Paul Collier EXCLUSIVE column - December 2010 - Standard of snooker is on the rise

Seasons greetings all OnCue readers!

It's less than a week to go, and it looks like we're in store for a white Christmas.

I'm lucky I've been a lot more organised this year than usual, because I wouldn't have liked to take a chance getting the car off of my drive with the amount of snow we've had fall at the weekend.

I live only about half a mile off the M4, but my street is on a slight incline, and can be difficult to tackle. I've managed to venture out on foot for a few things, but like most people, I've tried not to do too much with the weather so bad.

I managed to escape the poor weather on my way back from the UK Championship as well actually.

In the end, I was asked by World Snooker to stay an extra day because of the absence of Jan Verhaas and Erian Williams. It worked out really well, because my journey ended up being a lot easier than it would have been otherwise.



Last month, I told you about how much I enjoyed being back with World Snooker, and for my stay in Telford, I was in the International Hotel with the other referees.

At the start of the week, the snow was bad in that part of the world, so I spent a lot of my time sitting around the hotel chatting with the other referees. It was nice to be back, enjoying it like I did several years ago.

As for the snooker, I'm sure many of you saw me refereeing the first round match between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stuart Bingham.

It came as a total shock for me to be in charge of such a high profile game.

I was expecting to be out on the non-televised tables, but it was a good surprise.

I think a lot of referees are a bit wary of Ronnie. With his reputation, some people can be a little of unsure of how to handle him, but I've worked with him in the Premier League, and get on great with him.

The match itself was a cracker. O'Sullivan was a massive favourite, but I always knew it would be a close game.

Ronnie's been playing a lot of snooker in the Premier League leading into the tournament, but we all know there's a bit of pressure in the first round of a big tournament.

Ronnie didn't play particularly poorly, but with Stuart, you know if you give him a chance, he'll score heavily.

Saying that, O'Sullivan always looked on top. But then it all changed. I can't say too much, but it was very strange end to the match.

Bingham did well to go to the quarter-finals, but another player who got there, was Mark Joyce. I refereed his second round match against Judd Trump on a non-televised table, and he looked in good form. There were a lot of frame-winning breaks in this match.

I've seen Mark play quite a few times. He's always been a good player, but I suppose with a bit of extra coaching and dedication, he's managed to go that bit further. I'm pleased for him. He's been around a long time, and deserves it.

In general, I think the whole competition was of better quality than we've seen for a while.

Unfortunately as a referee, you don't get to see as much of the snooker as the fans watching it at home. You only really see your own matches, but of course, all the referees talk.

We find out who's playing well. And by the sounds of things, the quality was really high. I think we have the PTC series to thank for that. 

The qualifiers really gave the top 16 players a run for their money in the competition as well. I think this might have had something to do with the qualifiers being so close to the main event.

It means all the qualifiers come into the event with match practice, and in good form. It makes it harder for the top players, but I don't have much sympathy for them.

If you're a top 16 player, playing snooker should be your full-time job. Your game is inn your own hands. If players lower in the rankings are playing better than you, you've got to sort it out.

The game doesn't owe the top players anything, and most players have the right attitude to know that.

You see in other sports, like tennis, the qualifiers are right on top of the main events. I think it's the way it should be.

I remember speaking about John Higgins just after he was cleared, and saying, I wouldn't be surprised if he came back to win titles. He's done exactly that. He's a true champion. It was great to see him lift the title.

All in all, it's been a really great year of snooker.

But I'm looking forward to Christmas now. I'm having a really quiet one with my family, at my step daughters for dinner this year. Then on the 27th, I'm off to Butlins until the 30th, to keep me and my family occupied, and enjoy a few beers.

Before I sign off. Here are my three top moments of 2010, and three predictions for 2011:

Top moments:

• Neil Robertson overcoming the ‘journeyman professional’ tag and becoming a rare overseas winner of the world title

• World Snooker making great progress in the development of the game and taking it forward in a positive direction

• The introduction of the PTC and EPTC events and the great successes of some of the lower ranked, less experienced players.

Predictions:

• A qualifier will win a major ranking event outright  #

• A great upturn in the public perception of the sport through sponsor investment and the establishment of the anti-corruption unit

• A fantastic World Championship for the fans with the all players in good form and actually enjoying playing the Sport again.

Have a great Christmas, and a good New Year!

Best wishes,

Paul