Eurosport Review: Crucible is the spiritual home of snooker and the World Championships should not be moved elsewhere

At this year's World Championships, Neil Robertson scored a 147 perfect score in the nineteenth inning of the second round against Jack Lissovsky. It's not just another beautiful addition to the 147 honor book, but it's a reminder that any argument about moving the World Championships out of Crucible is a self-inflicted wound to the snooker movement.

文/Desmond Kane，《Eurosport》

After scoring the last black ball, Robertson raised his arms in response to the standing cheers from the audience. Curiously, despite the ambitious Robertson's 12-13 loss to Lissovsky in the second round of the World Championships, his ability to score a perfect 147 in Crucible was still a commendable achievement.

In the second round of this year's World Championships alone, four people, including Noppen Sancam, Karen Wilson, Stuart Bingham and Ronnie O'Sullivan, tried to hit 147, but unfortunately they fell on their way to the perfect score and failed to complete their performance like Robertson

Since Cliff Samborn shot Crucible's first 147 against Terry Griffith in 1983, only eight players have scored a perfect 12 here in more than four decades. We still remember Kuwaben falling to his knees after scoring the black ball, and a moment later he had to light a cigarette to calm his nervousness. Over the years, Crucible has changed its faces one after another, but the celebrations that belong to Crucible have always been vivid.

Robertson said: "It's unbelievable to play 147 points, it's the pinnacle moment of my season. Scoring a perfect score in Crucible is the ultimate dream of all players. ”

In addition to the perfect score in the 19th inning, robertson lost to Lissovsky and failed to continue his pre-World Championship performance despite his astonishing scores of 131, 117, 79, 76, 69, 62, 60, 55 and 54 in the second round.

"When I turned the red balls on the K I knew I had a chance. I was under increasing pressure, but fortunately there was not much difficulty in the clear lottery stage. It's great to get cheers from the audience. ”

Robertson is arguably the best player of the season, winning four titles: the Masters, the English Open, the Players' Championship and the Tour Championship. As the most optimistic title candidate before the World Championships, except for the only one in 2010, Rob's performance at the World Championships for many years seems to be somewhat unsatisfactory.

"Listen, look at my results, even though I've only won the World Championship once, what reason do I have to complain about my poor results at a time when so many players are still struggling with relegation. It's a bit as ridiculous as you asking Pep Guardiola why he hasn't won the Champions League at Manchester City yet. ”

"I've had a career that many people have had, and I've achieved everything I could never have dreamed of, so coming to Crucible wasn't a big deal for me."

Robertson has said in several recent interviews that playing in Crucible is as restrictive as playing on a six-foot table in a cubicle with half a club. Whatever Robertson's grievances against the Crucible Stadium, he still scored a "magical" 147 there, which shows that there is no necessary causal link between the conditions of the game and the individual play.

Ironically, however, he did prepare for the two-table stage in the early stages of the World Championships. Robertson set up a stool on the periphery of the table to limit his standing posture while practicing, trying to simulate the appearance of the two Croesbourg tables.

No matter how well prepared he was, Robertson was unable to continue to play his practice. Before he met "brain gurus" like Mark Selby and John Higgins, he lost to Jack Lissovsky, who was known for his offense, to stop in the second round. After a dazzling full score in the 19th inning, Robertson lost to the brave and fearless Lissovsky, which could not help but confuse many people.

From trailing 7-9 to 12-11 lead, Robertson, who was holding the match point, scored a 55-point and then an Anglo-global defense that gave Lisovsky the opportunity to clear the table with a single shot of 72 points, directly forcing the game into the decider. In the decider, Lisowski seized the opportunity left by Robertson to calmly score the point, sending the just crowned Mr. Crucible 147 out of the game.

Robertson last reached the semi-final stage of the Crucible single table in 2014, and in an interview after the game, he said: "It was just the right game, we were all doing our best to play, congratulations on Jack's performance, he took the opportunity. There are other games that have played worse than me to advance to the quarterfinals, and Jack has played at his highest quality level. ”

Between 2010 and 2021, Barry Herne contributed to the revival of the snooker movement with his outstanding business acumen after taking over WST. During Hearne's tenure, the tour's annual prize money soared from £3.5 million to more than £16 million. As the prize money increases, some controversy has crept in, one of which is whether The 980-seat Crucible is suitable to continue hosting the top luxury events worth £2.395 million.

Whenever Snooker returns to Sheffield's Tudor Square to host it, the accumulated years and raucous crowds add another story to this ancient building.

The WST's Crucible Use Agreement with the City of Sheffield is currently signed until 2027, for which Herne suggested that the City of Sheffield rebuild a bigger and better Crucible to keep the World Championships local.

