Ronnie is in Macau where he has been playing an exhibition with Si Jiahui. Before the match between the two pros, Ronnie played some members of the public. Ronnie beat Si by 2-1.
They are at the Wynn Palace in Macau and they have been spoiled!
Here are a few images … welcome sweets, great food, transport, venue … everything is top class.
I have mentioned this already but … I can’t remember a post-season with so many exhibitions and quite lucrative ones too. I can only suppose that this is the result of changes in the players contract. It has been a great success and it’s not just about Ronnie, a lot of other top players have been doing them as well.
Evidence of the success … Some more are already booked for 2025!
Those two will take place in mainland Europe:
It has been announced that the recently retired but hugely popular Rolf Kalb will be the MC at the Hamm exhibitions! And the exhibition cup in Helsinki will carry 250 000 Euros in prize money!
But that’s for next year … next week Ronnie will be coming back from Asia and will play more exhibitions … with Gary Wilson in Tampere, Finland and with John Higgins in Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria
Ronnie O’Sullivan: An evening with a snooker legend
Snooker legend and indisputable king of the sport, Ronnie “the Rocket” O’Sullivan, is coming to Tampere!
05.06.2024
Information
Tickets starting €69
Tampere Hall presents snooker lovers with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the snooker player whose achievements and fast style of play have captured the imaginations of audiences unlike any other.
Matches start Mon 8 p.m. and Tue–Wed 7 p.m., best of 11, length approximately 2 hours 30 minutes.
Snooker legend and indisputable king of the sport, Ronnie “the Rocket” O’Sullivan, is coming to Tampere! Special Guest: Gary ”The Tyneside Terror” Wilson
Snooker lovers have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness Ronnie O’Sullivan, the snooker player whose achievements and fast style of play have captured the imaginations of audiences unlike any other, play at Tampere Hall from 3 to 5 June 2024.
As a player, the English O’Sullivan is second to none: seven World titles, eight UK Championship titles, eight Masters titles, 23 Triple Crown titles, and no fewer than 40 ranking titles. O’Sullivan has achieved over one thousand century breaks over the course of his career, 15 of which have been 147-point maximum breaks.
Veteran top-level player and current world number one, the 48-year-old O’Sullivan is not only a unique snooker talent, but also one of the most accomplished athletes of our time, able to fascinate even people with little interest in the sport.
This unique event is unlikely to ever happen again, so get your ticket now and secure your seat at an unforgettable show!
To put the finishing touch on this celebration of snooker, the Finnish voice of the sport on Eurosport and Discovery+ Aki Kauppinen will be hosting and providing commentary. The live commentary will be provided by various means, including the same earpiece radios used at the World Snooker Championship. Please note: Commentary is only available in Finnish.
7-8 June 2024 – Ronnie and Higgins in Bulgaria
Българска Снукър Федерация is pleased to announce the visit of legends Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins on homeland once again.
The Rocket and the Wizard of Wishou will play against each other in the WINBET SNOOKER SPECIAl demo event on June 7 at 20:00 in the Kolodrum Hall in Plovdiv and on June 8 at 20:00 in Levski Hall in Sofia.
Tickets will go on sale on the Eventim network on March 11 at 11:47 am. The cheapest will be 60 BGN and the most expensive – 200 BGN.
The demonstration matches of Ronnie O’Sullivan against John Higgins are organized with the support of Plovdiv Municipality and Sofia Municipality. Bulgarian players will also participate in the show.
The Bulgarian Snooker Federation is planning additional events and surprises for fans of Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, and other details about the organization will be revealed later.
Ronnie O’Sullivan will play a demonstration match in Plovdiv for the fourth time, and John Higgins – for the second. The great Scottish made a maximum break of 147 points in the “Colodrum” against Mark Williams in 2018.
In Sofia, the two giants in gentlemen’s sports have visited more often, including for professional tournaments between 2012 and 2016. The Rocket was last in the capital on November 25, 2022 for a demo match against Jimmy White, and the next day the two made a show in Plovdiv.
Don’t forget to check for Kalacs’ comments with more pictures and videos.
Ronnie continues his “China Tour” with Jason Francis and it’s not just for exhibitions.
As reported by WST, Ronnie also took part to the media day to “launch” of the 2024 Xi’an World Grand, a new event that will be played for the first time later during this summer.
