Snooker was engulfed in a big debate around this time last year, but one of the sport’s biggest names refused to be drawn into the argument after the World Championship
The World Snooker Championship was embroiled in controversy a year ago over pocket sizes, but Ronnie O’Sullivan steered clear of the debate. The snooker legend made it to the semi-finals this year but dismissed any suggestion that smaller pockets contributed to his quarter-final defeat in 2024.
Last year’s champ Kyren Wilson, after clinching the title with an 18-14 victory over Jak Jones at the Crucible, sparked debate by claiming the pockets had been changed. Snooker greats Shaun Murphy and Stephen Hendry chimed in, but O’Sullivan shrugged off the suggestion with his usual nonchalance.
Following his triumph, Wilson shared his pocket sizes theory. “I do think so. I must admit, when it’s gone to one-table I don’t think it was as tight as the two tables,” he told the Snooker Club podcast. “Maybe it was because of the new cloth for the semis, so it’s going to slide in more. Then for the final they change the cushion cloth so it slides in more as well.
“I remember playing John [Higgins] last year, and he played a black down the cushion, and he was walking [to his next shot]. There’s no way that would go in this year so they’re definitely tighter than last year, 100 per cent. And obviously I’ve won it, so they’re mega tight!”
However, seven-time champion O’Sullivan dismissed claims that the pockets had shrunk, insisting it should not have affected the sport’s best players. “They seem all right to me,” a typically nonchalant O’Sullivan said.
“If you hit them sweet, they go in; if you don’t, they don’t go in. Simple as. That’s always been my motto. The tighter the better, really. It makes you more accurate.”
Snooker legend Stephen Hendry echoed O’Sullivan’s sentiments, downplaying the pocket size debate. “There’s been a lot of talk about the tight pockets. I’m not out there playing, the players are playing – so you’ve got to trust their opinions,” he admitted.
“But what happened to all the so-called best players in the world [who were knocked out early]? Ronnie [O’Sullivan], Judd [Trump], Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen – the new world No. 1. I’m sure I’ll get a backlash from the players saying the tables were tight, but I say what I see.”
On the other hand, reigning Masters champ Shaun Murphy supported Wilson’s view, stating: “The pockets are much smaller. These new batch of Star tables we’ve been using all season, they are more difficult. I don’t know who made the decision to make the pockets smaller but they probably should have consulted with the players first.”
This year, defending champion Wilson was knocked out in the first round, with Zhao Xintong going on to take his crown. Zhao notably triumphed over O’Sullivan with a 17-7 win in their semi-final clash last week.
After his defeat to Zhao, O’Sullivan was surprisingly unfazed. “I wasn’t that bothered to be fair to you. I wasn’t surprised, I’ve been playing like that a lot in practice,” he told SportsBoom. “It’s just hard to get my head around it. I can’t even fix it, that’s the problem. I know I said I’d like to give it two years, but if I’m gonna play like it, it’s pretty pointless. It’s not good.”
While the snooker legend expressed doubts about his own future in the game, he only had praise for his victorious opponent, ahead of Zhao’s final win against Mark Williams. “I think it would be amazing. I think if he did win he would be a megastar,” O’Sullivan explained. “He’s still very big in China as it is. But if he becomes world champion it would just be amazing for snooker and for his life as well.
“He can definitely get over the line. I think he’ll have more of a test [in the final]. That will be a proper test for him. He played great. You have to give credit where it’s due. We’ve got a really nice relationship. I’m always trying to help him if I can.”
