Joe Perry has called on snooker chiefs to ensure the Shoot-Out remains on next season’s calendar.
The Gent – as he is nicknamed on the tour – believes the recent event which saw Michael Gerogiou crowned champion is the best one ever to be held since it began in 2011.
Recent reports suggest there are no guarantees it will feature again next season though with negotiations with broadcasters and next season’s schedule still being discussed.
“I think it should stay – 100 per cent. I think it won a lot of fans this year and is something we should look forward to,” Perry told The Sportsman.
But the world number 21 is quick to point out that he’s not always been the biggest fan of the format. He said: “I did enjoy it this year. I was one of the people who used to criticise the event, but I stand corrected.”
“I think it does attract new people to the game and if the format was in any doubt, this year has proved that theory wrong.”
The event sparked great controversy last season when it was upgraded to the status of a ranking event. Anthony McGill won it in the first year under these conditions and the prize money he earned from it proved to be crucial in securing his place in the top 16 to give him automatic qualification for the World Championship.
Perry says time is a healer though and that the event should now be more widely accepted.
“You just have to accept it’s not traditional snooker because you only have to win one frame to win a match,” he explained. “I think everyone was caught by surprise by how good this year’s event was. I think everyone’s had a year to dwell on it being a ranking event and get their heads round that and have come back accepted it for what it is.
“I still don’t think people will ever look at it in the same category as other ranking events. I think Michael (Georgiou) might even be a little bit embarrassed to be called a ranking event winner, but there’s no doubt it takes some winning.
“You can probably afford less mistakes than in other events. People say it’s a bit of a lottery, but you have to play some really good stuff to win it.”
One of the event’s key objectives is to generate extra interest in the sport and Perry has seen first hand that it has achieved this.
“Loads of people have been coming up to me in the club this week to talk to me about the Shoot-Out,” he said. “People know who I am at the club but don’t normally come up to me and ask too much about events. They can’t stop talking this week.”
Perry’s run to the quarter-finals of this year’s event in Watford didn’t come without its drama. He was involved in two of the event’s three blue-ball shootouts which happen when two players end up tied on points at the end of their 10-minute frame.
Joe beat Mark Williams in the first, but lost Mark Davis in the next. He said: “It’s not as conventional as the usual re-spotted black, but then this isn’t a conventional event.
“It was great to play in because the crowd were cheering and it was exciting for them.
“It is great fun, but believe me I was right up for it on the Sunday and trying my hardest to win the as I always do.
“Once you’ve got past the first few rounds, you’re into the last 16 and quarter-finals, there’s a trophy up for grabs and the money goes up nicely – I was giving it my all.”
