World Snooker Championship awards as Zhao Xintong and Ronnie O'Sullivan make the cut

Story of the World Championship

A few runners and riders to consider here, and I don’t want to appear tone deaf for rejecting one story in favour of another.

The truth of the matter is, this has been a World Championship full of wonderful stories and magical moments. Last year’s renewal was largely forgettable, save that John Higgins clearance and Kyren Wilson’s triumph on the final Monday.

This time around, we have options aplenty, which tells the story of 17 days which I’m sure many would agree have given some kudos back to the World Championship and it’s much-maligned home.

Nevertheless, our brilliant winner, Zhao Xintong, is the story. And what a story.

At the 2021 UK Championship in York, Zhao looked to have the world at his feet when dismantling Luca Brecel in a final that apparently signalled a changing of the guard in snooker.

But within months, Zhao and a host of other Chinese players were under investigation for myriad rules breaches involving match-fixing and betting on snooker.

Zhao’s punishment was a 30-month ban from the sport, eventually reduced to 20 months, having been found guilty of betting on snooker matches and being party to another player fixing two matches.

The whole thing stank and brought a dark cloud over snooker at a time when it was already battling with other sports for public attention and government funding. Zhao, snooker’s brightest young star and the latest big hope from the Far East, had brought disgrace onto the game and himself.

I must be honest here. There is a sense of sadness from this snooker fan that so soon after Zhao’s ban has expired, he is now world champion.

That view is in no way a reflection of Zhao's rich talent and ability to play the game. He is a sublime snooker player. A worthy champion.

But the man expected to spend the next 12 months being the face of the sport, attending many events and fronting countless media campaigns, is viewed by many as a ‘wrong 'un’. Is this the ticket we really want to sell to the next generation?

That’s not to say I don’t agree with second chances. Zhao has committed his crime and served his time, but it all still feels very raw, and you don’t need to carry out an extensive search on X to find a frame of snooker played between Zhao and Paul Deaville which will make even the most forgiving have considerable reservations.

This was always likely to happen. Zhao Xintong world champion. A glorious talent who Neal Foulds on Sunday night likened to the great Sachin Tendulkar. A genius of the like we haven’t seen since Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan.

His tournament has been close to perfection. Four qualifying matches navigated, and a hard one to finish against Elliot Slessor, followed by the most serene run to the final imaginable. Last year’s runner-up Jak Jones was brushed aside first, O’Sullivan just as comfortably in the semi-finals, and Williams virtually knocked to the canvas in session one of the final.

I was prepared for this, we all were, as soon as Zhao waltzed through Q Tour. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Moment of the World Championship

Personally, it was watching my Sporting Life colleague Chris Hammer being manhandled and forcibly ejected from the press day at the Crucible on Good Friday, the great man wrongly assumed to be an imposter and not indeed an invited member of the assembled media.

His esteemed colleague tried his best to intervene, but the crowds were too vast for me to make my way to a now upside-down darts and snooker badger. It was unfortunate I was unable to help, free ham and cheese baguette in hand, and it has been said the 18-stone bouncer had a lucky escape. Who am I to disagree.

Shaken, but not stirred, Chris was soon back in the building (‘you should’ve said you were press!’) and behind the microphone as a collection of the players kindly gave their time and answered some big questions, not just about the World Championship, but the sport in general.

I’ve often thought snooker players are overlooked in the decision-making process around the sport, but we have some great thinkers in the game, many of them vastly experienced. Their voices should be heard more.

WATCH: BUILDING THE PERFECT SNOOKER PLAYER

Sadly, we weren’t able to get Ronnie O’Sullivan in front of the Sporting Life cameras, but he featured heavily in our making of the perfect snooker player seen above, and there is no doubt his presence in Sheffield gave the tournament a huge boost.

O’Sullivan hadn’t played competitively since before the Masters in January and many expected him to be absent in Sheffield, so the sight of him walking along the green carpet (more on that later) at the Crucible on Good Friday was most welcome.

And it must be said that O’Sullivan carried himself impeccably throughout the tournament, one he never truly felt he could win.

WATCH: SHOULD THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BE SHORTER?

We’ve all been guilty of rolling our eyes in the past when the greatest player in the history of the sport has torn his own game to pieces and played down his chances of winning. But this time, he meant it. And I always believed him.

This is a man clearly struggling with his game. His long potting was at times non-existent, and it was his relentless brilliance in the balls and sheer will to win that allowed him to make it as far as the last four.

He was given some help from his opponents, as he said throughout, and in an odd way, I feel more affection for O’Sullivan now than I perhaps did a few weeks ago.

It was hard to watch the most genius of sportsmen having to fight and battle for every pot, head bowed when he missed, distraught at the body not being able to do what it once could.

If this is the fading of the O’Sullivan star, I’ll be very sad. I don’t want to see him play as badly as he did against Zhao Xintong, and I certainly don’t want to see that kind of torment on his face while he keeps trying and fighting in vain.

I also sensed a degree of humility from O’Sullivan in Sheffield, and there were a couple of lovely moments between him and Ali Carter at the start and finish of their eagerly anticipated showdown.

Carter and O’Sullivan have been long-time rivals, with no love lost between the pair. O’Sullivan’s post-match comments about Carter after beating him in last year’s Masters were dreadful, although with these two, you get the feeling it’s always been six of one and half a dozen of the other.

But O’Sullivan was quick to offer his hand to Carter before the match – not just a fist-bump. After the match, the pair appeared to share a few warm words when again shaking hands. I might have even spotted the odd smile.

Carter was quick to say in his post-match interview that ‘we’ve all said things in the past that we regret’ and there was no repeat of the Masters interview from O’Sullivan.

A match played in good spirits between two of snooker's fiercest competitors, but respect shown on and off the table. