Latest news with #Jagerbombs
Metro
5 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Zak Surety still battling imposter syndrome despite dramatic career turnaround
Zak Surety may have enjoyed the finest few months of his career, but he is still battling himself on the table almost as much as his opponent. The 33-year-old first turned pro in 2014 but attracted few headlines with his performances until a run to the World Open semi-finals in February. The Essex cueman had never been to a quarter-final before that week in Yushan, which only saw him edged out 6-5 by eventual champion John Higgins. He proved it was not just a flash in the pan as he impressively beat Antoni Kowalski, Jack Lisowski and Ricky Walden in World Championship qualifying to make his Crucible debut in April. Things looked bleak at the iconic Sheffield theatre as he lost the first four frames to Ding Junhui, but then he settled, eventually losing 10-7 but becoming the first player ever to make four centuries on Crucible debut. It may have been a first round defeat, but the debutant showed that he belonged on the sport's greatest stage in that second session. Surety then won his first four games of the new season, further cementing his improved stature in the game, but while his confidence has been boosted, things are still not coming easy for him. The world number 64 as spoken openly about struggles with anxiety and intrusive thoughts during matches and while travelling, difficulties that have eased slightly thanks to his fine form, but have not disappeared. 'Every time I'm playing, I'm still sort of thinking…the thoughts haven't changed, but I'm aware that I'm doing a bit better, so obviously that brings confidence.' Surety told Metro. 'But I never really feel still settled out there, I'm still a bit edgy. I'm waiting for that day when I go: 'You know, I think I belong here today.' And who knows, it might happen one day. 'The only time it's happened was the second session at the Crucible. Which is mad, considering how I feel most of the time. 'I do sit in my seat trying to think differently and something has changed, definitely, with the runs I've had. Obviously it might put your opponents under pressure. You might be getting the odd chance more. I suppose that's just natural. I've got to keep riding now. I've got to keep going. Hopefully more doors open.' Surety is a very likeable guy, who enjoyed his summer off from snooker at Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Timberlake gigs with his girlfriend and a Pitbull show with his mates he only just remembers thanks to the power of Jagerbombs. His complete lack of ego could be to his detriment, but is also a nice quality of a world class sportsman. 'I still get imposter syndrome around everything I do. I sit there at night and think: 'Am I really going to do that tomorrow?'' Surety said. 'For example, driving up here [to the Championship League] and I've had Neil Robertson text me asking if I fancy a couple of games next week? His name pops up on my phone. I'm thinking: 'Are you sure you've got the right number?' 'Ali Carter's texted me to play next week. How good's that! I'll still be thinking like, what are you doing texting me? But I've got it all sorted at the moment. I'll keep pushing on and hopefully go to the next level.' There is definitely progress, as much as Surety struggles to accept that he is a player who can compete with anyone on the planet, he does now at least accept that he is a professional. 'The Wuhan [Open] qualifying was the first time it didn't feel like a final, it felt like I just rocked up for a day's work,' he said of his first game of this season. 'Go, play a game of snooker, get through and off to China. That's definitely a positive. I felt like a pro now, not just a top up.' As is the case with so many improving players, it is finding happiness and contentment in life, not just form on the table that leads to good results. Surety gives a lot of credit to his upturn in results to JP's Snooker and Pool Club in Harlow where he practices, its manager, Jason Pegram, who has become a mentor, confidant and travel companion on tour and the fact his girlfriend works in the club. 'I feel like I'm still…the impostor syndrome is still there every day but I do feel like I'm more of a player,' he said. 'I'm going in the club in the morning, I know what I'm doing and I'm happier away from the table. That's the biggest thing, away from the table, because there were times I just didn't want to play anymore. More Trending 'But now with my girlfriend, we have a laugh in the evening, we have a laugh at the club which is a lot more chill, I think. 'Jason's coming with me to Saudi and to China again, he came last time and we did well.' Surety is next in action when he comes in at round two of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters against either Iulian Boiko or Liu Wenwei on Saturday August 9. MORE: Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters 2025 draw, schedule, TV channel, prize money and odds MORE: John Higgins to lead new independent snooker players' association as frustrations mount MORE: Ken Doherty on Jimmy White classic matches, big nights out and moving gestures ahead of Saudi clash
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Man jailed for 18 months for dangerous driving causing death of friend
A 22-year-old man has been jailed for 18 months, after he admitted dangerous driving causing the death of a college friend when they were on a night out together in Co Tipperary in March 2023. The Circuit Criminal Court in Nenagh heard that Sean Fitzpatrick of Kilpurcell, Ballybrophy, Portlaoise, Co Laois, had driven for more than a kilometre with Adam Kirwan hanging out the driver's door. Mr Kirwan was standing on the door frame, with one hand on the roof of the car and the other on the open driver's door. He died when the car driven by Fitzpatrick hit a kerb after he misjudged a corner, less than 50 metres from where they had planned to stay that night in Thurles. Both were studying to become teachers and were students at Mary Immaculate College in Thurles. Mr Kirwan was also a former Laois minor and under-20 hurler. Fitzpatrick admitted charges of dangerous driving causing death, driving with excess alcohol in his system and driving without insurance. Both men had been on a night out with a third college friend when they decided to move Mr Kirwan's car from a carpark near the square in Thurles, in case the car was clamped before they retrieved it the following day. They drank pints of beer and Jagerbombs as they watched a match in a local pub and later attended a house party. Fitzpatrick drove the car, because he was the one who was less intoxicated. His alcohol reading was more than twice the drink driving limit. Mr Kirwan clung onto the roof and the open driver's door of the car as he stood on the ledge of the driver's door for the 1.3km journey from the centre of Thurles to the house where they were staying. The third young man, who sat in the back of the car, recorded parts of the journey on the camera on his mobile phone. The footage was played in court at the sentencing hearing, along with CCTV footage gathered by investigating gardaí, under Sergeant Lorraine Bentley of Thurles Garda Station. Mr Kirwan suffered severe brain injuries when the car hit a kerb and ended up on a green area at College Green, Monakeeba, in Thurles, the estate where they were staying the night on 2 March 2023. In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Kirwan's only sister Marie said her family were living a life sentence since that day. "My parents never got to hold their son in his hour of need or to say goodbye - nobody did," she said. Judge Catherine Staines said Mr Kirwan's death was what resulted when people mixed drinking with dangerous driving. She said it was highly reckless. She acknowledged the significant mitigating factors in this case - that Sean Fitzpatrick had no previous convictions and that he had abandoned his teacher training studies - but she said she had to mark the devastating consequences of what had happened. She sentenced Fitzpatrick to three years in jail, with the final 18 months of that suspended.
