JUDD TRUMP has warned snooker chiefs the game could “peter out” if a major change is not made to the ranking system.
Trump is the current world number one heading into the Saudi Arabia Masters which started earlier this week.
The 35-year-old reached the final in his only ranking event this year, narrowly losing 10-8 to Kyren Wilson at the Xi’an Grand Prix in China.
And the result allowed the reigning world champion to close the gap to Trump at the top of the world rankings, with just £25,500 in prize money separating him in third place and Mark Allen in second.
The snooker rankings run on a two-year system so points from each event over the past two seasons are counted.
This means players are always defending the prize money they won two years ago, except for new tournaments like this week’s event in Saudi Arabia.
With £500,000 in prize money up for grabs in Riyadh anyone down to Shaun Murphy in seventh place could become the world number one if they win the Saudi Arabia Masters this week.
And Trump revealed if no changes are made to the rankings the game will become less exciting and fair for players this season.
He said: “I’m not a huge fan of the ranking system, just because of the way the champion in this tournament now is going to kind of dominate.
“I don’t feel the rankings are very true. I feel there’s a lot of tournaments I’ve won in or been very consistent and only just got to number one, which I feel like maybe I should be a bit further in front than what it is.
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“There’s some drama for this week, in that whoever does well is going to win and become number one.
“But then it is just going to peter out a little bit because this event is so big compared to the rest, it’s going to take someone the whole season to try and get the money back.
“So I definitely think more needs to be done to keep the excitement throughout the year.
“The chopping and changing for number one at the moment is kind of, whoever wins Saudi, whoever wins the worlds, is going to be number one.
“Which is probably not a fair ranking system compared to a lot of the other top sports that don’t carry so many points based on one tournament.”
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THE aim of snooker is to clear the table of all balls - and achieving it in an incredible 147 break is the ultimate goal.
The rectangular table features green baize, a baulk line and semi-circle, known as the D.
It has six pockets, four in each corner and two midway down both long sides.
There are 15 red balls which are arranged in a triangular shape.
There are also six colour balls, and the white cue ball.
Each colour sits on its own designated spot at the start of the game.
While red balls are worth one point when potted, the colours all have a different value.
In ascending order these are:
The first player will cue off and must hit at least one of the red balls in the triangle.
If they pot a red, they can then continue by potting a colour.
However, if no red is potted then their opponent will play the next shot – going for a red first.
Each player must first pot a red ball when it’s their turn to play. If nothing is pocketed it is the other player’s turn at the table.
After each red is potted they must then follow with a colour, then a red, then a colour, and so on.
Whilst there are still red balls on the table, the potted colour balls are returned to their designated spot.
Once all the red balls are pocketed, the player at the table must pot the colours in the order as outlined above.
If they miss then their opponent will have the opportunity to clear the table.
A 147 is a maximum break when all reds are potted by one player in one stint at the table.
In order to achieve 147, the player must pot all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points.
They must then clear all the colours, concluding with the black for 27 points.
During play the rules state that the cue must only touch the white cue ball.
The cue ball also must hit the correct colour ball – reds or colours in order.
If it hits the incorrect colour then a foul is called.
If the cue ball fails to hit any ball or is pocketed it is also a foul.
The player’s turn at the table ends if they play a foul shot.
Players are also penalised if they touch any ball on the table with their person.
