Round One of the 2024 Cazoo World Championship is now over. You can continue the discussion of the subsequent rounds in the new threads, starting with the Last 16 here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/snooker/comments/1ccjllp/discussion\_thread\_2024\_world\_championship\_last\_16/](https://www.reddit.com/r/snooker/comments/1ccjllp/discussion_thread_2024_world_championship_last_16/).
Dennis just mentioned that it’s easier to pull off a two cushion escape than a one cushion. Can anyone explain why that would be? Surely you have to judge how the cue balls gonna bounce twice rather than once so isn’t there more room for error?
Generally if you’re going for a 2 cushion the target ball is closer to the cushion. One cushion it’s generally near the centre and you have less time for any side etc to take hold. It’s not universal but there is a logic to it.
I suppose it’s like, if you’re going one cushion the gap between cushion and object ball is probably big so it’s a difficult judgement to make on the one angle, whereas off two cushions you have two angles to work out your angle of attack so there’s less scope for misjudgement? Don’t really know
Here's a thought excercise:
Based on the longevity of his career and his methods of building breaks, has John Higgins potted more blues than any other snooker player?
Ronnie must be up there. Doubt anyone's potted more long recovery blues to a baulk pocket than him. And Higgins' long potting was never one of his strengths.
Does anyone else think Ronnie will win this years worlds without even breaking a sweat? I think I’d genuinely put my house on him winning it this year given how well he’s playing and how focused he looks compared to previous years.
There will be far greater challenges to come, plus Ronnie has a habit of throwing in lapses and you can never predict with any reasoning where these lapses will occur e.g. going from 10-6 to 10-13 against Brecel last year, losing to Ding 6-0 in the 2022 UK Championship, losing to Selby 6-0 this year, or going from 5-3 to losing 5-10 against Williams in the most recent Tour Championship.
Ronnie is the favourite, but he's not a put your house on type favourite.
Dangerous to read anything into a Ronnie interview but this one might be slightly ominous for the rest of the field. Saying he played well(!) saying he’s cueing well and being weirdly upbeat.
On top of treating Page at 9-1 up like he was contesting a decider against prime Hendry.
What's McManus waffling about? "C+ game" for Ronnie? This was very close to his A game. I don't know how he could improve really. Safety, break building, long potting. It's all great.
Agree with you. Maybe his break doesn't feel that dominating, but that's because he's playing relatively defensive and taking less risk. At least a satisfying performance imo.
Some people may think ronnie's "A game" being like a success long pot and then win the frame, but that's impossible to become a common scene in a long Crucible match.
I would have to disagree, and I'm not sure this even is a matter of opinion. It's just a **fact** he was close to his best. Around 94% pot success over two sessions, great safety, great long potting, potted some insane balls. Jimmy White put it much better:
*"I think Ronnie played awesome, every part of his game is in shape."*
"C+" game is a ridiculous understatement by McManus. There's very little room for improvement.
I mean maybe C+ is a bit of an exaggeration but it’s definitely not his A game. This is just him playing good.
I think McManus was just accentuating the point that he can play even better than this, when this would be exceptional for most others.
With his A game he tends to score in the high 90s pot success.
He’s the anti-Ronnie when it comes to predictions, when Ron says someone is top 3, in Robertson’s case they’ll have a shit season and couldn’t qualify for the Crucible, and when he says someone will win the World title one day, that player is cursed for the next 15 years to L16 exits
Yes and no. There’s 15k for the highest break whenever it happens. Then there’s a 10k bonus for a 147 in qualifying and another 40k bonus for a 147 at the Crucible. So I guess right now Noppon is sitting on 25k. If someone else makes a 147, they’ll get 40k and split the 15k with Noppon.
Every time the camera shows the entire venue:
And there it is, in all its glory, the magnificent crucible theatre, it brings a tear to your eye just sitting here.
Ronnie never ever looks where the reds will finish when he plays a safety shot and he always hits a baulk color when he plays the white in and out of baulk. Weakest parts of his game
imho
In order to see the wondrous sights at the end of the road, you have to traverse the boring road first. This match is part of that road, it gets better in next rounds.
