CAN I stay up and watch the snooker?

When I was younger, I wanted the snooker to last as long as possible. It was one of the few things that my Mum would allow me to stay up and watch. And staying up late was exciting, particularly as it was often coupled with a tense finish. 

My earliest memories of watching the snooker revolve around Paul Hunter. His Masters victories in 2001, 2002, and 2004 were all won by just a single frame. 10-9 and deep into the night. Perfect. Those of the previous generation inevitably point to the 1985 world championship final in which Dennis Taylor emerged victorious after a final ball shootout. That remains a British record for the most watched broadcast after midnight.

I did not feel the same during Saturday night’s clash between Mark Allen and Barry Hawkins. As Saturday night faded away and Sunday morning drew in, I felt myself watching it just because I had already invested so much. It was drab. Mark Allen’s slow play was criticised by many in the media and, in my opinion, rightly so. An average shot time in excess of thirty seconds is testing even for the purist, and some of the shots he turned down left me gesturing frustratedly at the television. Some have suggested that it was a deliberate tactic from Allen to disrupt Hawkins’ flow. I doubt it. I think Allen was just struggling with his own game and trying to grind it out. Nonetheless, it served to raise questions about snooker’s place in the entertainment industry.

In the 80s and 90s, snooker players were icons. Jimmy White, Alex Higgins, Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor. They were all household names and became cult heroes to so many - working class blokes who happened to be good at snooker. The Matchroom Mob had a top ten single with ‘Snooker Loopy’ in 1987 and Big Break drew huge TV audiences on a Saturday evening. What has changed? And more importantly, what needs to change now? Well, a host of socioeconomic factors probably, but let’s focus on the things that snooker can control. 

The simple argument is to introduce a shot clock and force players to play faster. A shot clock similar to the Shootout, or like those used in pool, could impose a maximum shot time with extensions available for particularly tricky shots. Alternatively, a chess-like “maximum time” counting downward could be implemented allowing players to utilise their allotted time as they see fit. While I appreciate fast play, I’m not sure I subscribe to this view. The Shootout starts this week and the arena is unlikely to be sold out. Snooker is a nuanced game and differing styles are inevitable. That 1985 final did not contain a single century break but was still watched by 18.5m people.

I think snooker’s principal goal should be to expose players to the mainstream again. As the last of the previous generation approach retirement, this has become more pressing. When Ronnie O’Sullivan eventually hangs up his cue, this may become urgent. I would love to see a revival of Big Break on television. As well as introducing snooker to a new audience, it would allow the players’ personalities to shine through and make them accessible to the public.

Judd Trump and others have suggested that snooker’s dress code confines it to yesteryear. The theory is that young people will not tune in to watch Mark Allen thinking in a suit, especially now that he no longer wears his emerald green one. Perhaps he is right, although I think his primary motive is probably his own comfort. I think there is a place for the suit and tie, and I certainly don’t think that it’s the main reason that snooker isn’t at the forefront of people’s minds. The events which impose the strictest dress code are invariably the most watched of the year.

Darts serves as an interesting comparison. Twenty years ago, it seemed as though darts was far more likely to fall away from the mainstream than snooker. Nowadays, the PDC World Championship is the most watched non-football event on Sky Sports. How the tables have turned. Also Bullseye, interestingly, is getting a revival this Christmas.

Okay, so a teenage prodigy undoubtedly helps matters and the fact that it’s a lad from Manchester who eats kebabs probably helps even more. More broadly though, the excitement and storylines that darts has been able to create should be able to be imitated in snooker. Unfortunately, you can’t rely on a teenager to take the world by storm.

So, have I fixed snooker yet? Probably not. But the key takeaway is, I think, that snooker must be accessible to the general public. Whether that means through television programmes such as bullseye, or through online media. Somehow, we need to get to know the people behind the bow ties. Would that have helped to alleviate my tiredness among the tedium on Saturday night? I hope that one day I’ll find out.

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By Leon Parrott