And that would naturally lead to a first Ballon D’or.
Redcafe Snooker
- Thread starter Ronnie O'Sullivan
- Start date
Only in the new Saudi tourney.
"So Ronnie, how was that win?"
Looking for a bit of advice. I really want a proper cue which I can play snooker and English 8 ball with.
Is there much of a difference between snooker cue’s and English pool cue’s?
I play pool quite a lot, snooker every now and again but I really like the idea of having a top of the range cue to keep for years.
Budget would be £500-600
Is there much of a difference between snooker cue’s and English pool cue’s?
I play pool quite a lot, snooker every now and again but I really like the idea of having a top of the range cue to keep for years.
Budget would be £500-600
You could get a John Parris for that price. If you’re going to spend that much on a cue, I’d get some in person advice and get it weighted and tailored to you. A £1000 cue that is the wrong size, weight and balance for you is as good as a £40 Jimmy White cue from sports direct. If you get it from a reputed cue maker or reseller, they should have a table for you to play and get a feel for it. Also don’t just go by “this feels right”, listen to their advice - they might suggest you go slightly heavier or lighter depending how you cue the ball and once you get used to it you’ll understand why they suggested it.
Weight balance is different, and also the tip diameter, although I’m no expert. I believe pool balls are also heavier so the pool cue is slightly heavier duty.
I think the best snooker cues are in 3-4 sections too, and pool tend to be 2. Been a very very long time since I looked at cues properly, probably 20yrs now, so I’m likely miles out of date.
Weight balance is different, and also the tip diameter, although I’m no expert. I believe pool balls are also heavier so the pool cue is slightly heavier duty.
I think the best snooker cues are in 3-4 sections too, and pool tend to be 2. Been a very very long time since I looked at cues properly, probably 20yrs now, so I’m likely miles out of date.
I think English reds and yellows are similar size to snooker, and also the white.
I don’t know if I wanted a 1 piece but I think I’d look silly carrying it around!
I was looking at John Parris but there is a waiting list of 2-6 years for a custom cue which is too much for me. I got recommended a Jonny Carr cue which is around 4-5 months but I just don’t know whether to look for a second hand John Parris or if there are any other good makers out there which I don’t know about
wow, a thread where i can actually have some relevant input. traditional cue makers know that familiarity and comfort is what makes a cue a cue. it needs to feel like an extension of your arm. it needs to feel natural. you’ll know you’ve sought expert advice if the cue maker asks you to remove your bottom layers and become aroused. they will then take a plaster moulding and ensure the girth of the cue is tailored to your own (might be looking at youth size.) nothing feels as natural in your hand as your proudness and proper wood workers know this.
What a miserable weekend of watching yet more players bottle their matches against Ronnie.
Judd... that black along the cushion
it's a very depressing time for me as a fan of pretty much everyone but him!Resistance is futile. There can be only Ron.What a miserable weekend of watching yet more players bottle their matches against Ronnie.
Judd... that black along the cushion
I was worried about the (IMO) tedious Selby potentially breaking Hendry’s modern day World Championship title record, given how quickly he racked up his 4 titles, and with him reaching another final last year.
From what I’ve seen, he seems to be on the wane currently, but I can’t write him off at the Crucible.
I would quite like to see Ronnie getting the job done at the Crucible in a few months, securing that record breaking 8th ‘modern era’ title there, plus joining Davis, Hendry and Williams in winning each of the triple crown events in the same season.
From what I’ve seen, he seems to be on the wane currently, but I can’t write him off at the Crucible.
I would quite like to see Ronnie getting the job done at the Crucible in a few months, securing that record breaking 8th ‘modern era’ title there, plus joining Davis, Hendry and Williams in winning each of the triple crown events in the same season.
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I wouldn't say no one has the quality to stop him winning at the Crucible, clearly there are a few players who are capable of getting the better of him.
Ronnie hardly got out of second gear at the Masters but he didn't need to. Everyone who came up against him missed crucial shots at crucial times.
And then yesterday, the prime example being Trump's black along the cushion. In practice or against any other player he pots that.
So I think it comes down to mentality. People play him and think oh god I'm playing Ronnie, he's won about a million major tournaments and isn't slowing down. And it's in their head that they have to play no-miss snooker.
