The late re-scheduling of the PTC Grand Finals may have been warmly greeted for the return of top-level snooker to Preston’s famous Guildhall, steeped in history, but the switch did present certain difficulties for those having planned trips to the Far East assuming they would be in Thailand after the Haikou World Open and prior to the China Open in Beijing. Ricky Walden and his girlfriend had originally intended to spend a week in Hong Kong with friends along with manager Lee Gorton, plans that had to be hastily re-arranged by the player once the Lancashire date was announced for the tournament, leaving his pal to make the trip alone. And Jamie Jones was among those players having booked flights to Bangkok and left scrabbling trying to recoup the outlay.

Referee Jan Verhaas has been busy planning his wedding, with the registry office ceremony due to take place in fiancée Alena Skarabahataya’s home country of Belarus in the summer. The couple plan to live in Holland after tying the knot, and Alena has been busy swotting up on Dutch history and culture as well as learning the language for the exam foreign nationals have to take before taking up residence in the country. The happy couple will get hitched in Minsk, in front of a small number of family and friends, including Verhaas’s parents who will travel from the Netherlands. Many congratulations go to both Jan and Alena, and we at Inside Snooker hope you enjoy your big day.

Taking on world No2 Mark Selby is difficult enough at the best of times, but Dominic Dale could at least plead illness and preparation that was far from ideal after slumping to a 4-0 defeat at the last-32 stage of the BetVictor Welsh Open. Unluckily snookering himself and then going in-off on the blue in the decisive frame only made the Shootout champion feel worse. Dale said: “All day in the studio on Tuesday I was shivering and feverish, and really felt very ill. At least it wasn’t as bad today out there and I only had a bit of a headache. Bad as I felt, you can’t win a match with the run of the ball I got out there. I haven’t had a match like that for years.”

Mark King and Alfie Burden were among those caught out by the heavy traffic along the M4 on their way over the Severn Bridge for first-round matches with a 72,000 crowd converging that night not on the Newport Centre but the Wales v France Six Nations match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. King at one point tweeted: “Nice poodle down to Newport, just taken 5hrs 36 and counting,see if we can play when the World Cup of football is on too #trafficjam .”

Burden’s plight was if anything worse, given that unlike King – playing Sean O’Sullivan on Saturday morning – he was due on table at 7pm on Friday night against Ahmed Saif. But both not only made it to Newport, but also through their last-128 stage matches. At least neither had to try and get on the two-carriage trains from Cardiff station back to Newport afterwards, which was by all accounts an even worse experience.

Recent Shootout winner Dominic Dale is usually pretty busy for his home event at the BetVictor Welsh Open. Even when his time in the draw comes to an end – and often before – he has other commentary duties with BBC Wales. And while remembering to pack all his TV studio gear Dale for the first time in a 22-year career neglected to bring a waistcoat in which to play his last-64 contest against Dechawat Poomjaeng. Dale had to go out hunting for something to wear at 9am on the Monday morning of the match, finally ending up parting with £25 for a natty white number from wedding menswear hire shop Cayzers on the Chepstow Road in Newport.

Top referee Michaela Tabb has toughed it out in some luxurious five-star hotels in her time as a worldwide traveller, not least while on duty for events such as pool’s Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas. The Scottish official, on duty at the BetVictor Welsh Open, admits to a weakness for time spent in the MGM Grand and Mirage hotels in the Nevada desert – but was faced with slightly different accommodation in Newport. World Snooker officials and tournament staff, traditionally housed for this event in the Hilton by the M4, found themselves in the humbler surroundings of the Newport Central Travelodge – alongside fans, lower-ranked players (and freelance journalists). When asked to compare the facilities with the Bellagio with its magnificent fountains, Tabb would only offer a tactful: “No comment.”

