If I can feel better about playing badly then I might hang around
I have a lollipop and I have snooker on the TV, snooker which is attempting to self-induce nostalgia regarding Higgins and Williams from when they were young and had slightly different haircuts. Williams who walks straight past the BBC commentators and nearly doesn't come back, Higgins who couldn't sleep after his match with O'Sullivan.
Pffft, obviously it is just too simple to pot the yellow ball in the pocket you were aiming for, John?
Nice red in the corner, but not so great with the position for Mark. Grabs his extension just before it knocks the yellow and fouls him. Seriously, guys, it'll be okay if you pot more than two balls in a row now. Either of you? Anybody? Well, that counts as a pot, just about, Mark, but maybe try and pot one when you mean to. 'It's the only way I'll pot one.' John Higgins all the way up to a pink that doesn't drop, and Mark finishing up with the black for the frame.
Steve Davis attempting to be insightful and being thwarted by the sound equipment. Higgins protesting and getting the light on his seat turned down. There is another solution to the problem there though, and I don't mean an umbrella, or a Ronnie O'Sullivan towel on the head.
Mark calls a push shot on himself in the second. Higgins get in later and starts building up a break. Steady, but just keeping going and fairly well in position throughout. Still going. A century. And cleared, to make it 1-1.
Nice long red to start with from Mark, less luck with the following blue. That wiggled its way down! Willians manages a few points but misses the reds completely - there weren't enough of them? and we're back to trading not-pots and not-snookers. Until we're not a Williams finally manages enough to make it 2-1 and goes and sits down to stare at the ceiling while the ref does his things. There must be something very interesting up and just to his left.
That was a very fluky miss that didn't leave anything. And moments later - that really wasn't. Red ball doesn't want to be potted despite Williams' effort and hangs on to the jaws with all its might. Some fairly clever shots on John's part (watch him miss the next one now) And of course he does. He could indeed, commentator person! *watches through fingers* That very nearly a double miss leaves Higgins needing three snookers, I hope you're proud of yourself.
Recapping a bit of the Trump/Ding match from this afternoon - Davis trying and failing at one of his shots, and John Parrott 'not even gonna try'.
Oh, there's no such ball as an unmissable one, particularly not when John Higgins is on the other end of the cue. Mark not making the most of that double. Are snooker players often disgusted with themselves or do the commentators just think they should be? John laying a poor safety but you're just not capitalising, Mark. That spidered red wan't meant to go in there (a good thing though). Mark taking a couple of goes to hit the yellow. Fine, now both of you need that awkward looking brown, Williams. That was a lovely long green. Williams all round the houses with that one and conceding a free brown off it. A few shots later and he's almost in exactly the same position, misses the brown with the white and concedes the frame.
Oh good - looking at the stats John Higgins is ahead (or level) in all departments except the most important one.
Ken and Willie golfing this morning at 7:30am in Rotherham golf club. Where it was cold. Good to know.
That red just didn't want into the middle pocket, now did you? (Oh god, now I've graduated from talking to images of unhearing snooker players to the same of non-sentient pieces of probably plastic). Leaving John a fairly easy opener just there, lets see how far he can go. One of the most frequent users of the spider I've seen, of course I suppose it's better not needing it in the first, second and third places. And relax, as Higgins makes it 3-3 with a century clearance that he really had to work for.
Williams in but not with a great pack opening there. Pots a red off it but is left with a barely there brown. Takes a few shots to get back knocking around the black spot. But he's there and leaves John Higgins needing snookers. And after Higgins attempts a bit of a break Williams has the frame.
Looking at the stats again while the players have snuck out together and 'How on earth is he winning 4-3, I ask myself?' I ask myself that too, Willie.
Mark gets in with a good long spot. Working his way about the black with some fairly nice potting. Goes into the pink, and oh very dear. White ball knocks off a red and goes near the left cushion and not on anything. Mark takes a swing at the air with his cue, and yes, Mark you might've had better position if you hit the white ball like that. A good safety puts Higgins in trouble though and leaves Williams in again and-- how the heck did he miss that? A few more safeties before Higgins leaves the white just where Williams can get a sniff of a red into the centre pocket and he goes for it, of course he does. And gets it because that is just the sort of luck he's been having for the last couple frames and because it just wouldn't be a snooker match if Higgins wasn't having to go to sleep thinking about a frame deficit - in this case, coming back tomorrow to a 5-3 scoreline.
