Paul Collier EXCLUSIVE column - Power Snooker proved me wrong

Welcome to my second column for OnCue snooker blog.

I hope you enjoyed the first, but it doesn’t seem like a month ago I was penning that and now I’m doing another.

There’s  a lot more snooker going on this season and the game is in a good state right now, so I suppose that’s why time is flying. I’m certainly not complaining.

So what’s been happening in my world?

I’ve just got back from a family holiday to Butlins camp in Minehead. It was a nice break, and it’s always good to get away.

But while I was there, I did get the chance to watch little bits of the new Power Snooker. I’ll admit I was really sceptical about the event before it started but I actually thought it went well.

It’s something completely different for snooker, and as long as it remains a one-day event once a year, I think there’s definitely a place for it on the calendar.

The rules seemed to work well, but one issue that does need to be addressed is getting the balance right in the crowd participation.

It’s great for the fans to enjoy the match and voice their support but there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

There seemed to be quite a rowdy crowd and I’ve refereed Premier League matches in the past when it has got out of hand. You find that if people are drinking throughout a match, it can go too far.

In my opinion, you’ve got to get the level right so the players get the chance to play. That’s probably the big test moving forward for the event.

October also saw the announcement of the new Brazilian Masters scheduled for next year. I think that’s an exciting concept as long as the safety of the players is secured.

Igor Figueiredo is the top player from Brazil at the moment, and I’m sure he’ll be as delighted as anyone.

I was lucky enough to referee him at one of the PTC events this season, and I think he’s a great player.

He’s a larger than life character and he’s got the potential to be a top player. He’s a terrific potter but has got a good touch in the balls as well.

Talking of the PTC events, they’ve been coming thick and fast as well and it’s great to see some of the games lesser stars doing well in these.

I know Joe Jogia well and he reached the semi-finals at the EPTC4. When he’s on form, he’s one hell of player and this new series has given him a great chance to show that.

He’s been able to keep playing even after losing matches when in the past he’d had to have stacked his cue back on the rack and waited a long while to play again. He’s clearly benefited from the extra play.

Marcus Campbell won an event too. That was quite a shock. He’s been around for years and I guess he’d probably never imagined he’d win an event again. But over the couple of days, he’s just got it together and come away with a trophy.

I don’t think there are many players complaining at the moment. In general I think snooker is doing really well right now. A lot of broadcasters seem to be interested in the sport, but what did surprise me was the BBC pulling the plug on the World Open. It just shows you in these times of financial constraints, even the BBC can’t afford everything.

I know Barry Hearn is very keen on that format though, so I’m sure he won’t give up. Maybe Sky or ITV will want get involved to save that one.

This week, I’m back in action  on Thursday at the Premier League in Hutton Moor. It’ been a great competition already this season and I think it’ll get even better as we reach the conclusion.

On the last matchday, Ronnie enjoyed a fantastic 4-2 win over Mark Williams.  Mark didn’t play that badly but O’Sullivan was in one of those moods where he wasn’t giving any chances away.  When he’s that focused, he really takes some stopping.

Ding Junhui hasn’t been having the best of luck in the past few weeks. He’s lost 11 of his last 12 frames. I don’t know him that well but we’ve all seen what a good player he is. He had a mixed month in October because as well as this bad form, he won a PTC title, reached the final of Power Snooker and played excellently against Mark Selby in Brentwood.

I think his problem is  when he falls a couple of frames behind, his head does seem to drop.  I think he’s probably got into a habit over the last couple of years of losing matches he could probably still have won if he’d battled on a bit longer.

On the other side of things, Marco Fu has been playing really well lately. He finished bottom of the Premier League last year but he’s also a previous winner so you can’t write him off.

He’s had a couple of inconsistent seasons but he’s spending most of his time back in Hong Kong now and just seems to be a lot happier. He’s being coached by Terry Griffiths at the moment and he’s got a real knack of taking a player’s game back to basics and rebuilding it. Marco’s now playing like the winner we know he is. I’m chuffed for him.

November is going to be a busy month for me. I’ve also been re-signed  to World Snooker. I’ll be at the UK Championship qualifiers. It’s my first competition for them in more than five and a half years ago.

Next month, you can read all about how that goes for me, and I’ll be previewing the UK Championships proper in Telford too, so don’t miss that.

All the best readers.

Paul