‘Incredible’ – Neil Robertson lands audacious cannon in 2022 English Open semi-final against Mark Selby

A few years ago at the World Championship former room-mates Neil Robertson and Mark Selby met in what was billed as a titanic clash between two of the game’s best.

However Robertson couldn’t get any kind of fluency as he tried to combat Selby’s defensive game with a more cautious approach, losing 13-7 in the end.

Speaking afterwards Robertson said that would be the last time he played like that against his former roomate-mate, saying he will stick to his traditional attacking approach.

He has stayed true to his word, winning each of his last seven meetings with Selby and at the interval of his semi-final against Selby at the 2022 English Open he was 3-1 up.

In the fourth frame he crashed in a mammoth ton of 141 but it was in the third frame that he produced some real moments of magic.

It started when Selby missed a blue and that left Robertson with a tight angle on a red, with a few reds clustered together.

You can see the clip in full in the video at the top of the article.

Watching on commentary as Robertson sized up the various options Joe Johnson said “He could be looking, you know, at taking the red in off the red.”

And as he spoke Robertson cannoned one of the reds into the other and into the corner.

“Just like that!” Johnson said. “Incredible! He [Selby] thought it was safe, it looked it.”

But later on in the frame there was arguably an even better shot. A poor positional shot left Robertson with a tough shot round the table.

“Well another loose positional shot,” said Johnson. “And this time it’s not quite as straightforward to get to the next red.

“Very difficult to get the cue ball round the table, round the three cushions in and out of baulk but that’s what he may have to play, the red just by the pink spot to the right corner.”

And once again Johnson called it as Robertson hammered his cue through the ball and watched as he went round the table and got into the perfect position.”

“Amazing shot, amazing!” Johnson purred.

His co-commentator Dave Hendon said: “I said they were friends earlier, it’s amazing they still are really, the way Robertson just turns it on against Selby. Look at this, this was just brilliant.”

Watching the replay Johnson said: “Can’t tell you how difficult that shot is, to land it where he did.

“Yeah you can send the cue ball round the table but for it to land absolutely perfectly on the next red, superb shot.”

Speaking in the Eurosport studio in the mini-interval, Jimmy White said: “That shot Rach, you’ve really got to go through the cue ball, get a lot of top spin.

“He’s in really good control of the white, it’s come off three cushions, come perfect on the reds on the pink spot.”

Fellow pundit Neal Foulds addedL “Very difficult for anyone that doesn’t play the game well – the cue speed is what it’s all about.

“Someone like Judd Trump will play that shot well, and you’ve got to get the cue moving through the ball, and it’s hard to do that in a straight line, put it that way.”

During the interval White got out his cue to have a go at it in the Eurosport shots recreated series.

Foulds explained “I think it’s all about cue speed. You’ve got to be able to play the game in the first place, but that cue has got to come through at alarming pace. Judd Trump does it well, the man on my left Jimmy White can do it, but some players don’t have the ability to make that cue travel so quickly and generate all the top spin and all the pace. It’s a lovely shot and it’s ever so well controlled as well, but I know a man who can play that shot as if it’s nothing”.

White smile and replied “Thanks, I’ll get the curry tonight.”

Foulds however interjected “He’s not here tonight, though unfortunately, so Jimmy will have to do it instead.”

A laughing White replied “You used to be my mate!” before turnign to the shot “It’s all about pace. You don’t want to hit it too hard because then you might collide into a baulk colour.”

White then took the shot and reproduced it superbly.

Foulds said “What I’d say about that is that if you stun it too much it can go wider, and it can hit the yellow as you point out. You mentioned the bolt colours are in play, especially the yellow.”

To which White replied“Absolutely, if you hit it too hard you widen the angle and then you can glide into a bolt colour. It’s all about going through the cue ball and hitting it perfectly – like I just did. It was a great shot by Neil Robertson in live play.”

Presenter Rachel Casey said White got a 10/10 for his effort, with Foulds agreeing with that score.

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