Tour teenager Scott Donaldson almost came unstuck in at the Welsh Open after failing to truly grasp the meaning of his match against Rob Milkins starting ‘not before 2pm’. The Perth professional had actually booked a flight home for around 8pm on the Wednesday evening, not expecting to progress. But having had to wait until mid-afternoon to get on table, meaning he would have missed his flight anyway even if he had lost, the world No77 pulled off an excellent shock win over Milkins, ranked 65 places higher. Donaldson spent another night in Newport before being offered a lift by compatriot and Good Samaritan John Higgins back to Scotland on Thursday following the four-time world champion’s 4-0 victory over Tony Drago – both then returning ahead of last-64 stage games at the start of the second week.

One player expressing some disappointment at the Players Tour Championship Finals being switched from Thailand to Preston was world No2 Mark Selby. The 30-year-old from Leicester is a big fan of his home city football club The Foxes, currently looking good to regain their place in the Premier League next season. City have wealthy Thai owners and through his friendship with club ambassador Alan ‘Birch’ Birchenall Selby was on a promise of some top-level hospitality during the scheduled trip to Bangkok, abandoned due to the violence and political unrest in the country.

Complaints about tables and playing conditions are always quick to make it into the media, so in the interests of balance credit should probably be given to those responsible for such matters at the Newport Centre this year, at least in the first week. On the face of it the equation doesn’t appear to be rocket science – give the technicians the time and the tools to do the job, and they should be able to get it right more often than not. Compliments were the order of the day at the 128-player stage for the four-table set-up in the arena in Wales, chief World Snooker Services fitter on site Chris Barnes having had five full days to allow the Star tables to settle down. That contrasts with at times two or less on tour this season, notably in India.

At least one former world champion was heard saying as an aside after his press conference: “It was really nice out there, we’re going to have to find something else to moan about.”

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21

Say what you like about Newport – and plenty of people do say things about the city, usually derogatory – but it has supported snooker very well over the years and I found this to be true as I ventured to the BetVictor Welsh Open yesterday.

Well, I found it to be true after I actually found the Newport Centre. The area around it seems to have been constantly dug up and rebuilt for the last ten years, with access points closed and heavy machinery providing a constant thudding soundtrack.

This is the last year for the Welsh Open in Newport before it moves, so it is planned, to Cardiff. It has to be said that not everyone will miss the place. The event is currently played in a municipal leisure centre with a swimming pool and loads of people milling about with no interest in the tournament.

However, the arena itself is excellent. There is plenty of room for the four tables and – crucially – plenty of people wanting to come and watch.

Some of these are pretty hardcore. I overheard one guy yesterday expressing his satisfaction at having secured an autograph from a referee. There was a fair sized queue later for photos and signatures from the players and plenty of spectators had clearly been coming for years.

This is a group of people usually described as ‘traditionalists,’ a word which has curiously come to be used as an insult. In fact, they are the sport’s backbone, turning out for matches when the rest have long since departed.

They, and Newport itself, are considered to be part of snooker’s past, not future. Well, Preston Guild Hall, a venue from snooker’s past, has bailed out the PTC grand finals, proving that tradition sometimes has its uses.

As for the tournament itself, it seems a long time until the final, chiefly because it is a long time until the final. Since everyone has come in at round one, a slow trickle of new names are coming through but it’s mainly the same old faces winning matches.

There was almost a shock yesterday when Sydney Wilson, an amateur, led Mark Allen 3-0 and by 37 with 51 remaining. He then missed a pink. A player stood next to me said, “This’ll be 4-3 to Allen.” And it was.

At the end of the match another player commented, “Welcome to the hurt locker. We’ve all been there.” The point being that no matter what the format or how long the matches, killing off that last frame, with all the pressure coming to bear, especially in sight of a career best victory, remains really difficult, which is why the best players still ultimately win.

So far the main impact of the flat draws with 128 players at the venue has been to make tournaments which should be shorter far longer.

In the early 2000s the event was played at Cardiff International Arena but because it was so hard to book the venue it was compressed into five days, with a round a day from the last 32. And it was excellent: a real sense of momentum and the feeling that there was always something happening.

