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Ssb - ronnie in the pink
Ronnie O’Sullivan tonight became the first player to win two Players Tour Championship titles in a single season with a 4-2 defeat of Matthew Stevens in Gloucester.
I was there on Friday and O’Sullivan was focused and committed from the start.
He travelled down with Damien Hirst, a fellow artist, and conducted himself in exemplary fashion, signing autographs, posing for pictures and generally being professional.
Why shouldn’t he, you may well ask. That’s what pro snooker players are supposed to do. And you’d be right.
The point is, though, that there were no distractions for him. His mind was concentrated fully on the job in hand. He went there to win and that's what he did.
I watched a couple of his matches in the arena and it was clear how seriously he was taking it. His disappointment at bad shots was obvious and he couldn’t have tried harder.
O’Sullivan got his reward in the end and well done to him. He remains snooker’s leading attraction and I'm pleased to see him enjoying himself and playing some good stuff again.
He also knows he can’t afford to take any tournament carrying ranking points lightly with his top 16 place under constant threat this season unless he gets some major points on board.
If he can remain in this frame of mind he has every chance of doing so.
Uniquely, the players wore pink polo shirts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer charities.
It was an emotional few days for South West Snooker Academy owner Paul Mount, after whose sister the Kay Suzanne trophy was named.
The final was played on the fifth anniversary of Paul Hunter’s death and it was therefore fitting that his best friend on the circuit, Stevens, had such a good run.
And as play was progressing today, cancer claimed another victim among the snooker fraternity as Dave Coleshill, the long time TV lighting technician, passed away.
Big Dave was a cheerful, reliable figure backstage with many friends on the circuit. His name won’t be known by many snooker fans but he played a very important part in the way the look of TV tournaments evolved over the last 25 years.
The players are the shop window of the game but there are many others who make it a professional sport, and Dave was one of the biggest characters at any tournament. He will be sadly missed.
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I was there on Friday and O’Sullivan was focused and committed from the start.
He travelled down with Damien Hirst, a fellow artist, and conducted himself in exemplary fashion, signing autographs, posing for pictures and generally being professional.
Why shouldn’t he, you may well ask. That’s what pro snooker players are supposed to do. And you’d be right.
The point is, though, that there were no distractions for him. His mind was concentrated fully on the job in hand. He went there to win and that's what he did.
I watched a couple of his matches in the arena and it was clear how seriously he was taking it. His disappointment at bad shots was obvious and he couldn’t have tried harder.
O’Sullivan got his reward in the end and well done to him. He remains snooker’s leading attraction and I'm pleased to see him enjoying himself and playing some good stuff again.
He also knows he can’t afford to take any tournament carrying ranking points lightly with his top 16 place under constant threat this season unless he gets some major points on board.
If he can remain in this frame of mind he has every chance of doing so.
Uniquely, the players wore pink polo shirts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer charities.
It was an emotional few days for South West Snooker Academy owner Paul Mount, after whose sister the Kay Suzanne trophy was named.
The final was played on the fifth anniversary of Paul Hunter’s death and it was therefore fitting that his best friend on the circuit, Stevens, had such a good run.
And as play was progressing today, cancer claimed another victim among the snooker fraternity as Dave Coleshill, the long time TV lighting technician, passed away.
Big Dave was a cheerful, reliable figure backstage with many friends on the circuit. His name won’t be known by many snooker fans but he played a very important part in the way the look of TV tournaments evolved over the last 25 years.
The players are the shop window of the game but there are many others who make it a professional sport, and Dave was one of the biggest characters at any tournament. He will be sadly missed.
More...