Ronnie is due to play in the 2025 World Grand Prix
Two days ago, WST organised a big press conference in Hong Kong to promote the 2025 World Grand Prix. The event was attended by Judd Trump, the current World Number One, who, like Ronnie, has taken residency in Hong Kong.
Schedule For World Grand Prix Announced At Press Conference
Organised by World Snooker Tour (WST) and F-Sports Promotions Limited, and supported by the Billiard Sports Council of Hong Kong China Limited, the 2025 World Snooker Grand Prix will be held in Hong Kong for the first time, taking place from March 4th to 9th at Kai Tak Arena, Kai Tak Sports Park. The top 32 snooker players of the season will compete for the championship.
Tournament organisers held a pre-event press conference today, attended by world number one Judd Trump and the match schedule was announced. A star studded day one lineup sees the likes of Trump, World Champion Kyren Wilson, Masters champion Shaun Murphy and four-time Crucible king John Higgins in action.
The World Grand Prix is proud of being designated as an “M” Mark event, that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as an international sports event capital. The “M” Mark is awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, for signature events in the territory sports calendar.
An excited Trump remarked: “I really do enjoy every occasion I get to compete in Hong Kong. I love everything about Hong Kong and being able to play here for the first time as a Hong Kong resident is definitely a particularly meaningful event in my career. I can’t wait to experience the vibrant atmosphere, with 5,000 fans cheering at the amazing new Kai Tak Arena.”
Ms. Feng Huanhuan, CEO, F-Sports Promotions Limited said, ” We wish to thank the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Major Sports Events Committee, and all the supporting organisations for their strong support. The new world-class Kai Tak Arena offers an outstanding venue for hosting this event and will undoubtedly provide audiences with an exceptional viewing experience. With Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan both gracing the stage in their ‘new home,’ we are proud to promote Hong Kong on the world stage. Our goal is to bring top-tier snooker events that reflect the community’s passion for the sport, while leveraging Hong Kong’s position as the premier hub for Mega Events. We are committed to advancing the development of sports within the community, supporting elite sports, enhancing sports professionalism and developing sport as a thriving industry while promoting the city as a world-renowned centre for major international sports events.“
The World Grand Prix has been held since 2015 and is one of the premier events on the World Snooker Tour. This year marks the first time the tournament will be hosted outside of the UK, with a record breaking venue size and prize money on offer.
The huge arena capacity means 5,000 spectators will be able to experience this premier snooker event live at the brand-new Kai Tak Arena, making it the most attended ranking event on the World Snooker Tour to date. The total prize money has increased from £380,000 last year to £700,000 this year, with the champion’s prize rising from £100,000 to £180,000.
This will be the first ranking tournament held in Hong Kong since 1989. Notably, Trump and defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will be competing at home after becoming residents of Hong Kong.
On March 8th and 9th, exhibition matches will take place at 11 am. On Saturday, the men’s exhibition match will feature Hong Kong’s top player Marco Fu going up against Jimmy White. On Sunday, the women’s exhibition match will showcase Hong Kong number one and world number two Ng On Yee competing against world number one Mink Nutcharut. Tickets for the exhibition matches will be distributed for free, with further details to be announced later.
The Hong Kong Billiards Sports Academy, a collaboration between F-Sports Promotions Limited and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, located at Kai Tak Mall, will officially open during the tournament.
Public tickets are available through HK Ticketing and Damai, ranging from HK$80 to HK$2,580. There is a special ‘roll-on roll-off’ format for this event, with two consecutive matches in both the afternoon and evening sessions, which means that fans buying a ticket for just one session can watch two matches.
Now, if you follow the link at the end of the article, you will open a page that features a video featuring Ronnie explaining that he took a break bit now feels ready to play in this event and I think he will. Why? Because it’s in Hong Kong, where he’s now a resident and it’s a place he loves. It’s a huge arena and you can be certain that the players will be treated extremely well. How well will Ronnie perform? I don’t really know as he’s facing a daunting task. His first opponent will be Si Jiahui who has beaten him earlier this season. Indeed, Si beat Ronnie by 6-4 in the QFs in Saudi Arabia, in an event where Ronnie certainly wanted to do well. I strongly believe that Ronnie will give it his best in this event, but will it be enough after sitting out so many events? I’m really, really not sure…
The first Disability Snooker World Championship will be held in Thailand next week and it has attracted huge interest
I have been told by one of the participants that some matches will be streamed, likely on Facebook.
Incredible Entry for Inaugural World Disability Snooker Championship!
It has today1 been announced that the first-ever staging of the World Disability Snooker Championship will see an impressive 69 players from 17 countries contest six main titles in Thailand.
Organised by World Disability Billiards and Snooker (WDBS) and the Sports Association for the Disabled of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King (SPADT), the landmark event will run from 23 February – 2 March 2025 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
The opening two days (23-24 February) will incorporate classification sessions for players who have not played at a WDBS event before and optional practice for players ahead of the start of the competition.
