Northern Ireland’s Robbie McGuigan is the 2024 European Champion in Sarajevo following an incredible Final where he beat Craig Steadman 5-4.
McGuigan just 19 years of age will now become a Professional Player on the WST in the 2024 – 2025 Season after winning a two year Main Tour Card.
The final could have gone either way and the two players were level no fewer than four times until in yet another deciding frame and McGuigan kept his nerve to pot the final couple of Reds to win the title.
BIH President Senad Pehlivanovic and EBSA President Maxime Cassis with the new Champion
Final Referee from Bosnia and Herzegovina Almedin Hodzic and Final Marker Catalin Cojoc from Moldova
Robbie also received a New Titanium Cue from the Newest EBSA Sponsor ‘little monster’ presented by EBSA General Secretary Simon Smith and EBSA President Maxime Cassis.
Runner Up and Silver Medal winner Craig Steadman
Bronze Medal winner Florian Nuessle from Austria
Congratulations Robbie!
About this competition, a player from England was reflecting on Facebook that, a few years back, when facing an amateur from mainland Europe, the UK players almost always won easily, but things have changed radically. That’s good news to me! All the results are available on snooker.org.
Lei Peifan came from 5-3 down to defeat Vinnie Calabrese 6-5 in the final of the Asia Pacific Open Championship to earn a return to the World Snooker Tour after a one-year absence.
The 20-year-old Chinese player came through a strong field of 90 cueists at the Mounties Club in Mount Pritchard, Australia to regain his professional status less than twelve months after dropping of the tour at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Both Lei and fellow eventual finalist Calabrese stormed through the initial group phase with a clean sweep of victories and an aggregrate frame score of 11-1.
Victories over Adam Waller and Chi Kin Yeung early in the knockout phase saw Lei lose just one further frame as he set up a mouthwatering quarter-final contest with fellow countryman and former WSF champion Luo Honghao.
Lei was able to overcome his toughest opponent thus far as he defeated Luo 4-2, before booking his place in the title match with a 5-2 victory over Hong Kong China’s Wan Nansen Sin Man.
Former professional and recent Q Tour Asia Pacific event winner Calabrese would be his opponent in the final as he lost just four frames in his four knockout matches en route to a meeting with Lei – comfortably defeating fellow Australian Shaun Dalitz 5-1 in the last four.
Calabrese had been in fine form throughout the event, including firing in four centuries and a further sixteen breaks of 50 and over, and he moved to the verge of claiming the Asia Pacific Open Championship title when he moved 5-3 ahead in a race to six.
Lei held his nerve, however, to claim three consecutive frames and dramatically secure both the championship crown and a two-year World Snooker Tour card for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.
Photos courtesy of the Asia Pacific Snooker & Billiards Federation
Congratulations Lei Peifan
Ronnie News
According to Weibo, Ronnie traveled to Xinchang, Shaoxing yesterday to participate in the filming of a film named “Lovely Home”. At the scene Ronnie admitted that this was a completely new experience for him. He also met many fans.
The film, named “Lovely Home” is produced by the Xinchang County Tourism Group and features a scene where the main protagonist competes with the World Billiards best player. The crew invited Ronnie, the current number one, to Xinchang Stadium for the filming. From what transpired, the film is written and directed by Chen Tianyi – who was born in Xinchang – and stars some famous actors such as He Saifei and Zhang Chenguang. The film is a “family drama” about billiards.
Here are some images shared on Weibo:
And, yes, Ronnie travels by train… he often does actually. He finds it more relaxing than dricving.
Today, Ronnie is playing an exhibition in Hong Kong
I haven’t found much about the outcome yet, but some images were shared on Weibo, as well as news about spectators being unhappy with the organisers about the seating…
Yesterday was the “première” of Ronnie’s film, “the Edge of Everything” and, from what transpired, it was certainly a mediatic success with some well known figures attending the event, along with Ronnie’s family and friends.
From what transpired, Judd Trump attended as well. Good on him.
