Latest news with #Surety
Metro
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Metro
Zak Surety on wild Crucible debut: They can't ever move from there - it's mad
Zak Surety had a very eventful debut at the World Snooker Championship this year and although he both loved and hated the experience, he was convinced that the 'mad' Crucible is the perfect home for the event. The 33-year-old enjoyed his best ever season by a long stretch, reaching a first semi-final at the World Open and finishing the campaign with a Crucible debut after brilliant performances in qualifying. At the iconic Sheffield theatre he faced Chinese superstar Ding Junhui and the pair produced an amazing opening round contest. Ding went 4-0 up as Surety struggled with the occasion and things looked very sticky for the Englishman at the first interval. 'At the start I walked out and sat in my seat and that was the strangest I've ever felt,' Surety told Metro. 'I've never felt that uncomfortable. My arms didn't feel part of my body. It felt like my tip didn't belong to me. Everything felt wrong. 'I've got myself in a bit of a state and I'm 4-0 down. I'm in the dressing room thinking I really don't want to go out there. It's your dream, but I just didn't want to go back out there because I was making myself look like an absolute idiot.' Surety has spoken openly about his struggles with anxiety before, so it is to his immense credit that he overcame those feelings in some style, starting with only losing that first session 6-3. 'I made a century the last frame of the first session,' he remembers. 'When the screen came up it was probably the best buzz I've ever had because it was the whole Crucible to myself. The noise in there! I was welling up as I got to 90 and thought, is this really me? 'Obviously then the second day I flew.' He certainly did, becoming the first player in Crucible history to make four centuries on debut and although he ultimately lost 10-7, he did anything but make himself look like an absolute idiot. 'I actually watched the second session back last week and I don't feel like it's me,' he said. 'It's just some random bald bloke on the tele. I'm watching it back and thinking, did that really happen? 'I felt weird after because I left, I've set a record, I've played well, I can go home and the pressure of it is all over. They're all talking about me on the tele, great position going into next season, everything's good. 'Then you're home and you think about it and that was such a good chance. I was playing so well, I could have done something there and it quickly goes from feeling quite content about the whole experience to being quite annoyed.' Mixed feelings sums up the Crucible experience as Surety's first game there epitomised the cliché that the venue is both the best and worst place to play snooker. 'I sat down and tried to convince myself it was going to be the best place on Earth, but you get it drummed into your head how you're meant to feel in there,' he said. 'Mark Allen asked me how I was feeling and told me that he was there for the 19th time and still struggles every time he walks out there. It's like it's normal. 'I watched the opening morning before travelling up and Steve Davis said on camera: 'I can't wait to watch the top players in the world squirm under the pressure of the Crucible.' I looked at my girlfriend and said: 'Bloody hell, that's me this year!'' 'Although I hated those first four frames, that's how I'm meant to feel. You sit there, look left and that's where Steve Davis picked up all them trophies. I was looking up at the lights on the roof and tearing up. How the hell am I here? You find yourself losing yourself in the history of the place. 'At the start it felt like the walls sucked in on me and you just notice every set of eyes in the whole arena. I thought they were on me, which they were, but you notice it. The next day I was flying and it was like no one else was in there.' Surety was a huge fan of the place before playing there, but is now convinced that the unique nature of the Crucible is why it should remain the home of the World Championship, beyond the current contract which ends in 2027. 'They can't ever move from there,' he said. 'It's just…it's mad. 'It's so small in there, I think you're only allowed two back stage passes, but it works because you walk into the Champions Lounge upstairs and there's Stephen Hendry. As I walked in he said: 'Great run in the World Open, well done for qualifying, I'm glad to see you doing well.' I'd never spoken to Stephen Hendry before! Things like that make it mad.' The challenge for Surety now is to build on the very encouraging end to last season and make it back to the Crucible next year, something he is working hard on. 'I lost to Ding on the Tuesday and I was back here in the club on the Wednesday,' he said. 'I quite like that time of year because you're not practising for anything, just playing and having a laugh.' More Trending The popular Essex star also had a summer of cue questions which has seen him chop, change and return to old faithful which arrived from eBay a decade ago. 'My cue's not the greatest. I love it, but it's an old Chinese cue that my dad picked up off eBay about 10 years ago for 130 quid,' he explained. 'There are a lot better cues, but it's obviously my own. 'John Parris has made me a new one and I used it for three or four days. I like using other cues as a bit of a challenge. I think I've made a century with near enough every bit of wood in the club. But when it's handed to you and this could be something you're going into the season with, I couldn't do it. 'I had to call John and say you can have your you're very expensive, beautiful cue back. I want me little piece of poo off eBay back and I I'm cracking on.' MORE: Wuhan Open and British Open draws made as Ronnie O'Sullivan enters both MORE: Stephen Hendry and Ken Doherty disagree on most underrated snooker player ever MORE: Anthony Hamilton reflects on epic career as Sheriff of Pottingham hands in his badge
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cobalt Specialty deploys ChainThat BPA platform for surety business