The first competitive matches are set to be played on 25 February with the start of the group stages, during which there will also be a spectacular opening ceremony staged to open the Championship.
The Groups
The event will see six tournaments staged, with separate competitions held for players from Groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Due to entry numbers received, Groups 6A, 6B, 7 and 8 will be merged to play a single tournament with 12 players. This is subject to change should entry numbers change prior to the start of the event.
Appropriate points starts will be applied within this group in the interest of fair competition and will be confirmed prior to the start of the event.
Following the conclusion of the group stages, there will also be a Challenge Cup tournament held for players who do not qualify for the knockout stages.
Please note that the draws for the tournament will not be released until 24 February following the completion of new player classifications.
“A fantastic response”
Nigel Mawer QPM, WDBS Chairman said: “We are today delighted to announce such a strong line-up for the first-ever staging of the World Disability Snooker Championship in Thailand.
“To have players from 17 individual countries is a fantastic response and marks a truly international event for disability snooker. It is especially exciting to welcome players from Iceland, Indonesia, Libya, Pakistan and the United States to the Tour for the very first time.
“I look forward to meeting all of the players and officials in Thailand for what promises to be a week to remember.”
The World Disability Snooker Championship runs from 23 February – 2 March 2025 with tournament information to be available via WPBSA SnookerScores.
To be held in Srisaman, Nonthaburi, the landmark event will be organised in conjunction with the Sports Association for the Disabled of Thailand under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King (SPADT) and snooker’s world governing body the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
The first staging of a World Championship comes 10 years on from the foundation of WDBS and represents the latest major milestone in the continued growth of disability snooker worldwide, following snooker’s inclusion at last year’s World Abilitysport Games and the first-ever European Disability Snooker Championship in October.
Format
The event will run across nine days in total from 23 February – 3 March 2025, with the opening two days to include classification and practice days ahead of the start of the first matches on 25 February.
All players must attend from 25 February to be eligible to compete in the tournament.
……
“An Historic Event”
WDBS Chairman Nigel Mawer QPM said: “We are today hugely excited to be able to announce the first staging of the World Disability Snooker Championship in Thailand next year.
“The event will be the biggest ever disability snooker event held and represents a proud moment for all of us who have been associated with WDBS over the past decade.
“Our inclusion at last year’s World Abilitysport Games in Thailand was a week that I will never forget, and it is only fitting that the first ever World Championship will see us return to this amazing country once again.
“I would like to thank the SPADT and the WPBSA for their support of the event, and mostly importantly our players from around the world, without the support of whom the staging of this event would not be possible.
“Our long-term goal remains to secure the return of snooker to the Paralympic Games and this prestigious new event represents another huge step towards achieving that ambition.”
A spokesperson from SPADT said: “We are honoured to host this Championship. We sincerely thank WDBS for trusting Thailand as the host nation.
“We would also like to express our gratitude to the Billiard Sports Association of Thailand for their invaluable support and collaboration, which has been key to ensuring the success of this event.
“Drawing from our experience in organising international sports events for disabled athletes, SPADT is committed to delivering a smooth and memorable tournament. We warmly invite players from across the globe to join us in Thailand for this incredible Championship.
“We hope this competition will be a truly enjoyable and unforgettable experience for everyone involved. May all participants leave with great memories and the famous ‘Thai smile’ that will stay with you forever.”.
The 2025 Welsh Open has started this morning but, before we turn our attention to the last of the “Home Nations” events, let’s take stock of what happened last week-end on the amateur scene, as reported by WPBSA.
Liam Highfield defeated Dylan Emery 4-3 to win the seventh and final WPBSA Q Tour Europe event of the season at the Landywood Snooker Club in Walsall, England.
The victory marks Highfield’s first title on the Q Tour and guarantees his place at the Q Tour Global Play-Offs in Turkey next month where three World Snooker Tour (WST) two-year tour cards will be on offer.
The 34-year-old Englishman, who is aiming for a quick return to the professional circuit after his 14-year unbroken spell came to an end last year, joined the three-day event on the Saturday as one of the 48 seeded cueists at the Landywood Snooker Club.
His campaign began with a tough test against fellow former professional Craig Steadman, who had already reached a Q Tour Europe event final in Sweden earlier in the season. The two players went blow for blow in a high-quality contest but a quartet of half-centuries, including a top break of 92, was enough for Highfield to secure the victory in a decider.
A 4-1 win over fellow countryman Ryan Davies earned Highfield his place in the final day for the fourth time this season and he began the Sunday in style with a whitewash of Josh Thomond to reach the quarter-finals.
Back-to-back 4-2 victories over Kuldesh Johal and Alex Clenshaw, the latter from 2-1 behind, saw Highfield book his place in a Q Tour Europe final for the first time.
Welshman Dylan Emery was his opponent in the title match after he proved to be one of the standout performers across the weekend.
Emery, who won the second Q Tour Europe event of the campaign, compiled the tournament high break of 140 against Anton Kazakov on Saturday evening and followed this up by overcoming former World Snooker Federation champion Ashley Hugill to earn a place in the last eight.
