Joel Walker took the opportunity to share a cautionary travel tale with fellow teenager Scott Donaldson at the BetVictor Welsh Open. The two youngsters did themselves proud in Newport, with Donaldson matching his best ever run at a full ranking event and Walker, also 19, stunning defending champion Stephen Maguire to reach at least the quarter-finals, further than he had ever been before in a fledgling two-year professional career. But the Sheffield youngster had a warning for Donaldson, heading for Haikou in just a few days. At the Wuxi Classic this season Walker, not used to the jetlag such trips to China can bring on, fell into a deep sleep and missed the traditional welcome ceremonies, a PR obligation under the players’ contract. This saw world No84 Walker harshly fined, but formed part of a learning curve that he was keen to share with the Perth potter.

WORLD champion Ronnie O’Sullivan picked Joel Walker out as a 16-year-old to win a ‘Pot Idol’ style talent competition put on by Rileys almost four years ago and held in the Winter Gardens in Sheffield during the World Championships.

After ending up being the Rocket’s top choice in that ‘Future Stars’ selection process Walker, now 19 and ranked 84th in the world, turned professional two years ago,

O’Sullivan was watching in the media centre as Walker beat defending champion Stephen Maguire to reach his first ranking-event quarter-final.

He said: “I picked him in the Future Stars, he was the best of the juniors coming through and I have followed his career very closely. He did well in a PTC in Antwerp and I was actually surprised, he has improved so much in such a short space of time. He is starting to get results against good players and I am so happy for him. I think he will win tournaments now, he obviously has that love and desire for the game, he wants to play and is improving rapidly. I picked a good ‘un there, maybe I should be a scout more often.”