Yesterday evening was the third and last night of exhibitions in Tampere. Gary Wison won the match by 6-5 but going by comments on social media both players played very well on the night. here is what a fan had to say on Twitter/X: “Gary Wilson beat Ronnie in 2 of their 3 matches. Both were playing well Ronnie had a 147 attempt to go 5-3 up but missed a red at 72 and Wilson cleared up with 73. Then Wilson nearly had a 147 but missed at 112. Ronnie forced a decider with 93 but Wilson won it with a century.”
Originally, only two nights had been scheduled, but faced with a huge demand, the organisers added a third “leg”. It was sold out in no time at all.
Here are some images shared on social media …
And short videos
Ronnie’s introduction
Ronnie’s interview
I would definitely love to have a ranking event in Finland, or anywhere in mainland Europe actually. Break the UK centric nature of the tour!
Overview of the arena. Definitely not for the ones suffering with fear of heights as Jason Francis commented
Ronnie O’Sullivan, 48, tells Yle about his difficulties – still runs ten to 42 minutes, record breaking Cooper pace
A superstar’s 10-kilometer road running record is hard currency for a basic fitness enthusiast.
Today’s most successful snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan, appeared for the first time in Finland on Monday. Photo: Mikko Ahmajärvi / Yle
English snooker superstar Ronnie O’Sullivan is known not only as the best stick player of all time, but also for his love of jogging.
However, it was no mean feat when O’Sullivan clocked 34:54 in a 10-kilometer road race in Caen, France in 2008. He was 32 years old at the time.
In 2008, the time would have taken O’Sullivan to 40th place in the Finnish statistics, if the sample is limited to runners aged 32 and older. Last year, the ranking would have been 45th in that age statistic.
But a lot has happened in 16 years.
“I have suffered from so many injuries that my knees and legs can’t hold up like before. Nowadays, I would run ten in 42 minutes” 48-year-old O’Sullivan estimated for Yle Urheilu on Monday evening.
O’Sullivan agreed to give a short interview when the exhibition match against compatriot Gary Wilson ended in Tampere-talo. O’Sullivan won the match 6–3 and entertained the audience by, among other things, bagging a hitting streak of over 120 points in the last set.
After the match, it was already close to midnight, and the star wanted to go to the hotel as quickly as possible. It had been a long day, as O’Sullivan had only flown to Finland in the morning.
When it comes to O’Sullivan’s calendar, we talk about long work weeks.
“We spent 19 days in China on a screening tour that included performances in eight different cities. It meant five flights and three bullet trains in China alone” O’Sullivan’s manager Jason Francis told Yle.
The two had time to spend a day in England before flying to Finland, where O’Sullivan will play three exhibition matches . After Wednesday’s show, there is a flight to Bulgaria, where the tour will continue for the rest of the week.
Wilson and O’Sullivan in action at the Tampere building. Photo: Mikko Ahmajärvi / Yle
To make such a pace possible, O’Sullivan takes care of his physique every day. Get to know Tampere on foot.
“On Tuesday and Wednesday, I plan to run 30-minute runs in the morning. If I run longer, my body gets sore. I haven’t been able to run for three weeks because my knees have felt sore. Age does not come alone” O’Sullivan said, but added after: “In the evenings, I plan to go to the gym before the evening matches. Tour life is like boot camp for me, where I’m like Rocky Balboa” , O’Sullivan said, referring to the legendary boxing character played by actor Sylvester Stallone.
Raised the standard to new heights
O’Sullivan has been playing at the absolute top of snooker for 32 years. Physical training and nutrition have played a significant role, especially in the 2000s, when O’Sullivan has won all seven of his world championships and broken most of the records in the sport.
The importance of healthy lifestyles was emphasized especially in the 2010s, when the number of ranking tournaments affecting the world list doubled from the previous decade.
O’Sullivan has spoken in favor of nutrition and exercise in several of his biographies. In addition, he has been publishing a book devoted solely to this topic in 2019. The older he gets, the more O’Sullivan says he invests in his well-being.