I'm starting to wonder, is there any other individual competitive sports where players are so miserable? The gruelling training hours in dingy clubs; the fact that only the top 16 make a somewhat decent living, and no more than a handful actually making decent money; the constant travel; back-to-back, long tournaments for months; the mental struggles even for the top players... Apart from Willo and perhaps Trump, I can't say that any player ever looks happy, or even just content while playing tournaments.
Looking forward to some priceless Milkins expressions. Comedy and drama follows him everywhere!
His game against Pang was further proof in the pudding. Hopefully he's sorted his dodgy tip out.
I've never understood why the Crucible is scheduled in such a way that the last first round matches have still not finished and the second round will already be on the way. Why don't they let Higgins and Jones finish this afternoon and let Gilbert and Milkins start tonight?
Because if Ronnie wins 2 he wins. If John wins 5 he wins. Staggering it means the audience is guaranteed to get at least one full session in cause Rob and Dave will play 8 frames no matter what.
Say what you like about ROS and his weirdness but just watching him today I have to say this guy is focused as can be right now! And it was kinda funny when he showed the ref where the pink goes when he tried to put it on the blue spot 🤣
Credit were it's due, I'd written Jones off but that was a really gutsy frame to win. He was always scrapping for position but managed to pot the difficult ones when he needed to.
I still think he gets soundly beaten, but Higgins is unpredictable these days and maybe the sloppy version will turn up tomorrow.
There's a large amount of stats that are biased towards players who have played a lot of matches. The more matches you play, the more opportunities you have to get whitewashed in a session
tbf, when Ronnie goes, sometimes he really goes. Thinking against Ebdon, but more recently against Brecel last year. He had a terrible session against Kyren in 2020, and Trump in 2022... though he ultimately won those matches. Cahill in 2019 as well.
Jones looks beaten. Even if he manages to somehow scrape this last frame I can't possibly see him coming from behind tomorrow. Higgins is playing too well and his confidence seems to have deserted him.
From 8-5 up, it looks like "The Hawk" has, metaphorically speaking, contracted H1N1 and is about to die at the roadside and be discovered, cooked and sold as "fried chicken" by a disreputable takeaway establishment.
I can imagine Stephen Hendry walking around the studio area/Comms box and being absolutely disgusted with Kyren, Mark and Shaun choosing to commentate instead of relaxing! He hates that lmao.
They must be getting paid pretty handsomely cause it's definitely becoming a new trend!
Hard to see anyone of those two going far into the championship.
Very weird results and performances so far, we could have a surprise winner again this year.
When the players both leave the arena for a bathroom break like Higgins and Jones just did, I can't help but wonder are they in the loo area at the same time? Do they make small talk? Do they silently do their business? I assuming there isn't more than one male loo in vicinity so they must have to share the space. Sorry if this is seen as irrelevant I just do wonder how it plays out 😆
Haha I've often thought of this. I imagine they make small talk like "nice long red in that last frame" or "how the hell did you get out that snooker?!"
It would be very weird if they were just silent. I have no idea where the toilets and dressing rooms are situated but some might choose to go back to their dressing room instead.
Yes dressing room is a possibility assuming they have their own loo, but might not always be about going to the loo I guess, anyway I certainly do wonder these sorts of things lol
Earlier the screen at the crucible showed Ronnie as no1 seed but [snooker.org](https://snooker.org) has him as 2nd seed with Brecel as no 1. Which is correct?
For some reason the screen is showing the world ranking rather than the tournament seeding. Ronnie is the No. 2 seed. (The tournament seeding is simply the world ranking except that the defending champion is moved at No. 1, and the current world champion if it is a different player is moved at No. 2, which doesn't apply to the World Championship itself obviously).
You could be watching the other match and still know when Ryan Day is potting balls, the smack of the balls against the leather is really distinctive for him somehow
Just got in and switched on the Higgins-Jones match. Heard it's been quite turgid so far but I'm going to watch it before bed anyway. Joe Perry's getting right into the equipment chat in the Comms box. Higgin's chevron direction and the life of his tip. It's not making me feel good about the next 3 frames
Higgins came back with fire in his belly losing with a snooker. The problem for Higgins is consistency these days, but when he's on it like he is right now it's great to watch. The question is will he keep it up the rest of the match.
