NUGGET ENJOYS NOSTALGIC RETURN TO PRESTON

Steve Davis dropped in to the Guildhall on Thursday, up in Preston to do an exhibition at the football stadium with local hero Ian McCulloch in tow. Noting that the venue where he won six UK titles “hadn’t changed one bit” since his 1980s heyday, the six-time world champion, who now needs to win at least one World Championship qualifier at Ponds Forge in April to salvage his tour place, enjoyed a quick technical discussion on cues and tips with John Higgins before getting some practice in ahead of his evening duties.

TRUMP DITCHES THE FERRARI

Whisper it quietly, but motoring fan Judd Trump has traded down from a Ferrari to a Porsche. The Juddernaut couldn’t wait to splash out on one of the iconic Italian supercars once he had enjoyed some success. His big breakthrough of course came in 2011 when he won the China Open and reached the Crucible final, followed by successes at the UK Championship and International Championship in Chengdu. And Trump has already been though two £100,000-plus Ferraris, a 430 Spider and a 458 Italia.

The 24-year-old, who has in the past faced accusations of being a little too flash, insisted in Preston that from now on he was going to invest in the less sexy bricks and mortar rather than something that could move him from A to B at speeds of approaching 200mph. He has bought a new house in Chigwell, close to the home of rival Ronnie O’Sullivan. But that has not stopped him treating himself to a none-too-shabby Porsche Cayenne jeep at around £90,000.

Trump said: “I bought myself a new car this week, it is a Porsche Cayenne GTS, that’s a 4x4 jeep, pretty much the best one.

“I didn’t bring it to Preston though, I came up in the Mercedes - a nice relaxed drive, about five hours it took me.

“And the Ferrari has gone, maybe I am getting more sensible. I have started trying to invest in property, and have got a couple – it would be nice to make some money rather than paying rent. And I have moved house myself to Chigwell. Maybe I’m just trying to be like Ronnie!”

TREADMILL TAKING ITS TOLL

Maybe the demands of a long, hard season are catching up with a few of the players with both world No1 Neil Robertson and world No3 Ding Junhui, two of the undoubted men of the current campaign, suffering with illness during their first-round defeats in Preston. With the China Open following fast after this tournament, a few extra days recovery might not prove the worst thing in the world for either player – especially given the proximity of the World Championships just over three weeks away. It is there that both will want to peak, something they failed to do 12 months ago.

Robertson is just one of the top players who may be looking to follow Ronnie O’Sullivan’s example and attempt to be in peak condition for the major tournaments rather than play in just about everything in a mad scramble for points and money. Admittedly, a luxury that is far easier for a player to indulge with recent tournament successes and a few quid in the bank behind him. Michael Holt was another pleading “the worst case of man flu”, a state of distress not helped by the turmoil surrounding his beloved Nottingham Forest who sacked manager Billy Davies this week with their play-off chances starting to fade away.

WILL HENDRY FOLLOW DAVIS ONTO REALITY TV?

Is the great Stephen Hendry about to follow Steve Davis down the reality TV route? The Nugget was a big hit on ITV’s Australian jungle show ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’ last year, pocketing a reported £240,000. Hendry said at the time he might answer the phone for a cool half a million, but Inside Snooker reckon a lot less would be required to snag the Scot, who has clearly opened the door to the idea. It is rumoured that Hendry’s recent move onto Twitter was suggested by a publicity agent to increase his profile. Judging by his picture output on the microblogging site, Hendry is something of a gourmet. We are going 3-1 he crops up on Celebrity Masterchef some day soon.