PLAYING WITHIN THE RULES

Inside Snooker were kindly presented with the most recent set of the WPBSA rules of the game this week by leading official Jan Verhaas.

While most of us think we know most of the rules, there are from time to time situations that crop up in a match where reference to the laws and consultation with referees is extremely useful and helpful to better describe what has happened, and the rules do get updated from time to time.

You would be amazed how many football reporters don’t actually know some of the key laws of football – or maybe you wouldn’t.

Clearly the donation could not pass without some good-natured stick being aimed at the media fraternity. Verhaas signed the tome: “Have a good read, you might learn a thing or two!” while top referee Michaela Tabb inscribed: “You might have a chance of getting it right now, then!”

No chance of that. What’s the green worth, again?

BILLY IS SHARP WHEN IT COMES TO SNOOKER

Plenty of Yorkshire-based footballers have dropped in to the Crucible over the years, taking advantage of the proximity of the World Championship in Sheffield for a game used by so many to relax away from their own pressures.

This correspondent can certainly remember the likes of Mel Sterland and David Hirst, former Sheffield Wednesday greats, turning up to watch the action.

On Thursday night it was striker Billy Sharp at the venue, a genuine fan of the game who has been many times and had turned up to see defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first session of his last-16 match against Joe Perry.

Sharp, out of favour at Premier League Southampton, is currently on loan at nearby Doncaster Rovers, battling to save their Championship status and with a huge match on Saturday against play-offs chasing Reading.

He said: “I love the snooker and probably like most people my favourite player is Ronnie O’Sullivan. I have been for I think the last five or six years now. We have a pool table at the training ground but I do have a nine-foot table at the house so I play quite a bit.”

TIME TO HAIL SNOOKER'S UNSUNG HEROES

The Daily Telegraph runs a worthwhile occasional column called ‘Unsung Hero’ featuring people working selflessly behind the scenes without whom the stars of a sport would have a lot more difficulty.

There are plenty of great candidates for such a feature in snooker in a number of roles, both at the Crucible and on tour generally keeping the show on the road and clearly the sport is extremely high-profile for the 17 days of the World Championship so very newsworthy.

However when approached and offered a piece that would have slotted in perfectly the Telegraph replied that is was “only for football”, ie some press officer who is probably being handsomely paid for what they do anyway at the club they support.

As someone who not only covers football also professionally and has watched it as a fan since being knee-high to the proverbial grasshopper, I do still find the slavish obsession ONLY with football to the detriment of other sports in some papers can be profoundly depressing at times.

We’ll do it on here instead, coming up soon.

A TOUCH OF THE GREAT CLOUGH FROM HOLT

Probably not too much doubt as to who won the Brian Clough award for laconic delivery and keeping a radio interviewer on their toes on Wednesday at the Crucible. And hopefully, given Michael Holt’s love for Nottingham Forest, it is at least recognition he would appreciate.

Facing the press after a desperately disappointing display and result against Mark Allen, Holt had to wait some time before the first question. When it arrived: “Tell us about the match”, his answer was short and sweet, “He got to 10 before I did. That’s it. It was there in front of you.” All it needed was a “young man” towards BBC Radio Five Live’s Jamie Broughton and it could have been the great man himself.

GILBERT STAR COULD SHINE BRIGHTER

DAVE Gilbert was well beaten by Barry Hawkins in the first round at the Crucible, and his run of eight losing frames had given him some extra cause for concern.

The 32-year-old Gilbert, arguably one of the tour’s underachievers and by his own admission guilty of poor attitude and discipline in the past, is one of a minority of top professionals not to practise on a Star table as used in tournaments everywhere.

At a rough estimate perhaps 80 per cent of players do have regular access to Star tables, either through using hubs such as the Romford, Gloucester or Sheffield Academies or in their own homes or clubs. A select few have been given them for various achievements or sponsorship deals, and others have the option to buy new or second-hand through advantageous rates set up by World Snooker or the WPBSA.

Gilbert still uses a Riley table in Tamworth, and suggested after his loss that extra difficulty adjusting to the table was beginning to cost him when it matters.

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.