– This is ridiculous, Eurosport’s commentator Neil Foulds cry out.
The match of the second round of the World Cup is underway of John Higgins and By Kyren Wilson between. Higgins has just pocketed the black ball against all expectations. The Scot’s expression is full of disbelief.
– That ball should never have gone in the bag, Foulds, who was ranked third in the world rankings, continues.
You can see the bagging and the reactions in the attached tweet.
After the match, Higgins admitted that he dared to try a difficult pocket, because the game table had allowed several surprising pocketings during the games.
– It was partly effective. But oh my God! How can that go in the bag? Higgins updated as he watched the latest shock of his strike.
During the World Cup, there have been several unusual baggings, of which Higgins’ case has been the most egregious. As in many years before, this World Cup has also been discussed as to whether the tables are too easy for snooker stars known for their accuracy.
A multifactorial thing
The only professional player in Finnish snooker history Robin Hull has paid attention to the game tables of this year’s WC tournament.
Two game tables are always set up in the Crucible theater, which serves as the game arena for the World Cup, during the opening rounds. The semi-finals and the final are played on one table.
The table setters tune the tables after the first round and before the start of the semi-finals and finals.
Hull has played in the Crucible theater in the first round in 2002, 2014 and 2015. He thinks the second table used by the lower chart was more generous in pocketing this year compared to the first table.
It is a multifactorial issue. Air humidity is normally the most significant factor affecting the functionality of the tables. However, at the Crucible Theater it has never been as much of an issue as it has been at other venues, especially in Asia. Among the remaining variable factors, Hull takes the top spot.
– The vernacular manufacturer Strachan strives to produce uniform quality verna, but I know from experience that the reality is different, says Hull.
Taxes have developed a lot over the years. The manufacturer produces fabric in rolls. One roll can be used to make tables for tens of tables. According to Hull, there are differences in the quality of the rolls, sometimes even within one roll.
Internationally known pool table installer and promoter Jussi Tyrkkö sign Hull’s argument.
– Since the speed differences per roller are known, only one roller is always used in one race. In this way, the aim is to guarantee the players as smooth playing conditions as possible, says Tyrkkö.
On the professional tour, you play with the most subtle green, where the twists of the shots bite the balls very sensitively.
The mobility is affected by the heaters, which are placed under the five stone slabs found under the roof. Each tile weighs a little less than 200 kilos, and they heat the roof to about 45 degrees. When the heat created by the TV lights is included, the temperature of the TV tables rises to around 50 degrees.
However, changes in air temperature or humidity can affect the trajectory of the ball.
– Shaun Murphy’s game (lost Si to Jiahui 9–10) was absolutely absurd. Circumstances changed really big in an instant, for example in how the bottom thread Puri was working, says Hull.
Gameplay matters
The player’s way of playing can also have a significant effect on the behavior of the bet. Some players slide their hand against the racket when entering and leaving the hitting position, which can raise the fluff that has been pulled down the racket.
According to Hull, even individual fingerprints can have a decisive effect on the course of the ball. The slower the ball travels on the edge, the more prone it is to changes in direction.
– If the hand has been even a little sweaty and there is even a small stripe (old) on the edge, the ball will almost certainly make a hook at that point, says Hull.
Tuned to the highest level, the snooker experience is mainly for the players a perfect snooker experience. However, there is always a risk factor associated with a match net, which can ruin a bullet-straight hit – and on the other hand, also contribute to the success of weak bagging attempts.
Tight tables
The table installers working for snooker’s umbrella organization choose the two game tables they consider the best during the season for the World Championships.
The Chinese company Star has been the umbrella organization’s official table manufacturer for more than ten years. Before this, the tables were the handiwork of the English manufacturer Riley. In professional circles, Star’s tables are praised as top quality, but unlike in Riley’s era, they are more susceptible to changes in playing conditions.
Despite the fact that the level of difficulty of the tables is questioned from time to time, Hull reminds us that the bags are always the same size.
Table bags are patterned with two templates, one of which measures the width of the bag. The other one measures the so-called pour, i.e. how deep the stone plate of the table reaches into the bag. In these, there is never a toss between tournaments.
In the accompanying YouTube clip, the chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, a former professional player Jason Fergusonopens bag templates in 2016.
Instead, the snooker templates do not measure how much the corner of the stone plate is rounded.
– The more it is rounded, the more generously the bag takes in the ball, says Hull.
Since the material of the tables is wood that lives with time and there are always human differences in the installation phase, there may be differences in placing the template in the bag.
– When the template is pushed into the bag, it can sometimes sneak in there quite well, but sometimes it has to be patted in a bit. We’re talking about one-quarter to one-fifth of a mill. Otherwise, the bags are always standard stuff, says Hull.
The TV picture distorts
Let’s go back to the question of the title: are the tables too easy to play in the Crucible theater or is the unusual pocketing a matter of optical illusion?
According to Hull and Tyrkö, the TV image distorts the size of the snooker bags, especially in the Crucible theater, which is the smallest and most cramped of the professional tour.
– In the World Cup, the TV cameras are really close. The angle transmitted to TV receivers is false, says Hull.
– When the bag is photographed up close and the guy is far away, the bags look outrageously big. But they’re really really tight as hell, Tyrkkö compas.
Tyrkkö and Hull agree that there is no one correct and clear answer to the discussion about the functionality of tables.
– When the ball is hit along the fairway and there is a side twist, a suction effect is created that pulls the ball into the fairway. When the stroke is as quiet as possible and the reactive Vera has even a small pull due to one of the reasons mentioned above, there can be individual, completely incomprehensible pockets. It’s the sum of many things, says Hull.
– But in the end, the playing conditions are pretty damn good these days.