It was not necessarily a treat for O’Sullivan to watch back himself, though, with the documentary offering a really intense look at his life and the experience of competing under the pressure of the World Championship at the Crucible.
The documentary follows O’Sullivan’s campaign at the 2022 World Championship and at times, specifically in the final against Judd Trump, the level of pressure is enormous, with the Rocket admitting he was struggling badly to deal with it.
The 47-year-old says things were actually not as bad as they appear on film and seeing himself in that state was tough to watch.
In a video posted on Instagram, O’Sullivan said: ‘To give you a little insight, it’s quite sort of live, not staged, warts and all. I have watched it and I must admit it was quite weird to watch yourself in them moments.
‘I can honestly say it didn’t feel anywhere near as bad as it looked. It was a hard one for me to watch back. But don’t worry for me, I’m all good, I’m healthy, I feel great, I’ve loved every minute of my life. I do love the pressure, I enjoy it. I thrive in it. I just find it hard to contain it.
‘I’m getting better and I’m learning. It is a skill but I do deliver, evern under the most extreme pressure and you’re going to get to see that in his documentary. Live, not staged, warts and all.’
Clearly seeing himself suffering on screen has had an effect on O’Sullivan, also posting on X: ‘I look back and I think, “wow, how have I got through that?” It’s so important to look after your mental health!’
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything is available exclusively in cinemas across UK & Ireland on November 21 and launches on Prime Video on November 23.
There were a few short snippets of the film shared on social media in the last couple of days.
Also these:
The 2023 UK Championship Qualifiers…
Today, the lat round of the 2023 UK Championship qualifiers will start with eighth matches. They will be covered extensively in “Judgement Day” style.
Veteran Ken Doherty remains on course to reach the last 32 of the MrQ UK Championship for the first time since 2014, as he upset the form book with a 6-4 win over Chris Wakelin in the penultimate qualifying round.
Wakelin was runner-up at the recent Northern Ireland Open but couldn’t reproduce that form as he was knocked out by 54-year-old Doherty, who was runner-up in this event in 1994, 2001 and 2002.
From 2-1 down, Ireland’s Doherty won three frames in a row to lead 4-2. Wakelin battled back to 4-4, but Doherty got the better of the last two frames and now faces a Judgement Day clash on Thursday afternoon with China’s Yuan Sijun, who top scored with 135 in a 6-5 win over Alexander Ursenbacher. All winners on Wednesday and Thursday will go through to the final stages in York, which start on Saturday.
“Chris has been playing well so I was just delighted to be keeping pace with him,” said 1997 World Champion Doherty. “I made some good breaks. I’m as surprised as anyone! It would be fantastic to walk down those stairs at the Barbican, but this game is difficult and the last round here will be tough. I’m still a competitor and I love that side of the game.”
Stephen Maguire, the 2004 UK Champion, showed signs of a return to form in reaching the quarter-finals of the recent International Championship and he rattled in breaks of 124, 75, 140, 77 and 115 in a 6-4 defeat of Ashley Hugill.
Hossein Vafaei fired runs of 133 and 109 as he whitewashed Martin O’Donnell 6-0. Stuart Bingham’s hopes of adding the UK title to his World and Masters crowns will have to wait another year as he lost 6-2 to David Lilley.
Matthew Selt fired runs of 84, 59, 127, 52, 95 and 73 as he saw off Dylan Emery 6-4, wile Anthony McGill top scored with 89 in a 6-3 defeat of He Guoqiang. Zak Surety sprang a surprise 6-3 victory over Scottish Open champion Gary Wilson, while David Gilbert’s top break of 93 helped him beat Julien Leclercq 6-1.
Joe O’Connor made a 68 clearance, from 53-0 behind, in the deciding frame to beat Oliver Lines 6-5. Germany’s Lukas Kleckers, enjoying his deepest run in this event, top scored with 105 as he beat Ryan Day 6-2.
Once again this report focuses mainly on the older players – known figures – and on the UK/Irish winners. Lukas Kleckers is the only “non UK/Irish” winner mentioned despite the fact that Hossein Vafaei, Lyu Haotian, Pang Junxu, Zou Yuelong and Yuan Sijun all won as well.
