Latest news with #Crucible
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Inside Ronnie O'Sullivan's former life on a CANAL BOAT as snooker legend prepares to swap modest livelihood for Middle East luxury
The biggest name in snooker, Ronnie O'Sullivan is widely considered as the best player of all-time. The seven-time world champion has won 41 ranking events and has broken nearly every record in the game. Now his next steps are to move to the Middle East after his 17-7 defeat by Zhao Xintong in the World Championship semi-finals earlier this May. The defeat stopped O'Sullivan from having a chance to break another record - the most World Snooker Championship titles - but he was full of praise for 28-year-old Xintong. During the match, O'Sullivan was seen struggling to find the right cue to play with as he altered between two different cues from different manufacturers. It was a tournament, by his own volition, that saw the Rocket struggle to get going amid a lack of form coming into the Crucible. But following his defeat, O'Sullivan made the surprising admission that he intends to leave the UK to live in the Middle East, in a post-match interview with BBC Sport. 'I think I am going to be moving out of the UK this year. I'll be moving away to the Middle East. We'll see how it goes - I might be back in six months.' Whilst it looks like O'Sullivan is set to be moving to the Middle East, it wouldn't be the first time he has upped sticks and moved on - he has previously moved into and lived on a luxury canal boat. Considering his rich history of winning title after title, one would have thought the snooker champ would have splashed out on a fancier and much bigger boat like a super yacht. The 49-year-old spent £130,000 on a 60-foot canal boat back in 2018 which he moored at Regent's Canal, allowing him to traverse the rivers of north and east London. Speaking to Matt Smith on Eurosport, O'Sullivan said: 'It's no big yacht but it's alright. 'I lived on a boat about seven or eight years ago in London and I loved it. 'I spent about three or four months living on it but couldn't use it because I had to get back to work - but I always had it in my mind that I'd buy another one.' His water pad was not your usual canal boat with comfortable furnishings such as a sofa, rug and a television as well as an indoor fireplace to give that cosy feel. The boat remarkably contains a double bed and en-suite bathroom with tiled floors and redwood vanity units with granite work tops. Moreover, the humble abode included a state-of-the-art kitchen with a double oven and a wooden oval table, perfect for hosting friends on an evening. O'Sullivan spoke of the boat, saying it was much better than being stuck in a hotel room, allowing him to invite his pals over to watch the snooker. Yet, just a year later, the Rocket put the floating home for sale for £129,950 without looking to jump ship to another canal boat. In recent years, O'Sullivan has struggled on and off the table, previously stating that he has taken medication to deal with anxiety. He had a three-month absence from the sport earlier in the season, leading to speculation about his future, as he pulled out of the German Masters and the UK Open. Given he has a connection to the Middle East already with a snooker academy in Saudi Arabia, the move abroad may be the change he needs to come back to the Crucible revitalised. O'Sullivan said in his BBC Sport interview: 'A new life somewhere else [in the Middle East]. 'I don't know how that is going to pan out. 'I will still try to play snooker but I don't know what the future looks like for me really. 'It is a big part of my life but I have to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it's playing or not.' Suggestions of O'Sullivan putting the cue down could certainly be inferred from these quotes, but perhaps the move to the Middle East away from Essex is the key to his future in the sport.
Metro
3 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Which players could actually win World Snooker Tour's huge centuries bonus?
