O'Sullivan holds slight edge over Trump
Source: AFP |
May 4, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Title-holder Ronnie O'Sullivan held an 9-7 edge over Judd Trump in the English duo's World Championship snooker semifinal at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre yesterday.
Resuming overnight at 4-4 in the best of 33 frames contest, the pair shared yesterday's first four frames to still be all square at 6-6 before O'Sullivan took a brief lead.
The match continued against the backdrop of the fallout of the charismatic O'Sullivan's latest threat to quit snooker, which came on the eve of the semifinal.
Nicknamed 'The Rocket', for his attacking and crowd-pleasing style that has made him the fans' favorite of his snooker generation, O'Sullivan, who has spent much of the past year since winning a fourth world title in self-imposed exile, said he'd only returned to the green baize to pay overdue school fees.
Six-time world champion Steve Davis suggested O'Sullivan was being disrespectful towards snooker but the sport's top administrator said he'd heard it all before.
"If he goes will it be the end of my world? No," said World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn, as reported in several British newspapers yesterday.
"As much as we need Ronnie I cannot run a sport around the concerns of one player," added Hearn.
"Ronnie has retired more times than Frank Sinatra," Hearn said. "There is no pressure for him to play, it is entirely his choice. At the moment some players are complaining of burnout because they think they are playing too much and some don't want to play at all.
"Ronnie does add to the game, of course he does, but if he doesn't like the schedule or the travelling, he can quit."
Resuming overnight at 4-4 in the best of 33 frames contest, the pair shared yesterday's first four frames to still be all square at 6-6 before O'Sullivan took a brief lead.
The match continued against the backdrop of the fallout of the charismatic O'Sullivan's latest threat to quit snooker, which came on the eve of the semifinal.
Nicknamed 'The Rocket', for his attacking and crowd-pleasing style that has made him the fans' favorite of his snooker generation, O'Sullivan, who has spent much of the past year since winning a fourth world title in self-imposed exile, said he'd only returned to the green baize to pay overdue school fees.
Six-time world champion Steve Davis suggested O'Sullivan was being disrespectful towards snooker but the sport's top administrator said he'd heard it all before.
"If he goes will it be the end of my world? No," said World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn, as reported in several British newspapers yesterday.
"As much as we need Ronnie I cannot run a sport around the concerns of one player," added Hearn.
"Ronnie has retired more times than Frank Sinatra," Hearn said. "There is no pressure for him to play, it is entirely his choice. At the moment some players are complaining of burnout because they think they are playing too much and some don't want to play at all.
"Ronnie does add to the game, of course he does, but if he doesn't like the schedule or the travelling, he can quit."
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