Ronnie O’Sullivan crowned Power Snooker champion
Surprise surprise, Ronnie O’Sullivan became the first winner of Power Snooker, and were we expecting anything less?
Power Snooker launched last Saturday, and the format of the game was only going to suit one man. The 20-second shot clock encourages quick-fire play and becomes all about the player’s potting. It was snooker as you’ve never seen it before, and it certainly delighted O’Sullivan at the end of it.
The Rocket pocketed the first-prize of £35,000 after beating Luca Brecel in his first match, Ali Carter in the semi-final and Ding Junhui in the final. Where points counted instead of frames, O’Sullivan only played 90 minutes. Not bad for a day’s work then.
“Finally snooker has come into the 21st century,” said O’Sullivan. “We've been kicking behind for a few years while everyone else has been going forward. Power Snooker is a new format that is definitely here to stay.”
Power Snooker was created in a bid to change the face of snooker, with the crowd getting involved with the game, shouting out on shots and counting down when time elapses. The players walked on with their own choice of music, accompanied with the Power Girls, and looked to be having fun. Think of it like darts, but instead of a dartboard picture a snooker table.
The crowd certainly enjoyed watching the likes of O’Sullivan, the Whirlwind Jimmy White and the reigning world champion Neil Robertson demonstrate their exceptional potting abilities, and moving around the table rapidly to play their shots in time. The potting of the Power Ball - which triggers a two-minute power play where points are doubled - was a treat for the audience and got them fully involved.
But there have to be at least some doubts about the new format.
If Power Snooker makes a return then it must have done something right. Rod Gunner, its creator, is hoping it will revive the sport, but from first impressions it just seemed like a bit of fun. Snooker is always played to crowds who give maximum respect to whoever is playing, and it was quite out of place for someone in the crowd to be calling out just when a player was about to play a shot.
It works for darts, because the players are used to it, and it has to work for football, but trying to encourage this for snooker, a sport that requires full concentration, doesn’t work at all.
Obviously O’Sullivan is glad to see something like this, as he’s been crying out for snooker to be changed for a long time. The traditionalists may not have been impressed, and would think that if snooker needed a facelift, this was not the way to do it.
The rules were just complicated with so many points being accumulated by the players. Even the referees were struggling to keep up and relied on the scoreboard for the majority of the games. A twist on the rules didn’t work, and Power Snooker is just going to be used as a time to put on a show for the punters.
For those who are worried about this kind of format taking over from regular snooker, worry not, as it won’t catch on.
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