Neal Foulds is back with his final column of the season, as he takes stock following a memorable World Championship which delivered a brilliant final.
What an amazing couple of weeks. As I sit here now, as a snooker fan first and foremost, I’m just so very proud of our sport and two finalists who put on such a wonderful show to bring the curtain down on a truly memorable World Championship.
And what a match we were treated with to finish. Luca Brecel was sensational throughout the tournament but to beat Mark Selby across two days and four sessions, that is a monumental achievement and he deserves everything that is coming his way.
We’ve always known Brecel was a special talent, but now we know he’s a special player. To not only win the tournament, but do it his way, with such style and panache, even against the mighty Selby – every credit must go to him.
Not even Selby can delay Brecel's date with destiny
There’s a reason why Selby has such a strong record in finals, particularly at the Crucible, and that’s because he is just so incredibly hard to beat.
Brecel had to scrape of him off the table in that final session even though he’d dominated much of the match, who knows what would have happened if Selby had started better in that opening session on Sunday.
But again, that’s to Brecel’s credit. He came out all guns blazing in that first session when he was entitled to be nervous, and Selby didn’t have the answers. I do think Selby’s late finish against Mark Allen the previous night counted against him – he was still fulfilling his media commitments at close to 2am before he was back to start the final at 1pm later that same day – but Brecel still needed to make him pay, and he did.
That doesn’t even tell half of the story, though. I saw Selby after that first session and he looked dejected and bereft of any answers as to how he was going to stop Brecel. It says everything about the man that he was able to come out only a few hours later and win the second session 6-3, making a maximum break in the process. That was yet another special moment in a special World Championship.
I think the key thing for Brecel was to remember that despite all that, he was still ahead overnight going into Monday and perhaps even more crucially, he wasn’t scared to take Selby on. He returned the following day and again took the bull by the horns; four centuries in the session and he was almost there.
Of course, it's never over until the final whistle, not against Selby. Perhaps Brecel saw the winning line and that opened the door for Selby, but the four-time champion was always going to keep fighting and, in the end, the damage Brecel had inflicted earlier in the match, his X-factor, was the difference.
Brecel earns the right as crazy year awaits
There’s no doubting that’s he a worthy champion. Not just because of his performance in the final, but because of everything that came before. This is a player who had never won a match at the Crucible prior to this year, who had to beat Ricky Walden in a deciding frame, followed by Mark Williams, Ronnie O’Sullivan and then Si Jiahui in one of the great matches played at the Crucible.
He did so well to fend off comebacks from Walden and Williams, but he was on his way out against O’Sullivan, trailing 10-6, before producing the most incredible performance to win seven frames in a row against the defending champion.
As for his comeback against Si, it really was remarkable. Looking back, it’s still hard to comprehend that he was able to rally from 14-5 down to win the match, given the size of his deficit and that Si was completely dominating every aspect of the game. Brecel had no answers to Si for two and half a sessions, but what a player he is to be able to pull off a victory like that, on top of all the others in the last two weeks. He certainly earned his title.
Becoming world champion does bring great responsibility and Brecel has a duty to the game now. I think he’ll be a great one. The next year will be a bit of a daze with everyone wanting a piece of him, and I’m sure he’ll have a lot to contend with, but he’s a great lad and such an exciting talent who plays the game the right way.
With Brecel and Si, who really is a superstar in the making, I think snooker is in really good hands going forward. The game has been searching for a new lift and while the Class of 92 have been the most remarkable force, nothing lasts forever. I’d never write off any one of them, and O’Sullivan could still win anything and everything, but the game moves on and the likes of Brecel and Si have given us a glimpse of a future that while different, looks pretty good.
The future is bright as young guns emerge
That future isn’t just in this country, either. What Brecel achieved on Monday could inspire a generation of snooker players in Belgium and wider Europe. We’ve already got Brecel's compatriots Julien Leclercq and Ben Mertens – who I rate highly – and who knows where the game will be in Belgium and Europe in ten years’ time.
Eurosport deserve lots of credit for this, too. And I'm not at all talking with my Eurosport hat on here, but the way the channel has pushed and covered the sport over the last few years has been terrific and you see the results of those efforts when you go to somewhere like Berlin for the German Masters. The fans there have fallen in love with snooker and for many, that love affair started with watching it on Eurosport.
I must confess to being a bit hungover this morning after attending the World Championship after-party, but it was a good night enjoyed by all.
I said at the top of the piece how proud of Brecel and Selby I was, and they were both in attendance having a good time in each other's company, reflecting on a brilliant few weeks. Snooker has always been like that – work hard on the table and then enjoy yourself when the work is done – and last night was no different. That's the way it should be.
And just like that, another season is done. We’ve had some real lows this year, you can’t hide from that fact, but most certainly finished with a tremendous high, and all that is left is the World Seniors Championship which will again take place at the Crucible.
Jason Ferguson has done a terrific job with raising the profile of this event and it has grown in popularity year on year. Lee Walker beat Jimmy White in the final 12 months ago, but the Whirlwind has enjoyed a good season on the main tour and looks a worthy favourite. His old sparring partner, Stephen Hendry, will be in action as well, so it’s an interesting line-up this year.
Perhaps the Seniors is just the right way to unwind following an electric main event, one I’m still struggling to wrap my head around. But it was such fun and glorious entertainment. At the end of the day, that’s what sport is all about.
Related snooker links
- World Championship results
- Where are the young snooker players
- Perfect Snooker Player
- Snooker's GOAT: O'Sullivan by the numbers
- O'Sullivan: One of a kind
- History of snooker's number ones
- Watch all the Crucible 147 breaks
- History of 147 breaks
- Crucible memories: Ronnie's finest hour
- Crucible memories: Higgins denies Trump
- Crucible memories: White a People's Champion
- Crucible memories: Johnson stuns Davis
- Crucible memories: Foulds' dream debut
