Sports journalist covering snooker, darts, football and more for
@MetroUK
Co-host
@TalkingSnooker
podcast.
Anything else is a lovely little bonus for you.
O'Sullivan on Carter on Discovery+: 'I think he's got more of a problem with me than I have with him. He's got something against me.
'Maybe it's because I've got a massive trophy cabinet full of trophies.'
Absurd from Ronnie O'Sullivan tonight. As good as it gets in a rapid 6-1 demolition of Ding Junhui.
'This is right up there with his best ever performances,' says Stephen Hendry.
Can't lose when he plays like that.
Judd Trump is next in line for the Rocket in the final.
Ronnie: "I'm at that stage now where I'm just hanging around so people don't get as good careers.
"If I can beat Selby here, Judd there, that's a UK you ain't got, a Masters you ain't got.
"I'm just here to spoil their parties, ruin their CVs."
Ronnie O'Sullivan: 'As long as I'm still feeling young at the table I don't think age is really an issue. Experience is helping me.
'I've won a lot of tournaments, learned a lot about the game.
'I think I'm probably a better all round player than I've ever been.'
'That was the only thing that turned me on tonight. Let's just get him to that point. I want to see if he twitches. I love seeing it when their bottle goes. I love it.'
Almost sadistic stuff from Ronnie O'Sullivan after his Masters win.
Fascinating chat with
@judd147t
who wants to see a lot of change in snooker.
He feels the sport is getting stuck in the past and it needs to evolve to thrive.
Commentators. Dress code. TV coverage. Marketing.
The world number one speaks out.
Rob Milkins dedicating the trophy to his friends Dean and Mandy.
He spoke about them last year after Gibraltar and you can see why they mean so much to him.
It's an emotional Sunday evening!
Well!
Interesting first break-off from Vafaei.
Ronnie did that against him in a German Masters qualifier in Cannock.
Not sure about it at the World Championship in Sheffield.
'Not good. Not clever,' says Stephen Hendry.
John Virgo is staying on with the BBC for 'the foreseeable future'
'I was absolutely delighted to hear it and however long it goes on for I don’t mind but it was good news, it was music to my ears.'
Emotional scenes as Ronnie O'Sullivan wins a record-equalling seventh World Championship title.
Judd Trump gets a hug longer than it took the Rocket to win that last frame.
Mark Selby started this conversation with, 'I've had a lot going on off the table' and that was a serious understatement.
Heartbreaking news about his wife, Vikki, being diagnosed with cancer last year and their close friend passing away last month.
Ronnie O'Sullivan: 'I always keep beating myself up because of the age thing. I keep thinking I've got to stop winning at some point but I keep doing alright.
'I'll keep going till the wheels fall off.'
‘He needs to sort his f***ing life out. I’m not going to skirt around it anymore, tip-toeing on egg shells around someone like that. He’s a f***ing nightmare.'
A serious rant from Ronnie O'Sullivan on Ali Carter.
Ronnie O'Sullivan hammers Shaun Murphy 6-2.
'I don't feel that old. I feel young in my mind. These young players look old, their brains are quite slow.
'They need to get their act together because I'm going blind, I've got a dodgy arm and bad knees. They still can't beat me!'
Ronnie O'Sullivan shows why people shouldn't rattle his cage. Wallops Hossein Vafaei 13-2. No need to come back for the third session.
‘Why would you want to wake up the beast?’ Mark Williams asked. It was a good question.
Nice stuff at the end though.
Loved that before the decider. Both of them almost laughing at the handshake because it's been such an epic.
Judd getting the crowd going, as if they needed it.
A classic.
Amazing! Rob Milkins wins the Welsh Open.
Brilliant final. Biggest win of his career in terms of title and cash.
£80k winner's prize. £150k Bet Victor bonus. In the Players & Tour Championships.
What. A. Guy.
‘He said he doesn’t want to come back…don’t come back. He doesn’t have to, he’s not forced to come here.'
Shaun Murphy fires back at Hossein Vafaei's Crucible 'sacrilege'
Bit of nice news. Not sure if it was reported on Sunday
After winning the UK Open,
@MvG180
went down to the crowd and gave the signed board to a disabled fan who had been supporting him all weekend with a big hug.
The lad's dad was in tears, I was welling up. It was VERY nice
The Ronnie O'Sullivan documentary from last year's World Championship is nearly here!
'Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything' out in cinemas and then on Prime Video next month.
Guess who fainted during the birth of their son?
That's right. The guy conked out at the back of this pic, identifiable only by his crocs.
'Not the performance that was hoped for from Haigh, he was poor in there,' said one disappointed onlooker.
(Everything else went v well)
Hossein Vafaei: 'This sport needs characters, it needs someone to say something, otherwise it's going to be very boring.
'People come and don't have any story to tell. At least people enjoyed it. I don't care, win or lose, I lost to the greatest ever.'
Ronnie O'Sullivan wins a record-extending eighth UK Championship and is now the youngest and oldest winner of the tournament. Ridiculous.