There he faced 14-year-old Shaun Liu, who had provided one of the stories of the event by picking up consecutive victories over former professionals Steven Hallworth and Harvey Chandler.
The Hong Kong China cueist came close to adding another scalp against Emery as he led 3-2 in the best-of-seven frame contest. Emery was able to hold his nerve, however, and take the last two frames before once again showing his battling qualities in the semi-finals to defeat Ukraine’s Iulian Boiko in a decider having trailed 3-1.
It had been a day full of drama and a high standard of snooker at the Landywood Snooker Club and the title match proved to be no different.
In a match that featured a half-century break in every frame, Highfield stormed into a 2-0 lead with breaks of 93 and 69 and then moved one away from victory at 3-1 with a further contribution of 59.
Emery wasn’t going down without a fight, however, and visits of 83 and 87 forced a final frame to decide the victor.
All you want in a decider is a chance and when Highfield’s arrived he took full advantage by hitting a 91 clearance to secure the first Q Tour title of his career.
The 2024/25 WPBSA Q Tour season comes a close next month as the Global Play-Offs are staged in Antalya, Turkey on 11-13 March. Full details will be announced in due course.
Reanne Evans has defeated Mink Nutcharut 4-3 following a dramatic final to regain the Belgian Women’s Open title for the first time since 2019 at the Trickshot in Bruges, Belgium.
Success for Evans represents her second ranking event title of the season following her win at the Women’s Masters last November and is her first outside of the UK in almost six years since the 2019 World Women’s Snooker Championship in Thailand.
Victory in Bruges will also see the 12-time world champion regain third place in the updated world rankings, having been overtaken by Bai Yulu following the recent WSF Women’s Championship in Morocco.
Beaten finalist Mink Nutcharut will remain in top spot following her fourth consecutive final appearance on the WWS Tour – all having come down to a deciding frame – which sees her further extend her lead to second placed Ng On Yee with two events remaining this season.
For Evans the run to the final would not be straightforward as having seen off debutant Diana Khodjaeva in the last 16, she would then defeat home favourite Wendy Jans 3-1 in the quarter-finals, before surviving her first decider against 2020 Belgian Open champion Ng On Yee in the semi-finals.
Mink Nutcharut meanwhile enjoyed relatively smooth passage to the title match as she whitewashed Jaique Ip Wan In, Kamila Khodjaeva and most impressively Anupama Ramachandran, during which she hit back-to-back century breaks of 115 and 107 during the final two frames, becoming the first player to do so in seven years.
It was Nutcharut who would get off to the stronger start during what would prove to be a tension-filled final as she stole the opener with a break of 40, before adding a close-fought second to double her advantage.
The frames would continue to be hard-fought and it was Evans who hit back to level at 2-2, before the next two were shared meaning that for the fourth straight final on the WWS Tour, a final frame decider would be required to settle the title.
Evans would gain the early advantage in the crucial seventh frame, before Nutcharut found herself with a chance to potentially steal and take her third consecutive crown in Bruges. A miss on the final red into the green pocket would ultimately prove costly, however, as Evans made a telling contribution to ultimately clinch the title.
The engrossing final would pull down the curtain on what was a memorable event which saw a number of stories throughout the three days. Notably, talented Belgian duo Diana and Kamila Khodjaeva both impressed in reaching the knockout rounds at their debut event, while 13-year-old Ellise Scott took world number five Rebecca Kenna to a deciding-frame at the last 16 stage. For Kenna, she would find herself on the wrong end of a decider in the next round as she dramatically lost to Anupama Ramachandran on a respotted black.
There was also history made as an incredible break of 138 – the fifth-highest ever on the WWS Tour – by Ng On Yee saw her become only the fourth player ever to reach ten career century breaks, before Mink Nutcharut equalled the feat the following day, with her brace of century breaks during the semi-finals.
Side-Tournaments
There was a second-career Under-21 title for Thailand’s Narucha Phoemphul in the junior competition as the 19-year-old defeated Laura Killington, Sophie Nix and first-time finalist Chan Wai Lam of Hong Kong China to add to her previous crown at the Women’s Masters last November.
It would prove to be a fruitful weekend for the youngster who also claimed victory in the Challenge Cup event for players who did not reach the quarter-finals following her 2-0 success against England’s Ellise Scott in the final.
The Seniors competition held on Friday meanwhile saw current number one Tessa Davidson maintain her stranglehold at the top of the rankings with a 2-0 win against first-time finalist Anja Vandenbussche.
As always, World Women’s Snooker would like to thank everyone who contributed to what is always a popular event in Bruges, in particular Olivier Vandenbohede and his team at the Trickshot.
The 2024/25 season continues with the Landywood British Women’s Open from 28-30 March 2025 in Bruges. Enter now via WPBSA SnookerScores.
Note that I cited the last sentence as it was written at the time I copied the text, but the Landiwood British Open is due to be played in Walsall, England, according to WPBSA Snooker scores … not in Bruges as written in the piece above.