And eventually they miss and Ronnie gets out of his chair to clean up.
For as long as his opponents play Ronnie and not the table in front of them, he will continue to dominate.
Compare this to say Luke Littler, came up against a former World Champion in the semi-final at the Ally Pally and just played his own game, beat Cross 6-2. Then last week in Bahrain, again just throws darts and doesn't bother who he's up against. Wins the tournament.
Snooker needs someone to really take it to him but at the moment it's just not happening.
Ronnie hardly got out of second gear at the Masters but he didn't need to. Everyone who came up against him missed crucial shots at crucial times.
And then yesterday, the prime example being Trump's black along the cushion. In practice or against any other player he pots that.
So I think it comes down to mentality. People play him and think oh god I'm playing Ronnie, he's won about a million major tournaments and isn't slowing down. And it's in their head that they have to play no-miss snooker.
And eventually they miss and Ronnie gets out of his chair to clean up.
For as long as his opponents play Ronnie and not the table in front of them, he will continue to dominate.
Compare this to say Luke Littler, came up against a former World Champion in the semi-final at the Ally Pally and just played his own game, beat Cross 6-2. Then last week in Bahrain, again just throws darts and doesn't bother who he's up against. Wins the tournament.
Snooker needs someone to really take it to him but at the moment it's just not happening.
That was a pretty atrocious final quality wise especially after the incredible snooker from Ronnie in particular in the semi final.
Judd had an absolute mare. Should've been level going into the last few frames.
Judd had an absolute mare. Should've been level going into the last few frames.
This narrative that Ronnie wins just because other players are scared of him is far too simplistic. It makes it sound as if he wouldn't win if the others would just stop missing easy shots. The simple reality is that, on average, he just plays better than his opponents.
Yeah Ronnie's B/C game is everyone else's A game. He still misses from time to time in the balls because he's so lackadaisical around the table, that's when you need to punish him.
I feel like one of the underrated aspects of the current iteration of O’Sullivan is how fierce a competitor he is now. Back in the day there was always the risk that he’d get the better of himself when behind and chuck it in. Obviously he still has the odd moment of petulance but he’s amazing at staying the course and reeling off 4-5 frames to put massive pressure on opponents. He did it to Trump yesterday and Carter a week before. I had the good fortune of seeing him do it to Neil Robertson at the 2021 World Grand Prix final where someone shouted to him ‘you can try you know’ when he was 7-5 down .
I remember watching Ronnie do an Instagram live with Hendry during Covid and he spoke about how he let Selby slow him down in the World Championship final that he lost and that he’d never let it happen again if he got into a similar situation with Selby. He did exactly as he promised in their semi final a few months later. It’s always stuck with me because you never really get an insight into how much O’Sullivan thinks about the game, pundits reduce him to a genius and he never really gets into specifics about the game because he’s always misdirecting and taking pressure off himself.
.I remember watching Ronnie do an Instagram live with Hendry during Covid and he spoke about how he let Selby slow him down in the World Championship final that he lost and that he’d never let it happen again if he got into a similar situation with Selby. He did exactly as he promised in their semi final a few months later. It’s always stuck with me because you never really get an insight into how much O’Sullivan thinks about the game, pundits reduce him to a genius and he never really gets into specifics about the game because he’s always misdirecting and taking pressure off himself.
I always want Trump to win (unless he's playing Lisowksi), so was disappointed to see how he choked it once Ronnie stepped it up a level - though neither came close to their top level at any stage of the Final.
Re: O'Sullivan. What I think he's done really well to keep his game, and mind, sharp at almost 50 is seemingly 'bottle' all the madness of his flawed genius and let it nowadays only come out in his interviews. That's how it seems to me anyway.
He always seemed the kind who'd blow up early, like so many 'flawed geniuses'. Instead, he seems to have got a real handle on his game, lifestyle, mental situation, etc - and seems to use his interviews to let all the 'demons' out by saying all kinds of pretty ludicrous stuff really, that people should just mostly see as entertaining rubbish.
I guess the only problem with that is that people put the same kind of pressure on him as footballers, in the whole 'you're a role model, you need to use the platform to influence kids, make positive statements, etc'. So, therefore, people take seriously the silly, mostly disingenuous stuff he says and it gets blown up as if it's a hugely significant statement rather than just Ronnie letting off some steam and amusing himself in his compulsory interviews.