O’Sullivan Helps Launch Xi’an Grand Prix Media Event
On the afternoon of May 28th, the press conference for the 2024 World Snooker Xi’an Grand Prix was held at Xi’an SKP Center. Legendary seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, along with over 200 people including representatives from more than 70 brands, guests, fans, and media reporters were in attendance. This event was hosted by Shaanxi Tourism Group and Shaanxi Sports Industry Group.
The press conference was attended by distinguished guests and leaders, including Anthea Heffernan, Regional Cooperation Counsellor at the British Embassy in China; Wang Xiaojiong, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of CBSA; Zhang Wangping, Deputy Director and Party Leadership Group Member of the Shaanxi Provincial Sports Bureau; He Dong, Party Committee Member and Deputy General Manager of Shaanxi Tourism Group; and Mike Ganley, Tournament Director for WST.
Steve Dawson, Chairman WST, and Jason Ferguson, Chairman of the WPBSA, recorded video messages for the press conference. Mike Ganley participated in the guest dialogue session, where he talked about the background for the event to be hosted in Xi’an.
The 2024 World Snooker Xi’an Grand Prix is scheduled to take place from August 19 to 25th at the Xi’an Qujiang Sports Center. Top international players will gather in the ancient city of Xi’an to compete in thrilling matches.
Jason also shared a couple of photos
The second photo is from the 10000 seats venue… Jason also shared this short video:
Before that they were in Shanghai and I never realised that they were doing the exhibition in Disneyland!
And again there is also a short video…
And now they have arrived in Hong Kong
For a sport to really grow big… it needs big audiences and China brings that. That’s why the top players love it there. It may not please the British fans, but it’s the commercial reality. And that’s why it would be good for the sport to have it’s World Championship traveling around the World in big venues, situated in big cities. History and traditions are all well and good but it shouldn’t become an obstacle to the growth and development of the sport, because, it is does, it will kill that sport eventually.
And some more pictures found by Kalacs – thank you Kalacs!
According to automatic translation: Ronnie walking the city, on a film set (looks like a venue to me) and visiting a Temple
I’m very happy to see Sunny back on tour: he’s a hard worker and very good player whose career was impacted by serious health issues. He belongs to the Main Tour.
Thailand’s Sunny Akani and Malysia’s Kok Leong Lim claimed victories at Asia/Oceania Q School event one in Bangkok to secure two-year cards on the World Snooker Tour.
Akani is a familiar face on the professional circuit, having reached two ranking event quarter-finals on his previous spell on tour. The 28-year-old originally turned professional in 2015 and competed for seven years, before suffering relegation in 2022. His attempts to return to the tour have been hindered by illness and Long Covid.
Akani faced Iranian Ali Gharagozlou in the final round this evening. After leading 3-0, Akani was pegged back to 3-2 before he took the sixth frame to emerge a 4-2 victor. That earns him a tour card for at least the 24/25 and 25/26 campaigns.
Akani said: “I was totally drained towards the end there. When I was leading 3-0, I knew I had to focus as anyone can come back and turn the game around if you lose focus. Hats off to Ali for coming back strongly. I’m sure he will be a tough contender in the second event.”
Lim came through a nerve shredding clash with former professional Gao Yang to win 4-3 and earn his maiden tour card.
The victory sees Lim follow in the footsteps of Malaysian compatriot Thor Chuan Leong, who came through last year’s Asia/Oceania Q School.
Event two gets underway tomorrow, with a further two tour cards on the line.
I have to admit that I had never heard about Lim Kok Leong before this event.
The second Asia-Oceania Q-School starts tomorrow as mentioned in the report above.
The second UK/Europe Q-School started today, and you will find the results here on snooker.org .
The day isn’t finished yet at the time of writing.
I didn’t see a thing of it having been without Internet for most of the day.
On Yee again managed to win her first match, albeit helped a bit (or a lot?) by Lady Luck as she fluked the winning black!
Tony Knowles who will turn 69 years of age in two weeks time beat 17 years old Jack Borwick from Scotland by 4-3 … they had met at the same stage, round 1, in event 1 last week, and Jack had beaten Tony by 4-3 that time. Amusing coincidence.. and knowing Tony, I’m sure he was extra motivated today!
The women competed in the Landywood snooker club over the week-end and the outcome of the main tournament, the 2024 Women Snooker British Open, determined who of Mink and On Yee will be on the main tour in the coming season.
