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Arriving at the O2 Arena I was not sure what to expect. I had read about the rules and knew that the audience was encouraged to interact with the players but I think they took it a little far.
Shouting "Come on!" is one thing, but shouting "Cheat, cheat!" every time a player uses a rest is taking it a little far. The problem with the Indigo club where it was being played in is that the crowd were quite far away from the action and there was a bar right next to the seats, this encouraged people to drink heavily and made them more leery.
I was dissapointed not to be closer to the action considering I paid £75 for my ticket, but this is London I shouldnt of expected much else. If they hold another tournament I would like to see it in a classic snooker venue such as wembley or the crucible and have it so there is more banter between the players and the audience instead of just insane rambling.
Of course O'Sullivan won it, the format was probably dreamt up with his abilities in mind. Ding Junhui came close to winning but missed a crucial pot on a power ball which let Ronnie in. And he kept his momentum going after that and he won with a comfortable margin.
I believe this version of the sport does have a future and it will be held again, but it will never replace regular Snooker, just sit along side it for the short attention spanned amongst us.
Videos from the event: http://www.youtube.com/user/MaximumSnooker
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=247221&id=657584935&l=e3fe425e10
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