snooker world championship final

Joining in late into this mess, but Higgins is fantastic - pretty unique, I think Nadal is a good recent-ish example of the kind of rare sports person that is able to simply do the right thing (decisions, shots, whatever) EVERY SINGLE TIME at a very young age, and in a way that is pretty fucking scary. Except that John couldn't enjoy any dominance as Williams, O'Sullivan and a bunch of other talents were also around at the same time. So it somehow took him 10 years to win a 2nd world title...that 100 break to finally knock the stuffing out of Selby in the final two years ago is what I get up to watch this game for.

This year he has been way stronger as it gotten to the wire - I'm a Selby fan, but it was disappointing how his game fell off at the end.

Higgins winning three, maybe four, world titles...would turn out to be a good reflection of how good I think he is/was.

Red button on satellite or cable to watch the full session on the bbc.

― the innermost wee guy (onimo), Friday, May 1, 2009 9:31 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

Yeah, I get that red button stuff, but I'm not in the UK, so it's worthless for me.

The 'nicer' haircuts have failed pretty badly in their semi-finals, huh? I mean I know its their first, but Allen and Robertson have shown zilch..

apart from the ability to storm back when all looks lost

Oh he's got a better chance than Allen has -- although World Championsip snooker has usually provided some amazing comebacks -- but a four frame lead is fine for Murphy.

Still, not much so far, they've both managed to look badly spent.

I know Michaela Tabb is going to referee the final tomorrow & Monday, but where's Hazel? :-(

(don't get me wrong, I don't only watch snooker for the women ;-) )

Lol @ teen final identical terrible hairstyles

I miss Hazel as well!

Allen really hanging in here!

Not anymore... But what a semi final!

How many of these expressions they keep repeating every ten minutes are actually official snooker terms?

A shot to nothing?

A little bit unlucky?

The knowledgeable Crucible crowd?

:-)

That's probably all John Virgo, StanM. The man cannot give commentary without using every cliché in the book.

Robertson is playing absolutely brilliant right now. I really, really hope he beats Murphy tonight. 'Top quality stuff, StanM, top quality stuff' ;-)

I want to see him do the Arshavin pose again

He also uses that strange inversion thing, does John Virgo.

I don't know who I want to win here, Robertson has some of the most awesome WTF shots sometimes, but he misses some easy ones as well. Murphy's the more consistent player. Great but boring, a bit like John Higgins I suppose.

I don't like the shape of Murphy's head, so that's it, I'm rooting for Robertson. (not the Ozzy meaning of rooting)

Aren't they allowed to say "Hawk-eye" anymore? I seem to remember they couldn't shut up about it last time and now I haven't heard it once.

What's Robertson up to here?

this is great

o
m
g

I don't like the shape of Murphy's head

otm

Robertson is on fire! I'm particularly impressed by his safety game. I knew he was a great, daring attacker, but his safety play, the choices he made, is so great tonight. It's what got him to this tie again, as far as I'm concerned. I want him to wrap this up and then send Higgins' poor ass home.

I'm liking this artist guy, but he obviously can't do eyes

Ach, this is slipping away now.

Murphy is a jammy bastid.

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/1981/295wfu95001351ym0.gif

Murphy's quite personable, to be fair

reminds me a bit of Adrian Chiles

Still, my dream of Higgins' being beaten by Bizarro Higgins is in shatters :-(

xp

I expect the final is going to be great but boring.

"I know Michaela Tabb is going to referee the final tomorrow & Monday, but where's Hazel? :-("

She's had a kid. Hazel look ok but she never asks v interesting questions really.

Was just wondering whether Michaela would referee the final...

Well done Murphy - fair play to both Robertson and Allen for pushing them all the way. That red that started Murphy's break in the penultimate frame was classic semi-final stuff. xxp = there is not going to be a lot of contrast in the final, true.

Murphy's quite personable, to be fair

Oh no I hate all that I'm just an ordinary blokey snooker fan who got lucky faux humility bullshit.

He also uses that strange inversion thing, does John Virgo.

― StanM, Saturday, May 2, 2009 8:58 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

But not as much as Dennis Taylor. :-/

no chat on tonights session?

Can't see someone as solid as Higgins losing this, he wasn't even at his best tonight and still won the session 7 - 1 and got a couple of centuries.

It was watchable, but then snooker is always watchable - both looked shattered tho', it might have easily slided into Dott-Ebdon levels. As it didn't go to that extreme there wasn't a great deal to talk about. No final has been lost from 11-5 but Murphy could mount the ultimate comeback...the comebacks are what makes for a really great snooker final.

Michaela has been the star! :-)

Michaela has been the star! :-)

― xyzzzz__, Monday, May 4, 2009 10:19 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark

I'm not so sure about today's miniskirt...

I really wish Dennis Taylor would stop going on about how "professional" Shaun Murphy is.

OTM. Anyone who doesn't completely surrender and concede the match is "courageous" and "professional" , I guess.

"I'm not so sure about today's miniskirt..."

Oh no I missed this afternoon's session - went to see a film instead!

worst world championship ever

This is just like the finals the last couple of finals involving Ronnie where he walked it...

I actually didn't watch as much of this tournament as I wanted to (no 8 hour session for me unfortunately) but it has had the most centuries ever (80-something, obliterating the prev records of 68) plus Michaela in the final so I can't complain too much.

does louis like snooker or just ronnie?

well done Higgins for his 3rd world title.

at 34 he's the oldest world champion ever.

Totally, yeah - thing is, two of his three titles actually came when he arguably wasn't playing at his very (late 90s) best (in terms of sheer break building). A couple of his wins this year came down to the wire. Total strength of mind to get stronger at the very end of those matches.

Also, in the most centuries ever championship, the player who does show the best tactical play won.

2009: STAT-ATTACK - Higgins has a 92% success rate for his potting for the whole tournament.

When did they get rid of those blown-up fake prize-money cardboards? Whoever's behind that deserves the Nobel prize.

Miniskirt was just a joke, sorry. :-)

Murphy never played like he did in earlier matches, but still, you have to admire Higgins for the way he mercilessly punished him for every mistake.

Also, a ridiculous amount of commentator jinxing all through the match: "so this is it, the first shot of his thousandth frame at the Cruci-and he misses!" / "He's improved so much over the last couple of - and he misses!" :-)

:-) A comeback of Murphy would've been great alone because of the commentary.

"Could this be his final time at the table?"
"Is this miss his last bid in this final?"

I must say though that I've been without a tv set for three years, and finally was able to catch up this year on the BBC snooker coverage. I think Doherty is a valuable addition to the commentary team. My only hope now is that Virgo quits the bizz, can't stand the guy.

bbc changed it

But he had done more than enough and is now the oldest Crucible champion since Dennis Taylor triumphed at the age of 36 in 1985 against Steve Davis, with Higgins turning 34 on 18 May.