World Snooker Championship 2025

Outstanding session from Luca Brecel.

Ding won the first frame with 141 break before Luca won the remaining 7 of the session, only conceding 15 points including 2 centuries.

 

I don't watch much snooker, but Luca was outstanding. Some amazing potting.

 

He's looking sharp is Luca the Belgian bullet lol, like he did when he won it two years ago.
But what on earth has happened there to Ding, was it all down to his opponents good form.
Ronnie O' has a good early lead, and Higgins might just make it through.
Lei Peifan who beat Kyran Wilson last week, is actually struggling now.
And well done again to Mark Williams, he's won through to the Qtrs.

 

Loved Luca's snooker tonight.!

 

After what we were saying though the other day, I'm really disappointed for Ding. But I think he does actually have a poor record at the Crucible.

 

Looking lovely so far for an all English final or at worse an all British final

 

It's inevitable sadly.

 

Sheffield Council should hang their heads in shame if they lose it. They have had enough warning to not rest on their laurels, as Barry has been banging on about it for a decade. I was surprised he renewed to stay there for the current contract.

 

You don't think Luca will get there?

 

They bailed world snooker out just as much as Barry Hearn did, it cuts both ways. I think he's looking for excuses to move it now, you can't expect Sheffield city Council to finance a new crucible

 

Don't ever take anything Barry or Eddie Hearn say publicly as the truth.
They'll take it where the money is and Sheffield Council can not and should not compete with the money offered by oil rich states looking to sportswash.

 

Build a new Cruicible next to the current one which you'd keep. Use the new Crucible for the main match of a session as your "centre court" of 4000. The current crucible have the secondary match of the session as your "court 1". Then youd have 5000 people per session without the need of a divider.

 

Luca is the Van Damm of the snooker table.
To be honest though, I couldn't think of any other famous Belgians lol.

 

Hercule Poirot?

 

Or Tintin, or Kevin De Bruyne, or Obbi Oulare, or a nice big fluffy Belgian shepherd dog.

 

Ronnie has doubled his lead without playing as well as he did yesterday afternoon. He's looking a big danger to all - especially with how the draw has panned out. It would be a fantastic moment to see him clinch that eighth title and further prove himself the greatest of the modern (or any) era.

 

Bearing in mind it's a 4000 seater venue (5 mins walk to the City Hall, or 20 mins tops tram to The Arena), The Crucible is a Grade I listed building, the availability of space around The Crucible, and the finances required to build it:

A) What's it doing for the other 49 weeks of the year?
B) How are they paying for it?
C) Where's it going, if it's "next to" The Crucible?

It's Hearn talking out of his arse, as he does every year. He can take it to China or Saudi for his £££, but I won't be watching any longer. The time difference to China would be the killer - you might be able to catch their morning session as our evening, afternoon if you're dedicated, but it'll end up like the situation with TNT and Eurosport, £40/m please, which will put a lot of people off.

 

Exactly, even if we accept that the crucible is viable anymore it's not like the only other option is to go to Asia. But Hearn will follow the cash.
Which will be a real shame.

 

Thing is, snooker is still dominated by the UK. Great there are so many Chinese in the final, by all accounts it's huge in China. But the Crucible is wimbledon, St Andrews, Lords. It's where you want to play as a snooker player and I don't think they'll be much richer if it moves, it's not like there's huge waiting lists for tickets. The whole experience as a fan is seeing the stars wandering around between there and the winter gardens, I was sat next to Peter Ebdon on the bench outside as he was eating his vegan sandwich one year and a bloke came up to have a chat about his coaching etc, where else would you get that?

 

It's more than a shame though, I think it's disgraceful.
And even though the Hearn's are good at that sort of thing, it's not always about the money is it. What about fans in this country for a start, who make the effort to go to the Crucible.