RED CARPETS AND ROUSING SPEECHES

The official opening ceremony for the Bank of Communications Shanghai Masters, featuring the traditional red-carpet treatment for the players and welcome banquet, was the usual lavish affair. Ding Junhui, Ronnie O’Sullivan and the rest were presented to the fans like film stars and handed out gifts as well as signing photos and programmes.

Then it was inside for speeches and a meal, where John Higgins was probably the busiest – called on to stage three times (for one of those a tournament official had to fetch him from the toilet, with the roving camera focusing on an empty chair) plus a TV appearance on the big screen where the four-time world champion showed a natural flair for the Chinese language.

WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson issued a rousing address, including a pointed reference to hoping to see future events in Shanghai given this week’s renewal negotiations.

And the players showed off their official gift, believed to be worth around £1,000, of two pieces of polished and treated wood that when burnt produce incense with ‘calming properties’. The kind of thing for which customs occasionally need a clear explanation.

Tournament director Mike Ganley was also in receipt of a present, in his case some chopsticks and a silver noodle spoon. Expect to see him proudly showing these off at a tournament near you soon.

McMANUS BRACED FOR SCOTLAND'S RYDER CUP

Alan McManus admits he cannot wait for golf’s Ryder Cup at the end of September – all the more so as someone who has played the Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course.

After snooker golf is the Scot’s greatest sporting love, and the biennial contest between Europe and the United States will be staged in Perthshire later in the month.

Glasgow’s McManus is one of several snooker players past and current with some real golfing pedigree, playing off a handicap as low as five.

Speaking in Shanghai ahead of his match against Ronnie O'Sullivan he said: “When I first played the Centenary Course that will be used it was still called the Monarch’s course. It is a cracking course, though there have been some changes since last time I was there. I know the 18th is harder now for the longer hitters.

“I used to really like the first hole, but we will all be familiar with these holes in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait for it to start, and luckily we [players] are at home, which is a bonus. It is one of the best sporting events to watch for me.

“If I went I certainly would be out on the course rather than in a tent, but to start with there are only the four matches at a time, and then the singles there is so much going on simultaneously so I will happily be watching it on TV.

“I was really pleased Stephen Gallacher got in for his debut, he fully deserved his place having only just missed out and no one is saying it is for political reasons – but it will give it an extra edge having a Scot in the team. There would have been disappointment if he had missed out, as the crowd want a home guy to cheer.

“I have played Stephen Hendry at Gleneagles though on the other courses, but he will have played the Centenary Course a hundred times as a member there for ages. They closed the course a couple of weeks ago, so it should be all set up beautifully.”

The 43-year-old also revealed there were early moves afoot to try and stage a Ryder Cup style contest among snooker’s golfers.

He added: “We have been talking about maybe doing something like that, going to Spain or Portugal and doing an eight v eight for a bit of fun. I reckon Barry Hearn would enjoy seeing that. It might have to be England v the Rest to make it work on the numbers.”

Photograph by Monique Limbos

IS THE PRICE RIGHT IN CHINA?

One aspect of the ranking tournaments in China to come under scrutiny in recent years has been the actual number of bums on seats in the various arenas – and the cost of tickets is often advanced as the main or even sole reason for this.

There is no doubt a) that the players enjoy playing in front of a packed house more, and b) it looks miles better on TV if it’s full.

Snooker is by no means the only sport to wrestle with this issue, there have been task forces set up in football to examine the potential damage to the televised spectacle for sale if prices are too high and there are lots of empty spaces.

To put some of this in context, there is a burgeoning average salary and standard of living among a mushrooming middle class in China, and this group rightly or wrongly appear to be the target market for snooker over here. The sport is branded as aspirational in Shanghai and the other big cities in a way that it simply isn’t in the UK, and players are treated accordingly.

The stars being filmed signing autographs for screaming fans on a red carpet very much fits in with that image. But the fact is that currently there are not the numbers of those type of fans at some of the prices to fill up the venues. Demand does not equal supply at £40 a pop upwards – though in fairness to Shanghai, there are lower-cost options this week.

With the usual three table set-ups for the fitters to cope with, there are a total of 13 price bands over the seven days in the various areas.

The cheapest is 50 RMB/Yuan (around £5) for the first three days nearer the back of the main arena, behind the exclusive VIP area as you look at the table on the TV, with an option at 180 and the best available seats on the side next to the table at 280. For the quarters those prices rise to 100, 280 and 380 – and for the semis they are 100, 380 and 480.

The cheapest ticket for the final for an event won by home hero Ding Junhui 12 months ago, is 150, with then further seats available at 580 and a whopping 1680 (£168, all other prices also in RMB).

The only other option on Days 1-3 is seats at 100 RMB table-side for Tables 3 and 4 out of the main arena, which given you could see Mark Allen, Mark Williams, Stephen Maguire and Ken Doherty isn’t such a bad alternative.

Photograph by Monique Limbos

ROBERTSON CAN SEE SELBY PACING HIMSELF

Neil Robertson reckons world champion Mark Selby could trim his European Tour commitments after the forthcoming birth of he and wife Vicky’s first child, due in November.

And the reigning Wuxi Classic champion, ranked No2 in the world and just a place behind Selby, admits he wishes he had done the same four years ago.

Australian Robertson, 32, felt an entirely laudable pressure in 2010 to play in as much as possible to try and fulfil an ambassadorial role after his own Crucible triumph.

But that meant he did not spend as much time for the remainder of that year with young son Alexander as he would have liked.

Selby has already clinched his place in next year’s lucrative PTC Finals good and early by winning the first European Tour event in Latvia with a 4-3 win over Mark Allen, giving himself room to manoeuvre.

The Leicester Jester has consistently been one of the tour’s most regular participants over the past decade – playing in virtually everything, arguably to his detriment.

But Selby hinted even before announcing his latest good news that he might be picking and choosing a bit more this term – heading towards what Ronnie O’Sullivan is doing, and a model other top players including Robertson have suggested they might imitate.

Cambridge-based Robertson, who has just seen his son off to school for the first time, said: “It is a busy time of the year, with a lot of big tournaments.

“So I can see that Mark might manage his schedule with the European Tour to miss a few and make sure he spends some time at home with his family, and I completely understand that – especially now he has already qualified for the Finals.

“It is something I wish I had done a bit more in 2010, but I had won the world title for the first time and I did feel a responsibility to represent my sport and play in most events once I got back from a summer back home.

“To be honest it did get pretty tough and my performances if anything started to get worse, so I’d have been better taking more PTC events off and spending some more time at home in between the big events.”

Photograph by Monique Limbos