Re: O'Sullivan. What I think he's done really well to keep his game, and mind, sharp at almost 50 is seemingly 'bottle' all the madness of his flawed genius and let it nowadays only come out in his interviews. That's how it seems to me anyway.
He always seemed the kind who'd blow up early, like so many 'flawed geniuses'. Instead, he seems to have got a real handle on his game, lifestyle, mental situation, etc - and seems to use his interviews to let all the 'demons' out by saying all kinds of pretty ludicrous stuff really, that people should just mostly see as entertaining rubbish.
I guess the only problem with that is that people put the same kind of pressure on him as footballers, in the whole 'you're a role model, you need to use the platform to influence kids, make positive statements, etc'. So, therefore, people take seriously the silly, mostly disingenuous stuff he says and it gets blown up as if it's a hugely significant statement rather than just Ronnie letting off some steam and amusing himself in his compulsory interviews.
I’ve heard a few of the pros and ex-pros talk about him as a “scholar of the game” and a “historian”. I don’t think we ever see that on camera but it’s clear that behind the scenes or in a more casual setting he’s shown just how much he studies the game. He’s a nerd basically but doesn’t like people to know.I feel like one of the underrated aspects of the current iteration of O’Sullivan is how fierce a competitor he is now. Back in the day there was always the risk that he’d get the better of himself when behind and chuck it in. Obviously he still has the odd moment of petulance but he’s amazing at staying the course and reeling off 4-5 frames to put massive pressure on opponents. He did it to Trump yesterday and Carter a week before. I had the good fortune of seeing him do it to Neil Robertson at the 2021 World Grand Prix final where someone shouted to him ‘you can try you know’ when he was 7-5 down
I remember watching Ronnie do an Instagram live with Hendry during Covid and he spoke about how he let Selby slow him down in the World Championship final that he lost and that he’d never let it happen again if he got into a similar situation with Selby. He did exactly as he promised in their semi final a few months later. It’s always stuck with me because you never really get an insight into how much O’Sullivan thinks about the game, pundits reduce him to a genius and he never really gets into specifics about the game because he’s always misdirecting and taking pressure off himself.
Agree with you here. In fact, I think it's made him even better and more dangerous. After going down 4-0 in the morning session and playing terribly I thought it would be over and I feel if that was the old Ronnie it would have been over.
With his interviews he’s just taking the piss, unless he’s on Eurosport for some reason. You take everything he says with a pinch of salt. He knows he puts bums on seats more than any other player and he dislikes the media, he really doesn’t like authority as well. But he’s done some stupid inexcusable disrespectful stuff in the past, the worst probably that infamous press conference in China. I think that has embarrassed him.
At Eurosport he also does some punditry and you get to see the real Ronnie, very considered & insightful. Nothing like the usual bull shit he often comes out with.
He blitzed Trump in the worlds and this week and I’m 100 percent convinced he leaves Judd long pots on that he doesn’t do when Judd isn’t struggling but it never seems to be brought up. Trump just can’t turn them down cause that’s his game and it let’s Ronnie in time and time again. It’s very mid 90s tactics on display when it was a mortal sin to keep going for those shots so that’s what the clever dicks tried to leave and bait players into going for them.I feel like one of the underrated aspects of the current iteration of O’Sullivan is how fierce a competitor he is now. Back in the day there was always the risk that he’d get the better of himself when behind and chuck it in. Obviously he still has the odd moment of petulance but he’s amazing at staying the course and reeling off 4-5 frames to put massive pressure on opponents. He did it to Trump yesterday and Carter a week before. I had the good fortune of seeing him do it to Neil Robertson at the 2021 World Grand Prix final where someone shouted to him ‘you can try you know’ when he was 7-5 down
I remember watching Ronnie do an Instagram live with Hendry during Covid and he spoke about how he let Selby slow him down in the World Championship final that he lost and that he’d never let it happen again if he got into a similar situation with Selby. He did exactly as he promised in their semi final a few months later. It’s always stuck with me because you never really get an insight into how much O’Sullivan thinks about the game, pundits reduce him to a genius and he never really gets into specifics about the game because he’s always misdirecting and taking pressure off himself.