Thailand’s Mink Nutcharut hit back from 1-3 down to defeat world champion Bai Yulu 4-3 in a thrilling finale at the WSF Women’s Championship in Saïdia, Morocco.
Victory for the 25-year-old represents her second world ranking title win following her win at the Australian Women’s Open last October and continues a remarkable streak that has now see Mink lift the first title of the calendar year during each of the previous four years (2022-2025).
The title is her ninth world ranking event win overall, which sees her join an illustrious list of the top 10 most successful players of all-time on the World Women’s Snooker Tour, alongside Reanne Evans, Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher, Karen Corr, Stacey Hillyard, Ng On Yee and Maria Catalano, equalling the tally of both Lynette Horburgh and Mandy Fisher.
For beaten finalist Bai, the 21-year-old can take the consolation of a new career-high world ranking position of number three, as she moves above England’s Reanne Evans for the first time. The Chinese star has now reached six finals from her eight tournaents contested to date, winning three.
Following a week of snooker in Saïdia the final came down to a repeat of last season’s World Championship final, which had seen Bai claim a memorable triumph 6-5 on the final pink.
The reigning world champion player made the stronger start in their latest encounter as she hit breaks of 49, 41 and 32 on her way to a 2-0 lead, before the next two frames were shared as Bai moved to within one of claiming her second trophy of the season following victory at the UK Championship.
World number one Mink had other ideas, however, as she produced her highest break of the match with a run of 65 to reduce her arrears to one frame, before she added the next to force a seventh and deciding-frame.
Both players had opportunities but it was Mink who took an early lead with a run of 36, before a nerveless long pot on the brown, followed by blue and pink ultimately proved to be enough to avenge her defeat in Dongguan Changping last March.
Mink also hit the highest break of the event with her run of 80 during the round robin group stages, eclipsing the maximum attempt of Bai which ended on 73 during her quarter-final win against Narucha Phoemphul.
CHALLENGE CUP
The Challenge Cup tournament for players who did not reach the quarter-finals was won by Hind Bennani of Morocco, who defeated Yasmine Eythrib 2-0 to lift her first WWS Tour title.
Bennai, who has previously competed at the UK Championship and Belgian Open tournanents, did not drop a frame as she saw off Soukaina Alouane, former African Games winner Yousra Matine and finally Eythrib on Wednesday to lift the trophy.
World Women’s Snooker would like to thank everyone who contributed to a historic first-ever world ranking tournament in Africa, including the World Snooker Federation, Morocco Snooker and the spectacular Radisson Blu venue
Leone Crowley defeated Kaylan Patel 5-0 in the final of the 2025 WSF Junior Championship to earn the title and a two-year World Snooker Tour (WST) tour card.
Crowley, from Cork, came through an international field of 57 cueists from 22 countries to win the biggest title of his career to date.
The 18-year-old makes history as the first ever player from the Republic of Ireland to win the prestigious title and earns professional status for the first time in his career.
He made an impressive start to the tournament by topping his group with a clean sweep of victories and just two frames dropped en route to the knockout stages.
This fine form continued as Crowley, who regularly practises at Mark Allen’s snooker camp in Belfast, whitewashed Scotland’s Ayaan Iqbal before showing his battling qualities to overcome Poland’s Michal Szubarczyk in a deciding frame having trailed 3-2.
His place in the title match was secured by overcoming Amaan Iqbal 4-1 in a hard fought contest that last for almost four hours on Wednesday evening.
There he faced England’s Patel, who was aiming to become only the second Englishman after Stan Moody to lift the WSF Junior Championship crown.
Following a trio of group stage victories, Patel had defeated fellow countryman Adam Abbas (4-1) and O’Shay Scott (4-1) to reach the last eight.
He looked certain of a semi-final place when he stormed into a 3-0 lead over Riley Powell, but the Welshman rallied to win three frames in a row and force a decider. Patel, however, held his nerve in the final frame to compile a break of 50 before earning his final place with an impressive 4-0 defeat of the highly-rated Zhou Jinhao from China.
Unfortunately for Patel, he was unable to repeat this form in the title match and Crowley raced into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval in relatively comfortable fashion despite not compiling a half-century break.
Crowley kept his cool after the break and took the fifth and decisive frame by a scoreline of 73-24 to complete the biggest victory of his life.
“I feel very good. I have been playing the game for the last ten years and I’ve put a lot of hard work into this so I am just happy to have made my Dad proud and myself too. My family back home were all watching it so I want to thank them for all the support” said Crowley.
“I 100% believed that this was possible – if you don’t believe then you’re not going to achieve your goals. I was feeling good coming into the game. It was scrappy but there was some good safety play and I felt confident when I was in front that I would get over the line eventually.”
Looking ahead to the next two years, Crowley said: “I want to gain experience and hopefully I can stay on the tour. I don’t want to say too much but hopefully, after those two years, I will stay on – that’s the goal. My hero is Judd Trump, so I would like to play him.”