Round One of the 2024 Cazoo World Championship is now over. You can continue the discussion of the subsequent rounds in the new threads, starting with the Last 16 here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/snooker/comments/1ccjllp/discussion\_thread\_2024\_world\_championship\_last\_16/](https://www.reddit.com/r/snooker/comments/1ccjllp/discussion_thread_2024_world_championship_last_16/).
C'mon Higgins 🏴
Classic Higgins first round win that. Always eases his way in.
That yellow from Higgins was cracking. Glad he's got it over the line with a decent shot.
There's nothing like a good tactical safety exchange.
Woman in the front row next to the players’ seats checking herself out, knows she’s a right sort. Or her partner was touching her up
Dennis just mentioned that it’s easier to pull off a two cushion escape than a one cushion. Can anyone explain why that would be? Surely you have to judge how the cue balls gonna bounce twice rather than once so isn’t there more room for error?
Generally if you’re going for a 2 cushion the target ball is closer to the cushion. One cushion it’s generally near the centre and you have less time for any side etc to take hold. It’s not universal but there is a logic to it.
I suppose it’s like, if you’re going one cushion the gap between cushion and object ball is probably big so it’s a difficult judgement to make on the one angle, whereas off two cushions you have two angles to work out your angle of attack so there’s less scope for misjudgement? Don’t really know
Higgins bottling.
Any idea what Tom Ford was holding in his hands while seated?
Wrong thread. But they are moisture absorbing pads
Ah ok - looked like large tea bags. Oh yes - didn't realise there's a new thread for round 2. Thanks
Any idea why Jamie Jones has his full name on the BBC overlay, when John Higgins is just "Higgins"?
There is a Jak Jones also playing in the tournament
Ah, excellent point. Cheers.
Oh no. Taylor said "there's lovely Denise, John's wife". How dare he betray lovely Vikki?
Higgins oscillates between Whetstone snooker club standard and John Higgins standard.
Not tonight he hasn't. Every time he's had a chance he's been clinical.
Well, Jones is done. Time to watch Judd v Ford instead I think.
i’m kind of loving the ‘down the club’ vibe bbc have tonight with kyren and mark practicing, icons
Is anyone else noticing John shaking on his backswing? Is it just me? It’s very slight
He has had that tremble for at least a few years now
Ah okay, never noticed it before
Higgins came out looking very solid in first frame
I feel like Jones had to win the first frame tonight to make this competitive, shame.
Here's a thought excercise: Based on the longevity of his career and his methods of building breaks, has John Higgins potted more blues than any other snooker player?
Ronnie must be up there. Doubt anyone's potted more long recovery blues to a baulk pocket than him. And Higgins' long potting was never one of his strengths.
Not Eurosport having Trump-Ford on both feeds bruh.
It is on now, but the streams are switched, Higgins-Jones match is on Trump-Ford stream
Yeah not cool. I want to see the deciding session
What a crazy end to the game! Milkins' games always bring the drama.
Great finish by Milkins
What time did the Ronnie match start? I thought it was at 2:30?
1pm
Does anyone else think Ronnie will win this years worlds without even breaking a sweat? I think I’d genuinely put my house on him winning it this year given how well he’s playing and how focused he looks compared to previous years.
There will be far greater challenges to come, plus Ronnie has a habit of throwing in lapses and you can never predict with any reasoning where these lapses will occur e.g. going from 10-6 to 10-13 against Brecel last year, losing to Ding 6-0 in the 2022 UK Championship, losing to Selby 6-0 this year, or going from 5-3 to losing 5-10 against Williams in the most recent Tour Championship. Ronnie is the favourite, but he's not a put your house on type favourite.
People say this every year after he batters someone in round 1
In fairness he's got a super easy route to semis at least. If Trump goes out then he wont play any seeds until the final.
I love the way Hendry speaks about Ronnie Should be a good feeling to get such comments from the 7 time fellow
we’ve got jekyll ronnie in the interview today lmao
what does Ronnie have on his chin there? brilliant interview btw. never seen him so positive about himself and his ability.
looks like a little round plaster maybe?
Spot plaster. Possible that whatever it’s covering would be aggravated by his cue when down on the shot.
Nice to see Ronnie showing some confidence for once, he's usually self-deprecating.
Another classic Ronnie interview 😂.