Thats the problem I have with snooker commentary, everything is grouped together as safety play, long pot success etc but the little nuances never seem to be fully explored. Maybe that’s for the general public and their ease of understanding or something
Very much agree.
The reason he is crushing all isn't the capitulation certain people want to claim from his opponents, it's that he's seemingly got a handle on the aspects that led him of the rails so much. Be that through age or what, but he didn't crumble and just feck around at 4-0 down and he didn't bitch and moan about the kicks.
He just got on with it.
Trump’s record against Ronnie is actually quite good.
There was one safety shot that Ronnie played in the evening session (I forget the frame) but it was a straight forward safety shot to play and get the cue ball in behind the colours but Ronnie played it to the right of the colours and left a long pot on to the bottom right pocket. The commentators called it a pretty poor safety but I'm 99% sure that Ronnie purposely left it there thinking Trump would miss. Trump did miss....
How good are you?
I'm in the same-ish situation. Looking to get back to playing and want a proper cue (lost my old one I used as a kid). My budget would be like £250max with case and extension. But I'm rusty as hell at the moment so just trying to go to a club a few times to get my game up to speed before splashing the dough. There's some good places in the North that let you try before you buy.
Average at snooker but I’d say well above average at English pool.
It’s also something I’d like to keep, I probably wouldn’t buy a new cue for 10+years maybe never.
If you are playing in tournaments where money is involved and you think an expensive cue can pay for itself then I think it would be worth the outlay but if not I would not be spending 600 quid on a cue.
People spend £200 on football boots every season. £600 on a cue that could last 20-30 years if looked after is reasonable.
True, but someone could play just as well with a cheaper cue and do not need to go down the Parris type route unless they are a serious player.
You could and there is probably a level where you will begin to see a difference however I would argue that the process of having a bespoke cue weighted, balanced and tailored to your specifications and action would help anyone capable of stringing a few pots together and that’s probably the most valuable thing you’re paying for.
By the same logic though, given a good range of £50-£100 cues of varying weights, lengths and ferrule sizes to trial you’d probably find a queue that is as appropriate for you as any tailored £600 cue.
I think between you and I we have provided a few good options for the original poster.
It’s more the craftsmanship I’m after. Something I can hopefully pass down in the family at some point.
Obviously the performance is important too, but I just think a great cue is something that would last for years.
I should have mentioned that this was also a 30th birthday present from my partner. She said she would spend £500 and really I don’t need for anything, so I thought a proper pool/snooker cue would be nice seeing as we both love to play pool.
Are there any other great cue makers out there apart from Parris? I’m just thinking if I have to wait years for my cue it might ruin the enjoyment out of it
Started playing snooker again a couple of years ago and personally I wouldn’t be spending £500 on a cue straight away. I got one off Amazon for £50 and it is adequate for my level. Maybe I will upgrade at some point as enjoy playing weekly but if you are just getting into the game then I would get a cheapo one to start with as you may enjoy playing regular but will your mate keep playing also.
I am sure there are but I live in the Southern Hemisphere so would not be of any great help.
Just go into one of the good snooker halls in your area and get chatting to the good players and they should hopefully point you in the right direction.
Early German Masters exits for Lisowski, Bingham, Murphy, Ding, Selby and Brecel.
The draw is really heavily weighted towards the top half with Carter, Williams, Allen, Higgins and Trump up there.
The bottom half is very open and players like Gilbert (former finalist), Day (former semi-finalist and five time quarter-finalist) and Milkins (semi-finalist last year) will fancy their chances. Wilson and N. Robertson are also down there but would meet in the quarter-finals.
The draw is really heavily weighted towards the top half with Carter, Williams, Allen, Higgins and Trump up there.
The bottom half is very open and players like Gilbert (former finalist), Day (former semi-finalist and five time quarter-finalist) and Milkins (semi-finalist last year) will fancy their chances. Wilson and N. Robertson are also down there but would meet in the quarter-finals.
Another trophy win for Judd.
He's having another great season and has definitely learned, like all proven winners have to, how to win matches with a strong B game as he didn't always have his A game this week.
If it wasn't for Trump and O'Sullivan (as well as Covid and match fixing!), the inevitable Chinese domination would be much further down the line as they keep reaching semi finals and finals but then coming up against those two!
