The concept seems to be capturing the imagination of most. For the ardent snooker fans out there, it's a chance to watch the sport in a new, faster format.
For others, who find the game too laborious to watch in its traditional format, Power Snooker is a diluted version of the sport. There's less time for safety, more emphasis on potting and therefore for some, the game becomes more watchable.
Whatever band you fall into, the core aim of Power Snooker remains the same. It is a regeneration of snooker, in addition to the rest of the sport's calendar, to drum up more interest.
In my eyes, this one-day tournament has the potential to bring the sport into the public eye to the same heights it reached during the famous World Championship final in 1985. I believe it could be that big.
I look at what Twenty20 has done for cricket, and have visions of a similar furore surrounding Power Snooker.
The fact that the draw for this exciting tournament was made during the half-time interval of England's European Championship qualifier against Montenegro live on ITV, just shows the burning desire Barry Hearn has to take the sport to the public.
I'm positive it'll be a huge success, and will return to the snooker calendar year after year.
I'm even confident the sceptics out there will warm to it. Maybe not whole-heatedly at first, but in time, they will become the converted.
No-one is saying it should replace the traditional side of the game. It's merely an extension to the current calendar, which is already substantially popular among the sport's biggest followers.
The draw itself certainly made my mouth water. In form man Ding Junhui takes on crowd favourite Jimmy White. Enough said! Two of the game's biggest emerging stars of the last two years, Mark Selby and Ali Carter also meet, while the most fascinating match in the first round will probably be between Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy. These boys can sure pot, and their naturally attacking style of play should produce fireworks.
But unsurprisingly the most talked-about tie involves Ronnie O'Sullivan and Belgium's 15-year-old wonderkid Luca Brecel.
The Rocket is no stranger to being the talk of the tour, he's come to relish it in fact. But for once he's been upstaged, and people seem to be talking about Brecel more than the three-time world champion.
Unfortunately, it's not all been positive.
While some fans are looking forward to see what this undoubtedly talented young man can produce on the biggest stage, others seem more interested in criticising his invitation to Power Snooker.
First of all, as much as people bleat, it won't change a thing.Wildcards are not picked to be popular. They're picked to spice up a tournament. It's not a decision you or me will ever get to make, so what's the point in moaning.
Secondly, the clue is in the name , 'wild'card. And I'll admit the decision to invite Brecel to this event did stun me at first. But it's a wild decision, as the name suggests it should be. And if Hearn's aim is to get people talking, and therefore watching, it looks like it's working.
Whether people tune in to see if Brecel is as good as word on the street has it, or even just in hope that he fails miserably, the end product is the same; people are watching snooker.Thirdly, any argument that Brecel's inclusion gives him any advantage over his other fellow young hopefuls is utter nonsense. There's no ranking points attached to the competition, and there's as much chance of him losing confidence as there is of him gaining any off the back of this.
Fourthly, the slogan for Power Snooker is 'Cue the Revolution'. Well, if this really is a revolution, then surely change is right and proper. And Brecel is definitely the kind of player I'd class as revolutionary. He's a young hope, who Hearn obviously rates very highly.
And say one day the Belgium star goes on to win major honours, we may just look back at his wildcard appearance at the 2010 Power Snooker as the moment that made him. And with the game entering a new generation, which is supposedly all about giving young players the best platform to develop, Brecel can have no complaints about the chance he's been handed.
No comments:
Post a Comment