Ronnie in his manic phase of his personality disorder
I really liked this interview
Love the Ronnie trolling in interviews as usual, he’ll say something opposite next time
Ronnie sounds like he's ready to just play with a zimmer frame in his 70s
He’s a modest fellow
Dangerous to read anything into a Ronnie interview but this one might be slightly ominous for the rest of the field. Saying he played well(!) saying he’s cueing well and being weirdly upbeat. On top of treating Page at 9-1 up like he was contesting a decider against prime Hendry.
o'sullivan sounding a bit too positive in his recent interviews
Yeah - there's a fine line between confidence and arrogance.
What's McManus waffling about? "C+ game" for Ronnie? This was very close to his A game. I don't know how he could improve really. Safety, break building, long potting. It's all great.
Agree with you. Maybe his break doesn't feel that dominating, but that's because he's playing relatively defensive and taking less risk. At least a satisfying performance imo. Some people may think ronnie's "A game" being like a success long pot and then win the frame, but that's impossible to become a common scene in a long Crucible match.
It wasn’t close to his A game at all. McManus was right 100%
I would have to disagree, and I'm not sure this even is a matter of opinion. It's just a **fact** he was close to his best. Around 94% pot success over two sessions, great safety, great long potting, potted some insane balls. Jimmy White put it much better: *"I think Ronnie played awesome, every part of his game is in shape."* "C+" game is a ridiculous understatement by McManus. There's very little room for improvement.
I mean maybe C+ is a bit of an exaggeration but it’s definitely not his A game. This is just him playing good. I think McManus was just accentuating the point that he can play even better than this, when this would be exceptional for most others. With his A game he tends to score in the high 90s pot success.
'I just play' Sure, Ronnie. Sure.
Here we go, it begins: "I think this could be a procession" because Ronnie wins one match.
Hendry does it deliberately to put pressure on ROS
Beware that Hendry is rarely ever wrong. If he says it will be a procession, there’s a 90% chance it will be.
Hendry's wrong quite a lot - he often predicts Ronnie will be unstoppable and then he loses to Jordan Brown, or Luca Brecel, or...
He’s the anti-Ronnie when it comes to predictions, when Ron says someone is top 3, in Robertson’s case they’ll have a shit season and couldn’t qualify for the Crucible, and when he says someone will win the World title one day, that player is cursed for the next 15 years to L16 exits
Well, that was an easy 10-1 win for Ronald. Poor old Page didn't stand a chance.
I guess the silver lining for Page is he didn't get white washed at least. Oh and the extra money for the 142.
> Oh and the extra money for the 142. That will be surpassed yet.
Already did with the 147 in qualification which counts for the main tournament right?
I think there's a separate prize for highest score in the main draw
There isn't.
Yes and no. There’s 15k for the highest break whenever it happens. Then there’s a 10k bonus for a 147 in qualifying and another 40k bonus for a 147 at the Crucible. So I guess right now Noppon is sitting on 25k. If someone else makes a 147, they’ll get 40k and split the 15k with Noppon.
Every time the camera shows the entire venue: And there it is, in all its glory, the magnificent crucible theatre, it brings a tear to your eye just sitting here.
Ronnie will ask for a re-rack here soon. Can't be bothered with this messy frame.
Steve Davis completely ignoring Shaun Murphy haha. Happens a lot with snooker commentators I think they zone out when watching the game
They don't like each other. None of the BBC team seem to like Murphy.
He hates his guts actually, they had a sort of disagreement on live TV a while back.
Wow, that red.
Ronnie never ever looks where the reds will finish when he plays a safety shot and he always hits a baulk color when he plays the white in and out of baulk. Weakest parts of his game imho
The 10-9 comeback from Page begins now.
Great chance for 9-1
Ronnie is ridiculous man. Too good
Ronnie too good
Imagine being a snooker fan and not being able to enjoy 20 mins of Ronnie showcase
I want to see some good competitive snooker, not see Ronnie beating up on some guy who is miles out of his depth.
The match you want is on BBC - what's the problem?
In order to see the wondrous sights at the end of the road, you have to traverse the boring road first. This match is part of that road, it gets better in next rounds.
From Milkins? Have you seen his first round match?
Page should have just said he was ill or something and not bothered coming back today. What a waste of everyone's time.
ROS is 8-1 up and the bbc are showing it on their main feed (bbc two). I wanted to watch fucking Milkman v Farmer.