Meanwhile, this article by the BBC , confirms that Ronnie faces disciplinary sanctions for supporting the “Macau” players. I know that Grump will disagree, and I’m ok with that, but personally, I’m still firmly of the opinion that self-employed players should be allowed to take the best offers for them. WST argument is that their absence is detrimental to their business. Possibly, but why? Mainly because they still rely on UK/Irish players nearing their 50th for their main promotion… as the above article shows again. Those players were always going to age, and, as they near the end of their career, they were always going to look for future opportunities away from the main tour. It’s normal, it’s wise on their part and it was totally to be expected. In addition to that, they should remember how Barry Hearn grew to fame: by taking the then top players for exhibitions/tournaments all over the world and away from the “established” tour. That’s how he grew the game and, as such, he has no right to criticise those “current” players who see opportunities away from the WST tour because that’s exactly what he did at the time and it did the sport no harm, quite the opposite.
Ronnie O’Sullivan documentary finally gets release date on Amazon Prime Video
Phil Haigh – Friday 27 Oct 2023
Ronnie O’Sullivan won his record-equalling seventh world title in 2022 (Picture: PA)
The film documenting Ronnie O’Sullivan’s seventh World Snooker Championship win is finally set for release, hitting cinemas on 21 November, before launching on Prime Video two days later.
The Rocket granted cameras extensive access to his Crucible campaign last year, which helpfully ended with him lifting the world title for a seventh time, equalling Stephen Hendry’s record.
O’Sullivan was followed everywhere in the build-up to the event and throughout the tournament, even wearing a microphone during matches, so ‘Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything’ is set to be an incredible insight into the world of the greatest player the sport has ever had.
David Beckham’s Studio 99 has produced the documentary, with the Manchester United icon involved in live Q&A with O’Sullivan when the film is exclusively released in cinemas, before landing on Prime Video on 23 November.
On his motivation for the documentary, O’Sullivan said: ‘My highs and lows have been well-documented by the media but I felt like now was the right time to do something more definitive – something that I can look back and reflect on as I contemplate retirement.
‘Going into my 7th World Championship I wasn’t sure I had it in me but allowing the cameras in ended up driving me on in many ways and gave me a different perspective.’
The Rocket gave some clues on what to expect during the 2022 World Championships, which eventually saw him beat Judd Trump in the final.
‘I’ve given complete access to the point where if you put a fly on the wall and followed me for 17 days, that’s basically what happened,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘They’ve been in my dressing room, they’ve been in my hotel room before and after matches and sessions. I embraced it because whatever I get involved in, let’s just make it the best I could possibly do.’
He also said before the 2022 tournament got underway: ‘If I’m going to get bombed out in the first round, I couldn’t give a monkeys.
‘The documentary isn’t about me trying to win a world title. If it happens, great. If not they’ll have to put up with a first-round exit. They’re the business guys behind it, I’m just an actor.
‘The reason I’m doing it is because of everything I’ve done in my past. It’s a chance for people to watch someone they’ve followed for years.
‘Let them see the pressure, the stress, the good and the not-so-good
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything is available exclusively in cinemas across UK & Ireland on November 21 and launches on Prime Video on November 23. Theatrical release includes LIVE Q&A featuring Ronnie and very special guests.
The 2022 Masters starts today and here is the last “media” piece I have chosen to share, an article by the always excellent Phil Haigh, reflecting on the recent success of young, non British players and whether the long awaited “change of guard” is finally becoming a reality.
Snooker’s ‘changing of the guard’ will be given an acid test at the Masters
Phil Haigh – Saturday 8 Jan 2022
Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong will take on legends at Alexandra Palace (Pictures: Getty)
In the coming days we will see arguably the two brightest young talents in snooker take on two of the greatest to ever pick up a cue on one of the sport’s grandest stages. Is there really a changing of the guard on the baize? The Masters will help settle that debate.
