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Snooker column: Nick Metcalfe on snooker’s player mutiny as WST lays down the law
Anger is running high in the snooker world right now, and it reached a fever pitch this month when five players—John Higgins, Mark Selby, Luca Brecel, Ali Carter, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh—signed up to compete in a lucrative exhibition tournament that coincides with the Northern Ireland Open in Macau, China.
As tempting as it is to approach such issues from a dogmatic, one-sided perspective, the reality is that there are shades of gray in this situation.
First, let’s hear from the players. It’s easy to understand why big stars are drawn to respectable pay days without the stress of competitive play, especially those who are in the latter stages of their careers. Particularly when they may utilize the Macau
You may also see why the World Snooker Tour took off by jumping over the barrier. They would undoubtedly contend that a difficult precedent would be created if they permitted Macau to proceed on those late October dates. Who’s to say that players, feeling suddenly more confident, wouldn’t subsequently want to participate in a big tour tournament in November or December for another exhibition?
Players are free to select whatever tournament they want to compete in, but as per their contracts, they “must not do anything that is detrimental to the WST or a WST event,” the WST stated. It was stated clearly that players engaged in the Macau tournament will be reported to the WPBSA Disciplinary Committee should the event proceed.
Since assuming the position more than two years ago, Dawson has been the unseen man. He’s done so many media interviews that I could count on one hand. Initially, we were willing to overlook him, in part because we knew it would be difficult to emulate Hearn. But that’s becoming old now. If he showed up at every press conference with a massive spreadsheet and was the driest guy on the planet, I doubt anyone would give a damn. He needs to speak up more on this and many other issues.
UK champion Mark Allen has even gone so far as to demand that athletes skip a tournament, claiming that “the statements WST have been putting out are amateurish” in recent days.
I’m not saying that the most joyful bit of sporting scheduling we’ve ever seen ends on a Sunday night in the UK and begins on Monday morning in China. However, it’s far superior to the situation when players are so bored that they are swanning off to participate in pool events instead of hitting the course.
I hear the case for a condensed schedule of competitions throughout Asia all at once. However, Chinese broadcasters and promoters are not likely to take that. Consider marketing the third or fourth of four consecutive events at a time when attendees are naturally losing interest and feeling satiated.
Although I’m sure many will disagree, I believe I’d rather gamers to swallow their
In comparison, consider the English Open. The noise caused by rain hitting the ceiling during the first Manchester tournament forced the players to halt play in the middle of the match. The next trip was Barnsley, where I was always asked whether I needed a bathing towel in the press room. Subsequently, Ronnie O’Sullivan said that the recreation center in Crawley “smelled of urine”. You get the idea. It hasn’t been a respectable tenure.
The venue, the Brentwood Leisure Centre, gives the phrase “unprepossessing” a whole new meaning. The competition still doesn’t seem to have a permanent home.
There are many explanations for why the Northern Ireland Open begins.
