Williams stretches lead

By Geet Sethi

SHEFFIELD, APRIL 21 There were days when cueists like Joe Davis, Ray Reardon and Steve Davis dominated the world snooker circuit. For the last few decades, there had always been one torchbearer, one superstar, one hero who had left others far behind. From Joes Davis in the forties to Fred Davis in the fifties and sixties, to Ray Reardon in the seventies, Steve Davis in the eighties and more recently Stephen Hendry in the nineties, all these remarkable cueists with their exceptional achievements have made an indelible impact on the sport that they played.

Yet, today as we start the first Embassy World snooker championship of the new millennium, one finds that the days when one man dominated seem to be over. Hendry is just not the player he was. Having gone without a title victory this season, he comes to the Crucible Theatre, well aware that he does not pose the same threat to his fellow players as he did a couple of years ago, when he won his seventh world title.

He undoubtedly suffers from a lack of motivation and the law of diminishing returns seems to have activated itself, making him a victim of his own success and consistency. Having bettered the benchmarks established by his predecessor Steve Davis, who ruled in the eighties, Hendry also realises that the upcoming youngsters are getting better and the general standards of the game have never been higher.

While it would be foolish to dismiss him as a realistic title contender, the likes of Mark Williams, the defending champion and world no.1, John Higgins, the world no.2 and Ronnie O'Sullivan are the other serious candidates being backed by the bookmakers. Williams has won the Grand Prix in which he defeated O'Sullivan 9-5 and has reached the final of the UK Open and the China Open this season. These performances have assured him of the no. 1 ranking for a second successive season next year, irrespective of his performance in the world championship.

The defending champion has established a 6-3 advantage over qualifier Billy Snaddon at the end of the first session. Williams was unusually subdued this morning, unable to record any notable breaks. His highest break was only 43, reflecting his uneasiness in the opening match of the tournament. Yet, he used tact and safety, to clinch two of the last three frames and stretched his lead to 6-3.

Ronnie O Sullivan, inarguably the most talented cueist to adorn world snooker since Jimmy White, will be looking to fulfil his potential by winning the one title, which has eluded him. His sublime talent has unfortunately not been backed by solidity in temperament, a quality so crucial especially in this event, which is played over 17 days.

Erratic and prone to mood swings the world no.4 will need to exhibit more consistency if he wants to take home the Pounds 250,000 winners cheque. He has made an explosive start this season by coming from 4-1 behind to defeat Mark Williams 7-5 in the Champions Cup in Brighton. He was runner up to Mark Williams in the Grand Prix, defeated Stephen Hendry 9-6 in the final of the Regal Masters and then overcame a back injury to make a successful defence of his China Open title at Mission Hills, Shenzhen where he overwhelmed Williams 9-3. With the confidence of these performances, he may well realise his ambition of winning this one elusive title.

James Wattana of Thailand who once ranked as high as 3 in the world rankings but has slipped to 27 today has qualified for the final stages and meets Peter Ebdon.

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