendon
Phil Yates
Mike Hallett
(plus Eurosport other lead commentator not Dave, not sure of his name but he's good anyway)

Average commentators:

Willie Thorne
Terry Griffiths
Dominic Dale
John Parrott

Not my favourite commentators:

Ken Doherty
Alan McManus
Joe Johnson
Darren Morgan






Anonymous said...

mike h says my apologies more times in a match than the referee spots colours

nice guy
good player
crap commentator

Anonymous said...

10.21.....

Delete Dennis Taylor
Insert Jack Karnehm

Anonymous said...

Here's mine...

Unbeatably good commentators:

Clive Everton
Neal Foulds
Steve Davis
John Parrott
Phil Yates

Good commentators:

David Hendon
John Virgo
Jack Karneham
Terry Griffiths

Average commentators:

Willie Thorne
Dominic Dale
John Spencer
Ted Lowe
Joe Johnson
Darren Morgan

Not my favourite commentators:

Ken Doherty
Alan McManus
Stephen Hendry
Ken Doherty
Dennis Taylor
Alan McManus
Mike Hallett



Anonymous said...

9.23....

First and last are spot on accurate !

kildare cueman said...

And mine.(Living ones only)

Unbearably good commentators.

Foulds
Everton

Good commentators

Thorne
Griffiths
Davis
Parrott
Johnson

Average
Hendry
Dale
Morgan
Hendon
Mcmanus
Doherty

Not my favs

Taylor
Smith
Hallett
Morgan
Yeats

Anonymous said...

I agree with the last named list posted at 9.23am except I'd replace Stephen Hendry for Jack Karnehm in their respective spots.
Also no mention of Jim Meadowcroft.

Anonymous said...

i have upc and itv4 is blocked during the day it says not available in roi.,.maybe ill go freesat and just watch liveworldsnooker tv on internet..will itv get any more tournaments?

paulg said...

Dave are ITV looking to revive an old event or is this your opinion that they might look at it ?.

Dave H said...

World Snooker say they know about the virus and are working on it

wild said...

its obviously that commentating is subjective

Phil Yates and Dennis taylor has fluctuated between Unbearably good commentators to not my favorite commentators depending on who posts.

Anonymous said...

The two man teams in commentary box should be one professional journalist/broadcaster - ie the commentator and one expert summariser ie the ex player

So on that basis my best commentators are
Clive Everton
David Hendon

My best experts/summarisers
Neal Foulds
Terry Griffiths
Steve Davis
Stephen Hendry
Alan McManus
Dominic Dale

Dream teams:
Everton with Foulds
Hendon with Griffiths

Studio Presenters/Links
Jill Douglas
Jason Mohammed
Dougie Douglas
John Inverdale

Turn the volume off include
Ken Doherty
Willie Thorne
John Virgo
Phil Yates
John Evans
Dennis Taylor
Mike Smith
Mike Hallett
Joe Johnson

Of the Eurosport commentators overseas - Kim Hartman (Sweden) should be put up against a wall and shot!

Best from the 'good old days'
Ted Lowe
Jack Karnehm
and David vine in the studio

Anonymous said...

Just in regard to a few previous posts, the World Open was blocked on UPC in Ireland early in the week, but was available there by the weekend.

Anonymous said...

Yes, forgot about Jim Meadowcroft. I'd add him in the "Unbearably good commentators" (09.23)
Always remember the final black in 85 when Dennis played his penultimate shot to the green pocket I think, and Jim said "THAT WAS THE BIGGEST SHOT OF HIS LIFE!

Anonymous said...

Where's the cueball going? WHERE'S THE CUEBALL GOING!?!

please jv, stop doing that

Btw, I think Hendon, Davis, Clive, Hendry and Parrott are good.

Anonymous said...

Dave i noticed you have dodged the question are itv looking to add a new event to their schedule for next season ?.

Dave H said...