The 2025/26 season will see £100,000 on offer for the first player to make 100 centuries, just as it was last campaign, but how realistic is it as a target? Well, it happened last season, so for at least one player it is very much achievable. Judd Trump landed the £100,000 bonus by storming past the century of centuries target during the World Championship, ending his campaign on a record 107. It was the second time he had reached the remarkable hundred hundreds, having also done so in 2019/20. Three times it has happened in total, with Neil Robertson the first to reach the milestone in the 2013/14 season. On the announcement of the bonus returning for the 2025/26 season, World Snooker Tour CEO Simon Brownell said: 'We will start the new season with a fresh slate and all players have an opportunity to shoot for the stars and see if they can make it to a century of centuries.' In reality, though, is is a very small number of players who are in the running. Speaking during the World Championship, Mark Williams said of the target: 'There's only three players who've got a chance of getting that: Judd, Neil Robertson and [Ronnie] O'Sullivan if he played in every tournament. 'There's no other player who has got a sniff of winning that £100,000 bonus.' After the announcement of this season's bonus, last season's World Championship runner-up posted on X: 'Only 2 or 3 players can possibly get it. 'I'm number 3 in the world and I have zero chance of getting that if I played in every comp.' It does seem like stats back up Williams' point, with no one other than Trump and Robertson ever coming close to the landmark tally. Trump managed 90 centuries in 2020/21 and Robertson hit 84 in 2018/19 and these represent the closest any player has come other than when the 100-mark has been reached. Judd Trump – 2024-2025 – 107 Neil Robertson – 2013-2014 – 103 Judd Trump – 2019-2020 – 102 Judd Trump – 2020-2021 – 90 Neil Robertson – 2018-2019 – 84 Judd Trump – 2018-2019 – 83 Judd Trump – 2014-2015 – 82 Judd Trump – 2023-2024 – 79 Ronnie O'Sullivan – 2017-2018 – 74 Kyren Wilson – 2020-2021 – 74 The nearest anyone else has got to 100 centuries in a season was Ronnie O'Sullivan in 2017/18 and he finished on 74. Speaking after defeat to Trump at the Crucible, Masters champion Shaun Murphy felt like he'd had a good campaign and finished way short on 58. 'We called it the Judd Trump-Neil Robertson Award when it was announced at the start of the season,' said the Magician. 'I was chasing it myself and fell some way short. 'I think I've had a really good season and I think I've made 50-odd. I've never got anywhere near 100 and I think I'm one of the best break-builders in the game!' Murphy made the point that the statistics show just how spectacularly good Trump and Robertson – but especially Trump – has been in recent years. 'It's an incredible achievement that perhaps doesn't get the national or international recognition it ought to,' said Murphy. 'It's a phenomenal achievement and it will be going on my own to-do list next season. 'I think all these initiatives are great. Anything that creates a bit more interest and talking points in the game is good.' Judd Trump – 107 Mark Selby – 73 Kyren Wilson – 62 Shaun Murphy – 58 Jak Jones – 56 Xiao Guodong – 54 Mark Allen – 47 John Higgins – 44 Wu Yize – 44 Neil Robertson – 43 Of course there are plenty of players with the capability of reaching huge break-building landmarks, but the likes of O'Sullivan, Murphy, John Higgins, Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson have not got particularly close to the century of centuries in a season before, so it would be a huge leap in tons to get there this season. The wildcard this campaign coming will be the world champion, Zhao Xintong, despite the fact he has never made more than the 31 centuries he managed in the 2020/21 season. Back on tour after his ban from the sport, coming into the new season as world champion and in the top 16, he will likely play in almost every event and could become a challenger for the bonus. In the eight matches he played in World Championship qualifying and the main stages he made 18 centuries, showing off his immense break-building skills. Trump should remain favourite to reach the century of centuries but Zhao may well now be the likeliest contender to beat him to the bonus, if anyone can. For all the hopefuls, the key to success is likely to be found in a low-key environment – the Championship League Invitational in Leicester. The unique event sees players able to compete in multiple groups dependent on performance and play on tables with seemingly very generous pockets – Trump described them as 'playing very, very large' – so it has become the perfect place to rack up the tons. Jak Jones set a record for most centuries ever in a single tournament last season when he made 32 in the Championship League Invitational. Trump's record-breaking season tally of 107 was heartily boosted by his 23 in Leicester. More Trending In comparison, Murphy didn't play in the event, which partly explains why he fell so far short of the century of centuries. So in conclusion, with O'Sullivan very unlikely to play enough to contend, we're looking at Trump, Robertson and Zhao and we will only keep looking at them if they play in the century bonanza that is the Championship League in January. It's looking like a three-horse race which could have no winner, but with the carrot dangling, top players could look to fight their way into that race by entering every event possible. That is ultimately the aim of the bonus for World Snooker Tour, and as Murphy says: 'Anything that creates a bit more interest and talking points in the game is good.' MORE: Liam Pullen: In snooker only the strongest survive so you have to become one of them MORE: China's Bai Yulu retains World Women's Snooker Championship MORE: Q School becomes last chance saloon after four survive first event
Spectator
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Everyone should see the Globe's brilliant new production of The Crucible
Sanity returns to the Globe. Recent modern-dress productions have failed to make use of the theatre's virtues as a historical backdrop. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is set in the 1690s (about a century after Shakespeare's heyday) and the script works beautifully on this spare, wooden stage. To make the groundlings feel involved, the playing area has been extended into the pit with two separate platforms for the judges and the witnesses. James Groom, as Willard the demented jailer, terrifies the crowd by striding around the arena, barking madly at anyone who gets in his way. It grabs your attention. The dashing Gavin Drea (John Proctor) looks terrific in the lead role alongside Phoebe Pryce as his mistrustful, nervy wife, Elizabeth. Both play their parts with strong Irish accents. Which is a puzzle. How did this nice couple from Ireland settle in a hard-line Protestant community where everyone has Anglo-Saxon roots (apart from Tituba who comes from Barbados)? Their diction is not always a perfect match for Miller's language. Among the younger cast, Bethany Wooding stands out as the frivolous, scheming turncoat, Mary Warren. Steve Furst, who used to play the spoof nightclub crooner, Lennie Beige, has transformed himself into Reverend Parris. And he's excellent as the two-faced, priggish control freak. There are no dud performances in Ola Ince's brilliant production. Howard Ward brings a canny warmth to the role of Giles Corey. The wonderful Jo Stone-Ewings (Reverend Hale) starts as a prickly despot and ends up as a penitent hero who admits his mistakes. The website calls the show a 'must-see thriller' but that only tells half the story.