Saved his best stuff for the final. Ding Junhui played well but couldn't keep up
People shouting out 'legend' and 'genius' as he clears up.
Jimmy White has done it! Come through qualifying to make it to the main stages of the UK Championship at 60 years old!
Won four matches to get to York. Amazing.
John Higgins: Normally I'd be disappointed, but to lose to someone, with everything that Marco's been through the last 2 or 3 years
He's a lovely fella & it couldn't have worked out better for the tournament & the Hong Kong people. Their hero in the final vs Ronnie or Robertson.
One of the best games you'll ever see. Absolutely immense throughout.
Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Mark Williams 10-9 in an epic.
Surely this won will sting Williams a bit! It won't.
‘I just hugged him at the end, said well played and that I’m absolutely chuffed to bits for him and his family.'
It was all class from Mark Selby after World Championship final defeat.
Ronnie O'Sullivan: 'It feels fantastic. This is probably the best tournament I've ever played in.
'We've never played in front of more than 3,000 fans before, to have 9,000 fans watching a snooker match is unheard of.
'Hopefully we can come back year on year.'
Quite a few tedious people telling me this is actually not good and just a sign of the lack of young talent in the game.
While I understand the point, if you can't enjoy this, why are you even following the sport? Chill out and drink it in.
Big fan of these shots in the Crucible before the players walk on. Like some awkward work small talk before a meeting.
'You getting away this summer? Oh Greece? Lovely.'
If you'd described this scene 18 months ago it would have sounded like a mad fever dream.
A masked Stephen Hendry about to play Jimmy White in the 2021 World Championship in an empty room with pitch black surround.
Strange times.
Ronnie O'Sullivan was not very sympathetic to Shaun Murphy's cause...
‘I hope it gets worse, honestly. I hope it gets worse for them.
'They better start looking for a job if they don’t like it.'
Spoke to
@JackLisowski
and it got emotional as he explains his cancer ordeal and how he wants to give hope to anyone suffering.
'That’s my deep goal in life. I want to be world champion because that would be the coolest thing for me to help people.'
Judd Trump on Yan Bingtao...
'This one is a surprise I think, just because of what he's achieved. I've spoken to him a little bit and he seems a nice guy
'I feel like there's someone higher up...they're so young. I just think maybe they've been forced to do it.'
Neal Foulds on comms: 'That's ridiculous.
'I've got to make this statement, and I don't want to detract from any of the play, because the standard has been brilliant.
'This table has played easy, very easy all week.
'That had no right to go in.'
I really don't want to see Liang Wenbo playing in the World Championship this month.
Don't know what will happen after that (ban should probably be much longer) but he should not be playing in Sheffield.
He's very fortunate to avoid prison.
I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but love watching Selby when he's doing this.
It's not even the snooker, it's mental warfare and he's unbeatable at it.
Watching him melt another man's mind with sheer discipline. Unreal.
‘If I didn’t transition when I did, I would be dead. If someone else was in my position now, receiving all this abuse, that might send them over the edge.'
I spoke to
@JamieHunter_147
about her journey, what she's dealing with & why she is not 'cheating'
Mark Williams: 'I'm not a young man anymore, but I'm still giving these youngsters a run for their money. I can't quite beat him but I'm getting close
'It's been a brilliant week, I've loved it. I've left everything out there, couldn't give any more. Congratulations to Judd.'
Ronnie on the final...'If I play Carter it's gonna be a right nightmare. He wants to get in my face. But I can deal with him.
'Who's the other guy? Oh Allen. Allen's good, he's solid, he's strong.
'Whoever it is it's going to be tough.'
Amazing news from
@pistol147
that he's lost nearly four stone this summer. 👏👏👏
Also very cool that it stemmed from a long chat with Ronnie O'Sullivan at the World Championship.
‘Everything he said has stood me in good stead & I’ve been working hard.'
Ronnie O'Sullivan says he's planning to take a significant break from competition after next week's World Grand Prix.
'Too much intense snooker for me is not good. I need to back off and consolidate.'
Asked Kyren Wilson if he'll get a fine for shaking hands with Anthony McGill.
'I think sometimes in life you have to look at the occasion and turn a blind eye. I'll happily pay the fine. I think we both deserved each other's respect at that moment.'
Only in November Judd was saying Ronnie must be lacking belief
I remember putting that to Ronnie at the English and he laughed at the suggestion.
Since won the Grand Prix. Now beat Judd handily.
Not saying Judd is lacking belief now but the belief-o-meter has certainly swung
Not much snooker on right now, but I beat my dad 3-1 on his 67th birthday today with big breaks of 15 and 18 along the way.
Considered letting him win but fuck him, he's not old enough for sympathy yet.
Top bloke, could well go on to be a top player.
Easy to forget he's only 27. This could be what clicks Hossein Vafaei into top gear.
What a break to win it, brilliant all comp. Superb.
Mark Selby spoke last night about the ridiculous abuse he receives on social media.
He shouldn't and doesn't have to do anything to show he doesn't deserve it, but tonight might make it look especially daft.