Also I made a thing
, (Higgins, 1993-4 season onward) which doesn't fit into iconspace even in black and white, curse the duration of his snooker playing career or my icon making skills. Probably the latter. He manages the former all by himself most of the time.
Pffft, obviously it is just too simple to pot the yellow ball in the pocket you were aiming for, John?
Nice red in the corner, but not so great with the position for Mark. Grabs his extension just before it knocks the yellow and fouls him. Seriously, guys, it'll be okay if you pot more than two balls in a row now. Either of you? Anybody? Well, that counts as a pot, just about, Mark, but maybe try and pot one when you mean to. 'It's the only way I'll pot one.' John Higgins all the way up to a pink that doesn't drop, and Mark finishing up with the black for the frame.
Steve Davis attempting to be insightful and being thwarted by the sound equipment. Higgins protesting and getting the light on his seat turned down. There is another solution to the problem there though, and I don't mean an umbrella, or a Ronnie O'Sullivan towel on the head.
Mark calls a push shot on himself in the second. Higgins get in later and starts building up a break. Steady, but just keeping going and fairly well in position throughout. Still going. A century. And cleared, to make it 1-1.
Nice long red to start with from Mark, less luck with the following blue. That wiggled its way down! Willians manages a few points but misses the reds completely - there weren't enough of them? and we're back to trading not-pots and not-snookers. Until we're not a Williams finally manages enough to make it 2-1 and goes and sits down to stare at the ceiling while the ref does his things. There must be something very interesting up and just to his left.
That was a very fluky miss that didn't leave anything. And moments later - that really wasn't. Red ball doesn't want to be potted despite Williams' effort and hangs on to the jaws with all its might. Some fairly clever shots on John's part (watch him miss the next one now) And of course he does. He could indeed, commentator person! *watches through fingers* That very nearly a double miss leaves Higgins needing three snookers, I hope you're proud of yourself.
Recapping a bit of the Trump/Ding match from this afternoon - Davis trying and failing at one of his shots, and John Parrott 'not even gonna try'.
Oh, there's no such ball as an unmissable one, particularly not when John Higgins is on the other end of the cue. Mark not making the most of that double. Are snooker players often disgusted with themselves or do the commentators just think they should be? John laying a poor safety but you're just not capitalising, Mark. That spidered red wan't meant to go in there (a good thing though). Mark taking a couple of goes to hit the yellow. Fine, now both of you need that awkward looking brown, Williams. That was a lovely long green. Williams all round the houses with that one and conceding a free brown off it. A few shots later and he's almost in exactly the same position, misses the brown with the white and concedes the frame.
Oh good - looking at the stats John Higgins is ahead (or level) in all departments except the most important one.
Ken and Willie golfing this morning at 7:30am in Rotherham golf club. Where it was cold. Good to know.
That red just didn't want into the middle pocket, now did you? (Oh god, now I've graduated from talking to images of unhearing snooker players to the same of non-sentient pieces of probably plastic). Leaving John a fairly easy opener just there, lets see how far he can go. One of the most frequent users of the spider I've seen, of course I suppose it's better not needing it in the first, second and third places. And relax, as Higgins makes it 3-3 with a century clearance that he really had to work for.
Williams in but not with a great pack opening there. Pots a red off it but is left with a barely there brown. Takes a few shots to get back knocking around the black spot. But he's there and leaves John Higgins needing snookers. And after Higgins attempts a bit of a break Williams has the frame.
Looking at the stats again while the players have snuck out together and 'How on earth is he winning 4-3, I ask myself?' I ask myself that too, Willie.
Mark gets in with a good long spot. Working his way about the black with some fairly nice potting. Goes into the pink, and oh very dear. White ball knocks off a red and goes near the left cushion and not on anything. Mark takes a swing at the air with his cue, and yes, Mark you might've had better position if you hit the white ball like that. A good safety puts Higgins in trouble though and leaves Williams in again and-- how the heck did he miss that? A few more safeties before Higgins leaves the white just where Williams can get a sniff of a red into the centre pocket and he goes for it, of course he does. And gets it because that is just the sort of luck he's been having for the last couple frames and because it just wouldn't be a snooker match if Higgins wasn't having to go to sleep thinking about a frame deficit - in this case, coming back tomorrow to a 5-3 scoreline.
Also I made a thing
, (Higgins, 1993-4 season onward) which doesn't fit into iconspace even in black and white, curse the duration of his snooker playing career or my icon making skills. Probably the latter. He manages the former all by himself most of the time.