Snooker has been edging further and further away from being a young man’s game in recent years, with six of the 16 men heading to the Masters in their forties and eight more having celebrated their 30th birthdays.
The only two of the 16 who might get asked for ID in the pub are defending champion Yan Bingtao, 21, and reigning UK champion Zhao Xintong 24; the young Chinese stars that caused big upsets over the last year to claim two of the sport’s greatest titles.
Thanks to their success, and the recent superb form of 26-year-old Belgian star Luca Brecel, there has been talk that the balance is finally starting to tip back towards the younger generation and away from the veterans that have dominated the upper echelons of the rankings for 25 years.
Two of those men wait for Yan and Zhao at Alexandra Palace, with the Masters champ taking on Mark Williams and the UK king facing John Higgins.
Yan won his Masters title behind closed doors in Milton Keynes last year and will be entering an entirely different atmosphere in front of a full and rowdy Ally Pally on Sunday as defending champion.
Will the Tiger earn his stripes once again by overcoming that pressure against the wiliest of old foxes? Williams will not bat an eyelid at the big stage – hopefully he won’t close them all together again – and having won his 24th ranking title this season he still has the quality to beat anyone at 46 years old.
Four-time world champ Higgins is the same age as the Welshman and has been in even better form, despite not lifting any silverware since the Players Championship in February.
The Wizard of Wishaw has been to four finals already this season, and although he has lost them all, his level of consistency has been remarkable.
Zhao has been anything but consistent in his career so far, with the Cyclone storming to victory at the UK almost completely out of nowhere, competing in and winning the only final he has ever played in.
If he can topple the Wizard at Alexandra Palace then the Cyclone will look a lot more like a lasting disaster for the other top players rather than a brief but destructive gust through York.
The third, and most famous, member of the Class of 92 also faces the challenge of a younger man on his way up in the game rather than down, but one that is more illustrative of the lack of guard changing on the baize in recent years.
Jack Lisowski has the task of downing Ronnie O’Sullivan at the Masters, something that would go down as one of the most significant wins of his career so far, despite that career already lasting over a decade.
Jack Lisowski is still working to fulfil his immense potential (Picture: Getty Images)
At 30, Jackpot is still seen as one of the exciting young players in the sport yet to claim a ranking title, but with most pundits expecting one or many more to come.
Rarely in sport would someone in their fourth decade be viewed as a youthful hopeful, but such has been the lack of teenage talent in recent years that the likes of Lisowski, Judd Trump and Kyren Wilson have held onto their ‘young player’ tags far longer than they should have.
The emergence of Yan and Zhao should finally remove the label of youth from their elders, but they will have to start beating the seasoned campaigners on a regular basis for a changing of the guard to really take hold.
WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson does not think we are seeing that change just yet, with the veterans still too good and the next big wave of talent not quite ready to take over.
‘I think we’ve got a while yet,’ Ferguson told Metro.co.uk. ‘I don’t think we’re quite there yet, but it is coming.
‘I always look back over the years, people saying, “This game’s finished when Alex Higgins finishes” and then Jimmy White came along. Then the same thing about Jimmy stopping but Ronnie O’Sullivan came along.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is still going strong at 46, winning the World Grand Prix in December (Picture: Getty Images)
‘There’ll always be new stars and new talent coming through and it is coming. There are young players coming through but I think the next big wave is a little bit young at the moment.
‘I think what I see in snooker is how people’s minds mature and become so mentally strong over a long period of time. John Higgins is just incredible, mentally unbelievable. Mark Williams has still got incredible timing, incredible delicate touch, they’re just not showing any age at all.
‘I think they’ve got a few years yet, these boys, but they aren’t going to be around forever.’
Former world champion Shaun Murphy, who turns 40 this year, is also not sure about any guard changing just yet, and doesn’t think it will come until the fabled trio of O’Sullivan, Higgins and Williams put away their cues for good.
‘I think that’s something I hear quite a lot when you see newer players coming through,’ Murphy told Metro.co.uk.
