SELT TIED UP IN KNOTS OVER DRESS CODE

There have been a couple of strong late contenders for snooker quote of the year at the Coral UK Championship.

Ronnie O’Sullivan, furious at himself for sustaining a bad ankle injury out running days before a major snooker tournament, reminded himself after hobbling round the table to beat Daniel Wells: “I’m a snooker player, not a f*****g runner.”

Then after dumping out BBC pundits Steve Davis and Ken Doherty, Ricky Walden came out with: “I seem to be getting drawn against all the BBC commentators, maybe it will be Hazel Irvine in the next round.”

But surely top of the pile was Matt Selt, hearing after his 6-0 whitewash at the hands of Ronnie O’Sullivan including a 147 maximum break, that he might be contacted by the WPBSA disciplinary bosses for the scruffy state of his bow tie in that match.

Selt joked: “It was a bit scruffy. But the WPBSA represent me – they should be giving me some free counselling after that drubbing from the Rocket on national TV, not fining me over my tie.”

POOL TRADITION CONTINUES AT THE EDINBURGH ARMS

The annual Dave Coleshill Cup pool tournament in the Edinburgh Arms pub across the road from the Barbican Centre got under way on the Friday night after the snooker quarter-finals in York.

This was the fourth staging of the event named in memory of the long-time lighting technician and drew the usual large number of entries. Unfortunately this correspondent was unable to take his place in the draw, but apparently dodged a bullet after passing on the entry to BBC Radio Five Live and Television presenter George Riley.

Snooker and rugby league aficionado Riley, over in York for the evening catching up with former colleagues and friends, ran into Ukrainian Tanya Volovelska, pictured, in the first round and was sent packing by the talented amateur snooker player, who has played in PTCs in Eastern Europe.

Riley left licking his wounds on a late train back across the Pennines. The action was due to continue late on Saturday night.

Tournament director Mike Ganley has had to put up with plenty of (reasonably) good natured banter after a past rules controversy in the final saw him claim victory over radio broadcaster Jonny Bryan.

RONNIE HAS HIS CAKE...BUT NO ONE'S EATING IT

Ronnie O’Sullivan was in no mood for an extravagant birthday celebration on Friday, despite beating Anthony McGill to reach Saturday’s Coral UK Championship semi-finals. In ‘Bah, humbug’ style he insisted he didn’t like birthdays, or the giving and receiving of cards or cakes, and in all likelihood would spend the evening having a quick Thai meal and watching ‘I’m A Celebrity..Get Me Out Of Here’ on the television.

The cake that the BBC handed him in the studio was proving hard to shift. Not only did O’Sullivan immediately pass it on to the written press, but 19 hours later on Saturday lunchtime it was still standing untouched in the media centre.

TRUMP ENDS THE WILLIAMSON JINX

There were one or two grimaces from the cameramen in the arena on Thursday when they saw the name of Pete Williamson down as marker for the Judd Trump v Rod Lawler match in the afternoon.

Up to that point every match the Liverpool official had been involved in either as referee or marker had gone to a deciding frame, and the television crew, like the referees spending long hours on their feet, feared he was starting to jinx the proceedings.

At one stage with Lawler digging in and 4-3 adrift with a chance to level things up at 4-4 another nailbiter looked on the cards – but Trump eased clear for a 6-3 win to end the Williamson hoodoo.

X-FACTOR STAR RICE SWEEPING ALL BEFORE HIM

One face around the Barbican Centre in York was teenager Michael Rice, doing temporary work as a cleaner – but the 16-year-old’s life may be about to get a bit more glamorous.

Formerly a chip shop worker from Hartlepool, Rice appeared on the recent series of X-Factor and has earned some kind of recording contract from his efforts on the show, which saw him get to the Boot Camp stage.

The appeal of clearing up the crisp bags and plastic cups after snooker fans and theatre-goers may soon start to ebb away for the youngster, seen here belting out some Whitney...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef3E70IHHWI 

HOPE YOU'RE BACK SOON, LEO

Inside Snooker and the whole of the sport wishes popular referee Leo Scullion the very best as he continues his battle with lung cancer. Thankfully treatment is proving successful, and he is targeting a resumption of his duties with World Snooker as soon as possible.

The Scottish official was diagnosed several months ago but wanted to keep his illness low key in the initial stages of treatment. Fellow referees Jan Verhaas and Olivier Marteel went to visit Leo in Glasgow last week, and found him in good spirits and looking and feeling better.

There will be plenty of people looking forward to sharing a pint once again with Leo after work in the Graduate in Sheffield next spring, if not sooner. All the best and get well soon, Leo.

BLACKPOOL, WE HAVE A DRAW PROBLEM

The draw for March’s World Seniors Championship to be staged in Blackpool hit a snag when the first attempt to make it in the arena at the Barbican Centre in York had to be aborted due to there not being enough balls in the bag.

