THE CHINESE STORM! AND WHY BRITAIN'S NOT DONE YET...
After a few qualifying events (overshadowed by +100 football games) and what is now a pointless Championship League (all credit to Jak Jones for his maiden ranking title, though), the season is finally about to start properly, with the Shanghai Masters next week.
It's fitting to kickoff in China after they have now won the last two World Championships, with Zhao Xintong in 2025 and Wu Yize in 2026. Undeniably we're already living a Chinese storm within snooker and the success of the newest Chinese generation will only drive that forward. That reaises debates all around on whether the UK has a response to that and how the British feel like they're losing grip on the sport that was so overwhelmingly dominated by them in previous decades.
Particularly, I don't really care much about players' nationalities, and the fact that we have great young talent coming in good numbers is exciting to me as a fan regardless from where they're from. Still, I think it's a good topic to address and one that I might have a different view of it than the British.
First I've got to say that snooker has a foothold in the UK that is difficult to set apart. It's where the professional game was born, it's where huge broadcasters show it on TV, it's home to the WST, and it's where all three Triple Crown events are held since the beginning of times.
Are there fewer young British playing the sport than there were in the 80s? Of course. But I think, proportionally, that's the case with every sport everywhere. Kids leave the house a lot less nowadays and there are so many other entertainment activities (especially on screens) that compete with sports in general (especially with snooker that's always been a bit too skillful and complex to start with).
Are there less academies and less amateur events? Yes and no. We can't argue that there are fewer academies, especially when compared to the rate they're getting built in China, but still when compared to the rest of the world, UK is second only to China in having the most and the best facilities to play the game.
The amateur scene is not what it used to be, but the UK - particularly Sheffield - is still home to the top amateurs who seek a career in snooker. It's also home to most Challenge Tour, WSF and QSchool events.
And that momentum is building. The World Championship is bigger every year, we have 11 ranking and 2 major invitational events scheduled in the UK this season, Big Break is back, and WST is investing in getting more young British playing.
The momentum from China is inevitable. The love for the sport is at an all-time high there and because of their massive population they come in volume (there's more people playing snooker in China than living in the UK). But will they ever dominate the sport like the British did in past decades? Well, I don't think any nation will ever do that again - and I think that's great for the sport.
The most successful players from China so far - including the four who have won Triple Crown events - all live/lived in Sheffield. The city still is the snooker capital of the world, where most talent gathers. I think that alone will help the rest of the world to stand up to the Chinese Storm.
And I think some of that was on display during this World Championship already. The youngest debutants were Stan Moody (19) and Liam Pullen (20) from England, followed by Poland's Antoni Kowalski (22).
China now has five of the Top 16 players, and the UK has ten. My prediction is that in time we'll see that number from China grow to about 8-9, with the rest of the top 16 composed not only by British players but by players from all around the world. The west can still compete, and the extension of the Crucible deal for another two decades will certainly help on that.
Now, will that downward curve of British players among the top decrease UK's interest in the sport? If we get to a point where all top 10 players are not British and we go to the World Championship without giving the local players a slight chance, then yes - the interest would be low. But as I've expressed above, I don't think that will be the case and I think that competition might even increase the public interest. We'll arrive at the next World Championship three years from when a British player last won it, but with many still amongst the main contenders - that expectation in itself can bring the attention in like never before.
And then finally (although I might've written enough by now already) I'd like to discuss whether there's a current young western talent on tour good enough to rival the great talent from the east, like Wu Yize who's just won the World Title at 22.
During this year's World Championship I was quite impressed with Stan Moody's Crucible debut, but I was also surprised that speaking to people in Sheffield most of them didn't think he's at the same talent level as Wu Yize or Zhao Xintong, for example. In other words, he's not a good enough response to the talent coming from China (by the way, I'd like to hear your views on that, too).
Personally, I get where those opinions come from. I don't think Moody wins a World Championship in the next five years. But I think he's got to be given time and that, at 19, he's better than most of the current top players were at his age.
Here's how Stan Moody compares to the top two Chinese and English players currently:
World Ranking at 19:Stan Moody - 37
Judd Trump - 30
Kyren Wilson - 72
Zhao Xintong - 87
Wu Yize - 51
Century breaks on main tour by 19 (approx.):
Stan Moody - 48 (and counting)
Judd Trump - ~60
Kyren Wilson - ~5
Zhao Xintong - ~15
Wu Yize - ~30
Crucible Debut Age (result):
Stan Moody - 19 (lost 7-10 to Kyren Wilson)
Judd Trump - 17 (lost 6-10 to Shaun Murphy)
Kyren Wilson - 22 (lost 7-10 to Ricky Walden)
Zhao Xintong - 22 (lost 7-10 to Mark Selby)
Wu Yize - 19 (lost 3-10 to Neil Robertson)
First ranking title (age):
Stan Moody - ?
Judd Trump - 21
Kyren Wilson - 23
Zhao Xintong - 24
Wu Yize - 22
First triple crown title (age):
Stan Moody - ?
Judd Trump - 22
Kyren Wilson - 32
Zhao Xintong - 24
Wu Yize - 22
Naturally I understand the bigger challenges that players from abroad have to face on tour, and that's why I brought Kyren's and Trump's numbers up as well. Anyway, my point is that Moody - although yet to gain public confidence - is in an elite league of talents.
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