Judd Trump hit a green ball so hard in the first session of the German Masters final that it became damaged. Rolf Kalb, the German Eurosport commentator and master of ceremonies in Berlin, was approached by several spectators who wanted the green to keep so struck on the idea of auctioning it off for charity. World Snooker agreed this was a nice idea and had both Trump and Ding Junhui sign the ball, including it in a full set, plus case.
The balls were auctioned for the Phillipp Lahm Foundation, which provides educational resources for children in Africa, and raised €1,355.
++
Snooker players don’t always enjoy travelling but some fans really demonstrate commitment. Two Russian women travelled 3,000 km from their home in Murmansk to attend the German Masters final, a journey which lasted two days.
++
Stephen Hendry has not only joined Twitter – you can follow him at @SHendry775 – but tweeted over 450 times in only four days, which certainly makes him more loquacious than in several post match press conferences after he had suffered disappointing defeats in his heyday.
It’s now 20 years since Hendry defeated Jimmy White 18-17 in the 1994 World Championship final, after which White famously remarked, “He’s beginning to annoy me.”
White’s verdict on Hendry joining the social network? – “Now he can annoy me on twitter!”