Murphy is far from convinced about any guard changing just yet (Picture: Getty Images)
‘”Changing of the guard” has been said for donkey’s years. I’m not sure the guard will fully have changed until the Class of 92 will leave the rest of us alone.
‘When are they going to retire?’ Murphy laughed. ‘Can we throw a big party for them? I feel like they’ve outstayed their welcome, can we get them a nice carriage clock or something?
‘I’m not sure the guard will have changed fully until those guys leave. But it’s great for the game when somebody like Luca Brecel starts showing his full potential, obviously Xintong winning the UK is massive for the sport, not just for him, but in terms of growth in other parts of the world.
‘If we weren’t in a pandemic, I’m sure we’d have seen an explosion of interest again in the Far East. Hopefully that momentum will last when we come out of what has been a terrible two years.’
The Magician knows as well as anyone how tricky it is to play the likes of Williams and Higgins on the big stages, but he has seen what Zhao can do, not just at the UK Championship, but this week at the Championship League when he played eight matches and won the lot.
Murphy won the UK himself back in 2008 and knows just how good Zhao will be feeling going into the sternest of tests against Higgins at Ally Pally.
‘That’s the acid test, two of the best players of all time will put these two lads through their paces and we’ll get to see,’ said Murphy.
‘If the way Xintong has started this year is anything to go by, in the Championship League, then it looks like there’s more of the same to come.
‘When you win a big tournament like the UK you feel like you’re walking on water, you can clear up from anywhere, nothing’s beyond your reach. I hope he rides that wave for as long as he possibly can because eventually that momentum will end, so I hope he enjoys it because it’s a very special feeling.’
It will be another very special feeling for the hugely talented twenty-somethings if they can oust the legends from the Palace and start to convince a few more people that a change really is coming.
The Masters first round draw and schedule
Sunday 9 January 1pm: Yan Bingtao vs Mark Williams 7pm: Neil Robertson vs Anthony McGill
Monday 10 January 1pm: John Higgins vs Luca Brecel/Zhao Xintong 7pm: Shaun Murphy vs Barry Hawkins
Tuesday 11 January 1pm: Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Jack Lisowski 7pm: Mark Selby vs Stephen Maguire
Wednesday 12 January 1pm: Judd Trump vs Mark Allen 7pm: Kyren Wilson vs Stuart Bingham
Well, I do think that something IS happening here and now. For years there have been talks about brilliant young prospects, nearly all of them British or Irish, but none of them have delivered despite being massively favoured by the UK centric structure of the main tour. But now we are in a situation where two out of three of the “Majors”, two out of three of the “Triple Crowns” are held by young Chinese players.
The last UK Championship final was competed between two young players: Zhao is 24, Luca is 26. We have to go back to 2011 to have another UK final competed between two under-30 players, and for the first time in the long and prestigious history of the event, none of te finalists was British/Irish.
We have a similar situation with the Masters. The only ever Masters final competed between two non British/Irish players dates back to 2011, when Ding Junhui beat Marc Fu, and to find a Masters Final competed between two under-30 players we have to go back in time as far as 2012, when Neil Robertson defeated Shaun Murphy.
Early 2011 was also the only time before now when two of the “Triple Crowns” where held by non British/Irish players, with Neil Robertson being the reigning World Champion and Ding being the Masters Champion.
Ding’s successes inspired a new generation of young Chinese players, but his “status” as a national icon in China has also held them back for a long timeI feel but this is changing now.
So, signs are there that it’s “coming” indeed and what happened in York in December is exceptional… for now. Is it an “anomaly”? A “one-off” ? Or is it a sign of things to come? I believe and hope it’s the latter.
Episode 159 of the Snooker Scene podcast is out and can be found here.
Dave and Michael discuss two main themes: the ranking system and the BBC “Gods of Snooker” series.
Regarding the rankings, basically they believe that the current system is too top-heavy and that, with Barry Hearn retiring, now is a good time to maybe reconsider it. I agree.