Hong Kong China’s Ng On Yee has defeated Mink Nutcharut 4-1 to win the Landywood British Open for the first time in her career at the Landywood Snooker Club.
The 33-year-old came out on top following a day which also included impressive victories against former world champions Baipat Siripaporn and Reanne Evans, as well as three-time UK Championship winner Tessa Davidson en route to the title.
The success represents a third ranking title of the season for Ng – during which she has earned more ranking points than any other player – and a landmark 20th of her career, becoming only the sixth player to reach that milestone.
It would be the fourth time in eight ranking events this season that would see the top two ranked players contest the final, with Thailand’s Nutcharut having triumphed at the US Open and Belgian Open tournaments, before Ng won in Albania.
Nutcharut herself had survived a number of tough matches earlier in the day, first coming back from 0-2 down to Hong Kong China’s Yee Ting Cheung, before winning a high-quality semi-final 4-2 against England’s Rebecca Kenna.
There she would await Ng, who notably overcame 2023 world champion in the last 16, before defeating Tessa Davidson and most notably six-time British Open champion Reanne Evans 4-2 in a closely contested semi-final.
With the opening two frames of the title match shared, it was Ng who would claim the next three frames to run out a comfortable winner and complete a hat-trick of title successes, having failed to capture silverware during the previous campaign.
For world number one Nutcharut there was the consolation of having done enough during the tournament to secure the world number one ranking at the end of the season and with it a fresh two-year place on the World Snooker Tour from the start of the 2024/25 season.
The highest break of the weekend was a run of 92 compiled by Reanne Evans during her semi-final defeat to Ng.
Side-Tournaments
In the Under-21s tournament there was a maiden title triumph for England’s Ellise Scott, who defeated Sophie Nix of Scotland to capture her first WWS title in Landywood. The 13-year-old – who celebrated her birthday during the tournament by also reaching the last 16 of the main competition – impressed throughout the weekend on her way to her first junior success.
For Nix, she would, however, finish the season as the top ranked player for the first time ahead of Bai Yulu and Zoe Killington by reaching the final.
The Seniors side competition was won for a second time in three years by England’s Tessa Davidson after the 55-year-old downed Cheryl Calverley, Louise Jordan and Sarah Dunn to claim glory. The win is Davidson’s fourth consecutive Seniors success on Tour and sees her consolidate top spot in the over-40s rankings.
Finally, the Challenge Cup was won by Scotland’s Sophie Nix after the 15-year-old defeated Poland’s Nikola Broyak 2-0 to make up for disappointment in the Under-21 competition.
World Women’s Snooker would like to thank the Landywood Snooker Club and the staff for their wonderful hospitality throughout the weekend.
The WWS Tour will return for the 2024/25 season with the US Women’s Snooker Open from 9-11 August 2024.
The “underline” highlight was added by me.
Congratulations to On Yee for the win and to Mink for securing her return to the main tour. Both are great ambassadors for Women’s Snooker.
A special mention here for Elise Scott. She just turned 13 this week-end. She plays regularly at the Cuestars Academy, as does her brother O’Shay who is very talented too. That particular academy does A LOT for young players and girls are made to feel very welcome and valued. They have various programs helping young players – girls and boys – to progress through the game. They are very serious, but they know that children learn better when they enjoy the process and that’s what their “pedagogy” is all about: challenges and rewards but above all enjoyment. Bravo to them!
Also, Elise and O’Shay are mixed-race children. We have/had very few black players in our game and I always wondered why. I honestly don’t have an answer but it’s always better when a sport shows itself as truly inclusive and welcoming to all.
The UK/Europe Q-School Event 1 and concluded this afternoon and the Asia-Oceania Q-School Event 1 will conclude tomorrow. After nearly a week of hard-fought competition, four players gained, or re-gained, a two years professional Tour card, and four others are one match away from joining them. The links will bring you to the detailed results on snooker.org.
Artemijs Zizins (17 years old, turning 18 on June, 6) – Latvia), Allan Taylor (39 years old – England), Haydon Pinhey (27 years old – England) and Wang Yuchen (26 years old – Hong Kong) qualified via the UK/Europe event. Gao Yang (19 years old – China), Lim Kok Leong (29 years old – Malaysia), Sunny Akani (28 years old – Thailand) and Ali Gharahgozlou (? – Iran) came through the Asia Oceania Q-School so far and will play the “telling” match tomorrow.
