Dott vs. Robertson! World Grand Prix Final 2020 – Shorts Thoughts

They last met in a final 10 years ago on the biggest stage of them all. One decade later and spells of great form are what it took for Neil Robertson and Graeme Dott to meet in another tournament final. The first of the Coral Cup Series was home to a dramatic final involving two veterans of the game who have done extremely well in the Grand Prix to get to this point. Let’s look at the match.

Breakdown

Robertson did well to take the opening frame with 55 despite unfortunately going in-off when screwing off a cluster of reds. Even though Dott couldn’t capitalise on this opportunity, he was able to punish a 63 break by Robertson in Frame 2 with 5 reds on the table as he made a 40 break, then stole on the colours. Dott continued showcasing his impressive potting, aided by a break of 56 to take the lead for the first (and only) time in the match. This was short-lived as Robertson initiated one of five century breaks (127) with a wonderful long pot from the baulk cushion.

Although Dott made a 47, Frame 5 was a steal for Robertson with help from a useful snooker behind the black. He followed this with a 110 consisting of a wonderfully controlled opening long pot. Frame 7 saw plenty of misses from both players but Robertson was able to clinch with a break of 58. When it seemed Robertson was going to run away with a 6-2 lead, he unluckily knocked a red in when splitting off the blue, ending his break at 40. Dott was able to salvage the rest of the frame to reduce his arrears going into the evening session 5-3 down.

Dott started the evening well taking the opening frame with a break of 62 even though Robertson was in first with 32. However, his poor break-off shot in Frame 10 led to a 107 from Robertson. It took two attempts for Robertson to make this century which Dott wasn’t able to take advantage. Dott did take advantage of Robertson’s misfortune in the next frame though, as he scored his match highest break of 88.

There wasn’t anything Dott could do about the three-frame onslaught he received from Robertson. A tournament high break of 142, as well as a 69 and 101 break in the following two frames saw Robertson extend his lead and comfort to 9-5. Surely it’s a formality at this point, right?

Robertson had his opportunity to win the title in Frame 15 after Dott faltered on a black. During Robertson’s break of 43, he slightly overran a shot off the green to not leave himself an easy pot. This minor blunder meant he had to take on a difficult red which he did pot, but left a tricky green which was overcut. Given the result of the match, this was a tremendous turning point in the evening session. Dott was able to keep himself in the match a little longer by making a 47 and pinching the frame. The war of attrition continued as Dott salvaged enough points to take another frame, making it 9-7.

Frame 17 was easily the best frame of the match – and of the reasons the final was incredible to watch. Dott was in first with a chance but then had to nestle behind the green at 21. Following a missed black from Dott, Robertson was able to capitalise with a break of 69. At 69-26 down, Dott required two four-point snookers to tie. He laid his first snooker perfectly behind the brown to snooker on the yellow – Robertson misses. Dott lays another snooker behind the brown, this time on the green – Robertson misses. Dott then laid another snooker behind the brown which Robertson was able to swerve around – first attempt Robertson over swerved; second attempt Robertson under swerved. Third time was the charm but left it over a pocket for Dott to pot. After a brilliant battle on the brown, Robertson plays a shot that even Hendry couldn’t decipher in commentary, which ultimately led to Dott taking the frame with an exceptional pot on the final black. Honestly, watch this frame.

In the final frame, Robertson had the first chance but missed a brown similar to the green he missed in Frame 15. Dott tried to scrap back as he had done all night but Robertson did manage to put an end to the match on the final red. Even though it wasn’t pretty, Robertson got the win at the end.

Afterthoughts

A brilliant final which almost saw a comeback similar to that of the China Championship where Murphy was 9-5 up against Williams who was able to force a decider. It had the breaks, it had the battles and it had the drama that kept audiences and viewers glued to their seats/televisions.

Dott has had a brilliant couple of weeks including a semi-final run in the German Masters one week earlier to this performance. One could wonder how someone managed to get 8 frames with only three 50+ breaks against a person who made 5 centuries. However, Dott has a remarkable ability to get himself into a frame even when the odds are stacked against him. His perseverance is championship-level and facial expressions are beyond even that. Much like players such as Ding and Maguire, Dott has found himself getting to later stages of tournaments and I doubt this is the last we’ll see of him.