Many top players over the age of 30 have followed the example of O’Sullivan’s professionalism, but in the case of several young snooker players, the master’s teachings have not yet caught on. Numerous snooker professionals have told Yle Urheilu that especially the Chinese youngsters practicing in Sheffield, England, have not understood the level of requirements associated with being a professional today.
Referee Sami Erkkilä watched from the side as O’Sullivan prepared for his shot. Photo: Mikko Ahmajärvi / Yle
O’Sullivan doesn’t want to take a stand on what young players do, but he wants to talk about it through personal examples.
“Over the years, I have only wanted to develop and maximize my potential. I learned by watching others how to take care of diet and fitness. How to get all possible rest out of sleep? And so on. I have learned from the best. I hope that it will carry on in the future“.
Confused Nurmen with Zatopek
After Monday’s exhibition match, O’Sullivan thanked the Finnish audience in his victory speech and praised, among other things, the country’s running history.
When Yle Urheilu asked more about the subject, Lasse Virén’s four Olympic victories from 1972 and 1976 were basic oats for O’Sullivan. On the other hand, a hundred years ago, the information was not quite enough. When Paavo Nurme’s name came up, O’Sullivan interrupted.
“Paavo Nurmi. Wasn’t he Czechoslovakian?” O’Sullivan asked.
The snooker legend had confused Nurme with the folding running legend of the 1940s and 1950s, Emil Zatopek .
Virén’s 10,000 meter record was 27.38.35, Zatopek’s 28.54.2 and Nurmen’s 30.06.2.
O’Sullivan’s top 10 record of 34.54 was set on the road, but if the times were playfully compared to the legends, O’Sullivan would have lost 18 seconds to Virén and 15 seconds to Zatopek per 400m lap on the even pace table. Instead, Nurmi would have been less than 12 seconds faster than O’Sullivan per lap.
O’Sullivan’s top ten pace means he ran three 3400m results in a row in the classic Cooper’s test.
And now Ronnie and Jason are heading to Bulgaria for two more shows, this time with John Higgins. I’m expecting John to win those… if only because whenever I saw him live in exhibitions, he was dead-serious, whilst Ronnie would go for risky exhibition shots…
I remember one instance in particular many years ago. I can’t remember the year, nor the place but I remember what happened that night… There had been a raffle and two fans won a cue and were invited to play against the legends. One guy in his 50th won the first cue and was tasked to play John. He broke off … John cleared. The guy looked rather crest-fallen and Ronnie whispered to John “John … this is an exhibition, let him play a bit“. The other winner was a young girl who had probably never held a cue in her hands. Ronnie tried his best to make her play a bit. He was putting balls over the holes – and I mean right over the holes, as far in the jaws as possible without going in – but for some reason, the girl tended to elevate the butt of the cue and time after time managed to jump the balls out of the jaws of the pockets and send them on cushions. This went on for several minutes and the crowd was in stitches. Eventually a nonplussed Ronnie cleared the table… but it wasn’t quite the end of the story. As we were about to leave the venue, Ronnie was nowhere to be found… His manager – I can’t remember if it was Jason or Django – went to look for him and found him in the arena. Ronnie was trying to jump balls out of pockets the way that girl had done … and cursing because he was failing miserably 😂.
Gary Wilson beat Ronnie by 6-2 yesterday evening in Tampere. He scored heavily: he had breaks of 71, 83, 135, 102.
There was a HUGE crowd in attendance.
Once again huge THANK YOU to Kalacs the best pictures hunter on the Internet!
Ronnie and Robin know each other for many years. Robin became a pro for the first time in 1993 and was on the main tour for 21 seasons in total. Yet, they have played each other only four times, the first occurence being in Thailand in 1997. Ronnie won all four of their encounters.
Jason Francis captured the crowd at the start of the show…
Ronnie arrived in Finland yesterday for a series of three exhibitions in Tampere.
Amusingly the pilot of the Finnair flight that brought him to Finland was also to be the referee on the night!
On this first night, Ronnie played Gary Wilson. Despite a slow start – he went 2-0 down to Gary – Ronnie won the match by 6-3. He finished with a 122, the only century in the match.
Here are some images taken by fans on the evening …
Once again BIG Thanks to Kalacs for their much appreciated contribution!
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
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!
