Latest news with #ChesworthCues
Wales Online
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
'I answered Ronnie O'Sullivan's call for help at the Crucible – he was a gentleman'
'I answered Ronnie O'Sullivan's call for help at the Crucible – he was a gentleman' Seven-time Crucible champion Ronnie O'Sullivan surprisingly made big changes to his cue between sessions during his semi-final defeat to Zhao Xintong at the World Championship Ronnie O'Sullivan struggled with his cue throughout the World Championship (Image: Getty ) The cuemaker who answered Ronnie O'Sullivan's plea for help during the World Championship says the snooker legend was the perfect customer. Despite sharing the first eight frames of his semi-final against Zhao Xintong, the Rocket was having problems with his cue, leading him to reach out to Martin Chesworth of Chesworth Cues in Sheffield. Many were taken aback by the move, including Chesworth himself, who was mid-haircut when the unexpected call came in from the seven-time world champion. With a history of working on O'Sullivan's cues previously, he agreed to undertake the challenge, which entailed swapping out both the tip and ferrule (the metal sleeve under the tip). "I was in the barbers and he rings me," Chesworth told the Express. "He sounded a bit anxious. He was adamant he wanted it changing. He wanted the titanium ferrule off and a brass ferrule putting on. "I was asking him questions because I wanted to make sure we'd got the stuff in. When I work on someone's cue, I don't just put a ferrule on and then sand the cue down to fit the ferrule. I actually alter the ferrule to fit the cue. We do sympathetic restoration, not leaving it looking like it's been butchered. "I stayed back after work and did the job. I put him a decent tip on as well. I then dropped it round to where he was staying. He said, 'Do you want to have some tea with us while you're here?' I couldn't stay because I had other things to do. Article continues below Martin Chesworth with O'Sullivan after delivering his altered cue (Image: Chesworth Cues ) "But I had a glass of water with him and we had a good chat about tips. He always asks about those things. He's very easy to get along with, very genuine, appreciative and very generous, so he's got some lovely qualities. "I got a text later on from him and he said, 'It's better.' I just wished him well and that was the last I heard from him. He's very generous and that's perhaps a quality people don't know about him. "When I've done jobs for him in the past, he's always been friendly, upbeat and genuine. What more could you ask for from a customer?" Despite the modifications, O'Sullivan's luck did not turn as he suffered a heavy 17-7 loss, with most of the damage coming in a disastrous Friday morning session where he lost eight frames in a row. This led to fresh questions over the Rocket's wisdom in altering his cue during such a huge match. O'Sullivan's cue after being altered by Martin Chesworth (Image: Chesworth Cues ) Chesworth faced some backlash himself for undertaking the work but says he was on a "hiding to nothing". He added: "I'm not the player, I'm only the bloke who did the job. People have said, 'Why did you change it for him?' "But he's grown up. What am I supposed to do, say I'm not doing it and he goes somewhere else, knowing full well I can do that job? "I was on a hiding to nothing. I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't. If he'd won the World Championship this week, it would have been, 'Isn't Ronnie a great player?' When he loses, they blame the ferrule! Anyone who makes cues would love the opportunity to work on Ronnie O'Sullivan's." Article continues below Chesworth, with 35 years of cue craftsmanship under his belt, has provided his services to many top snooker talents, including the newly-crowned world champion Zhao, who practises at the nearby Victoria's Snooker Academy.
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'Ronnie O'Sullivan needed my help at World Champs – he was the perfect customer'
The cue expert who made major alterations to Ronnie O'Sullivan's equipment during his Crucible semi-final against Zhao Xintong has hailed the snooker legend's conduct The cue expert who performed emergency surgery on Ronnie O'Sullivan's equipment at the World Championship has hailed the snooker icon's generosity. The seven-time world champion made the shock decision to have both his tip and ferrule (the metal sleeve that the tip sits on) replaced during his semi-final against Zhao Xintong. The drastic move surprised many, including Martin Chesworth of Chesworth Cues in Sheffield, who was at the barbers when he received a call from the Rocket. After initially having reservations, Chesworth, who has been in the cuemaking business for 35 years, decided to take on the job. 'He sounded a bit anxious,' said Chesworth. 'He was adamant he wanted it changing. He wanted the titanium ferrule off and a brass ferrule putting on. I stayed back after the work and did the job. I put him a decent tip on as well. I then dropped it round to where he was staying.' Chesworth, who had worked on O'Sullivan's equipment before, described the Rocket as the perfect customer, praising the Essex potter's manners and friendliness. He added: 'He said, 'Do you want to have some tea with us while you're here?' I couldn't stay because I had other things to do. 'But I had a glass of water with him and we had a good chat about tips. He always asks about those things. He's very easy to get along with, very genuine, appreciative and very generous, so he's got some lovely qualities. 'I got a text later on from him and he said, 'It's better.' I just wished him well and that was the last I heard from him. When I've done jobs for him in the past, he's always been friendly, upbeat and genuine. What more could you ask for from a customer?' While O'Sullivan was left happier with his cue, his fortunes didn't improve. After being locked at 4-4 after the first session, the Rocket lost eight frames in a row on Friday morning before Zhao completed a 17-7 win with a session to spare. The defeat led to question marks over the Rocket's decision to make changes to his cue in the middle of semi-final. Chesworth has come in for some criticism himself for agreeing to perform the work, but said: 'I'm not the player, I'm only the bloke who who did the job. 'People have said, 'Why did you change it for him?' But he's grown up, he's 49 years old. What am I supposed to do, say I'm not doing it and he goes somewhere else, knowing full well I can do that job? 'I was on a hiding to nothing. I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't. If he'd won the World Championship this week, it would have been, 'Isn't Ronnie a great player.' When he loses, they blame the ferrule! 'If I didn't do it, someone else would have. Anyone who makes cues would love the opportunity to work on Ronnie O'Sullivan's.' Chesworth has done work for numerous top players, including Zhao, who practises at the nearby Victoria's Snooker Academy.
