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Neal Foulds snooker column: Eurosport and ITV pundit with his Masters reflections
I think all snooker fans had been hoping this year’s Masters would prove to be something special, and the tournament didn’t let anyone down, delivering one of the best renewals in a very long time.
It was a great week, with fabulous snooker, some thrilling, dramatic matches, and passionate London crowds that produced an incredible atmosphere throughout. I watch a lot of sport and have been closely involved in snooker for many years now, but last week really was a fantastic advert for the game. This was one of the great Masters.
It’s hard to know quite where to start when reflecting on the snooker – we really were spoilt for choice – but the match between Mark Williams and John Higgins on Thursday has to be the highlight for me. It’s a match I’ll never forget.
The atmosphere inside Alexandra Palace was referred to all week, but for this match in particular, it was extraordinary. Rob Walker did a terrific job at warming up the crowd beforehand, and it was touching to see both of these great players get standing ovations as they entered the arena and then again when the pair walked back out at 5-5, the whole crowd rising once more as the place buzzed with excitement. To have been there and heard the crowd in full voice at that point was quite a sight, and not something I’ve seen at a snooker match before.
"Just amazing stuff, it really is" 😍
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) January 13, 2022
The crowd in attendance show their appreciation for John Higgins and Mark Williams before they battle it out in a deciding frame.
What an amazing show of 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧 👏#CazooMasters | @WeAreWST pic.twitter.com/rdqWrcs0uA
The other thing that really struck me was that the crowd didn’t appear to be favouring one player over the other, and I can’t recall seeing that at the Masters before. It can be a very partisan crowd there, but it was as if they were just enjoying these two great players serving up yet another epic snooker match, making the most of them while they are still here at the top of the game. It really was a celebration of snooker and a privilege to witness.
Williams features in yet more Masters drama
Williams went on to win that deciding frame and would serve up another treat on Saturday when again going the distance in his semi-final with Neil Robertson, this time losing another thrilling match that he looked to have in safe keeping when leading 4-1 and then when firmly in control of the deciding frame.
On this occasion, it wasn’t to be for Williams who played his part in another terrific contest, a match that was an emotional one, too, and brought Robertson close to tears afterwards. This was another game of twists and turns and even at the end, when the black hanging over the pocket looked like it would decide the match, there still was more to come.
That final frame alone had so much to it and the match itself was one of the best I’ve seen. It’s often too easy to say that so soon after the event, but it was, and the climax reminded me very much of that classic semi-final between Kyren Wilson and Anthony McGill at the 2020 World Championship. This might have been a better finish in terms of quality, but it certainly didn’t lack for drama, and with a willing crowd, we got a pulsating finish. It had everything.
In a way, that meant the second semi-final between Barry Hawkins and Judd Trump was overshadowed somewhat, but that one also went the distance and was a terrific tussle in its own right. In fact, it was the first time since 2002 that both Masters semi-finals have gone to deciding frames and, remarkably, Williams featured in one of those matches – beating Jimmy White before losing to Paul Hunter in the final.
The semi-finals were just brilliant and while the final didn’t quite reach those heights, you can’t have it all, and I don’t think it in any way detracted from a successful week. Hawkins did so well to reach the final and perhaps his race was run by then, while Robertson might have felt he was on a free ride having needed a Houdini act to get past Williams.
Winning machine Robertson strikes gold again
Whether that changed the dynamic of the final and took some pressure off Robertson, who knows? But it’s hard to argue with this modern-day giant who has now won six Triple Crown titles and once again confirmed himself one of the most prolific winners we’ve ever had in the game. Just to emphasise that point, 2022 is now the 17th consecutive year that Robertson has won a major title – a stunning achievement.
I really didn’t want to mention the Ashes after the horror show we've been forced to endure over the last few weeks, but Robertson epitomises that Australian mentality. He’s determined to make his mark on the sport and wants to keep notching up those big numbers. He’s made no secret of the fact that he wants to have won all of the Home Nations events by the time he retires, and with only the Northern Ireland Open now missing form his CV, it’s hard to believe he won’t add that trophy to the cabinet before too long.
He’ll be 40 years of age next month, but he’s still fit as a fiddle and as the class of ’92 have demonstrated, he’s not old in snooker terms. If anything, he’s still improving and his game is so well rounded when he strikes the right balance between attack and defence. He’s already achieved so much, and to my mind, the only thing for him now is to become a multiple world champion.
He’s generally arrived in Sheffield as one of the men to beat, but hasn’t quite delivered in the last few years when often leaving his best form behind by the time the World Championship comes around. I know he’s not a big fan of the arena when it’s the two-table set-up, as he’s a tall man who finds it very cramped in there. But he didn’t have too many problems when becoming world champion in 2010 and if he can just get through the first week, I’m convinced there is at least one more world title in him.
Snooker's top dog? Answers on a postcard
Robertson is a winning machine and he’s up to two titles already this season having won the English Open earlier in the campaign. As such, there will be plenty of his fans arguing that he is currently the best player in the world, while I’m sure there are plenty more still in the Ronnie O’Sullivan camp.
O’Sullivan has enjoyed a solid run and was magnificent when beating Robertson in the World Grand Prix final, as was Trump when dismantling Higgins in the Champion of Champions final. Nobody has won the titles Trump has in the last couple of seasons and though more in and out of late, it’s impossible to question his class.
And then there’s Mark Selby to throw into the mix. He’s the current world champion and was awesome when winning a fourth title in the spring. It appears Selby has been struggling off the table in recent weeks and I really wish him well. He’s a great lad and a fantastic player. He’ll be back.
Perhaps I’m dodging the question here, but it’s a hard one to answer. On form, Robertson might be the man to beat at present, but there are genuine arguments to be made in favour of a few of the top players and what it does do is set us up perfectly for the second half of the season.
We’ve got the Shoot Out taking place at the end of this week and while I know it’s not everyone’s favourite event, I’m a big fan, and with rankings points at stake, there is plenty to play for many of the players. It could prove a real platform for someone and they have to take it seriously nowadays.
The tournaments come thick and fast after that, with the German Masters, the Players Championship and the Tour Championship just a few highlights in a packed calendar. It might have been unusually quiet in the autumn, but things have really picked up now and on the back of a memorable Masters, it’s nice to see snooker in such a good place. We have lots to look forward to.