The more standard length of event in recent times has been seven days. This tournament lasts for 12 days from gun to tape, testing the loyalty even of the Welsh snooker public.

I don’t envy my media colleagues such a long stint, not that there are many of them to envy. Credit, though, to China’s Xinhua news agency, which has sent three staff to cover the tournament. This is in shaming contrast to the UK’s own Press Association, which hasn’t sent anyone to cover a single day of snooker on site since the World Championship last year.

The PA – whose material used to be written on site by freelances or staff men – now rewrites copy from worldsnooker.com. Except, if you compare their stories to some of ours over the last couple of days you will notice there is plenty they did not report, in particular the comments of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby.

And I can completely understand why. They are the governing body so it’s not in their interests to flag up the fact top players don’t actually want to play in certain tournaments. However, it’s not in snooker’s interests either for the game to go largely unreported.

Twice yesterday I heard someone banging on about ‘the importance of social media.’ How about the importance of the actual media, the one which is regulated and has a focus on journalism rather than ending every sentence in exclamation marks and hashtags?

The daily press cuttings these days – despite the very best efforts of a very small band – are frankly embarrassing. This is because newspapers give scant coverage to snooker. But it is 2014 and the media doesn’t end with newspapers. The cuttings would be a lot bulkier if they included credible stories posted online by people with a passion for the sport.

Yes, this looks like naked self-interest from someone who has just started a new snooker website, but there are a number of well maintained sites actually covering the event with the best of intentions – and unlike many newspapers also mentioning the tournament sponsor (an enthusiastic bunch, incidentally, who spent much of yesterday filming video interviews and features with players).

The Welsh Open might have shorter matches than in years gone by but it’s now a long haul. World Snooker’s staff are the sort to roll up their sleeves and get on with it, but all the talk is of long flights coming up to China, days ahead rigging venues and the endless toil of a very busy circuit. They also have to attend to the various whims and complaints of players, usually for decisions they have had no actual responsibility for.

They get on with it because they always have. It’s what they do. But these first few days feel a bit like pre-season football friendlies before the main action begins. From Monday, when TV starts, there will feel like there’s a bit more happening.

So it’s farewell to Newport. It should be thanks as well. This is where the Welsh Open was born in 1992. It’s easy to forget this is now the third longest running ranking event on the circuit and one which, despite the various ways it has been made to feel inferior, has produced some terrific snooker down the years.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12

News that the Players Tour Championship grand finals will be switched from Thailand to an as yet undisclosed location in Europe was met with concern by several players now eyeing a tough schedule in March. 

They will be off to Haikou for the World Open (March 10-16), which can involve as many as three flights depending on the route and will have to come back to Europe for the PTC finals (March 25-29) before flying back out to Beijing for the China Open (March 31-April 6).

Players who qualify for Beijing can’t yet book flights because they don’t know what country they will be flying from. Worse still, at least one player qualified for Thailand has already booked a flight to Bangkok.

One top player suggested the upheaval could cost players come the Crucible, where mental energy is an absolute must.

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Knowing he could finish only fifth at best in group 5 of the Championship League – and would therefore not be involved in the semi-finals on Tuesday evening – John Higgins attempted to make a getaway only to discover Neil Robertson’s car was blocking his own. Robertson was playing Mark Selby at the time.

Undeterred, the Scot found Robertson’s keys and moved the world no.1’s car to a different car park, thus leaving Robertson fearing it had been stolen until the penny dropped.

Robertson, who turned 32 on the day in question, tweeted: “I was about to call the police!!! It was bad enough he beat me 3-2 on my bday!”

The Gdynia Sports Arena, home to the European Tour event staged in Poland by the Baltic Sea, was another curious-looking home for snooker following on so soon after the iconic circus-tent design of the Tempodrom in Berlin. This one, giving the impression of being built into a grassy mound, could almost have been a nuclear bunker. But in more light-hearted fashion it was immediately branded ‘The Teletubbies House’ by Ian Burns and others. Shaun Murphy would certainly have felt in Laa-Laa Land after claiming a first title for two and half years, but he could not afford to get Dipsy with a Championship League date looming the day after back in Essex.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4

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.

