This past year has been one of the most eventful in recent snooker history! We've had John Higgins return from a cheating ban, half a season behind others and win his fourth world title. Twenty two year old Judd Trump became a Crucible finalist and more recently UK champion. The King of the Crucible Stephen Hendry lost his top sixteen ranking, something which he had held since 1988. Ronnie O'Sullivan picked up his 10th premier league title. Barry Hearn's PTCs have transformed snooker into an all year affair and his tampering with the early stages of the UK have been met with harsh criticism.Shaun Murphy acknowledged that Ronnie's substantially higher appearance fee at Power Snooker 2011 was justified as he managed to "put bums on seats". And finally, Ronnie once again threatened to quit snooker for good after his 6-5 defeat to Judd Trump in the last 16 of the UK.
The build up to this year's Crucible could not have been any more exciting. Will Hearn mar the event's prestige in the name of commercialization? Will Hendry qualify? Will Trump win? Will Ronnie show up? Which Ronnie will show up? These are but some of the questions that linger in the mind of any snooker fan and only time will tell us what happens.Higgins' early elimination in the UK signals a change of guard, and Trump undoubtedly is the person to watch out for, but something in the manner of Ronnie's UK exit tells me that his retirement talk was complete hogwash. On the contrary, I believe he would not have taken that defeat lightly and would be eager to avenge his loss in April. I'm praying for the right Ronnie to turn up and claim his fourth.But no matter the outcome, I will wait with bated breath to see how 2012 unfolds for snooker, as I'm convinced it's going to be a roller coaster ride!
The build up to this year's Crucible could not have been any more exciting. Will Hearn mar the event's prestige in the name of commercialization? Will Hendry qualify? Will Trump win? Will Ronnie show up? Which Ronnie will show up? These are but some of the questions that linger in the mind of any snooker fan and only time will tell us what happens.Higgins' early elimination in the UK signals a change of guard, and Trump undoubtedly is the person to watch out for, but something in the manner of Ronnie's UK exit tells me that his retirement talk was complete hogwash. On the contrary, I believe he would not have taken that defeat lightly and would be eager to avenge his loss in April. I'm praying for the right Ronnie to turn up and claim his fourth.But no matter the outcome, I will wait with bated breath to see how 2012 unfolds for snooker, as I'm convinced it's going to be a roller coaster ride!
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