Latest news with #snooker
Daily Mail
4 days 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.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Disgraced Chinese snooker star Yan Bingtao criticised for advice to world champion Zhao
The disgraced Chinese snooker player Yan Bingtao has attracted criticism after offering advice to new world champion Zhao Xintong. Advertisement Having kept a low profile since being banned for five years in 2023 for match-fixing, Yan on Wednesday posted a clip on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. The 25-year-old made no mention of his downfall or his future plans, but warned Zhao – who this month became the first from China to win the world title – of some potential pitfalls of his position. Having served his own 20-month ban, a remorseful Zhao resumed his career outside the professional ranks last September before sweeping to a stunning global triumph in Sheffield. Zhao Xintong has been showered with attention since winning the world title. Photo: AFP 'I believe he will reach new heights in the future, but what he should do now is to balance well,' Yan said in his eight-minute video. 'Zhao is now at the pinnacle of his career and there will be a lot of commercial activities.
CBC
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Meet Ottawa's snooker legend
Ervin Budge was inducted into the Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame for his contributions to snooker in the nation's capital.
Free Malaysia Today
27-05-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Cops hunt for 5 men after snooker game turns violent
Kuantan police chief Wan Zahari Wan Busu said the men had exchanged words during the game before the victim was beaten with bottles. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A 51-year-old man was left injured after being assaulted by five men during a game of snooker at a club in Kuantan, Pahang, yesterday. Kuantan police chief Wan Zahari Wan Busu said the incident was believed to have been caused by a misunderstanding between the victim and his assailants during the game. He said the men had exchanged several remarks while they were playing and the situation soon escalated with the victim being hit on his head and arm with bottles, Harian Metro reported. 'The case is being probed under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons. Police are actively tracking down the suspects involved,' he was quoted as saying. Wan Zahari also called for witnesses to come forward and assist in the investigation.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Former snooker sex symbol, 69, suffers major blow in bid to return to World Tour for the first time in 24 years
TONY KNOWLES's hopes of joining the professional snooker ranks as an OAP potter suffered a major blow. The Bolton cueist – who reached the Crucible World Championship semi-finals on three occasions in the 1980s – was thumped 4-0 by William Lemons in round one of Q School Event One. 5 5 5 Knowles – who turns 70 next month – potted only 100 points across four frames as Lemons, 29, progressed with breaks of 50 and 54. The Lancastrian, a two-time ranking tournament winner and an iconic figure from the sport's past, last played on the World Snooker Tour circuit in 2001. But the former world No.2 is not giving up on his dreams of playing alongside the likes of top stars Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump or world champion Zhao Xintong. A sex icon on the baize in his pomp, Knowles still plays to a decent standard for his age. But he will have to win six matches in a row in Event Two, which starts next Tuesday, if he is to be reunited with old drinking and smoking pal Jimmy White, 63, who has an invitational tour card for the next two seasons. A notorious ladies' man who was blessed with good looks, after leading a session against Steve Davis, Knowles once headed out to a nightclub before play resumed in the morning. Quite brilliantly, he returned to the Crucible the following day and polished off the frames needed to finish off the job. He sold countless stories on lurid sexual conquests, including an interview for £25,000 where he called himself the "hottest pot in snooker.' Meanwhile, his conqueror Lemons now plays 14-year-old Moldovan Vladislav Gradinari in round two at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester. Amateur ace Ronnie Sullivan – who has dreams of playing O'Sullivan at some point – progressed to round two when opponent Jai Platts did not turn up for their scheduled tie at 9am on Wednesday. 'Not fit for purpose' - Barry Hearn slams Crucible with World Snooker Championship tipped to 'travel around world' 5