The WSF Open Championship takes place on 24 January – 1 February and can be watched live on the WPBSA YouTube channel and WSF Facebook page.
Congratulations to the Winners!
I’m happy that Crowley won rather than Patel simply because I believe that 16 is far too young to be on Tour. It’s such a competitive and brutal environment and I don’t think that many 16 years old are psychologically and emotionally equipped to deal with the pressure it generates and the demands of professional sports.
World number one Judd Trump made a trio of centuries as he beat Joe O’Connor 3-0 in the final of Group Six of BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational to secure a place in next month’s Winners’ Group.
Trump will join Hossein Vafaei, Si Jiahui, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Matthew Selt and one more player in the Winner’s Group in February when the title and a place in the 2025 Champion of Champions will be at stake.
O’Connor finished top of the group phase with six wins out of six, then edged out Noppon Saengkham 3-2 in the semi-finals. Trump won four of his six group games before beating David Gilbert 3-1 in the semis. Breaks of 113, 103 and 101 saw Trump dominate the final.
Having made 16 centuries in two groups this week, Trump has moved his tally for 2024/25 to 65, raising his hopes of making 100 tons in the season. The first player to achieve that will earn a £100,000 bonus. Jak Jones, meanwhile, has made an incredible 32 centuries in this event, extending his record for the most tons made in a single tournament. And he’ll look to add to that tally in Group Seven.
Jack Lisowski became the second player in as many days to miss the final black when he had the chance to make a 147. His break came in the opening frame of his group match against Jones, and Lisowski ran out of position from pink to black then failed to pot a near-impossible thin cut to a top corner. O’Connor had also missed the black on 140 on Wednesday.
Jones, O’Connor, Gilbert and Saengkham advance to Group Seven on Friday and Saturday, where they will join Xiao Guodong, Zhou Yuelong and Ricky Walden.
2025 German Masters – Withdrawals galore
O’SULLIVAN, DING, HE AND DALE WITHDRAW FROM MACHINESEEKER GERMAN MASTERS
Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from next week’s Machineseeker German Masters due to medical reasons.
O’Sullivan was due to play Dylan Emery in his opening match. Emery will now receive a bye to the last 32.
Ding Junhui has also pulled out of the event. He was due to face Ross Muir, who receives a bye to the last 32.
He Guoqiang has withdrawn for medical reasons. He was due to face Ali Carter, who receives a bye to the last 32.
Dominic Dale has pulled out. He was due to face Tom Ford, who receives a bye to the last 32.
The event runs from January 27th to February 2nd at the Tempodrom in Berlin.
It’s a real shame for the event, the only one remaining played in mainland Europe. I’ surprised by Dale withdrawal as WST had recently posted a piece where Dominic explained how he was looking forward to the event. No reason has been given for his withdrawal, nor for Ding’s withdrawal.
As always when Ronnie withdraws, some fans doubts his motives. But Ronnie has now withdrawn from the exhibition he was due to play in Finland with John Higgins…. and that’s a serious concern. Clearly something is not right and all I can wish is for him to get better soon and sort out whatever needs to be sorted in his life, if that is the underlying problem.
The week of exhibitions in Macau concluded yesterday, and, in start contrast with the previous set of exhibition matches in Chinese territory, this one was a huge success for Ronnie who won all his 5 matches!
Indeed he beat both Kyren Wilson by 5-2 and Stuart Bingham by 5-1 on the last day of the event.
I did enjoy the event, and not just because Ronnie won his matches, but because he played well and looked much happier than he was early in the season. All his matches were refereed by women which, I’m sure, was to his liking. I was particularly happy to see Zhou Ying in action again.
And to conclude some images … found by Kalacs of course. THANK YOU KALACS !
Ronnie O’Sullivan reveals new goal after rediscovering snooker enjoyment
Phil Haigh
Ronnie O’Sullivan hopes to keep playing for another 10 years as he says he is enjoying snooker more now than he ever has as a professional.
It has not been a great season so far in terms of results for the Rocket, without a final appearance yet and he has just suffered back-to-back first round exits at the Champion of Champions and UK Championship.
The 49-year-old is still number three in the world rankings after winning two big ranking events last season, so it is not disastrous and he says he has rediscovered some enjoyment in his game over the last few weeks.
Despite winning five tournaments in total last season, O’Sullivan cut a frustrated figure, dissatisfied with how he was playing.
Since working with coach Lee Walker he now feels like he is returning towards his best form and, although the results have not come yet, he is confident they will.
‘The last time I enjoyed playing snooker like I have done the last couple of months was when I was 14,’ said O’Sullivan. ‘I’m actually loving playing.
‘It’s quite weird, I played awful last year and pretty terrible at the start of the year, but I’ve won five tournaments last year, but just not enjoyed playing. Then I took a couple of months off, figured out a couple of things about the game and really enjoying it, loving the game.