It’s an interesting group of laureates. From the eight only Allan Taylor was on tour last season. Haydon Pinhey, Lim Kok Leong and Ali Gharahgozlou have never been professionals before. As compared to previous editions, it’s a rather “young” group. as well. I couldn’t find Ali’s age, but from the other seven only Allan Taylor is over 30. Personally, I find this outcome quite satisfying: seven different nationalities and a majority of young players, but not children.
Personally, I am particularly happy to see Sunny Akani (hopefully) and Wang Yuchen getting back on tour.
Of course there were disappointments and heartbreaks. Iulian Boiko didn’t make it … he was beaten by Artemijs Zizins in round 3. I hope that, with Ken Doherty at his side he will be able to overcome the disappointment and stay positive. He’s had a lot to cope with over the last two years, on and off the table and he is still very young.
I would have loved to see Luo Hong Hao, the “virtuoso”, back on tour. He lost to Gao Yang in round 4. He’s only 24 and an interesting personality. He’s an artist and comes across as a free spirit. I like that.
Florian Nüßle was beaten in a decider in round 5 … He’s had his share of good runs ending in disappointment this season: he lost, in a decider in the SF of the 2024 European Championship, to Robbie Mc Guigan the eventual winner. He lost in the SF of the Q-Tour Global Play-off, to Duane Jones, the eventual winner. It’s just not quite happening for him.
I was disappointed that, other than On Yee, there was no woman in the draw. I have quite ambivalent feelings about the Women’s Tour being a qualifying route for the main tour. It does promote the women in snooker and has given them visibility but the level isn’t high enough. The women playing in that tour are not exposed to the kind of level required from professionals. As a result, those who qualified through that route didn’t perform well on the main tour … and that, in turn, gave ammunitions to those who see women as “inferior” and claim that none of them will ever succeed at professional snooker. Social media are full of such guys … alas.
We start it all again with “events 2” in a couple of days.
Meanwhile quite a number of top pros have been involved in exhibitions since the World Championship. I don’t remember we ever had so many going on at this time of the year. Maybe the changes in the players contract give the top players a bit more freedom than in the past.
About “exhibitions” and the so called “breakaway tour” there was an interesting interview with Kyren Wilson, our new World Champion. It is reported in the Finnish press: (automatic translation – highlights by me)
The snooker world champion’s gesture to a Finnish woman melted the hearts of the Helsinki audience – “The audience was amazing”
Kyren Wilson, who won the world championship at the beginning of May, organized a show at the invitational tournament in Helsinki’s Kulttuuritalo.
The biggest invitational tournament in Finnish snooker history started on Saturday in Helsinki’s Kulttuuritalo.
The 1,400-seat arena was packed to the brim when the Englishman Kyren Wilson, who was recently crowned as the snooker world champion, met the Welshman Ryan Day, who advanced to the 2nd round of the World Championship .
Seeing the snooker stars was a rare experience for many in the stands, which became a memorable one for one lucky person. Such a moment was seen in the stoppage of the match between Wilson and Day, when Wilson had decided the 4–3 victory.
When there were only a few balls left on the table, Wilson asked the Finnish woman sitting in the front row to stand next to the table and a moment later asked her to pocket the last black ball (video as the main image of the article).
Although the woman did not succeed in bagging, the audience rewarded Wilson’s gesture and the woman’s attempt with thunderous applause.
The audience was amazing, Wilson praised.
A new start from Finland
The 32-year-old Wilson won his first career world title at the Crucible Theater in Sheffield, England on May 6.
Kyren Wilson won his first World Cup title by defeating Jak Jones of Wales 18-14 in the final Photo: George Wood/Getty Images
After that, Wilson had never played competitive snooker before the Helsinki tournament. The lack of play was visible at the beginning of the match on Saturday, but after three sets, Wilson bagged hitting streaks of 131, 118 and 85 points. Day’s best breaks were 95 and 77.
Wilson described the previous weeks as crazy.
The World Cup drug doesn’t seem to end, but something new comes every day. I was asked to present the World Cup trophy at the stadium of my favorite team, Chelsea, and I received an incredible reception at my home club and in the local pub.
Kyren Wilson presented the World Cup trophy at Stamford Bridge on May 19. Photo: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
– A party was also organized for me at a local theme park, where 1200 people arrived. This has been one rollercoaster – in a great way, Wilson said.
