DOTT PICKS OUT ZHOU AS CHINESE ONE TO WATCH

There is plenty of debate and discussion as to who might prove to be the next champion to emerge from China, following in the footsteps of the mighty Ding Junhui.

Quite an act to follow of course, with the world No2 having hoovered up just the five ranking titles last season alone and signalled his intent this term with success in his home Yixing Open last week.

Liang Wenbo’s time to truly seize the baton may have come and gone, and delving down into the next wave of young prospects several have their admirers.

Lyu Haotian gained some fame for reaching the quarter-finals of the International Championship at 14 and continues to progress.

And more recently the spotlight has fallen on Zhao Xintong, who beat Ken Doherty at 15 in that same Chengdu event two years ago and is improving with every event.

But former world champion Graeme Dott reckons world amateur champion Zhou Yuelong, who beat Zhao 8-4 in last year’s final for that trophy, could just prove to be the best of the bunch.

After seeing off Zhou 5-3 at the Wuxi Classic Dott said: “I have played him three times and I just think he has the best all-round game of all of them.

“I think he will be the next big player coming through from China. After Ding and Wenbo, people talk about Zhao, but Zhou is my favourite. He is the one to look out for.”

MURPHY HANKERING AFTER BRAZIL RETURN

SHAUN Murphy admitted after a 5-1 Wuxi win over Rod Lawler that he was getting Brazil withdrawal symptoms fuelled by wall-to-wall TV coverage of the World Cup being staged in the country.

The world No7 has plenty of good memories of his trip to South America for the only professional tournament ever staged by the football-mad nation.

Murphy, now 31, beat Graeme Dott 5-0 in the final to lift the trophy and until earlier this year, when he claimed the Gdynia Open crown, that was the former world champion’s last title - though the success was swiftly followed by another victory in Haikou.

“I think Brazil will win the World Cup – is that what everyone thinks in the room?” said Murphy, adding: “I have been to Brazil and it was fantastic. I want to go back now.

“I won a title there and I wish we still had that snooker tournament on the tour, it was a great country and I really enjoyed being there.

“And snooker is very popular there, a lot of people play although that is not the first thing other people will associate with the country.”

FOULDS INSIGHT ON TOUR LIFE WITH YOUR DAD

NEAL Foulds was the junior partner in the last ‘father-and-son’ duo to feature on the professional snooker tour before this season, when Peter and Oliver Lines will give it a go.

Foulds, now 50, went on to eclipse Geoff’s feats on the table, becoming a ranking-event winner by lifting the International Open trophy, and claiming other success by winning the Scottish Masters, Dubai Masters and Pot Black.

Now a highly-respected commentator with the BBC, ITV, Eurosport and Sky had some interesting observations about the experience overall, and pros and cons of going to work on the baize with your dad in tow.

Former world No3 Foulds said: “I found playing on adjacent tables as you sometimes did very tricky, it was hard to concentrate. Because we were both so interested in how the other was getting on playing on adjacent tables was not easy.

“I remember at the UK Championships at the Guildhall in Preston my dad had qualified – and he didn’t always - and was playing Steve Davis on the next table.

“I was playing David Taylor, who was a good player and I was just a rookie. And I kept wanting to watch my dad, as I always had – but I had a match on myself!

“The two matches we did play against each other were horrible experiences, really tough, and I don’t envy Peter and Oliver if that happens. I was competitive and always wanted to win, but I had never wanted my dad to miss a ball in my life.

“And here I was hoping he would miss so I could get to the table. It was very tough.

“We played in the International in Stoke, at Trentham Gardens, and I won 5-0. It wasn’t that he didn’t try, he just couldn’t play against me and I wasn’t much better but held it together.

“Then in the English professional championship it was slightly more relaxed and I won 9-4, my mum came to that one and she wasn’t a good watcher.

“The one thing you have that is unique is that you have someone who is 100 per cent behind you, as you would expect anyone’s dad to be – AND they know snooker.

“So they won’t say the wrong things as some dads might, they’ll hopefully say the right things that you need to hear as a rookie professional.

“I always supported my dad, and went to watch him play in his big matches, so I had a decent idea of how good you had to be.

“And I was rubbing shoulders with people like John Virgo, Dennis Taylor and Willie Thorne from a young age, and it helps having come from that environment, the whole thing is less intimidating.”