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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.

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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!”

SHI Yuanyuan, or Victoria to give her the English name she chose, is a well-known figure on the tour, a former journalist providing copy for Chinese news outlets and web sites turned Sheffield-based entrepreneur. As well as organising waistcoat sponsorship logos with Chinese companies for players Victoria has since the summer been looking after Ding Junhui following his parting of the ways with long-time managers Garry Baldrey and Keith Warren. We at Inside Snooker don’t know what type of green tea she has put him on, but it is working. Four ranking titles, and counting.

Rock giants Simple Minds were playing Berlin on Saturday night, and the way Judd Trump despatched Rod Lawler it looked as if the Juddernaut had been keen to get down to the Huxley’s Neue Welt before the obligatory encore performance of ‘Waterfront’. The main Glittering Prize in the German capital over the weekend was, of course, was the £70,000 for winning the Masters. Thank you, we were here all week. Which is more than be said for Jim Kerr and his mob.

It is doubtful too many Premier League footballers would cope with the strict regime at Hertha Berlin, the capital city’s top-flight Bundesliga club. An offer for a couple of players to attend the 8pm deciding session of the Judd Trump vs Ding Junhui  final at the Tempodrom, following their early afternoon Sunday kick-off against Nuremberg, was politely declined with the response: “I am afraid it is forbidden for the players to go out after a match.” And this, without another game for a week. Based on past performance, a fair few English players would have been through a couple of bottles of Krystal before the break-off.

It may have been only the second full ranking event semi-final of his career for Rod Lawler, and a first for 18 years, but the 42-year-old was certainly playing it cool in the build-up to his big moment in front of a packed and wildly enthusiastic 2,500 sell-out crowd at the Tempodrom. The Liverpudlian spent most of Saturday relaxing but clearly aware of the possibility of extreme stage fright against Judd Trump came to the venue with wife Jo just to see the walk-ons of Ding Junhui and Ryan Day. They then promptly left, and 10 minutes before his own entrance, at 7.50pm, Lawler had to ask who had won the first semi-final.

The Tempodrom was first used for snooker seven years ago – but the circumstances and conditions presented a serious challenge for all those involved, including six-time world champion Steve Davis. The visiting Holiday on Ice show had a day off mid-run, and a hastily-arranged ‘Snooker on Ice’ was scheduled with a table installed on top of a thin carpet to protect the surface. However the carpet was little protection against the extreme cold, and Davis, Matthew Stevens, Neil Robertson and Germany’s Lasse Munstermann battled on with noses streaming and according to the Nugget “frozen up to the waist”.

The decision was taken by senior referee Jan Verhaas at the German Masters to recognise the growing influence and strong performances from the host country’s officials this season at their flagship home tournament in Berlin. An all-German line-up therefore took to the floor for Friday night’s quarter-finals at the Tempodrom, featuring Ingo Schmidt, Thorsten Mueller, Theo Selbertinger and Maike Kesseler. Mueller had to work hardest for his money, with the Rod Lawler match against Mark Davis finishing at around 12.15am.

The growth in popularity of snooker in Germany is to a large extent rooted in its coverage on Eurosport Germany, and the broadcaster pronounced themselves very happy with the viewing figures over the first couple of days, even before the business end of the tournament. Audiences peaked at just under 500,000 in the evenings, despite being directly up against the hugely popular German version of jungle reality show ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’. Apparently the same camp in Australia that housed snooker legend Steve Davis last year is used by the Germans in January and early February, and then the Dutch have their turn, and it is at least reassuring that not more than one jungle is being desecrated for the celebrity antics. Don’t say we never bring you the really big news on Inside Snooker.