No idea

Anonymous said...

but didnt you say they could revive an event was that just an observation on your part ?.

The Blog said...

"On a different subject Dave,what on earth is the delay with the results of the Steven Lee enquiry? It seems to be going on longer than the Spanish Inquisition."

LOL

I'm sure a decision will be made before 2020. You can't rush these things... :P

Regarding the low turn out for this event, it does make you wonder if ticket prices are too expensive for the average Chinaman/woman. Given the hype about the huge popularity of snooker in China, it does seem surprising the final seemed around 40 percent full. Not even Barry Hearn's bold claims about his revival of the sport can disguise the fact the event didn't attract many Chinese fans. I can't recall any British snooker final being that empty.

Having watched the event on ITV4 I don't think relocating the World Championship to China would be a good move. You do lose the inherent 'Britishness' of the sport with overseas events. Let's hope the WC stays in Sheffield, UK. :)

Anonymous said...

is that a deer with no eyes?

Paul Ma King said...

Great win for Mark but i still don't think he will win the world title.

Anonymous said...

Think ITV would be wise to bring back a similar event to the old World Matchplay that they ran from 1988-1992. 3 of those finals were played over the World Chp final distance (best of 35) with Jimmy White winning it twice. I'm sure they could stage this event, keeping the same name and tweeking it to mirror the Masters on BBC and feature the top 16.

Anonymous said...

Mike 'he's going for the cross double...my apologies, he's not' Hallett could do with taking a long rest.
Also, Mark Wildman, Ray Edmonds and John Pulman took stints in the commentary box over the years. With differing degrees if success.

Top 3....

1. Clive Everton
2. Jack Karnehm
3. Dear old Ted (for sentimental reasons). Like a comfy pair of slippers.

Anonymous said...

Dave, is a PDF only subscription to Snooker Scene available in the UK at all?

jamie brannon said...

Whatever the reasons, it isn't acceptable for a major final to have such a low gate, it took a lot out of the occasion.

Anonymous said...

A real masterstroke for ITV—after effectively taking the BBC's best commentators—would be to resurrect something like the British Open but play it over the old UK champ 2-session format, and instruct the commentators and presenters to repeatedly refer to it as the "second biggest tournament". It would be mind-blowing to have the UK back (in spirit at least) with quality commentating.

Anonymous said...

Ray Edmonds was a class commentator...

Remember the "silver fox" (David Taylor) doing a spot of commentating, including the 1st max 147 on tv in the Lada Cars Classic, made by Steve Davis. If Davis had missed the final black, he would have received two lada cars!!

Anonymous said...

Who needs ITV when all the tournaments are on Eurosport - with both tables on the Eurosport player for just a few pounds a month.

Maybe what we need is Neal & Clive to join Dave & team on Eurosport.

Anonymous said...

Not taking sides either way but, if the allegations against Stephen Lee prove to be without foundation and he is free to resume his career, is he at liberty to go after World Snooker for loss of earnings ?
Also, what of the Jogia / Mirror revelations. All smoke ?

Anonymous said...

This is part of the problem with these suspensions. If he is found not guilty then yes, Lee can sue World Snooker, but even that doesn't really resolve the situation. His suspension would have an impact on his future earnings too due to him dropping down the rankings, and not being competitive for months. Suspensions should only be handed out on conclusion of the investigation and the evidence should be tried within a month of the suspension, unless the player requests an extension to build a defence. World Snooker has effectively destroyed a man's career while his guilt is still unproven. I understand their desire to rid the game of corruption, but there is a right way and a wrong way of approaching these matters; independent and open hearings are a move in the right direction, but they need to rethink these protracted suspensions.

Anonymous said...

DAVE I JUST WOONDRE ABOUT THESE COMMENTATORS I THINK MAHYBE PEOPLE FORGOT ABOUT DOOGIE DONNLEY WHAT A VERY NICE COMMENTATOR INDEED THAT IS ALL BYE