Willie Thorne had been drafted in to do the honours, but after pulling the first eight balls out and through a keen sixth sense was first to raise concerns over how many remained in the velvet sack. In fact this turned out to be only three rather than the required eight to complete matters, meaning the whole thing had to be canned. They’ll be trying again soon.

TRUMP ALL RIGHT WITH DIAMOND LIGHTS

Judd Trump loves his music, but sacrificed the chance of walking out to the sounds of his favourite popular beat combos by using a reworking of the infamous Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle single ‘Diamond Lights’ for his third-round match against Fraser Patrick in York.

However it was all in aid of an excellent cause. The song, let’s generously say performed by talkSPORT presenter and snooker fanatic Andy Goldstein and sidekick Jason Cundy, will see all proceeds raised go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. The official video is out on December 8, and  Christmas single released a week later.

ROBERTSON BAT TO BE AUCTIONED FOR CHARITY

Neil Robertson’s tribute to cricketer Phillip Hughes, carrying a bat into the arena against Kyren Wilson and placing it close to his chair, later insisting it helped inspire him when on the brink of an early exit, was a fitting mark of respect for the batsman tragically killed after being hit on the head by a bouncer.

And the bat used by the Australian for the gesture will be auctioned for the benefit of the Paul Hunter Foundation charity on Ebay. The item should be there from Monday afternoon onwards.

O'SULLIVAN GETS SILENT TREATMENT

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s outburst over the set-up and arena for the early rounds in York, feeling that the second-biggest ranking tournament on the calendar was being sold short, may have had its foundation in several factors – two being an erratic display, and the stark contrast in setting and atmosphere with the recent Champion of Champions final in Coventry.

But the atmosphere was surprisingly flat on Sunday night at the Barbican Centre, especially given O’Sullivan’s presence on one of the TV tables. The crowd, who are still turning up in growing numbers, did not get as involved as is often the case, extending to a lack of applause for good shots – very unlike York where they know their snooker. Maybe it was just a one-off.

It led to O’Sullivan at one stage moving from his chair and placing himself at the far end of the table near the markers, later pointedly noting that was the way he was reminding himself there was a crowd present.

WALDEN TREATS HIMSELF AFTER CHINA WIN

Ricky Walden again pulled rank over Mark Allen at the Champion of Champions in Coventry with a 4-0 group-phase win, after beating him 10-7 in the final of the International Championship in Chengdu the previous weekend.

And the world No8 from Chester had been the ‘daddy’ on the plane home from China, treating himself to a business class flight home while Allen and losing semi-finalists Mark Williams and Rob Milkins contented themselves with economy (or ‘World Traveller’ in British Airways speak).

With £125,000 in his pocket and a heavy night of celebrations to get over Walden shelled out the extra cash for an upgrade and a more comfortable 12-hour flight home. That meant a different check-in queue - and a left-turn after boarding the aircraft.

CHRISTMAS SALES PUSH CRANKING INTO GEAR

The big World Snooker and Matchroom Christmas sales push cranked up a notch or two this week.

A Youtube advert offering viewers the chance to buy ‘The best Christmas present ever’ suggested “treating someone you love to the gift of live sport and a ticket to that match or that moment in history” – in this case snooker’s Masters at Alexandra Palace in January, as well as the World Darts Championship, boxing’s Fight Night and the World Championship of Ping Pong.

And the merchandise stand at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena during the Dafabet Champion of Champions was getting in on the act with a list of present ideas.

These included the 2015 World Snooker calendar featuring pictures of all your favourite stars (£7.50); retro T-shirt (£10); soft shell jacket (£27); fleece (£15); body warmer (£23) and umbrella (£20). Cash only, no cards.

CHINESE HACKS DISTRACTED BY FOOTBALL CLIMAX

While one title was being decided in the arena in Chengdu, attention was to say the least divided in the media centre with most Chinese sports journalists following streams of the season’s football final-day climax that saw Guangzhou Evergrande needing at least a point at Shandong Luneng to guarantee retaining their Chinese Super League crown at the expense of Beijing Guoan.

There were plenty of laptops showing split screens of the games at Shandong and Beijing’s home match with Henan Jianye. If it had been Sky, the Chinese characters across the top would have read ‘Judgment Day, There Can Be Only One’, it was that kind of occasion – not unlike the Mark Allen vs Ricky Walden clash down the corridor.

An early goal for Shandong raised briefly the prospect of a title decided on head-to-head-record in favour of Beijing, but their goal-shy strikers and a Guangzhou equaliser handed the title to veteran Italian manager Marcelo Lippi’s side, leaving many from the capital in the room dejected.

PANDAS FROZEN OUT OF FINAL WALK-ON

Very few among the UK-based officials and media escaped having to wear some part of a panda costume in Chengdu to keep promoter ‘Jerry’ happy. But tournament director Mike Ganley decided to spare the two finalists the indignity of being escorted into the arena by a bear apiece.

A trial run on the Saturday was enough to convince Ganley, generally keen to indulge local sentiment and help publicise Sichuan province’s most iconic creatures, that the black and white costumes did little for the gravitas of the occasion to the wider world and the plug was diplomatically pulled.