Amidst the responsibilities brought by the World Cup victory, snooker took a back seat for a while. Mestari said that he focused his energy on his family, which includes his wife and two children.
It has been a pleasure to take my children to school and to soccer tournaments. Do normal things sometimes.
Hot question about the future
Before and during the World Snooker tournament, there was a heated discussion in the sports circles about the current state of the professional tour.
According to rumors heard by Yle Urheilu from several sources, several top players in the sport have received an offer to play on a closed tour covering twenty players, whose prize pool for one season would be one hundred million euros.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, who will arrive in Finland in June, has harshly criticized the professional tour. Photo: Tai Chengzhe/VCG via Getty Images
For comparison: in the season that ended, the professional tour of 128 players managed by the umbrella organization World Snooker had less than 20 million euros in distribution.
I received an offer, but things have changed dramatically in a short time. As world champion, I want to be a good ambassador for snooker. I enjoy being announced on stage as world champion. I’m looking forward to the games on the familiar world tour next season as well, Wilson said.
Wilson dodged a direct question if he believes a closed tour ( Breakaway tour ) will happen.
I really don’t know the answer to this question. My life changed completely a couple of weeks ago. As crazy as it sounds, since then snooker has been the last thing on my mind before arriving in Helsinki.
A wish for Bottas
As for Finland and special wishes, Wilson had a direct answer ready: I want to have a beer with Valtteri Bottas .
After a 4-2 win over Ashley Hugill to reach round three of Q School, Paul Deaville admitted he will have a tough decision to make if he qualifies for the pro tour.
During a successful junior career, highlighted by victory in the 2023 English Amateur Championship and 2024 English Under-21 Championship, 19-year-old Deaville has always maintained an emphasis on education. He is currently in the first year of a three-year university course in Business Sports Management, and has not yet decided whether he would quit the course if he has the chance to turn pro.
“I am juggling my education with snooker to give myself something to fall back on,” said Deaville, who faces Anthony Wall next. “If I get on tour then I don’t know what I’d do. My goal eventually is to be a snooker player. If that doesn’t happen at Q School, I’ve got my second year of university ahead so that takes pressure off. I have practised hard for this, I needed to do that just to give myself a chance. There are still nerves. There are only eight spots here and a lot of good players. The pressure here is different to anything else.”
Riley Powell, a promising 15-year-old from the snooker hot-bed of South Wales, impressed in a 4-3 victory over experienced Peter Lines. From 3-2 down, Powell recovered to take the last two frames and set up a tie with Alex Clenshaw.
“It feels amazing, beating such an experienced player in such good conditions,” said Powell. “At 3-3 I felt calm and just played my game. I might be a bit too young to get on tour because I don’t have that much experience. If it comes, it comes. If not I still have a few more years to try to make it.”
Former ranking event finalist Gerard Greene scored a 4-1 win over Steven Hallworth. Jenson Kendrick came from 3-1 down to beat Edward Jones 4-3, taking the deciding frame by clearing from brown to black. Former Ruhr Open champion Rory McLeod edged out Manuel Ederer 4-3 thanks to a run of 52 in the decider, while former Crucible semi-finalist Andy Hicks saw off Sean Maddocks 4-1.
DEAVILLE PLEASED WITH PROGRESS
Maybe it’s just me but it feels like there is a change in style in those last WST reports, more focus on the player(s) less on the “snooker numbers, scores and breaks”. I like that, as I like Paul Deaville’s attitude.
The player nicknamed “Cruella” by some comes across as an intelligent and mature young man, with a solid head on his young shoulders. It’s a shame that he may have to choose between his studies and his career as a snooker professional. The money list system will leave him with no choice: either he plays in about everything or he will not be able to stay on tour. This is typically a case where a rating system would bring huge benefits, allowing players like Paul to really pick and choose and still maintain or even improve their rating provided they do well in the events they are able to enter. And they wouldn’t come into yje pro tour on zero points either as a proper – and properly run – rating system could encompass both the amateur and pro game.
I watched a bit of Riley Powell in round 1 and the kid impressed me. That said, I’m not sure I want him to turn pro this year. IMO he’s too young and tour is very brutal. We had a number of examples in the past of young talents who were destroyed by the brutality of the system. I’d rather not have more of this and have him to wait for another year or two before turning pro. The “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough” is nonsense as being a pro implies many things, and responsibilities, in addition to what you can do on the table.
