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World Snooker Championship

Tremendous by Williams. Once he built a lead, he wasn't going to be spooked by the creeping dread of not shaking off the unshakeable Selby. As I mentioned, Selby gives you a chance these days. He maintains all the grit in the world - what a fighter - but he's losing frames having had his opponent needing a snooker, and he's losing frames from 60 points up. He let Ronnie in in Shanghai too, missing a silly pink. That said, compare Selby today to Selby 12 months ago and it's chalk and cheese. He's definitely back and is, de facto, the most consistent player in the world right now: two semi-finals and a final in the last three tournaments. But the next step is to actually win something, because that's two finals in a row he's lost (including the World Championship). For a player who won something like 19 out of his previous 20 finals, that's coming up short. But small steps. From where he was over the last 18 months, his recovery is marvelous.

As for Williams, what a hero. 48 and still at the top.
 
Drico said:
What was this, Rita?
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Williams referred to Selby as the third greatest player of all time, then added quickly, "ahead of me of course" so it's O'Sullivan and Hendry top two. High praise that, and a mark of what an honest and decent chap Williams is. Williams at 48 is the second oldest ranked tournament winner, I think they said after Reardon (50). Good final, early and middle was the best quality, became a trudge through the Somme as it wrapped up. shows Williams can grind when it gets difficult. Some one pot shots from the other end of the arena were logic defying.
 

Rita_Poon said:
Williams referred to Selby as the third greatest player of all time, then added quickly, "ahead of me of course" so it's O'Sullivan and Hendry top two. High praise that, and a mark of what an honest and decent chap Williams is. Williams at 48 is the second oldest ranked tournament winner, I think they said after Reardon (50). Good final, early and middle was the best quality, became a trudge through the Somme as it wrapped up. shows Williams can grind when it gets difficult. Some one pot shots from the other end of the arena were logic defying.
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Yup, fair ranking. For a while now I've felt that if you are having O'Sullivan and Hendry as your top two, then it really is only a matter of ranking another five players: John Higgins, Mark Williams, Steve Davis, Ray Reardon, and Mark Selby in whatever order. These seven are way ahead of the rest.

Reardon might legitimately be placed seventh because his achievements came at the very start of the snooker boom (and mainly just before when his only rivals were John Spencer, Alex Higgins, and Cliff Thorburn - all greats, but less great than he). In fact, you could make a strong case that Higgins, Thorburn, and Spencer are the three players who would complete an all-time top 10 (assuming we ignore the claims of Joe Davis simply because he played in an era when only an old boys' club played). Certainly, I don't see why one-time world champions Judd Trump, Neil Robertson, or Shaun Murphy should automatically catapult over the likes of Alex Higgins - twice world champion and pop culture legend - or Cliff Thorburn - the first overseas world champion and the first man to make a Crucible 147 (along with being the only serious rival to Steve Davis in the mid-1980s). Spencer is a three-time word champion. Greatness is not about "ability" - Trump would blast all three off a table - it's about achievements.

But as to the top six, well, I tend to place O'Sullivan at 1 because of his longevity as much as his genius. Any of the next five could beat him one-on-one - some do regularly - but his longevity is what places him above Hendry - who was even more dominant (albeit in a weaker era) and, unquestionably more ruthless. Hendry also changed the game in a way nobody has since. So, you can call that as your preference deems. I go Ronnie at 1 (his incredible last three frames against Selby in 2020 sealed the deal for me - never seen anything like it on a snooker table and certainly not against that boa constrictor).

Number three is where it gets really hard and completely subjective. In five years time, there is a pretty good chance that Mark Selby will be clear here. One more world title - difficult but not impossible - takes him above John Higgins and Mark Williams, for sure (the Welshman is not winning two more). So then it's a matter of whether his five trumps Steve Davis's six. There's a strong argument that the four of Selby and Higgins already takes them past Davis, but I think Steve's own self-deprecation tends to influence the debate. His dominance in the 1980s was near total. His greatness rests not just on his imperiousness, but the fact he changed the game from a staid old boys' network (with a few flashy intoxicated types rebelling against the system) into a professional pursuit. He set the template for what followed. For me, he remains at number three.

After that, it's a toss-up between John Higgins and Mark Selby, with Mark Williams fractionally behind (because of his inconsistency, though his longevity mitigates that damage). At their best, I have Selby marginally ahead of Higgins. I think he has taken strategy, safety play, and mental resilience to a marginally higher level than the great Scot. He can take a match into very dark places. That kind of utter ruthlessness is what allows him to beat anyone on the greatest stage. I favour him also because it took, in my book, the greatest three frames of snooker of all time - from a desperate genius O'Sullivan - to defeat him at the Crucible in 2020. He brings out the very best in the very best. Nevertheless, Selby needs a few more good years before I would confidently put him above Higgins, who is in obvious decline (his inability to see out big matches from winning positions seems terminal). Selby needs to start winning tournaments again - even if he is consistently reaching the business end once more. Could he plateau into a player to be reckoned with but one who no longer wins regularly? This season will tell a tale.

Williams, for me, is narrowly behind in sixth. Very narrowly. Right now he looks a better bet than Higgins to win another world title. He'll never be consistent - so this is why I think he has to be placed behind the others. But he's mercurial - and I suspect could have one more serious crack at the big one before falling away finally.

I really need to get back to work. lol
 
Drico said:
But as to the top six, well, I tend to place O'Sullivan at 1 because of his longevity as much as his genius. Any of the next five could beat him one-on-one - some do regularly - but his longevity is what places him above Hendry - who was even more dominant (albeit in a weaker era) and, unquestionably more ruthless. Hendry also changed the game in a way nobody has since. So, you can call that as your preference deems. I go Ronnie at 1 (his incredible last three frames against Selby in 2020 sealed the deal for me - never seen anything like it on a snooker table and certainly not against that boa constrictor).
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Gotta butt in here, Yes Ron can turn it on quite regular, but that Higgins tournament win where he dropped two frames winning the whole thing. Whitewashed Selby 5-0 Selby scoring only 7 points in total. A good day in the office and a day day in the office occasionally collide, but Higgins was imperious for an entire week, I've seen a fair bit of the snooker, but rarely have I been so captivated in the marvel as then.

I'll read the rest now.
 
Rita_Poon said:
Gotta butt in here, Yes Ron can turn it on quite regular, but that Higgins tournament win where he dropped two frames winning the whole thing. Whitewashed Selby 5-0 Selby scoring only 7 points in total. A good day in the office and a day day in the office occasionally collide, but Higgins was imperious for an entire week, I've seen a fair bit of the snooker, but rarely have I been so captivated in the marvel as then.

I'll read the rest now.
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Yes, he was incredible. Arguably the best form a player ever hit over a week. But - and I'm nit-picking now - it wasn't the World Championship.

I love Higgins. I just wish he'd win the matches he puts himself in pole position to win. He's had some ridiculous losses from unassailable positions over the last few years. That Robertson match last year was the end for me.
 


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