Nick Metcalfe snooker column: Leave off Mark Selby - he's a great champion and one of the most courageous characters in sport

Four times a world champion, multiple winner of the UK Championship and Masters titles, regular world No.1 and now a ranking event winner 24 times in all after his Welsh Open victory.

The 41-year-old has achieved all that following a tumultuous early life, that brought with it terrible personal blows.

Why then is the Leicester man not much loved, indeed revered, by snooker people everywhere? Here's the honest answer: I don't really know.

The reasons given are spurious at best and frankly, don't really stand up to scrutiny. I honestly think some people would be happier if Selby just said, "there you go Ronnie, no after you Judd, you can have the win today."

The truth is that Selby is one of the most determined players snooker has ever seen. It's become a cliche to say "you need to scrape him off the table" but it remains so apt. He just doesn't know when he's beaten.

Selby's matches can sometimes be long, it's true. I've noticed the word "grind" is bandied about at times when he's in action. But outside the Shoot Out, we've never put time limits on these things in snooker. Final whistles are for football and rugby.

Some fans complain about his average shot times, but whenever the lists are compiled his numbers don't really stand out. There's certainly nothing remotely egregious about them.

Let me tell you what I think. Selby is quite extraordinary. He's one of the most courageous characters not just in snooker, but across all of sport, and one that I admire enormously.

The tactical side of his game is excellent, his safety play often immaculate. I don't know if you caught the Welsh Open quarter-final between Selby and John Higgins in Llandudno. We all got lost a bit in the narrative of how long the match was, but some of the safety exchanges were absolutely mesmerising. Remember, that's all part of the sport too.

Rory McLeod once said, it's called snooker not potting, and I think we should probably have those words tattooed on our foreheads as a reminder. If you like little more than balls flying into pockets left, right and centre maybe try the nine-ball pool tour.

Selby's backstory is always worth keeping in mind, as much as nobody wants it to define him. His mother left the family home when Selby was just eight. His beloved father died when he was 16.

Can you imagine how many of us would have been shattered beyond repair after those profound sufferings in life? Sure, plenty would muddle through amid the trauma. Make the best of it somehow. You do what you have to do to survive. But reaching the very top of your chosen profession. That's superhuman stuff.

Selby has laid bare his torments even more clearly in recent years. He even revealed that he had thoughts about suicide after his father died.

And yet, in the full gaze of the public eye, he has maximised his abilities and seen off his rivals time and time again over two decades to reach the summit of a complex and demanding sport.

Selby was back in the winners' enclosure again in north Wales, but naturally he wasn't showered with bouquets alone. He did get some, sure. But plenty of brickbats were thrown his way too.

Maybe you can partly put it down to Selby not being Ronnie O'Sullivan or Judd Trump. Or perhaps more precisely, Selby standing in their way. Every World, UK and Masters title that Selby puts in the cabinet is one fewer for that pair to win. And fans of O'Sullivan and Trump don't take kindly to it.

But it can't only be for those reasons. The negative talk around Selby is too widespread. Don't people appreciate the nuance of this sport enough? Heavens, seeing Selby get ahead in a frame and then slowly putting the table under lock and key - one colour on the baulk cushion, another one on the side - helps me sleep at night.

Let's also get away from this idea - actually, less idea and more conspiracy theory - that Selby is not a strong scorer. He is fifth in the all-time list of century makers. He'll almost certainly get to the hallowed mark of 1,000 centuries. Meanwhile, only seven players have ever made more than his six maximum breaks. Remind me who the only player to make a 147 in a world final is.

Complaints about Selby's supposed lack of "style" fall on deaf ears with me and they always will. I find him compelling. There aren't many things more unmissable in snooker than him trailing late on in a match. Look up the word "brinkmanship" in the dictionary and the only explanation should be a picture of Selby, that look of fierce resolve on his face.

This sport is full of outstanding champions aged 40 and older. Many of them seem almost timeless. Selby is right up there with the best of them. Rather than nitpick about his matches being a bit longer than you were expecting, or whinge about safety battles when you fancied seeing nothing but big breaks, maybe we should appreciate Selby and even treasure him while he's still on tour and battling for the biggest prizes.

Ignore the dissenters Mark. You're a special character in snooker. Long may you reign.

Maguire impressed in Wales but more success soon is no guarantee

It was a very rewarding sight to see Stephen Maguire reach the final of the Welsh Open. It feels mad that it's five years since he won a ranking title.

His fine run to the showpiece match against Selby doesn't necessarily mean it will be all sweetness and light for the entertaining Scot in the final months of the season however. Consistency has never been that easy to come by for Maguire.

Soon after his appearance in the Welsh Open semi-finals in 2021, he lost 10-4 in the first round of the World Championship to Jamie Jones. Straight after his brilliant Tour Championship win in 2020, Maguire went to the Crucible and was thrashed 10-3 by Martin Gould in the first round.

Maguire beat Trump in the semi-finals and Stuart Bingham in the final when he claimed the Welsh Open crown in 2013, but his tournament record for the rest of the season was less than stellar: second round, first round, first round.

It just shows us again how impressive those seasoned winners are, the players that lift trophies time and time again. It's much harder work for most, even those with the talent of Maguire.

Having said all that, I hope he bucks the trend and finishes the season with a bang, including in Sheffield. Maguire going deep in the sport's biggest tournament would have all of us sitting on the edge of our seats, refusing to budge.

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