‘The last three tournaments I’ve played pretty well, maybe just a little bit too open. I’ve realised that and I’ve worked the last few weeks on trying to tighten up a little bit, trying not to leave so many easy chances.’
Asked how he rated his game in recent times, the seven-time world champion reckoned he had really hit a low.
‘The start of this season and the whole of last season I would say it’s probably about 4 [out of 10]. Really bad. 3? Probably as bad as its ever been.
‘But I played what I felt wasn’t great and won five tournaments. Then I start to play great and can’t win a match. Maybe I’m better off playing terrible if I want to get results.
‘To be honest I always play the long game. My game’s in good shape. As long as I apply myself, little bit of run of the ball, a couple of opponents don’t play so well against you, get on a run, win the tournament, then before you know it you’re back in a good spot.
‘I never panic, I never worry. I’m not really bothered either. If I was bothered I might be worried. I’m not bothered, I know I’m on the back end of my career so it’s less important now. I’m just enjoying it.’
O’Sullivan has flirted with retirement for years, but he says it is now a long way from his mind and intends to keep playing for another decade.
O’Sullivan expects to get on a run again soon (Picture: Getty Images)
Still the sport’s biggest attraction and with business interests and opportunities in Asia and the Middle East, O’Sullivan doesn’t want to see his star power wane.
‘I’ve set a new goal. If I can just stay on the tour – even if I fell off the tour they’d probably give me a wildcard – but I’m enjoying everything about snooker.
‘I just said to Lee Walker, who I’ve been working with, just keep me going for 10 years, keep me enjoying it for 10 years. If I can enjoy it and not get many results I’ll take that, because I’ve had a lot of good results over my career.
‘I don’t have anything to prove, but I definitely don’t want to miss out on the next 10 years because things are quite exciting for me off the table more than it is on the table.
‘It’s a good combination I’ve got at the moment. I still like getting my cue out, people still like to see me play and I still like to think I can put in some good performances, but who knows? Maybe I won’t.’
I suppose that’s the article Mark saw a few days ago. It’s a nice change from the depressed doom and gloom that so often engulfed him. Long may it last. It’s not what us, fans want to see, but we have to be realistic. He’s in his 50th year, he’s given us a lot to enjoy for over 30 years. He deserves “me time”, we shouldn’t be greedy 💖.
Ronnie O’Sullivan ‘can’t be bothered’ playing UK snooker events
By Tom Parsons
Ronnie O’Sullivan has spoken out on his lack of desire to play at some snooker events.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted he ‘can’t be bothered’ to attend some UK snooker events (Image: GETTY)
Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted he “can’t be bothered” to travel long distances to play at some UK snooker events and has conceded that he would prefer to stay at home instead.
The 49-year-old pulled out of the Scottish Open in Edinburgh earlier this month before travelling to Saudi Arabia to compete in the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship.
The Rocket thrashed Ding Junhui 4-0 in his opening match in the Middle East as he took just 49 minutes to complete the rout.
But he missed out on the opportunity to land the £250,000 winning prize pot after being dispatched by eventual champion Mark Allen in the semi-finals.
O’Sullivan has been critical of a number of the UK venues he has had to visit in the past, with some snooker tournaments taking place at leisure centres across the country.
And the seven-time world champion said: “I’m not being harsh, it’s really difficult when you go to a leisure centre.
“You’ve got 50 to 100 people all standing outside. You’ve got to get through that, play a best of seven frames. Then you’re not sure when you’re going to be on. They say you could be on at 8.30pm but you get on at 11pm.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was dumped out of the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship by Mark Allen in the week (Image: GETTY)
“It’s a nine-hour journey from my house [in Essex] to Edinburgh. You weigh it all up and think you can’t be bothered. Ten to 15 years ago I’d probably have been fine, but I can’t play every tournament or every week.”
O’Sullivan then admitted he will limit his appearances at tournaments as he added: “I’ll try and play a minimum of 10 and I’ll pick the best 10 to play in.
“After that, if I feel like I need to play in a few more I will. I still want to play snooker but I want to spend time at home as well.
“I enjoy practising at home, going down the club, spending time with friends. I love being on the road as well. But it’s about getting that practice.
“In Saudi Arabia, the events we’ve had there, it’s been brilliant. Food, dressing rooms, shower rooms, loads of practice tables, courtesy cards, it was amazing. Same in China. With these tournaments they have 8 to 10 practice tables.
“Some of the events in the UK, there are 3 to 4 practice tables in a leisure centre, it’s not the easiest. They have bigger budgets in China and Saudi Arabia. Maybe in the UK not so much. They do the best they can with what they’ve got. It is what it is.”
I think it’s a normal evolution in life. As we are getting older, we want, and need, more comfort, more “me time”. Ronnie, more than any other player faces huge demands from the fans wherever he goes. I have witnessed him getting out of the Crucible, very downbeat and disappointed after losing and being met by dozens of fans wanting him to stop for a chat or an autograph. That’s not right. Those players have feelings, usually right after a defeat they only want one thing: they want left alone. For young players all this is new and exciting. For many older players, snooker is a mainly job and if they are not able to do it in a good environment – good conditions and respect of their privacy – it often becomes a burden.
