COVERING snooker for any length of time sees you asked to obtain quotes from a fairly eclectic mix of visiting celebrities – and on Saturday it was Louis Tomlinson, a singer with boy-band One Direction, that was even interesting the showbiz editors. The presence of the 22-year-old, spirited in covertly to watch Ronnie O’Sullivan to presumably avoid being mobbed by teenage girl fans outside, will have pleased World Snooker with one eye on trying to attract a younger audience and have the game seen as ‘cool’ by a wider cross-section of society. Tomlinson declined any set-piece interviews with the BBC or written press, managing to escape with a couple of autographs and photos for the events team, but spoke to various officials before and after the Rocket’s 10-4 win over Robin Hull having arrived with a director of Doncaster Rovers Football Club. Tomlinson made his debut for home town club Doncaster’s reserves in February, a match that attracted a record club crowd for that level of competition. The singer had never been to the Crucible, a professional snooker match or met O’Sullivan before but by all accounts hugely enjoyed the experience. O’Sullivan’s balcony guests that night included not only Tomlinson but artist Damien Hirst and sports psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters, as unlikely a trio of guests as you could find. The singer is reportedly worth £20million and is off to Colombia next on tour. It might be a while before we are saying that about a snooker player.