Instead a chuckling Mark Allen and Ricky Walden left the mascots in the corridor on their way out to start the best of 19 frame showpiece.

FIREWORKS ON AND OFF THE TABLE

Loud fireworks being set off outside the Sichuan Tennis Center, presumably for a wedding on the Saturday night, could be heard in the arena during frame 12 of the Mark Allen vs Mark Williams semi-final at the International Championship, entirely appropriate given the potting carnage that was occurring on the table.

Allen’s breaks were  92, 71, 52, 54,  105, 55, 77, and a superbly compiled 67 while Williams chipped in with 120, 135, 70, 84, 49, 102, 46 and 86 to level at 8-8.

In characteristically phlegmatic and sporting style Williams was already well on the way to shrugging off the inevitable disappointment as he left the post-match press conference, insisting on the way out after the 9-8 thriller: “You won’t see many matches like that.”

WILKINSON AND VERHAAS OWN THE SHAMROCK

As ever in Chengdu the Shamrock Bar in the centre of town proved the watering hole of choice for players and officials during the International Championship though with the event back at the Sichuan Tennis Center in the Shuangliu district in the southern suburbs, the bar was a good 30-40 minute taxi ride away.

Referee Jan Verhaas spent more time than he would have liked in the city two years ago, having to wait five weeks before being allowed to fly home after a Deep Vein Thrombosis scare – and became a well-known figure out and about in that time.

To such an extent that he was asked by the management to be a guest judge for the Shamrock’s annual Halloween party costume competition on the Friday night after the Ricky Walden/Rob Milkins semi-final.

It is fair to say the costume theme was only loosely followed, and despite Verhaas voting into third place a young lady wearing hot pants and a dinosaur outfit the winner was declared as Captain America.

The revelry then continued on the pool table where former snooker world No5 Gary Wilkinson, now on the World Snooker payroll, put on a masterclass in a long unbeaten run for the gathered throng.

SPORTSMANSHIP ALIVE AND WELL IN SNOOKER

It is a shame large chunks of the media only ever want to cover snooker when there is a match-fixing story – and knowing sports editors as I do, can’t see that changing for a couple of them any time soon even if some are fairer in their coverage.

But the other side of snooker, the one we see almost every day and in every match, is the sportsmanship on show from players from top to bottom of the rankings during the contests when fouls are habitually called on themselves and other courtesies shown to an opponent in all manner of ways.

And there was a further but different example of this late on Thursday night at the International Championship in Chengdu. Earlier that evening Mark Williams and Mark Allen had fought like tigers to get through their respective quarter-finals against Ronnie O’Sullivan and Michael White – and more of the same could be expected in their Saturday semi-final, when no quarter would be asked or given in a huge match for both.

But that was for another day. And the pair could be seen cheerily shooting the breeze about the day’s events in the hotel lobby until 1.30am over a shared McDonalds takeaway.

STAR LEFT ALL AT SEA OVER INDIA DELAY

The late postponement of the Indian Open, due to take place in October but now to be staged next March, caused all manner of disruption within the game – not least to Chinese official table manufacturers and providers Star.

Somewhere in Mumbai there are seven tournament quality tables for matchplay and practice sitting in the equivalent of a lock-up for six months, having been packed on to a container ship back in August in Tianjin.

With all the forms filled in, visas obtained, tax paid and freight bill settled and the tables already at sea, they continued along their merry way through the Yellow Sea down to the South China Sea, then via Singapore through the Malacca Strait, into the Indian Ocean and past Sri Lanka and up the west coast of India to Mumbai.

The new dates for the event are March 10-14 (Cheltenham Festival week, seriously who picks these things…) when the tables will be removed from mothballs.

WALDEN BOMBS OUT BLEARY-EYED BURNETT

Jamie Burnett could be pleased with his week’s work in Chengdu, the world No51 reaching a first ranking quarter-final for four years, and picking up a welcome cheque for £17,500.

But he also accurately predicted his own demise with downbeat assessments of his wins over a below-par Judd Trump and a Peter Ebdon who struggled with the table conditions.

Burnett said after the 6-2 win over Ebdon: “I have really found it hard to get proper sleep this week, I am on about two hours a night and not playing particularly well, even though I am into the quarter-finals. If I run into a good player playing well, I could have big problems.”

That proved highly prophetic as an on-song Ricky Walden ran out a 6-1 winner on Thursday afternoon to grab a place in the last four.

NEW O'SULLIVAN HANDLERS IN CHENGDU

Ronnie O’Sullivan was joined in Chengdu by members of his new management company, international talent agency James Grant - in China to familiarise themselves with his tournament routine and see the frenzied interest in him in the Far East for themselves.

The organisation represents a wide range of sports stars across the globe including footballers from the UK, Europe and the Americas and international rugby players. Five-time world champion O’Sullivan joins a stable that also has a large number of television, music and literary clients.