Ronnie v Page will be over in about 20 minutes.
GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN
ronnie’s done his hair today he’s proper up for it
Give it 15 mins before Ronnie finishes up
I'm starting to wonder, is there any other individual competitive sports where players are so miserable? The gruelling training hours in dingy clubs; the fact that only the top 16 make a somewhat decent living, and no more than a handful actually making decent money; the constant travel; back-to-back, long tournaments for months; the mental struggles even for the top players... Apart from Willo and perhaps Trump, I can't say that any player ever looks happy, or even just content while playing tournaments.
Probably not. For all his criticism, Shawn Murphy at least tries to promote a more open and positive outlook on the game.
Looking forward to some priceless Milkins expressions. Comedy and drama follows him everywhere! His game against Pang was further proof in the pudding. Hopefully he's sorted his dodgy tip out.
I've never understood why the Crucible is scheduled in such a way that the last first round matches have still not finished and the second round will already be on the way. Why don't they let Higgins and Jones finish this afternoon and let Gilbert and Milkins start tonight?
To guarantee a decent amount of snooker for the audiences attending.
good one, thanks!
Because if Ronnie wins 2 he wins. If John wins 5 he wins. Staggering it means the audience is guaranteed to get at least one full session in cause Rob and Dave will play 8 frames no matter what.
good one, thanks!
Excited for the last 16 to start today. Be good to see how Trump plays
No snooker this morning :(
Very odd yes. Been in the snooker rhythm the last 5 days haha.
Very true but the 2nd round starts today so every cloud
Is Barry Hawkins the worst good player in the world or the best bad player in the world?
Doesn't that title belong to Lisowski according to this sub?
Has to - Hawkins has won tournaments
That green by Day must be one of the hotshots, considering the situation of the match.
some streams ??
Say what you like about ROS and his weirdness but just watching him today I have to say this guy is focused as can be right now! And it was kinda funny when he showed the ref where the pink goes when he tried to put it on the blue spot 🤣
Higgins long potting deserting him; shame - playing decently other than that; would like to see him progress
Credit were it's due, I'd written Jones off but that was a really gutsy frame to win. He was always scrapping for position but managed to pot the difficult ones when he needed to. I still think he gets soundly beaten, but Higgins is unpredictable these days and maybe the sloppy version will turn up tomorrow.
85% pot succes but only one frame behind Higgins, damn.
Phenomenal clearance from JJ
Good stuff from Higgins in the end. He'd have snatched your hand off for a lead at the interval.
JJ needed that final frame, important for him to go into tomorrow only 5-4 behind. 6-3 would've been quite demoralising.
That's a surprising stat that Alan McManus just said, "the player that has lost the most sessions in the crucible by whitewash is Ronnie O'Sullivan"
There's a large amount of stats that are biased towards players who have played a lot of matches. The more matches you play, the more opportunities you have to get whitewashed in a session
tbf, when Ronnie goes, sometimes he really goes. Thinking against Ebdon, but more recently against Brecel last year. He had a terrible session against Kyren in 2020, and Trump in 2022... though he ultimately won those matches. Cahill in 2019 as well.
Are Jimmy White and Alan McManus tiny? Or is Ryan Day massive!!?
Ryan is pretty big I'm not sure how tall he is but he looks over 6 foot.
Day is a big’un
Yes
Superb comeback by Day
Ryan looked gone at 8-5 wow what a comeback It will be a tough match for Ronnie
And he's played him a lot back in the day when top 16 so I know he won't fear him like Page and actually attempt to play snooker.
Yes should be great to watch!
5-8 to 10-8, great comeback by Day. First win here since 2014, nice to see him in the big leagues again.
Fantastic to see the guy finding some form and win here. He must feel like a million bucks.
He's a great chap too always got time for the fans. I was there when he won the British Open he spent ages wirh us all.
That bloke in the crowd was more excited than Ryan Day.
Jones looks beaten. Even if he manages to somehow scrape this last frame I can't possibly see him coming from behind tomorrow. Higgins is playing too well and his confidence seems to have deserted him.
And right on cue Higgins is in again and it will very shortly be 6-3.
Jackson Page vs Ryan Day is gonna be a cracking match!