Robertson was able to survive a scare on Sunday but his impressive win further cements that he and Trump are at the mountain top with the rest playing catch-up. If he played similarly in Germany, he likely would have secured the three-peat. Nevertheless, what an incredible performance as he makes 3 finals in 3 weeks while claiming 2 trophies. He has now amassed 18 ranking titles and comfortably reaches No. 2 in the world rankings.

This victory at the WGP also puts Robertson in good stead when it comes to claiming the £100,000 bonus available for the top performer at the Coral Cup events. Significant contributions in the Players and Tour Championships means that he could get up to £200,000 in prize money alone when added with the European Series. It seems that Trump and Robertson are the only ones that can stop each other but who will stop them from winning the rest of the season?

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Some Snooker and Pool Differences

Whether you’re a die-hard fan of either snooker/pool (American), one can certainly appreciate the respective difficulties that arise in playing both cue sports. While at initial glance they can seem like two custom game modes under one umbrella there are some points which can display how different they actually are. Consider this a bit of a fact source for both sports where everything mentioned is far too specific to warrant their own Short posts.

Pool balls are slightly larger and heavier than those used in snooker. Where snooker balls are around 52.5mm in diameter, pool balls are around 57mm; snooker balls generally weigh around the 140g mark and pool balls are approximately 160-170g. Due to these differences, pool cues tend to be slightly heavier to accommodate these changes. Pool cues are a little heavier on the grip end while snooker cues are weightier towards the tip to support the smaller tip sizes on a snooker cue. Snooker cues are geared towards accuracy when potting, while pool cues are built around power and position.

The cloths used in snooker and pool games can also differ. There are numerous manufacturers for cue sport table cloths but the main characteristic that separates between the two games are that snooker table cloths have a slightly fuzzier texture, in that you can feel the fibres quite distinctly. While it may seem that this can cause a bit of friction, wear and tear can smooth the surface over time. Compared to a pool table cloth, which is flatter, smoother and you can’t feel the fibres like you can on a snooker table; it results in some speedy match play.

Played on a smaller 9ft table, pool requires fewer balls to play and depending what game you’re playing, you must pot balls in a specific order. Other rules it must abide by is the option to play a push out shot and the requirement for a ball to make contact with a cushion (or rail). This doesn’t exist in snooker but failure to do so results in a ball in-hand foul which could effectively mean an immediate lost frame in pool, given the freedom to place the cue ball and the size of the pockets.

A shot commonly used in pool but something you will rarely see in snooker (unless by fluke) is a bank (or kick) shot. This is when you hit cushion first before potting a ball. Something which understandably is done more in pool due to the pocket and ball sizes, but still requires a tremendous knowledge of the angles on their table; see Efren Reyes’ Z-Shot to be amazed.

Due to the length of the table and slim-sized pockets, snooker requires a much stricter technique to play. Precision and accuracy are staples of snooker, more so than their pool counterpart, where lining up a shot and cue action is more forgiven. Developing a stable cue action and technique will help to do well in snooker but those skills can be transferred comfortably to a pool game where attention could be focused towards understanding its rules and concentrating on the respective positional aspect.

Having played both cue sports, you can get great enjoyment out of playing both. This isn’t a post to say that one is better than the other because they both have their merits. It just depends how much time you have and what kind of mood you’re in as to which game you would choose to play.

‘Snooker’s probably like trying to win The Open or Augusta; Pool’s probably like playing crazy golf…One’s a bit of fillet steak and one’s a bit of mashy ham’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan when asked the differences between snooker and pool.

Was The Sequel Any Better? German Masters Final 2020 – Shorts Thoughts

It’s been almost three months since Neil Robertson and Judd Trump contested the (still) match of the season in which Robertson narrowly secured victory at the Champion of Champions. The next story of their saga takes place in the final of the German Masters, but does it live up to their first bout?

Breakdown

Not particularly. Neither player were at their top gears but as it always goes when these two collide, they like to run it pretty close to each other. The first four frames were shared with Trump making breaks of 60 in Frame 1 and 64 in Frame 3, despite Robertson trying to pinch this one back. Robertson was able to clinch Frames 2 and 4 however, making one of two centuries in the match in the frame before the break.

Robertson was able to take the next two frames with a 77 in Frame 6; although Frame 5 was one which Robertson would have been relieved to steal as he made 32 but missed an easy red. Trump went on to make 71 but left the yellow in the knuckle as it got down to the colours. Robertson ended up winning the frame 72-71.

