HAWK FOLLOWS ROCKET PATH

BARRY Hawkins took the decision to pull out of the China Open in Beijing after winning the Players Tour Championship Grand Finals in Preston, fearing that a return trip to the Far East would damage his preparations for the Crucible.

Last year’s finalist was of course able to advance the justification at the time of his withdrawal that the PTC Finals has originally been scheduled to be hosted in Thailand, which would have made a shorter flight.

That may not have been enough to avoid a fine, but the £100,000 pocketed at the Guildhall and £16,000 minimum for winning his first match easily in Sheffield will have covered that.

On the eve of the tournament Ronnie O’Sullivan branded some of his main rivals “insecure” for feeling they had to play in everything chasing the ranking-point dollar and arguably burning themselves out, while he was getting some hard practice yards done in relative comfort ahead of a bid for a sixth world title.

Although we have yet to see exactly what the full pay-off will be for the Kent left-hander Hawkins’ decision not to jeopardise his Crucible preparations was precisely the kind of thing O’Sullivan was talking about, and something we may see more of.

He certainly looked fresh enough in winning the last eight frames against Dave Gilbert for a 10-4 win to take him into the last 16.

DISAPPOINTMENT FOR DING SENIOR

There was plenty of disappointment for Ding Junhui over his first-round exit to Michael Wasley at the Dafabet World Championship…and disappointment also for father Ding Wenjun.

Ding senior had come over to Sheffield to watch his son for the very first time in action at the Crucible, and watched from the media centre with everything crossed that the man of the season could replicate that form on the biggest stage – but again Ding junior came up short.

Back home in Yixing his father produces and sells clay tea-pots as well as being involved with the powerful Chinese Billiards and Snooker Association on the coaching front. With CBSA officials present in Sheffield, there was business to be done returning to China.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS SNUBS WARBLING NAMESAKE

ROBBIE Williams must be sick of people making references to his more famous and warbling namesake – so if this year’s Indian Open semi-finalist is still reading it is probably time to look away now, as they say on the Saturday night news sports bulletin.

Almost inevitably the 27-year from Wallasey was asked about his choice of walk-on music for his Crucible debut against world No1 Neil Robertson, questions that could have not have been more leading if they been lit up in neon in letters spelling out ‘This is a question about the bloke who used to be in Take That’.

With patient good humour the world No68 explained: “It’s not going to be Robbie Williams. I have gone for a song ‘Feeling’ by the La’s, a Liverpool band, a local band for me. A lot of people have said I should use Robbie Williams, but it’s not for me. If there are people who think I should be coming out to ‘Let Me Entertain You’, I’m afraid he’s not really my cup of tea.”

WASLEY LEAVES WHITE SWEATING

The Michael Wasley win was a terrific story for just about everyone except Ding Junhui…and Jimmy White.

The Whirlwind’s place on tour looked all but safe just a fortnight ago before the qualifiers for the Dafabet World Championship. It required some extraordinary performances and an unlikely combination of results to deny him a place by right, even though there is controversial talk of a wild-card should he need one.

But Wasley and Kyren Wilson each won four times to reach the latter stages, and if either one of them were to reach the quarter-finals White would be the man to suffer.

Wilson, of course, trailed Ricky Walden 6-3 after Monday’s play but fellow debutant Wasley now faces a best-of-25 frame match against either Mark Davis or Dominic Dale to end White’s 34-year run on tour.

WASLEY AND DING HAULED OFF

BEING hauled off at a crucial stage of any match, let alone your Crucible debut, is tough to take and Michael Wasley appeared extremely reluctant to leave the arena at around 6.30pm trailing Ding Junhui 9-8 in their first-round Dafabet World Championship clash.

But there were no histrionics as referee Terry Camilleri explained the unfortunate situation to a qualifier who had quite simply not been in that position before on the biggest stage.

Wasley had of course done himself proud by hauling himself level at 8-8 from 6-3 down over night before losing the 17th frame and dropping one behind with two to play.

Ding had looked ill at ease for much of the match, not the relaxed figure of all season and lending weight to the view that the venue does get to him. There were frustrated gestures in the arena, and door-banging in the corridor during toilet breaks.

In such situations, though, it is not just the players who are inconvenienced. Bear in mind that some fans had bought tickets to see the conclusion of this match, with many Chinese supporters in the audience supporting Ding.

They were not entitled to see the finale late on Monday night, with that conclusion tagged on the end for those holding evening session tickets.

And it did not stop there, with even players’ guests concerned about getting back in to see the end of the match, but some understanding from the retinues of those playing from 7pm to swiftly vacate their seats and allow others back in solved that mini-crisis.

BELTING FIRST SESSION FROM MCMANUS

ALAN McManus is a proud Scot, having once emerged for a Crucible semi-final against compatriot Stephen Hendry to the sounds of a piper.

So it was perhaps not a complete surprise when he came out for his first-round match with close friend John Higgins resplendent in Mackenzie tartan trousers and matching bow tie.

What was more unexpected was to see a World Snooker official dashing in to the media centre after the first frame of the afternoon, won by Higgins, and asking if anyone could lend the world No35 a belt as his strides were too loose for comfort on their debut showing.

A potentially embarrassing incident on live television was avoided when scoreboard operator Geraint Phillips obliged, and armed with the lucky accessory McManus embarked on a winning streak of six frames to take control of the match before Higgins closed to 6-3.

The 43-year-old McManus said: “I am very patriotic, and to be honest it was a bit of a dare between me and Anthony McGill if either or both of us got to the Crucible.

“It is Mackenzie tartan – but they were a bit loose as I forgot to bring my belt with me. My shirt was coming out, and that can happen with new trousers you have never played in.

“I suppose they could have fallen down, I don’t think so but you never know what could have happened out there in the arena.”