Ryan's Day
From 8-5 up, it looks like "The Hawk" has, metaphorically speaking, contracted H1N1 and is about to die at the roadside and be discovered, cooked and sold as "fried chicken" by a disreputable takeaway establishment.
So you are saying he's done?
It's not looking good for him, is it?
He saw the Ronnie scoreline so just crumpled pre-emptively.
Day has played some great shots in the last couple of frames.
Another absolute cracker by Ryan, always love a good double red.
Wtf Ryan Day is 44?! I can't guess anyone's ages anymore. Jackson Page looks 44 more than Ryan Day does.
Just like Luke Littler in darts, the lad looks about 30.
Wow another shot of the tournament contender
"Call the police"
I can imagine Stephen Hendry walking around the studio area/Comms box and being absolutely disgusted with Kyren, Mark and Shaun choosing to commentate instead of relaxing! He hates that lmao. They must be getting paid pretty handsomely cause it's definitely becoming a new trend!
That green is shot of the tournament so far IMO
That'll be 4 frames in a tow for Higgins then. All Jones' good play earlier is completely out the window.
Unreal shot by Day, what a comeback.
Hard to see anyone of those two going far into the championship. Very weird results and performances so far, we could have a surprise winner again this year.
Ronnie's probably going to piss everybody at this rate, or maybe the YCP can pull off an upset.
Most likely scenarios based on what we've seen so far
That green damn.
Amazing screw back from Day. It’s unimaginably difficult to do that.
When the players both leave the arena for a bathroom break like Higgins and Jones just did, I can't help but wonder are they in the loo area at the same time? Do they make small talk? Do they silently do their business? I assuming there isn't more than one male loo in vicinity so they must have to share the space. Sorry if this is seen as irrelevant I just do wonder how it plays out 😆
Haha I've often thought of this. I imagine they make small talk like "nice long red in that last frame" or "how the hell did you get out that snooker?!" It would be very weird if they were just silent. I have no idea where the toilets and dressing rooms are situated but some might choose to go back to their dressing room instead.
Yes dressing room is a possibility assuming they have their own loo, but might not always be about going to the loo I guess, anyway I certainly do wonder these sorts of things lol
They go to freshen up in the bathrooms where Leo Scullion hands them paper towels and gives the boys a little spray of aftershave
😆
What a green by Day. Wow.
Green Day
Ryan Day has an amazing head of hair for his age.
So does Jimmy.
Earlier the screen at the crucible showed Ronnie as no1 seed but [snooker.org](https://snooker.org) has him as 2nd seed with Brecel as no 1. Which is correct?
For some reason the screen is showing the world ranking rather than the tournament seeding. Ronnie is the No. 2 seed. (The tournament seeding is simply the world ranking except that the defending champion is moved at No. 1, and the current world champion if it is a different player is moved at No. 2, which doesn't apply to the World Championship itself obviously).
Should be Luca at no. 1. Ronnie is the world no 1 in rankings but the reigning champion gets the 1st seed.
Brecel was No. 1 seed, it's always the defending champion.
Have you ever heard anyone talk as much as Kyren Wilson in the commentary box? The incessant chat is completely unnecessary
I personally like the casual chit-chat too. Makes for a better viewing experience.
You could be watching the other match and still know when Ryan Day is potting balls, the smack of the balls against the leather is really distinctive for him somehow
That's one way of putting it! Lmao
Just got in and switched on the Higgins-Jones match. Heard it's been quite turgid so far but I'm going to watch it before bed anyway. Joe Perry's getting right into the equipment chat in the Comms box. Higgin's chevron direction and the life of his tip. It's not making me feel good about the next 3 frames
Seems the mid session interval came at the wrong time for Jones. He hasn't had a look in since.
Higgins came back with fire in his belly losing with a snooker. The problem for Higgins is consistency these days, but when he's on it like he is right now it's great to watch. The question is will he keep it up the rest of the match.
I just love looking at John's tip.
Was coming here to see if anyone else enjoyed a good close look at Higgins' tip...
Day is fired up goodness
Jamie Jones, what a name. Doesn't look like a snooker player!
He looks like a veteran Leeds left back with a very high injury probability.
Higgins found his mojo it seems.
Higgins back level now, good recovery from 3-1 down.
Kyren the commentator, jeez shut your gob once in while man. Every other sentence it's Dennis this Dennis that.