This exaggerated proposal sounds bold and dramatic, but we all know that it is nonsense, and it is even more whimsical now that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has not yet fully dissipated.

Faced with a crisis in the cost of living, financial embarrassment and soaring energy bills, using public finances to create a versatile venue for snooker sounds as stupid as Hussein Wafi accusing O'Sullivan of being "bad for the game."

Like Robertson, O'Sullivan is the 147 "lucky star" of Crucible. Of O'Sullivan's "fastest" 147 in 1997 at 5 minutes and 20 seconds, McManus said: "It was the coolest thing I've ever seen, arguably one of the most memorable moments in crucible history." With the Guinness Book of Records adjusted, O'Sullivan's record was eventually lowered by 12 seconds to 5 minutes and 8 seconds, making it the fastest 147 ever.

Like O'Sullivan over the past 30 years, the World Championships have returned to Crucible only because, as the most wonderful moment of the snooker season, it has brought history and tradition, closeness and prestige to every snooker fan through live and televised formats.

Since 1977, the World Championships in Sheffield have been known for their comfort and cost-effectiveness, the 17-day World Championships do not actually have to pay any rent to the local area, and WST also makes a lot of profits from the ticket revenue.

It's a deal that benefits everyone, including the 32 players who qualify for the main tournament, who came here for fame and achievement, while also reaping a hefty monetary gain.

For professionals like European sports commentator Joe Johnson, the little-known one came to fame by beating his pinnacle-only Steve Davis at the 1986 World Championships.

Johnson, speaking as robertson hit 147, said: "These are very, very special moments, and they will live on forever. ”

The proposal to move the World Championships elsewhere is not a wise proposition. Before hitting 147, Robertson even proposed to schedule the World Championships in two venues.

Robertson, who beat Ashley Hughier 10-5 in the first round, said: "My idea is to make Crucible like Wimbledon, with centre court and pitch one, so that everyone who qualifies for the main tournament has a single-table experience. ”

'I think if you have two Crucible stadiums that are not divided up and down, it's a very rewarding experience for everyone to end their season with a single Crosburg table – Sheffield is in good position to handle that.

Unfortunately, snooker is not golf or tennis. Snooker did not have the same large investments or sponsorships as St Andrews or Wimbledon, which is also due to the large environmental impact. Snooker's fate with Crucible has made Crucible the spiritual home of this sport with a long history, which should not be abandoned and easily changed.

As an indoor sport, we all know that staying in Crucible means sticking to tradition and a limited audience, and leaving Crucible gives snooker more space.

We should not forget that after the demolition of the Wembley Convention Centre in 2006, London's Wembley Arena hosted the Masters between 2007 and 2011, but the Masters moved to the acclaimed Alexander Palace in 2012.

Much of the controversy over Crucible stems from the bustle and ravage of the Alexander Palace Masters scene, though

A bigger venue isn't necessarily better. The size of the venue is just a difference in space, it doesn't mean anything else.

Would Robertson really be willing to switch his 147 from Crucible to another venue? Judging from his excited look and raised arms at the time, playing 147 in Crucible meant as much to him as his second title at the World Championship. Robertson could come up with a thesis, but he couldn't stop Crucible from attracting him, and he was obsessed with it and thought differently.

There is more than one way to solve the Robertson Crucible Curse. As a sport of billiards, technique and concentration are the ultimate test. For the World Championships, time management and self-adjustment are difficult problems that need to be solved by players, and anyone who wants to lift the trophy needs to win 71 games, and only by surviving 17 days can they become the final winners. The comfortable and closed environment of the Crucible Stadium has become the "gladiatorial arena" for this tortuous test.

A venue that can accommodate 3,000 spectators is already the limit for snooker, and we want to ensure that the fans can see the game clearly. Building a new Crucible for the snooker movement makes no sense, either from a financial or practical point of view. Despite Robertson's rosy description, snooker is a televised sport, and we have to think about not just the live audience but also the thousands of fans in front of the TV.

Those who have never set foot in Sheffield can also see on television the wonderful, unforgettable, heartbreaking and great scenes that took place in Sheffield.

All of the above reminds us that snooker should always remain in its spiritual home, in that unique arena where history rolls forward and memories of snooker remain forever.

Crucible 147 full record

1983 – Cliff Sosanben

1992 – Jimmy White

1995 – Stephen Hendry

1997 – Ronnie O'Sullivan

2003 – Ronnie O'Sullivan

2005 – Mark Williams

2008 – Ronnie O'Sullivan

2008 – Ali Carter

2009 – Stephen Hendry

2012 – Stephen Hendry

2020 – John Higgins

2022 – Neil Robertson