The snooker season is winding down towards the end of the year (thank god!). It’s about time I released an easy article to make people feel at ease before we gorge ourselves in turkey, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, bread sauces and brussels sprouts (I actually like them, fight me).

Anyway, five more shots that I like and that are important or crazy and many things. All before we move onto 2019, a year which I am seriously looking forward to. Let’s do it!

Stuart Bingham vs. Judd Trump (2015 World Championship)

This particular shot haunted me for a good few days, to be honest. Stuart Bingham was on a roll, beating Graeme Dott and Ronnie O’Sullivan. However, Judd Trump was also on very good form, easing past Marco Fu and thrashing Ding Junhui 13-4. This made Trump the favourite and yet, because it is the Crucible, things are made much more interesting!

Trump initially lead at the start of the match but since the, he was playing catch-up when Bingham grabbed the bull by the horns, even leading by four frames. Trump forced the decider by making two century breaks and suffered a kick in the final frame. By god, Bingham then took advantage….

Bingham then made a break and then took on this ballsy plant to position himself for the black. In the decider of the World Championship semi-finals, where he must be twitching like made in conditions that he was unfamiliar with, it’s a brilliant shot. Yet, he went on to win the World Championship. Who would’ve thought?

Mark Williams vs. Andrew Higginson (2010 Welsh Open)

Absolutely no story at all. There’s a theme in every one of these articles there is just a lovely shot. This time, it is by Mark Williams with a perfect double, resulting in woops and cheers from the crowd and a lovely smile from Andrew Higginson’s face.

That’s all I got from that one.

Ding Junhui vs. Marco Fu (2011 Masters)

Here is another little beauty on a very special occasion. Not only is this the Masters final, but it is the first ever final with two Asian players, in this case, China’s Ding Junhui and Hong Kong’s Marco Fu. We have all talked about the frames and the moments where the match turns on its head and this one is a perfect example of that.

You can see from the above that Ding is 6-4 up against Fu, but Ding needs one snooker to give him any chance of winning this frame. Instead of potting the pink, Fu played it safe, only for Ding to play this fabulous snooker. Fu ended up not only missing the pink, but potted the white ball as well, leading Ding to pot pink and black to win the frame.

Commentator John Parrott described this frame as “pivotal with a capital ‘P'” and it proved to be the case. Fu failed to win a frame after that, leading Ding to become the first Asian player to win the Masters, winning 10-4! Here is a portion of that frame by clicking here.

Rory McLeod vs. Tony Drago (2011 Snooker Shoot-Out)

Again, this is one of those moments where you fall in love with the sport. It was at the Snooker Shoot-Out (the time when it had non-ranking status). It was the last 10 seconds and McLeod had to hit and hope on the black to win the round and he did it in style.

This was followed by the commentator shouting ‘INCREEEEDIBLE!” WHILE Rory McLeod and Tony Drago have a sporting hug. How lovely!

Stephen Hendry vs. Ronnie O’Sullivan (1997 LV Charity Challenge)

I chose this shot because this is the first red that led to Stephen Hendry’s fourth maximum of his career. Stephen Hendry himself also listed this shot as among the best five shots in his entire career in his book “Me and The Table“. It’s a very good book – I would highly recommend it.

Before this frame, Hendry was storming ahead at 4-0 and 8-2 ahead, before Ronnie O’Sullivan hits six frames in a row to force a decider in a high-quality final. He went on to do something that has never been done before – a maximum in a deciding frame. As Rex Williams said in Hendry’s book, “I thought miracles stopped happening 2,000 years ago…..” It isn’t a miracle if it starts off with his trademark shot!

This shot is special because according to Hendry, both him and O’Sullivan say they played ‘at the very height of our powers’. Seeing two of the best players in the world to play to such a high standard – this is a fan’s dream, isn’t it?