Cobalt Specialty, part of KEWA Financial, has integrated ChainThat's Beyond Policy Administration (BPA) platform to support its Surety business in Canada. This implementation powers Cobalt's strategy to provide solutions in complex insurance sectors, a press release stated. The BPA platform has now been deployed for Cobalt's Surety business line in Toronto, after the launch of the alliance in November 2024. This move aims to enhance Cobalt's ability to enhance specialised lines in the Canadian commercial insurance market. The BPA platform offers modular, API (application programming interface)-driven functionality that enables underwriters, operations teams and distribution partners to streamline their processes. This platform is designed to speed up the entire policy life cycle, including billing, binding, product configuration, quoting, rating and reporting. Cobalt Specialty COO & founding partner Gordon Rider said: 'Partnering with ChainThat has been a great experience. The team worked more like a partner than a vendor, taking the time to understand our business and needs in order to provide a best-in-class scalable offering. ChainThat has delivered a flexible platform that allows us to launch, adapt and scale our offerings efficiently. With BPA, we are now well positioned to support the evolving needs of Canadian industries.' ChainThat, headquartered in the UK, has been serving the insurance industry since 2015 with software-as-a-service-based platforms. In 2024, the company appointed Vikas Acharya as its new CEO. Acharya said: 'The successful implementation with Cobalt Specialty is a great example of what our BPA platform is built for – flexibility, speed and the ability to support complex lines of business. We are thrilled to help Cobalt deliver high-impact solutions to the Canadian market and look forward to expanding our partnership to support their growth in other commercial lines.' "Cobalt Specialty deploys ChainThat BPA platform for surety business " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
CNA
09-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Prince Harry seeks 'reconciliation' with Royal Family
CNA938 Rewind Play In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Prince Harry revealed that his father won't speak with him because of ongoing security issues. This despite his hope to reconcile with the royal family. Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng find out if reconciliation is on the cards for the father and son and what it will take for it to happen with Marcus Harmes, Associate Director Research, University of Southern Queensland CNA938 Rewind - The Wellness Hour - No Shame on Menopause with Surety Menopause is a natural part of life, but for many women, its symptoms are anything but easy. Yet, many of them suffer in silence. One platform hopes to discard the shame. Hui Wong speaks with Surety's co-founder Valery Tan and Dr June Sheren, who is the advisor for Surety to speak about how the platform helps raise awareness and inform women and their loved ones on how better to support them in this period of transition. 20 mins CNA938 Rewind - Eat, Drink, Singapore - Sunday Roast at FYSH for Mother's Day If you have yet to figure out where to celebrate Mother's Day over the weekend, how about stepping into a botanical garden setting for a leisurely Sunday Roast? Hui Wong speaks with Cedric Vinckier, Director of F&B for The Singapore Edition to find out more about its seafood and steak options. 11 mins CNA938 Rewind - Prince Harry seeks 'reconciliation' with Royal Family In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Prince Harry revealed that his father won't speak with him because of ongoing security issues. This despite his hope to reconcile with the royal family. Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng find out if reconciliation is on the cards for the father and son and what it will take for it to happen with Marcus Harmes, Associate Director Research, University of Southern Queensland 16 mins
CNA
09-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - The Wellness Hour - No Shame on Menopause with Surety
CNA938 Rewind Play Menopause is a natural part of life, but for many women, its symptoms are anything but easy. Yet, many of them suffer in silence. One platform hopes to discard the shame. Hui Wong speaks with Surety's co-founder Valery Tan and Dr June Sheren, who is the advisor for Surety to speak about how the platform helps raise awareness and inform women and their loved ones on how better to support them in this period of transition.
The Sun
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Crucible rookie makes HISTORY in first-ever World Snooker Championship match having watched last tournament in his pants
JUST a year after watching the tournament in his underwear, Zak Surety wrote himself into World Snooker Championship folklore on his debut at The Crucible. The Englishman, playing for the first time in Sheffield, became the first player in history to hit four centuries on debut at the World Snooker Championship. 2 Surety had come through qualifying to earn himself a meeting with 10th seed Ding Junhui - the Godfather of Chinese snooker - in the opening round. Ding, the beaten finalist in 2016 when he lost 18-14 to Mark Selby, ran out a 10-7 victor against Surety, although the world No. 73 greatly impressed on his first showing among snooker's elite. What made Surety's performance that much more impressive was the fact that last year, he had been sat at home watching the tournament in his pants. The Basildon Bull Dog admitted that he was "the biggest snooker nerd" when it came to the season finale. Surety, 33, said: 'Honestly, I'm the biggest snooker nerd when it comes to the Crucible. 'I like to sit in my pants for 17 days and just watch every session on TV. 'I don't move – 10am to midnight every day, just watching snooker. So to be involved with it now, it's unreal. 'I haven't even been there to watch before. "I'm keen on my running. A few years ago, I thought I had never actually seen the place. 'I typed the address into my iPhone maps and ran towards it. When I saw the Stage Door, I felt my knees buckle." Humorously, Surety also said that he watched episodes of EastEnders on BBC iPlayer before games. He said: 'Not many people know but EastEnders goes up on the iPlayer at 6am. 'It's perfect prep for a game – a bit of Phil Mitchell and then the Crucible.' Unfortunately for Surety, he could not rediscover the winning touch that saw him get through three qualifying rounds, including defeating players ranked higher than him. Those scalps included Jack Lisowski, the world No. 25, and Ricky Walden, the world No. 40. Surety's conqueror Ding will go on to face either former world champion Luca Brecel or world No. 36 Ryan Day in the last 16, before a potential encounter with second seed Shaun Murphy in the last eight.