There were more rumours on social media in recent days regarding an alleged “split tour”. As so often, the reality is different, there is no intention by Jason Francis, or anyone else, to create a split tour. What there IS though is a series of high profile exhibition tournaments. Jason himself confirmed this to me: eight of the top players have agreed to play in these events.
Ronnie O’Sullivan the headline act in ‘exciting’ new snooker project
Phil Haigh
Ronnie O’Sullivan is the headline act for a planned new series of snooker events (Picture: Getty Images)
Eight players have agreed to play in a series of new snooker events, with Ronnie O’Sullivan leading a heavyweight line-up of world champions.
Four two-day events have been arranged for next year, labelled the Snooker 900 Grand Slam, which hope to feature the Rocket, current world champ Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams, John Higgins, Neil Robertson, Luca Brecel, Shaun Murphy and Reanne Evans
The players are believed to have agreed to the new venture, but the independent promoters are in talks with World Snooker Tour as professional players need permission to appear in non-sanctioned TV events. By the terms of the renegotiated players’ contract, if non-sanctioned events are taking place when WST tournaments are not being played then there is no issue, but any clashes cause a problem. Players have been given permission to play in two of the four events, but as two clash with WST tournaments then there remains a stumbling block and discussions continue.
It is understood that Channel 4 is the potential broadcaster for the series, which is planned to run into June and July, in what would be a major move into the sport for the station. The first of the events – the brainchild of promoter Jason Francis – is planned for 12-13 April in London and Murphy hopes to be lining up for it.
Asked about rumours of the new events on his onefourseven podcast, the 2005 world champion said: ‘It is true. I’m delighted to be asked, but I don’t know very much about it. I know that Jason was planning to put on four two-day events. I had no idea until I saw the list on social media myself who else was asked to play in it.
‘Just happy to play and looking forward to these opportunities. As luck would have it, two of those dates do clash with potential events in the 25/26 calendar, so I think only two of them so far have been granted permission.
‘Excited about it. I think competition is good. I think players being allowed to play and ply their trade…I personally think that as a professional snooker player, as a self-employed tradesperson I should be able to play snooker wherever and whenever I want. That’s my own personal view.
‘So I see this as a real positive step that these events are going to be put on and players are going to be able to ply their trade, put balls in pockets, put smiles on faces and entertain people who are wanting to watch us.’
The dates of 12-13 April 2025 would by during World Championship qualifying, and just the week before the main event begins at the Crucible.
Details on venues of the events and further details are to be confirmed.
World Snooker Tour and Channel 4 both declined to comment.
From what I heard, four events are currently scheduled. Two would happen at a times when no WST events are currently planned but the two others could clash with WST events albeit none where the top players involved would be supposed to participate. As Shaun said – not for the first time – players are self-employed and should be free to play in whatever they see fit, even more so when themselves are not involved in the “clashing” WST events.
Zhao was the dominant player throughout the weekend at the Snookerhallen in the Swedish capital as he won eight matches and compiled eight century breaks, including the historic maximum, en route to the title.
The victory secures the 27-year-old Chinese cueist a spot at the 2024/25 Q Tour Global play-offs next year, where three World Snooker Tour (WST) two-year tour cards will be on offer.
As a non-seeded player, Zhao began the event on the Friday and he completed routine 3-0 wins against Belgium’s Daan Leyssen and Poland’s Michal Kotiuk to book his place in Saturday’s last 64 stage.
There he faced 14-year-old Shaun Liu from Hong Kong China, who gave the former UK champion a stern test early on in the contest – levelling the game at 1-1 with a half-century before taking frame three down to the final black.
Zhao was able to pot the decisive black to restore his lead before moving one away from victory in the best-of-seven frame contest at 3-1.
Frame five saw a moment of history on the Q Tour as the man from China compiled a magical maximum break, the first ever to be achieved on the Q Tour, before receiving rapturous applause from the watching audience at the Snookerhallen venue.
The powerful scoring continued from Zhao in the last 32, as he scored breaks of 111, 128 and 80 to defeat Luke Pinches confirm his place in the final day of a Q Tour event for the first time.
The 27-year-old began the final day in style with another century, this time a 118, as he overcame former professional Peter Lines 4-1 in their first competitive meeting since the last 16 of the 2021 UK Championship.
Whitewash victories over France’s Nicolas Mortreux and Poland’s Mateusz Baranowski followed to set up a final meeting with Craig Steadman, who defeated Alfie Davies, Peter Devlin and Steven Hallworth on the final day to reach the title match.
It was Steadman who had defeated Zhao 4-3 in the last 64 stage of the previous Q Tour Europe event in Sofia, Bulgaria last month and he once again provided the Chinese cueist with his toughest test of the tournament.
Trailing 2-0 after Zhao opened the match with a break of 112, Steadman hit back to restore party at 2-2 in a race to four.