National Post
02-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Hockey Canada trial: Complainant describes encountering players in bar on night of alleged sexual assault
She wasn't sure who the rowdy guys were at the downtown London bar, but 'at some point I figured it was just a group of hockey friends.' Article content Article content One of them was Mikey, a man she referred to as 'McLeod' in court, who seemed really keen to get to know her. Article content But, she said, she was drunk. Really drunk. More drunk than she would usually be if she went out for a night on the town. Article content Before she had left home on June 18, 2018 to meet up with co-workers, she had two coolers. Article content Article content Once at Jack's Bar on Richmond Row on the fateful night that's landed five members of Canada's gold-winning 2018 world junior hockey team in court, she said she had least eight Jagerbombs shots – shots of Jagermeister liqueur and Red Bull energy drink – plus a shot of vodka or tequila, a vodka soda and a beer. Article content Article content And so, the complainant, then 20 and now 27, whose identity is protect by court order, said Friday at the Superior Court jury trial that she was intoxicated, 'blurry' and 'mentally all over the place' when she said she found herself surrounded on the dance floor by young men on the team who were taking turns getting close to her. Article content The most-anticipated testimony at the trial of the Team Canada Five began Friday afternoon with the female complainant describing what happened before she returned with New Jersey Devils first-round draft pick Michael McLeod to the Delta Armouries hotel. It was there, she says, that she was sexually assaulted in a hotel room by several members of Canada's world junior team. Article content McLeod, 27, Alex Formenton, 25, Cal Foote, 26, Dillon Dube, 26, and Carter Hart, 26, have all pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to a second charge of sexual assault for being a party to the offence. Article content Article content The team was in London on June 18 and 19, 2018 for a ring ceremony, Hockey Canada gala and golf tournament after winning the coveted tournament six months earlier. Article content The jury has already seen video of the team in full party mode at Jack's Bar on Richmond Street, through security video and individual phone videos. The cameras also picked up the woman in the mix with the men, her leaving the bar with McLeod, arriving at the hotel with him and later, after the sexual activity, saying to the camera that she consented to what happened. Article content Article content Also testifying Friday was Washington Capitals player Taylor Raddysh, 27, who was on the 2018 world junior team. He began his testimony of what he saw on Thursday. Another teammate, 26-year-old Boris Katchouk, who now plays for AHL Wilkes-Barre after several NHL seasons, also testified. Article content From their testimony, it was clear it was a party weekend for the team. Raddysh admitted in cross-examination that he had too much to drink the night of June 17, 2018 when the team went out upon arrival in London. He also agreed that one of Foote's party trick is that he can do the splits.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Daily Show' Shuts Down GOP's 'Stupid' War Plan Semantics Game
'Daily Show' correspondent Ronny Chieng on Wednesday ripped Pete Hegseth for claiming Trump officials didn't text 'war plans' in a Signal group chat, one the defense secretary used to share when U.S. bombs would 'DEFINITELY DROP' in Yemen. 'This is Pete Hegseth, maybe he was talking about Jagerbombs,' joked Chieng in a nod to allegations that the former Fox News host excessively consumed alcohol on the job. On Wednesday, Hegseth downplayed new reporting from The Atlantic revealing that he texted a timeline to the group chat detailing when U.S. strikes would hit Houthi targets in the country. Hegseth slammed the publication on X, formerly Twitter, for releasing what he referred to as 'so-called 'war plans.'' 'So I think it's a war plan, but what the hell do I know, I've never seen one before because no one's ever been dumb enough to put one in a fucking group chat with a journalist,' Chieng quipped. He then turned to clips of several Republicans claiming that the messages in the group chat weren't 'war plans,' instead describing them as 'an outline of what is about to happen' and a 'private conversation.' Chieng brought in 'Daily Show' correspondent Michael Kosta for his take on the GOP's 'stupid' argument. 'It's not a war plan because I didn't say something specific, like what type of plane they're using, you have no idea that it's an F-18,' Kosta said. 'Yeah, you just said that it's an F-18,' Chieng noted. 'Yeah, well, F-18 can mean anything. It could be a bingo number or a parking spot. F-18 could be Pete Hegseth's search on a dating app,' Kosta replied. Check out more of Chieng's Wednesday monologue below. 'Daily Show' Spots The 'Most Embarrassing' Thing In Trump Officials' Group Chat Jimmy Kimmel Uses Pete Hegseth's Own Damning Words Against Him In Blistering Opener Stephen Colbert Burns Pete Hegseth With The 1 Question He Refuses To Answer