Metro
5 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
China's Bai Yulu retains World Women's Snooker Championship
Bai Yulu has won her second World Women's Snooker Championship, beating Mink Nutcharut in the final, just as she did last year. The 21-year-old beat the Thai star 6-4 in Dongguan to cement her place as the leading player in the women's game. China continue to boast the world champion in Zhao Xintong after his triumph at the Crucible and the women's world champ thanks to Bai's success on home soil. Bai beat three-time former champion Ng On Yee in the semi-finals before whitewashing compatriot Xia Yuying 5-0 in the semis. That set up a clash with Mink in the final after the 2022 champion beat India's Anupama Ramachandran 4-0 in the quarter-finals and fellow Thai cueist Baipat Siripaporn 5-1 in the semis. The final was a tense affair with plenty of frames ending very closely, including the first of the match which Bai nicked 51-50. More Trending Mink rallied and took the next three and led 4-2 with the only half-century of the contest. That proved to be as good as things got for her, though, with the defending champion winning four on the spin to get her hands on the trophy again. The final frame saw both having a number of chances to win it, with Mink dramatically going in-off on the final pink as it looked like she was forcing a decider. More to follow… MORE: Q School becomes last chance saloon after four survive first event MORE: Barry Pinches names career highlight, biggest regret and 'crying shame' in snooker MORE: Alfie Burden talks World Seniors redemption, online abuse and Q School bloodbath
Wales Online
6 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Zhao Xintong shows his true character despite still being banned from snooker in China
Zhao Xintong shows his true character despite still being banned from snooker in China Zhao Xintong became the first Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship earlier this month - but he is still banned from competing in his native China Zhao Xintong has big plans this year (Image: undefined via Getty Images ) Zhao Xintong is currently unable to pursue his dream of winning a tournament in China due to an ongoing snooker ban. The 28-year-old made history earlier this month by becoming the first Asian player to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible thanks to an 18-12 win over Mark Williams. However, he remains barred from competing in his home country. The world championship was only Zhao's second professional tournament since returning from a suspension related to a match-fixing investigation involving 10 players, which dates back to January 2023. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) reduced his initial 30-month ban to 20 months after it was established that, while he had knowingly placed bets on fixed games, he had not personally fixed any matches. Despite being permitted to compete globally, the Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association (CBSA) has upheld the original ban, meaning Zhao is still prohibited from competing in China until 1 July 2025. Since his triumph at the World Snooker Championship, Zhao has spent time in his homeland and expressed his determination to build on his success next season. As a former UK Open winner, Zhao is now just a Masters win away from achieving the coveted Triple Crown, and he is also eager to lift a trophy on Chinese soil. Setting his sights on becoming the first Chinese or Asian player to win a snooker title on home soil, he told the South China Morning Post: "No Chinese or Asian player has been able to embroider that little crown on their waistcoat so far. Article continues below "So I think this is one of my goals. I will do my best to play well in every match and tournament, but I want to hoist a trophy in China – this is something I have yet to do. I am also looking forward to playing in the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong next year. I want to achieve good results here, preferably winning it, and I'd be very happy." With his suspension ending before the new snooker season, Zhao could potentially realise his dream at the Shanghai Masters, scheduled from July 28 to August 3, reports the Express. Since relocating to England in 2016, Zhao, known as 'The Cyclone', has acknowledged the positive impact Sheffield has had on his career. World snooker champion Zhao Xintong is banned from competing in China (Image: (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) ) Article continues below He also believes his world title victory could significantly influence snooker's growth in China. Reflecting on his World Championship triumph and its implications, Zhao said: "I haven't quite thought about what's different for me as a player after winning the World Championship. "Everything is just starting and I am convinced that there is more to come, and I have to do more and bring glory to China. The win was also a breakthrough for snooker in China – because this had not been done before by any Chinese player, I think the younger generation will now be more confident and motivated." Just a few weeks following the Shanghai Masters, snooker fans can look forward to more action from China with the Wuhan Open set for August 24-30. Zhao also shared his anticipation for next year's World Grand Prix, scheduled to take place in Hong Kong from February 3-8.