Trump did well to respond by clawing back the following two frames. This wasn’t easy though as it required a couple visits each time but he would’ve been happy to level the match going into the evening session. According to his post-match interview, this was what Trump felt the turning point was for him.

Frame 9 saw a foul and a miss from Robertson which couldn’t be replicated even if it took another 100 attempts. After Robertson threaded that needle, Trump made a 54 to secure the opening frame of the evening. Trump then seemed to have found some of his long potting that he was lacking in the opening session as he made a 75 to extend his lead. Robertson did try to salvage a comeback on the final red but Trump did well to display his navigational skill in escaping snookers.

Poor safeties from each player in the next couple of frames meant that they shared Frames 11 and 12 (Robertson 66; Trump 59 with a magnificent final yellow). Frame 13 was surprising as both players were struggling with unexpected misses from each of them. It was Trump who eventually took the frame with a few attempts at the table. Robertson was able to keep Trump at bay a little longer as he took the penultimate frame in a similar fashion to the last. However, it was all Trump at the end of the night as he capitalised on an unforeseen yet significant miss from Robertson as he finished with 100.

Afterthoughts

It wasn’t necessarily the same kind of final that we saw in Coventry but it was the kind of match that took a lot of work to get over the line, regardless of who ended up winning. Neither player were in optimal condition on Sunday but in the end, Trump was just able to perform a little bit better than Robertson. Both players were missing pots that nobody would expect them to but Robertson’s misses ended up being more costly than his opponent.

If Robertson was able to reproduce the form he had all week, or that he had in the European Masters final, then it could have been a very different result. Nevertheless, it took the World No. 1 to put a stop in his tracks as Trump claims his fourth ranking title and first win of the calendar year (first win since NI Open). There’s no denying that these two players are currently the best in the world.

Now we observe the comedic predicament Robertson and Trump find themselves in as they figure out whether they will compete in the Shootout. It’s a tournament that top seeds generally don’t enter but now with the bonus available for the European Series makes for an interesting Prisoner’s Dilemma-like situation for Robertson and Trump as they look to see if each of them enter.

Robertson leads the prize money in the European series with £115,000 (£80k from European and £35k from German) while Trump trails with £80k from Sunday’s win. The £50,000 prize on offer for winning the Shootout at the end of the month would make a considerable difference should Robertson or Trump claim glory at this event. As is relevant to the Shootout, the race is on!

Snooker Referees: The Unsung Heroes

Much like one of the very first Short posts on this website looking at ‘Stephen Hendry as a Commentator’ (click here to read that), this is more of an appreciation post for the deceptively difficult role that snooker referees undertake. While there are referees that we are all familiar with, it’s great to see a lot of newcomer referees introduced into the game.

They are aided by technology and a supporting marker (second referee), but referees still require immense focus and concentration. The act of re-spotting colours, announcing player and break scores, ensuring they’re behind the player each shot and keeping switched on in the case of a foul may not seem like a demanding role, but over the course of a match which could last many hours is an impressive feat. All while maintaining a high level of professionalism. If you’re someone who is impatient or has difficulty in maintaining an extended period of concentration, then you can understand how difficult this can be. But I imagine if you’re a snooker viewer, then your patience is pretty good.

Patience and judgement are key characteristics exhibited by referees in a snooker match. They may find themselves in a match where they have to deal with certain players being a little unconventional; or correctly call a foul and a miss which in itself is a fairly controversial ruling. A recent example involved Leo Scullion and Mark Allen at the Scottish Open where Allen unknowingly feathered the cue ball and Scullion had to intervene afterwards.

Even though snooker is a gentlemanly sport, there can be situations where the referee has to be firm and let the player know this. One time that makes me think of this is at the WSC final between Selby and Higgins; Jan Verhaas had to show a steady hand on whether the cue ball touched the black ball upon nestling behind it, even if players may not agree with the decision.

Given that there are more tournaments to be played in a season, there has been a rising exposure to many different referees that are becoming well integrated into the sport. Referees such as Marcel Eckardt and Terry Camilleri who are becoming quite well established and others such as Desislava Bozhilova and Maike Kesseler who are a little more unseen compared to senior referees, are becoming more confident as they gain more exposure in ranking events.

It’s no easy task being a snooker referee, but it’s definitely something that can go under the radar in the grand scheme of a match. When a player is making a century break, their job can seem quite easy but when that isn’t happening, much like the players, the referees have to uphold their concentration as the match progresses; since they are as involved as the players themselves.