Firing on All Cylinders

I have watched a little snooker lately, and am mightily amused by the way Liang Wenbo, the latest Chinese sensation, plays.

This kid definitely has talent, and is always aggressive when it comes to potting. More than often the potted balls would go straight into the pocket. Yet not infrequently, he would miss his pots and the resulting ricochets would leave behind a mess on the table.

Snooker has always been a conservative sport. Players play in vest and bow-ties, and only recently are they allowed to take off their bow-ties when competing in some of the lesser tournaments.

Players are mostly conservative too. They all take their time before making a shot, and we often see a player taking ages to deliberate what the best possible shot is. It appears that not giving a good thought before making a shot and thus creating a mess on the table is a cardinal sin.

But not for Liang.

Liang always shows signs of impatience, which is fitting for his age. When he sees the faintest of opportunity, he simply pounces on it, regardless of how tight the angle is, or how many balls are involved in the combination shots. Such attack-mindedness, audacity and creativity have never been seen before in the snooker scene. Even the impetuous Ronnie O'Sullivan in his earlier years knew when to play a defensive shot.

And Liang is probably the first snooker ever to display any joy and excitement during a match, when his waved his fist and let out a big yell in the deciding frame against Joe Swail in the last 16 of this year's World Championship. However, his premature celebration almost turned into one of the biggest embarrassments of all-time when he missed his next shot, only for Swail to fail to capitalise.

Of course, luck was definitely on his side when his missed shots somehow avoided presenting opportunities to his opponents during his run in the World Championship. TV coverage more than once showed the frustration of his opponents for the mess, but not any chances, he had left behind on the table.

I just hope that his cavalier approach will give him major victories before his luck finally runs out.