On the other hand, I’m very pleased for Jenson Kendrick who after two miserable years on tour showed what he capable of – and made of – at the 2024 World qualifiers. I think that he is capable of building on that and be successful on tour. I hope he get through the Q-School(s). I also hope that Iulian Boiko new approach will prove succesful and that he can get back on tour. He’s just booked his place in round 4…
Most names in that comp are unfamiliar to us, European fans, but Luo Hong Hao and Sunny Akani are both competing in Thailand and I’d love to see them back on tour and on our screens!
The 2024 (UK/Europe) Q-School 1 is into its round 2 now. You can follow all the scores and results on snooker.org. I won’t at this stage try to analyse all the results.
One player involved in this competition is Iulian Boiko who came mighty close to regain his tour card on several occasions over the last two years, but without success so far. Iulian was far too young when he got on tour and the terrible situation his country, Ukraine, is facing can’t have helped the very young man to focus on his snooker. But, if this report by WST is anything to go by, Iulian is maturing and taking the right steps to get his career back on track.
BOIKO SEEKS IMPROVEMENT WITH DOHERTY’S HELP
Iulian Boiko has enlisted the help of former Crucible king Ken Doherty to improve his game as he bids for a successful Q School campaign – and the Ukrainian started strongly with a 4-1 victory over James Burrett.
Boiko, age 18, played on the pro tour from 2020 to 2022 and has since been trying to regain his card. Last year he came so close at Q School, losing in the final round of both events, and the talented teenager remains determined to go one step further this time and then fulfil his huge potential among the pro ranks. He recently approached 1997 World Champion Doherty, a master of the tactical side of snooker, with the intention to develop his all-round game.
“I started working with Ken before the World Championship and I have learned a lot in the last month,” said Boiko, who knocked in breaks of 113 and 66 today as he set up a match with Andres Petrov. “Ken is a legend, he has given me advice and my brain has changed in terms of the way I see the game and which shots I take on. I got in touch with him because I felt I was struggling – I was playing well but not getting results and I was looking for the reason. I am always looking for ways to improve, because you can never say you are good enough. He is helping me with risk management and shot selection but also splitting the balls and positional play. I feel more confident now and we’ll see how it goes this week.”
Florian Nuessle was another who came agonisingly close last year, losing 4-3 to Dean Young in the final round. The Austrian got off and running today with a 4-1 win over Gary Milne.
“The pressure can prevent you from playing well,” said Nuessle “There is a lot at stake and everyone knows that. It’s career changing if you get through – that’s what we are here for. It’s nothing like other amateur events. Losing in the final round last year was my toughest week as a snooker player – nothing has hurt me as much. I was so close, and I felt I was able to get through because I was ready. But I couldn’t do it, and that’s something I have to learn. There will be more situations to come and those are only going to make me stronger.”
Mark Joyce enjoyed a 4-1 win over Ian Martin while Liam Highfield saw off Callum Beresford 4-0. Peter Devlin made a 115 in a 4-2 win over Peng Yisong. Oliver Brown suffered a surprise 4-1 defeat against South Korea’s Lee Deagyu, while Germany’s Umut Dikme saw off Oliver Sykes 4-2. Ng On Yee lost 4-1 to Josh Mulholland while James Cahill went down 4-2 to Simon Blackwell.
I have said this before and I haven’t changed my mind about it: there should be a minimal age to turn pro and it should be (at least) 18. That’s the “official” age internationally accepted marking the transition from “child” to “young adult”. Of course it’s not a switch you turn on from one day to the other.Growing up is a gradual process and it is/was different for everyone of us but laws can’t take every individual into account and 18 has been perceived as a reasonable milestone covering the majority of the cases. I know that Shaun Murphy will disagree, claiming that if you are good enough, you are old enough. Maybe that’s true if you have the close support of your family to get you through the inevitable crises. However most non British players don’t have their families with them and, once again, the UK centric nature of the Tour gives the (or most of the) British youngsters an advantage over the other aspiring young players who may be better than (some of) them but face all sorts of challenges they don’t face: living as expats, overcoming the language barrier, coping with a different culture, different laws … and being away from the support of their families only makes it all even harder. No child should be put in that situation. It’s hard enough already for adults.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 