Snooker’s New Power

Last weekend a revolution took place at London’s indigO2 arena as 2,000 fans packed the venue, awaiting the introduction of a new and innovative variant brand of snooker known as Power Snooker.

For those not in the know, this modified version of the game has been constructed with the intended aim to attract new followers of the sport with a much shorter, sharper, and crisper form of competition. In a world where society demands things to be completed quicker and more accessible than ever, new snooker chief, Barry Hearn attempts to keep pace with this attitude by helping to develop a new life form of snooker.

The event was led by the temperamental flawed genius that is Ronnie O’Sullivan, as the three times former world champion was aptly supported by seven of the sport’s best players. The cast included, Mark Selby, Ali Carter, and current world champion Neil Robertson to name a few, to help pot this experimental structure of the game into action. However the question to be answered was Power Snooker a success, or was it a cheap fright on Halloween weekend?

Well looking at the matches themselves, the game still maintains classic snooker rules that its supporters would be familiar with. However, a key distinction of the game is the factor of time. This aspect is a characteristic that needs to be negated during play, as well as your opponent. Power Snooker presents the added pressure of a 20-second shot clock, framed within a strict 30-minute match timer. It leaves players little time dwell and dawdle during shots. Accumulated points are the name of the game rather than the traditional amassing of match frames. The gathering of points is accelerated particularly when for two minutes every pot made is worth double points when one of the red balls, the ‘power ball’ is potted.

With these features in place, the players seemed encouraged to pot balls as quickly as possible with more dare and free abandonment. Many would view this as a plus, and without doubt this led to a more eye-catching pace when being observed and amazing shots being executed. But as an appreciative admirer of the tactical elements of snooker, conversely the hurried elements of Power Snooker seemed to dilute the quality of play. As the matches progressed, the spectacle rapidly began to turn into nothing more than a knock about amongst friends, no different to what one might participate in at a snooker club within a social setting. Players seemed more concerned about getting a shot away within the time allotted, and in doing so this reduced any real meaningful competitive edge to the proceedings.

Another unenthusiastic aspect of the event was the questionable choice of base colour for the table. Dark green, almost a pitch black shade of cloth is not ideal when watching the events unfold through the medium of television. Clearly a faux-pas made from the organisers on that score.   

Nevertheless Power Snooker did promote some positive facets of which were the attire worn. 

The players still donned the smart wear that has been accustomed to snooker, if not in some cases quite loud and colourful shirts. But out of sight were the aged dickie bow ties and stuffy waist jackets. In a sport where the elite playing talent is dominated by young 20-35 year olds, continuing to wear such archaic clothing in the desperate hope of building a strong relationship with this demographic from an audience perspective just simply would not suffice any more in today’s world. Barring dinner parties, nobody wears bow ties in this day in age! Modern and chic are by-words for the 21^st century, where classy formalwear is being worn from your D&G’s, Louis Vuitton’s, and fashionable high street labels.

With its formal links, this is where the snooker could attract a reciprocal partnership with the fashion world for extra awareness and sponsorship. It is clear the fashion industry constantly looks to keep its finger on the pulse where trends and designs are concerned. If snooker can appeal to a young audience, the fashion companies may what to tap into this market by using snooker with the theme of ‘look smart play the part’ facilitating this avenue. Surely this would help transcend the game’s public appeal.  

The crowd interaction over the course of the day was a welcomed addition to the proceedings, to an otherwise sedate library-like environment that the players usually perform in. Though, the powers that be should be mindful if not moderated carefully, this could easily lead to a raucous and hostile mob distracting players during play, and an unwarranted reputation that detracts both young, old, and families.    

All things considered, Power Snooker would never replace the long established form of the sport, and when listening to its creators it is not intended to be either. Plaudits must be given to Barry Hearn for leading the charge and being audacious in trying to apply his Midas touch, in the same fashion that he has done for darts. However Power Snooker may not have hit the mark, well not yet anyway. 

It is clear to see that the game was made for (and in part, by) Ronnie O’Sullivan who won the inaugural tournament, as a certain swagger is needed to be a true success in this version. Is there an abundance of players that possess this to elevate its profile? That is a contentious point. Needless to say I do envisage from watching its vibrancy, Power Snooker could run parallel to its established bigger brother. If successful the game could engrave its own individual identity with a series of events, global tour, or even its own unique world championship. Filling a void and catering to a market left absent from fellow cue sport pool, and traditional snooker. Following a similar path to what Twenty20 has done for cricket, and what Rugby Sevens has achieved rugby union. 

Either way despite its possible prospects Power Snooker made for an interest spectacle at the very least, it just remains to be seen whether its power has proved popular enough to even have a future.