David Hendon actually comes up with a proposal, and here it is provided I understood it correctly:
Each event should be classed in a category, depending on the prize money available for the winner of the event. A category or “band” woud be associated with a “range” of prize money. For instance: “500000 or more”, “200000 to 499999”, ect …
In Dave’s proposal, each category would be associated with one of the snooker colours, the black category being the most prestigious, the yellow category the less prestigious.
Within a category, all events would carry the same amount of ranking points at every stage, in effect “decoupling” the ranking points and their repartition from the prize money. The idea being to make the system less top heavy and to have a certain level of harmonisation between events when it comes to rankings.
I would be 100% in favour of that, with one additional “twitch”: the bands should not be solely about the money but also about the format and matches length. Similar efforts should be rewarded in similar ways. If some lunatic were to offer one million to the winner of the Shoot-out it wouldn’t make the event worth of the “Black band” with huge ranking points in my views, mind you, it would not change my opnion that it simply should never be ranking.
Also, first round losers should still get some money, as they did contribute to the tournamen, did bring value to the sponsor and broadcasters. At the very minimum, playing should not cost them. “Decoupling” money from ranking points may help to get this idea through as giving them something for their work and efforts would not impact the rankings in any way.
Their other main subject was the BBC “Gods of Snooker” series which they praised. I managed to watch all three episodes and I agree: it’s interesting, with lots of material I had never seen before especially in episodes 2 and 3. Also, for once, Alex Higgins wasn’t presented as a “victim” of the system. Whilst his impact on the sport can’t be denied – he changed snooker, and its image foerever and made it what it is today – as a person he was far from “great” and Michael McMullan, who is Northern Irish himself was clear about his opinion that Alex Higgins went away with a lot, far too much actually. I can’t agree more.
Despite its obvious qualities, this is yet another BBC feature focusing on snooker’s past and David was left wondering how and why the BBC always refused to do a feature about Ronnie for instance.
Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins was seen as the wild man of snooker in the 1980s
Is there a more dreary game to watch than snooker?
Men dressed as waiters push little balls around a table in dead silence for days at a time; as a sleeping aid, it’s probably second only to being hit with a tranquilliser dart while listening to Douglas Ross read Atlas Shrugged.
Yet, in the 1980s, snooker was more rock’n’roll than even rock’n’roll. Well, it was the days of Spandau Ballet.
Gods Of Snooker was a fantastic look at the years when seemingly everyone, high on colour televisions, became obsessed with the parlour pastime.
There seemed to be something about the game that sent the players slightly snooker loopy.
Alex “Hurricane” Higgins wielded a cigarette more than he did a cue, and sank more lagers than he did difficult pinks.
His rival, the more successful and rather dull Ray Reardon, complained nobody talks about him any more, while Higgins is still hailed to this day.
It’s no wonder. Staggering round the table playing cavalier snooker – well, as much as snooker can be described as such – Alex was prone to a rampage away from the table.
Slurred resignations, throwing cues at spectators and threatening to have rivals shot; current snooker wildman Ronnie O’Sullivan looks like Cliff Richard in comparison. They don’t make ’em like this any more.
This isn’t a review, it doesn’t say much about the feature itself and it’s taken as an opportunity to disparage the sport we love. and I’m not sure that the author watched beyond the first episode, if that. I’m the one who put the “bold” highlight.
Judd is rigth that there is too much focus on the past, and on the UK, and it showed as well in the features WST did in the building of the Q-School: they were mainly about over-40 yo British players trying to regain their tour card. If the sports want to grwo global, and have a future, the focus should be on young aspiring players, and not just the British ones.
Ronnie O’Sullivan threatens to miss World Championship for reality TV
Desmond Kane
Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed he could forfeit the chance to bid for a sixth World Championship due to his business interests off the table.
O’Sullivan has said he could be filming a second series of reality TV programme Hustle in Australia – where he plays pool against local players – when the sport’s biggest tournament begins on April 21 in Sheffield.
He has not missed a World Championship since his first appearance as a teenager at the event in 1993.
“Eurosport events are a priority for me,” said O’Sullivan after his emphatic 4-0 victory over world number 113 Duane Jones at the Northern Ireland Open. “The China events are a priority for me because of my commitment to sponsors.
