Well where to begin?
In April, it appeared highly unlikely that we would have a World Championship this year, due to Covid-19. However, thanks to the sheer determination and hard work of Barry Hearn and the WST team, this was indeed the third tournament to be played since lockdown began in March. It’s probably fair to say, that few people expected fans to be allowed into The Crucible this year. Amazingly, this event was announced as a government pilot for crowds at sporting events, where around 300 spectators would be admitted entry. Unfortunately, those with “golden tickets” would only gain entry on day one, as due to a rise in Covid-19 infections, Boris pulled the plug on the pilot, two hours into the tournament. It was fantastic that a small crowd was permitted for the final, it would’ve been an eerie experience for whichever player lifted the trophy on Sunday evening had The Crucible been empty.
As it turned out, that player was Ronnie O’Sullivan and maybe he would’ve been the one player, who would have thrived on the eeriness an empty Crucible Theatre would’ve provided. Nonetheless, he defeated Kyren Wilson 18-8 to lift his sixth world title and bring him parity with Ray Reardon and Steve Davis. It now seems certain a case of when, not if, he will equal Stephen Hendry’s record seven world titles. Unfortunately, as far as finals go, this was one to forget. Other than the second session, when Wilson clawed his way back from 8-2 down to 9-7, to then trail 10-7 overnight, it was very much a one sided affair.
The tournament as a whole, was absolutely fantastic and the final should not detract from that. For obvious reasons, it will always be a memorable one, however, there were some incredible memories created on the green baize too…….
Tom Ford set the tone in the very first frame. Up against defending champion Judd Trump, he was on course for a magical 147 only to break down on 97. He went on to lead 3-0 and 5-2 to scare Trump before succumbing 10-8.
Five seeds crashed out to qualifiers in Round 1: Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen, Stephen Maguire, Dave Gilbert and Jack Lisowski. In particular, Allen and Maguire will be disappointed as they were both quietly fancied for good runs. We also saw two deciders, Ding defeating King 10-9 and McGill beat Lisowski 10-9 with a stunning long blue to wrap up victory. At 9-2 down to Yan Bingtao, Elliot Slessor looked to be heading for a disappointing Crucible debut, however a stunning comeback to 9-7, had Bingtao on the ropes before he rallied to edge the 17th frame to win 10-7.
Round 2 saw some interesting match ups and this was proved by the fact that the biggest winning margin was only 13-9.
John Higgins v Kurt Maflin, was one of the matches of the tournament, Maflin triumphed 13-11 which ended Higgins’ hopes of a fourth consecutive final. He did though make a superb 147 for which he pocketed a total of £55K.
Mark Selby was taken to a decider by Noppon Saengkham in another quality match. Selby though, coolly made a 124 break, to become only the fourth man ever to make a century in a decider at The Crucible.
Who would’ve thought that Anthony McGill v Jamie Clarke would’ve made so many headlines? McGill at 8-2 down, confronted Clarke during the match, complaining that he was in his eyeline during some shots, as he was not always returning to his seat following his shot. Jan Verhaas restored order and it transpired that the incident affected Clarke more, as McGill won six on the spin to level at 8-8. The final session of this match was not of high quality, however the drama and tension in the last few frames was typical of The Crucible. McGill won an edgy decider to set up an all qualifier quarter final and guarantee that a qualifier would proceed to the semi final.
Each of the four quarter finals had a good look to them on paper…..
Selby v Robertson, both multi ranking event winners this season alone, had classic written all over it. In reality, it never really caught fire. Selby took a 5-0 lead only for Robertson to take the last three frames of the first session with breaks of 83, 66 and 65. From 8-5 up, Selby won four on the spin, before Robertson pulled a couple back, but this was only putting off the inevitable and Selby went through 13-7. It is hard to believe it is now 10 years since Robertson won his one and only world title. In truth, he’s never really gone close to winning it again and should he end his career on one world title it will be a great shame for such a great player.
Maflin v McGill was not a quarter-final match that many would’ve predicted pre-tournament. However, as the draw opened up, it guaranteed that there would be a qualifier in the semi-final. All the talk pre-match was that Maflin would have the edge, due to him having an extra four days off, whereas McGill had a late night finish against Clarke and around 15 hours in between matches. This theory couldnt’ve been more wrong. McGill surged into a 7-1 lead and then 9-3 before a Maflin fightback brought him within two frames at 12-10 before McGill prevailed 13-10.
Trump v Wilson is a rivalry that the press have been trying to build for some time now. Its well known that they are not the best of friends, but while there is a competitive edge, there is not the dislike that some would like to believe. Going into the match, Trump hadn’t really fired in his opening two matches, nor did he in the Championship League or the Coral Tour Championship, post lockdown. Following his form this season, which has seen him lift six ranking titles, he was a worthy favourite to retain his title, however, it was not to be. Wilson has a great record against Trump and so it proved, with Wilson leading 10-6 going into the last session. Trump rallied to trail 11-9 at the interval but he would only score one point in the next two frames, as Wilson made a 104 break to go through to the semi-final with a 13-9 victory.
O’Sullivan v Williams the tie of the quarter finals, the class of 92, eight World Championships between them nine UK Championships and nine Masters. Not to mention the countless ranking event wins. Both in their mid 40s, both still firmly within the elite. It was 2-2 at the mid session interval of the first session. Williams then took the next four to lead 6-2 overnight. O’Sullivan took the next session 6-2, to make it 8-8 going into the final session. Williams was leading 7-2 at one stage and once O’Sullivan levelled at 8-8, you felt Williams’ chance had gone. At 12-10 to O’Sullivan, Jan Verhaas was once again involved in more controversy. This time of his own making. After declaring no free ball, twice, he was questioned by O’Sullivan and then went on to reverse his decision by declaring a free ball. Williams didn’t agree, but accepted the decision with respect and also called a foul on himself when he wasnt 100% sure he had fouled. Great sportsmanship from the Welshman. O’Sullivan went on to record a 13-10 victory.
Semi-finals
Well, it’s highly unlikely that we will ever see a better day of pure snooker drama than we did on Friday 14th August 2020. For the first time ever, both semi finals went to a decider.
Wilson v McGill was the most dramatic, tension filled match, of the two. After the early sessions swung back and forth, McGill had a slender 16-15 lead with two to play. Wilson took the thirty second frame to set up the decider and what was about to happen could not be written if you tried for a thousand years. A frame that took 61 minutes, claimed the record at The Crucible for most combined points in a frame of 186 points, McGill failing to escape from the same snooker ten ten times, Wilson then going in off twice, McGill snookering himself when on a chance to clear up for the match and then Wilson fluking the green for the match all happened believe it or not!! It was cruel that there had to be a loser, but there had to be and it was Wilson that claimed his place in the final for the first time.
O’Sullivan v Selby this match also swung back and forth, with Selby leading 9-7 going into the third session. This was a crucial session and at one point looked like Selby would take at least a 14-10 lead into the final session. However, O’Sullivan crucially pinched a twenty third frame in Selby style and then won the final frame of the session to only trail 13-11. In the final session, Selby led 16-14, before an onslaught from O’Sullivan saw him take two frames with breaks of 138 and 71 to take us to a breathtaking second semi final decider of the day!! In the decider O’Sullivan made a break of 64 before leaving Selby a chance to clear for the match before he broke down and so it was O’Sullivan who advanced to his first World final since 2014.
A memorable tournament for which we will never forget for all of the right and wrong reasons. Only eight months before we get to do it all again – it may take that long to get our breath back!!!
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