A stunning break of 136, Zhao’s eighth century break of the event, moved him one frame away from the title but Steadman once again hit back with a 93 to force a final frame decider.
Ultimately, however, it was deservedly Zhao’s weekend as he wrapped up the victory with a break of 82.
Following his victory, Zhao said: “Coming to Sweden, I just wanted to get used to this feeling of playing in tournaments again. I wasn’t aiming to be the champion but I just wanted to get back to playing competitively again.
“I haven’t changed my practice schedule, I still practice as usual and play against professionals. I think my scoring in the last few days is within my capability and I know I can score well.”
Looking ahead, Zhao said: “I will select which events I want to play in on the Q Tour but right now it is all about getting that tournament feeling and I am pleased to be getting that feeling back.”
Zhao Xintong only returned to competitive snooker very recently. The first WPBSA event he played in after his ban ended was the 2024 Q-Tour Event 2. In that event, he had played three matches, losing to Craig Steadman in the last 64. Craig of course is a very experienced former professional and Zhao, certainly, wasn’t match sharp. Obviously he has been working hard since and this is the result.
Not everybody is happy to see Zhao back, but I am. Everybody makes mistakes and we have to remember that Zhao was not found guilty of match fixing. What he was found guilty of was to not report the match fixing schemes he was aware of and to bet on snooker. Now regarding the first of those two breaches of his contract, we have to consider two things. The first is that the younger players really felt threatened by Liang Wenbo and Li Hang. They were genuinely scared of them. Also, as Lewis has mentioned many times in the past, all those young players know each other since childhood. Because of the “one child per family” rule in operation in China back then, they are all “only children”, they have no siblings. Their childhood friends therefore are the closest they have to a brother or a sister. The “snooker kids” he grew up with are effectively his brothers. Therefore having to “grass on them” was a big no-no.
I’ m wishing Zhao the best and I hope to see him back on the main tour next season … that’s where he belongs. The tour needs players like him, who offer the fans an attractive brand of snooker and play with a smile on their face.
Congratulations Zhao and good luck for the future
Mink has won the 2024 Women Snooker Australian Open
World number one Mink Nutcharut has defeated Ng On Yee 4-3 following a thrilling final match to win the 2024 Australian Women’s Snooker Open for a second time at Mounties, Sydney.
Five years on from claiming her first ever title on the World Women’s Snooker (WWS) Tour, Mink repeated her success against friend and rival Ng with a dramatic black ball success to lift her first crown since the Belgian Open back in January.
Her eighth success overall, the victory sees the Thai star join Ng as a multiple Australian Open champion and consolidate her position at the top of the world rankings.
It was to prove a hard fought final day as having secured her place in the semi-finals with wins against Dianne Spring and Jessica Woods following the group stages, Mink was to face a stern test from Mongolia’s Narantuya Bayarsaikhan in the last four.
The world number 19 – who was competing in a ranking semi-final for the first time having defeated Yee Ting Cheung 3-2 in the quarter-finals – would lead Mink throughout their contest and was one ball away from securing a maiden final in the sixth frame.
Mink, however, was able to win a black-ball battle to force a last frame decider, during which she produced her best snooker of the match to ultimately prevail and reach her first final of the season.
There she would face world number two Ng On Yee, who had made serene progress to the final without the loss of a single frame and had notably top scored with a stunning break of 133 during the round robin group stages against Australia’s Christine Firth.
The title match would prove to be another match full of drama as the first four frames were shared, Mink scoring breaks of 50 and 43, with Ng compiling runs of 52 and 57 during the second frame.
From that point on the final would become a tense affair as both players saw the winning line, Mink first moving to within one of victory by winning a 50 minute long fifth frame, before Ng returned the favour in frame six to force a final frame decider.
Both players would ultimately have their chances, Ng unfortunate to pot a red from the blue during a composed first scoring visit, before the contest eventually came down to the final black to decide the champion. While both players would have opportunities, it was Mink who would sink the winning ball to seal her second victory in Australia and lift the Clive Edwards Memorial Cup.
The dramatic final was a fitting end to a week to remember in Sydney which saw a record 27 entries contest the main title at Mounties. As well as victory for top ranked Mink, the event also saw notable runs for Narantuya Bayarsaikhan and Thailand’s Narucha Phoemphul, who both reached their maiden ranking event semi-finals, with several further players also breaking new ground at the tournament.
The Challenge Cup tournament for players who did not reach the quarter-finals saw Australia’s Kathy Blunden claim victory with a 2-0 success against China’s Shuangyu Jia.
World Women’s Snooker would like to thank everyone who contributed to another hugely successful event. This includes our partners at the Australian Billiards and Snooker Council, led by President Alex Render, Tournament Director Frank Dewens and Head of Referees Gary Knight, as well as our host Mounties and event sponsor The Snooker Shop.
The 2024/25 season continues with the Women’s Snooker Masters from 22-24 November 2024 at Frames Sports Bar, Couldson, England. Enter now via WPBSA SnookerScores.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 