“If I wasn’t to play in this year’s World Championships, or play in the UK. Or play in any of those tournaments like the German Masters, don’t be surprised. Because I know I can’t play every week.
“For me, I don’t need another UK, another world or another Masters. If my agent thinks it is right for me to go, I’ll go.
” It is a toss up whether I’ll do another Hustle or play in the World Championship in May. I can’t do both. “
“If I do another Hustle, I can’t really play in the World Championship.”
O’Sullivan is the sport’s leading money winner this season having won the English Open in Barnsley and the Shanghai Masters on Saturday. He has also lost finals at the Hong Kong Masters and the Champion of Champions.
“It is good that I’m doing well now because then it doesn’t really matter about the World Championships,” said O’Sullivan. “We’ll just have to wait and see. It is nice to have a safety net.
“I have to prioritise the events I play in. I want to do another Hustle because that is something away from snooker that I can do. There are no restrictions there.
“It is about getting the balance right. 17 days at Sheffield is okay if you win it, but if you don’t win it is a waste of time.
“For me, it is just about managing my time and my diary. I don’t think it is going to be possible to do the show and the World Championships because I have a few things I want to do at the end of May.
“I’ve got some other stuff to do in early June in China. I have a really great relationship with the people in China. It is more important that I put Hustle and that first.”
O’Sullivan has hinted that he would be open to sitting down and listening to a sponsor if there is the incentive of appearance money, a principle World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn has publicly rejected.
“For me, the World Championship is just another tournament. It is about doing what is right for Ronnie, not just being too focused on titles. That is the old me,” said O’Sullivan.
“If the terms are right and we can agree to certain stuff, there should be a way round it. If not, then Hustle is something that is on the table. Everyone enjoyed the last one in America. “
“There is loads of people who want me to do another one in Australia; I have to look beyond snooker. For me, this is just a shop window. It is tournaments rather than doing I’m A Celebrity. It is just keeping playing and having fun.
“I know people want to see my playing snooker, but there are other things I like to do away from snooker. Those are the reasons I’m happy today so why would I turn my back on something that has made me happy?
“If people can get round the table and come to some common sense..but it is difficult sometimes to come to that middle ground. You have to make some tough decisions.
“I probably have to give them six or seven weeks notice before they begin doing their research in Australia. They go out there and pick spots and places to go. Once the wheels in motion, you can’t let them down. Otherwise there won’t be another series of Hustle.
“Once I commit to it, I have to commit to it. If people want me there, they’ll get round the table sooner rather than later because it is never nice to leave it to the last minute.
“It is not just money, there are certain other things. My agent will sit down with me, and we’ll make the decision.”
O’Sullivan thumped Jones in a very one-sided encounter to reach the third round of the tournament and a last-32 meeting with Elliot Slessor on Thursday.
Obviously, as a fan, I want to see Ronnie play at the Crucible and it certainly wouldn’t be the same without him. But, at the end of the day, he’s nearly 42, it’s his life, his career, his future … and his happiness, therefore it’s his decision and his only. I still really hope things get sorted and that somehow he can do both.
And I don’t like the word “threatens”, he’s not threatening anyone.
Not for the first time, the media suggest that a film could be made about Ronnie’s life. It seems that Ronnie has indeed taken a step towards making this a real possiblility. Here is what he told BBC5 today
O’Sullivan told 5 live:
“I’ve sold my life rights away to a company in America and a company in England so it’s down to them now whether they want to produce it or not”.
After being asked who would play him he said Jack O’Connell “is quite up for playing the part” and it would be “fantastic” if it happened.
There are quite a few similarities between Jack O’Connell’s life and Ronnie’s. Indeed both had a troubled youth and both “lost” their father as teenagers, albeit in different ways. Both have Irish ancestry and were raised as Roman Catholics.
Ronnie got it wrong though … Jack is from Derby, not Sheffield, but, hey! It’s only half an hour away by train!
Ronnie O'Sullivan 