Good to see a bit of improvement in Neil Robertson this tournament. Hopefully he'll find his form again and get back to his best - he needs to quickly as there's a lot of ranking points dropping off his total and he could find himself dropping way down if he doesn't go deep into the remaining tournaments.
He's having another great season and has definitely learned, like all proven winners have to, how to win matches with a strong B game as he didn't always have his A game this week.
If it wasn't for Trump and O'Sullivan (as well as Covid and match fixing!), the inevitable Chinese domination would be much further down the line as they keep reaching semi finals and finals but then coming up against those two!
Good to see a bit of improvement in Neil Robertson this tournament. Hopefully he'll find his form again and get back to his best - he needs to quickly as there's a lot of ranking points dropping off his total and he could find himself dropping way down if he doesn't go deep into the remaining tournaments.
I think the Chinese takeover was stalled massively by the match fixing scandal. Yan was probably going to go on and become the most successful Asian player but then got banned.
So they've almost had to reset but it looks like Si is here to stay, the pressure was just a bit too much for him in the end and Judd revels in that Tempodrom, picking up a third win.
He's having a great season but I think Ronnie has cursed him by describing him as the player to beat, his tournament favourite. I think that's a leap personally because let's face it he's 34 and should have won more than one by now, his Crucible record is average at best.
As for Robbo he's been a shadow of the 2011 and century of centuries version of himself for a long time and I don't think he has the consistency to mount a challenge. The fact that he will probably have to qualify for the Worlds tells you all you need to know about his form.
I think it needs another James Cahill performance against Ronnie to stop him - James was totally fearless in a way very rarely seen against Ronnie, even the top players have a big mental block against him and play the player and not the table. It's just a shame James sank in to relative obscurity after that win (starting in the next round, I was there to see Stephen Maguire knock him out).
Robbo has even talked about it in a recent interview, saying how bad he's been and not getting any luck as his opponents put him away, but Ronnie has had an average season in terms of his quality on the table but players just aren't taking chances against him.
So they've almost had to reset but it looks like Si is here to stay, the pressure was just a bit too much for him in the end and Judd revels in that Tempodrom, picking up a third win.
He's having a great season but I think Ronnie has cursed him by describing him as the player to beat, his tournament favourite. I think that's a leap personally because let's face it he's 34 and should have won more than one by now, his Crucible record is average at best.
As for Robbo he's been a shadow of the 2011 and century of centuries version of himself for a long time and I don't think he has the consistency to mount a challenge. The fact that he will probably have to qualify for the Worlds tells you all you need to know about his form.
I think it needs another James Cahill performance against Ronnie to stop him - James was totally fearless in a way very rarely seen against Ronnie, even the top players have a big mental block against him and play the player and not the table. It's just a shame James sank in to relative obscurity after that win (starting in the next round, I was there to see Stephen Maguire knock him out).
Robbo has even talked about it in a recent interview, saying how bad he's been and not getting any luck as his opponents put him away, but Ronnie has had an average season in terms of his quality on the table but players just aren't taking chances against him.
Yeah, the match fixing took two of the strongest three away at the time, in Yan and Zhao, with just Ding* as the one around the top 16. Though there's a good few coming through again that look like they'll win plenty over the years. And Zhang already reached the top 16 now.
*Regarding Ding, he's such a huge figure amongst the Chinese Snooker players - most practising at his club, seeing him as the Father / Grandfather / Godfather of the Chinese Snooker revolution - that it's an amazing thing that so many of them managed to do all that match fixing amongst them all without him even knowing a thing about it. But he mustn't have done, of course, as haven't players (Jamie Jones one) got banned in the past just for knowing about the actions of others and not reporting them? So somehow he must have been oblivious to it all.
*Regarding Ding, he's such a huge figure amongst the Chinese Snooker players - most practising at his club, seeing him as the Father / Grandfather / Godfather of the Chinese Snooker revolution - that it's an amazing thing that so many of them managed to do all that match fixing amongst them all without him even knowing a thing about it. But he mustn't have done, of course, as haven't players (Jamie Jones one) got banned in the past just for knowing about the actions of others and not reporting them? So somehow he must have been oblivious to it all.