Snooker column: Nick Metcalfe on why increasing the field at Tour Championship was misguided

Tour Championship has gravitas but changes knee-jerk and messy

There's no question that the Tour Championship has been a terrific addition to the snooker calendar.

It's been a proper highlight of the season since the 2019 edition genuinely blew us away.

That week in Llandudno five years ago really was something else, serving up a number of classic matches including Ronnie O'Sullivan beating Judd Trump in a deciding frame in a thrilling semi-final.

Matches lasting longer than one session throughout a whole tournament has traditionally been the domain of the 17-day World Championship marathon at the Crucible. But here they were on show all week at another event.

Although those heights of 2019 have never quite been matched since, the tournament tends to reach the parts many others can't.

However, 2023 proved to be something of an exception. A real sticking point actually.

A new venue for the event, the Bonus Arena in Hull, just didn't work out. The crowds were hugely disappointing until the latter stages.

Truth be told, there were probably a number of factors at play. For one thing, ticket prices may well have been too expensive in a city and region struggling more than most in tough economic times.

Advertising and promotion was probably insufficient too. You don't have to be particularly discerning to see that far more energy and effort has gone in to selling Manchester 2024 compared to Hull 2023.

And then there was an issue beyond anyone's control. A number of the sport's leading stars failed to make the tournament.

Organisers were just plain unlucky on that point. The greatest of them all, O'Sullivan, was absent. So was the wonderfully effervescent Trump. Neil Robertson missed out too. Ditto John Higgins. That's some serious talent.

By the way, nobody is suggesting for a minute that the eight players who took part in the event aren't all tremendous competitors and brilliant tournament winners in their own right. Of course they are. But every sport has its top level performers and it did feel like a downgrade on past cast lists.

So, the decision was made to increase the field from eight players to 12 for future editions, to safeguard against such a scenario happening again.

Realistically, it was an unfortunate situation that was highly unlikely to be repeated. This year, we've quickly returned to the norm. Trump is top of the one-year list. O'Sullivan is in second place. All-time great Mark Williams is in the top eight too. Plus redoubtable stars of the sport like Ding Junhui and Mark Allen.

In short, the change felt like a knee-jerk reaction a year ago and it feels even more like that now.

In fairness, some may well point out that the increase allows us to enjoy watching two of the best to ever hold a cue, Higgins and Mark Selby, in the coming days.

There's obviously something to be said for that. But I find it hard to believe anyone thinks the advantages of this move outweigh the disadvantages. Could anybody seriously argue that it's improved the tournament?

For starters, it now doesn't feel distant enough from the Players Championship, which features the top 16 on the one-year list.

Also, the neatness of the tournament has disappeared. No longer do we have one long match every day, with every player needing three victories for glory.

Instead, some players will need to play on six separate days at the Manchester Central if they want to go all the way. For others, it will be just three.

A little of the sheen has been wiped away from the tournament. It's all got a bit messy. At an event that was previously so clean.

We'll all still be tuning in come Monday. The gravitas hasn't gone away. The longer matches remain a tonic for traditionalists. The winner will be fully aware that they've picked up one of the prizes of the season.

But eight players was better for the Tour Championship. We can feel it instinctively. Remember that old adage, "less is more". This is a strong example of that.

Bai mighty impressive as she claims world title at 20

What a sparkling performance from Bai Yulu to win the Women's World Championship.

Boosted by high scoring throughout, the 20-year-old showed in her semi-final comeback win over Reanne Evans and by then holding off Mink Nutcharut in an exciting final that she already has the perfect temperament for this sport.

It will be fascinating to see how Bai performs on the main tour for the next two seasons.

A word of praise too for everyone who put on the tournament in China.

The venue, the Changping Gymnasium, really looked the part. The crowds were decent and enthusiastic. We were able to watch far more on our televisions and computers than ever before.

The women's game has trailed too far behind in this sport for decades and it's clearly taking some time to put those wrongs right.

This was an important step in the right direction and it really gladdened the heart.

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