Daily Mirror
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ronnie O'Sullivan's rival says one decision led to 'certain defeat' against Zhao Xintong
Ronnie O'Sullivan made drastic changes to his cue during his World Snooker Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong but went on to lose with a session to spare Neil Robertson says Ronnie O'Sullivan's emergency cue surgery was always going to lead to 'certain defeat'. Despite sharing the first eight frames of his World Snooker Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong, the Rocket wasn't happy with his equipment, making an unscheduled visit to the cue shop in Sheffield for modifications. O'Sullivan had the tip and ferrule (the metal sleeve that sits below the tip) changed ahead of Friday's play, which saw him tumble to a heavy 17-7 defeat with a session to spare. The seven-time world champion lost all eight frames of the second session, with Zhao seizing on virtually all of his opponent's many errors. Understandably, the cue shop wanted to show off its high-profile customer. Chesworth Cues took to Instagram to address rumours of O'Sullivan's visit, posting: 'Well, we can't pull the wool over your eyes, yes it was Ronnie's cue. That late night express retip and changing his ferrule from titanium to brass, was for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Book your retip in today.' O'Sullivan's decision to make such a big change mid-match was met with widespread amazement across snooker, even despite his long-running equipment issues, including snapping his cue in a rage at the Championship League in January. Robertson, the 2010 world champion, has voiced his opinion on O'Sullivan's drastic move and hopes his rival was warned about of consequences. The Australian, who lost in the first round to Chris Wakelin, posted on X: 'I hope who ever changed Ronnie's tip AND ferrule made it very clear to him that doing so would result in an almost certain heavy defeat before posting anything on social media. Switching from titanium to brass or vice versa mid match unless something was damage is crazy.' Coming into the tournament, O'Sullivan had not played on the tour since his cue-breaking incident. However, he didn't pin his heavy defeat to Zhao on his equipment problems. 'I don't even know if it was the cue, the ferrule or me,' he said after the match. 'There were three things. I just don't even know where the white ball's going. I'm at a loss, to be honest with you. I don't even know what to say. 'Sometimes you've got to try something different, you know? It didn't feel great before so I tried to go back to the old brass ferrule. 'I'm not making the cue as an excuse or anything like that but if I hadn't snapped my old cue maybe I'd have been able to give him a better game but really my performances have not been good enough.' The other semi-final is set for an exciting finale with Mark Williams leading world No. 1 Judd Trump 13-11 ahead of the final session on Saturday.
Wales Online
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
'Certain heavy defeat' – Neil Robertson doesn't mince words after Ronnie O'Sullivan hammering
'Certain heavy defeat' – Neil Robertson doesn't mince words after Ronnie O'Sullivan hammering Ronnie O'Sullivan had the tip and ferrule on his cue changed overnight with his World Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong evenly poised at 4-4 before suffering a heavy defeat Ronnie O'Sullivan is at a loss to explain his Crucible struggles (Image: PA ) Neil Robertson insists Ronnie O'Sullivan's decision to make significant changes to his cue mid-match at the World Championship was always going to lead to "certain defeat". The drastic modification, which saw him have both the tip and ferrule on his cue changed, came with his World Championship semi-final against Zhao Xintong locked at 4-4 after the first session. However, the changes seemed to backfire when the match resumed with O'Sullivan failing to win a single frame in the Friday morning session, resulting in a 12-4 deficit. Zhao went on to secure a 17-7 win, booking his place in the Crucible final and becoming only the second Chinese player to do so after Ding Junhui. After the first session, O'Sullivan sought out Chesworth Cues in Sheffield for an urgent retip and a switch from a titanium to a brass ferrule (the metal sleeve located at the end of the cue beneath the tip). The business confirmed O'Sullivan's visit and the work done on his cue in an Instagram post: "Well, we can't pull the wool over your eyes, yes it was Ronnie's cue. That late night express retip and changing his ferrule from titanium to brass, was for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Book your retip in today." Content cannot be displayed without consent Article continues below The decision to undertake such a severe alteration during a crucial match raised eyebrows across snooker. However, it was perhaps no surprise given his history of equipment issues, which included breaking his previous cue in anger and binning it as he pulled out the Championship League in January. Former Crucible champion Robertson has voiced his opinion on O'Sullivan's mid-match change, saying he should have been warned of the consequences. The Australian posted on X: "I hope who ever changed Ronnie's tip AND ferrule made it very clear to him that doing so would result in an almost certain heavy defeat before posting anything on social media. Switching from titanium to brass or vice versa mid match unless something was damage is crazy." Speaking after his Crucible exit, O'Sullivan said he was unsure whether the new cue was to blame. He said: "I don't even know if it was the cue, the ferrule or me. There were three things. Neil Robertson has weighed into the debate about O'Sullivan's cue (Image:) "I just don't even know where the white ball's going. I'm at a loss, to be honest with you. I don't even know what to say. Sometimes you've got to try something different, you know? It didn't feel great before so I tried to go back to the old brass ferrule. "I'm not making the cue as an excuse or anything like that but if I hadn't snapped my old cue maybe I'd have been able to give him a better game but really my performances have not been good enough." Article continues below The other semi-final is set for an exciting finale with Welsh legend Mark Williams leading world No. 1 Judd Trump 13-11 ahead of the final session on Saturday.
