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Snooker Thread


Angus_Young

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Anyone play or watch?

Masters is on this week at Alexandra Palace. Mark Allen put out defending Champ Shaun Murphy. O'Sullivan was in a bit of bother today, 4-2 down and not playing well. He has just reeled off 3 frames (2 centuries) in about 20 minutes to go 5-4 ahead.

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Small punt on Neil Robertson at 3/1 but my interest in it stops there really.

Used to be able to sit and watch it for hours when I was in uni...

I've watched it since I was really young, going down to.the crucible in April for the semi final.

Robertson is a good bet and will take a bit of stopping. O'Sullivan, Higgins and Selby are in the other half so he has have a great chance of making the final now that Murphy is oot.

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Stopped both in my 20's. Used to play a lot of snooker/pool. I was actually called Sharky at university. I got paid off late spring, so decided to go to university and spent the whole summer with a mate playing snooker and 9 ball everyday for hours Down Grahams road in Falkirk, easily 4 months straight 5 times a week. Fresher week had a 9 ball tournament which i won easily, got red hot, running something like 17 racks in a row. However played a game of pool in a pub last month, i was shit, plus the guy i was playing was rolling up behind balls for snookers and not touching a cushion and saying it was OK.

Watched it all my life as well, from 80's onwards. Great game to sit and watch.

I fancy getting my cue out and going for a couple of frames. Saying that would probably take me 45 minutes to clear these days.

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I've been playing snooker for about three years and I'm intermittently brilliant (usually after the 4th pint) but usually shite, once you start playing you get a lot of respect for the pros.

No half. Controlling the white is such a difficult thing, feck even doing a decent break took me ages to get right.

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No half. Controlling the white is such a difficult thing, feck even doing a decent break took me ages to get right.

Totally agree. Ive played once a week for about 3 years and my highest break is still only 42. Sounds feck all but that was twelve balls in a row to get to that. The difference between a break going tits up can be running out of position by 6 inches.

Agree with Larky, got to respect the pro's and how easy they make it look.

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Totally agree. Ive played once a week for about 3 years and my highest break is still only 42. Sounds feck all but that was twelve balls in a row to get to that. The difference between a break going tits up can be running out of position by 6 inches.

Agree with Larky, got to respect the pro's and how easy they make it look.

Aye only 9 balls to clear in pool. That's a 33 break at best lol. 42 is really good. When i was playing everyday i would get multiple 30+ breaks but rarely over 50, just kept running out of position so having to pot progressively harder shots, all my highest breaks where near end of frame and included clearing up colours, as used to practice that loads, last red and black then clear colours.

Also safety game, as hard as potting full length shots are, playing really good safety was impossible for me, apart from certain positions, white close to target ball and nice natural angles.

I got a custom cue for my 21st birthday, need a good tip and consistent cue weight/length to really help.

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30 + on a regular basis is very good going, I think I've only managed that a couple of times. Interestingly my 42 was when all the balls were on the table, bit aye generally, we do get higher breaks when it's down to the colours.

Our breaks are generally 15 - 25 sort of range but when we haven't played for a few weeks the highest break isn't even worth talking about. Today for example I potted 9 reds in one of the frames and lost 37-9. Pretty poor stuff but easy done I suppose. We are probably still at the stage where we are happy knocking a colour in after the red, and creeping the score up. Like I said above, it probably sounds quite pish to anyone looking in, but sustaining position for 8 or 9 pots in a row takes a bit of doing.

Agree regarding safety, that's the one area we have seen a notable difference since we started in fairness.

Edited by Angus_Young
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Just practice same with anything, put in hundreds of hours of playing over a couple of years. Another of my mates dad worked at BP or ICI and we got access to the snooker tables there, so spent ages practicing shots, like Hendry's one into the pack from blue, into pack from black. Just playing round black etc. And even with all that practice potting 2 balls in a row was never a certainty. Hell as soon as you start putting spin no pot is easy at all.

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Aye very true. We can only really find the time for one game a week now, so actually practising different shots or doing drills is a non starter. I once scored 58 doing the drill where you line up all the reds in a line up the middle of the table. I got a local lad, who had a chance of making it, to give me a lesson.You will probably know him if you played in the pool league or was it only 9 ball? Like you say though, it's useless without proper practise.

