I’m told that one of things that is endearing about me is that I am obsessed with strange things. So in the hope that this is true, I’m going to bang on about one of those things here – snooker, and specifically the World Championship. If you find snooker about as interesting as I find cricket (slightly less interesting than reading flat-pack instructions in a language I don’t speak), feel free to skip.
All my favourite players are out of the tournament this year, with the last one being knocked out only on Wednesday, so it seems like a good time to tell you who my favourite players are, and why.
Si Jiahiu
This 22-year-old Chinese player got to the semi-finals on his debut appearance a couple of years ago, and very much impressed me. Sean Murphy complained about an amateur being allowed in tournament at all, after Si beat him, but he’s changed his tune now that Si is ranked 13th in the world.
I call him the Baby Shark, because he’s wee but dangerous. Wee only in terms of age, though – he’s actually quite tall, which is an advantage for a snooker player.
Dave Gilbert
Dave Gilbert is nothing like as good as Si Jiahui, but on his first appearance in the Crucible he had a very strong sock game, wearing stripes and dots rather than the usual, boring plain black. He also seems to have a sense of humour, and he’s quite unpredictable, as likely to miss a good shot as to get it, which makes him interesting to watch, even if unlikely to ever win the championship.
Gilbert seems to have switched to plain black socks these days. Dave, if you’re reading this, bring back the interesting socks! They were much admired.
Alan McManus
This one’s a bit of a throwback. The last time Alan McManus bothered the World Championship was 2020, when he went out in the first round, but he has reached the semi-final three times, which is quite impressive, and the more impressive when you consider that he did it for the first time in 1992 and the last time in 2016. That’s some serious longevity, comparable to the ‘Class of ’92’ (John Higgins, Mark Williams and Ronnie o’Sullivan), who all turned professional in 1992 and yet were all in this year’s championship; in fact, Williams and o’Sullivan are both through to the semi-finals!
Neil Robertson
Nicknamed “The Thunder from Down Under”, but I prefer to call him the Icicle, because of his cool demeanour, sharp long potting and ice-blonde hair. Neil Robertson has only won the World Championship once, in 2010, which is something of a mystery to me, but I suppose his form is variable. He’s another tall one, and he often wears a waistcoat with a coloured back, rather than the usual boring black, which I appreciate.
Stephen Hendry
Another throwback, because Hendry’s been retired for a few years, but he dominated the game when I was younger, and he is Scottish (as is Alan McManus, of course). When I had just got into snooker, when I was very young and my family had just moved to Sheffield (which is no doubt where this obsession comes from, since Sheffield hosts the World Championship), it was Steve Davis who dominated the game, and it was a much slower, more tippy-tappy affair. Then Stephen Hendry came along, the first of the new generation that were all about long pots and attacking snooker. Now I’m older I can appreciate the tension of a safety battle during a frame of snooker, but not when my age was in single figures, so Hendry was a breath of fresh air, who won the title seven times and changed the game forever.
What do all of these players have in common? Not much. I appreciate an attacking approach and a bit of sartorial flair, but it’s a fairly idiosyncratic list. They’re not a bad looking bunch of blokes, which figures: in any given match I’m likely to support the better-looking player. You may call me shallow, but that’s normal human psychology; we just like good looking people more. It might be unfair, but it’s human nature.
Those of you who know something about snooker may wonder why Ronnie o’Sullivan isn’t on my list. It’s because, while I admit he’s the most naturally talented player who has ever lifted a cue, he just doesn’t elicit warm feelings in me. Maybe it’s his interviews, which are always either big-headed or faux modest. Or maybe he’s just not good looking enough.
Do you have a favourite snooker player? Feel free to share in the comments.
K C Murdarasi 
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