I find screw shots particularly difficult, especially from any sort of distance. Working out what position to get my left hand into when near a cushion is also something I want to sort out. Been watching the pro's but they all seem to do something different.

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Aye very true. We can only really find the time for one game a week now, so actually practising different shots or doing drills is a non starter. I once scored 58 doing the drill where you line up all the reds in a line up the middle of the table. I got a local lad, who had a chance of making it, to give me a lesson.You will probably know him if you played in the pool league or was it only 9 ball? Like you say though, it's useless without proper practise.

I find screw shots particularly difficult, especially from any sort of distance. Working out what position to get my left hand into when near a cushion is also something I want to sort out. Been watching the pro's but they all seem to do something different.

Nah wasn't a pool league, during Freshers week the first day they had a knockout nineball tournament in the student union with the huge pockets and big balls. I had spent the previous 4 months playing hours of snooker and pool and just got hot and won it.

Screw shots from over half table i struggled to get any sort of major back spin. I always ended up stunning it, or playing top to avoid it. I always hit it too hard as well, it's something i should have spent ages practicing but it gets boring, when you can set up other more interesting things.

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What i do is place my thumb behind the cushion. two fingers on the cushion, run the cue over my thumb and underneath my index finger and use my middle finger and index finger as "walls" to the cue and just slide it along the side as a modified hold on the cue.

Others use normal bridge but just rest fingers way back on the side to create space, i do this when tight against the cushion sometimes.

I found a website that answers some of the questions, and they will be much better players than I used to be.

http://www.fcsnooker.co.uk/coaching/practice_routines/cueing_off_the_cushion/cueing_off_the_cushion.htm

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What i do is place my thumb behind the cushion. two fingers on the cushion, run the cue over my thumb and underneath my index finger and use my middle finger and index finger as "walls" to the cue and just slide it along the side as a modified hold on the cue.

Others use normal bridge but just rest fingers way back on the side to create space, i do this when tight against the cushion sometimes.

I found a website that answers some of the questions, and they will be much better players than I used to be.

http://www.fcsnooker.co.uk/coaching/practice_routines/cueing_off_the_cushion/cueing_off_the_cushion.htm

That a good site but some of the cues are a bit pricey for a bit of wood.

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What i do is place my thumb behind the cushion. two fingers on the cushion, run the cue over my thumb and underneath my index finger and use my middle finger and index finger as "walls" to the cue and just slide it along the side as a modified hold on the cue.

Others use normal bridge but just rest fingers way back on the side to create space, i do this when tight against the cushion sometimes.

I found a website that answers some of the questions, and they will be much better players than I used to be.

http://www.fcsnooker.co.uk/coaching/practice_routines/cueing_off_the_cushion/cueing_off_the_cushion.htm

Aye that seems to be the most common way. Ill have a read at that site though cheers.

Where was it you played in Falkirk? Don't think that place is there now. I used to play at Hillbillies in Stirling, which is also gone.

Some finish from O'Sullivan last night. Selby had a break of 70, then played a poorish safety. He went up and cleared the table to win. Superb stuff.

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Aye that seems to be the most common way. Ill have a read at that site though cheers.

Where was it you played in Falkirk? Don't think that place is there now. I used to play at Hillbillies in Stirling, which is also gone.

Some finish from O'Sullivan last night. Selby had a break of 70, then played a poorish safety. He went up and cleared the table to win. Superb stuff.

There are less and less places to play snooker and even the place I play there are only two tables and they're both pretty crap (which means you can blame the run, dead cushion, the nap almost everything actually).

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There are less and less places to play snooker and even the place I play there are only two tables and they're both pretty crap (which means you can blame the run, dead cushion, the nap almost everything actually).

I play at a leisure centre nearby that has 6 tables. It's not amazing but not shite either, and the owner will get the tables re-clothed every couple of years or so. Their used to be 4 or 5 placed within a ten mile radius of me. Think that's the only one now.

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Aye that seems to be the most common way. Ill have a read at that site though cheers.

Where was it you played in Falkirk? Don't think that place is there now. I used to play at Hillbillies in Stirling, which is also gone.

Some finish from O'Sullivan last night. Selby had a break of 70, then played a poorish safety. He went up and cleared the table to win. Superb stuff.

This place

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186527-d4584643-Reviews-Falkirk_snooker_hall_restaurant_creamery-Falkirk_Falkirk_District_Scotland.html

been 18 years though so changed a wee bit.

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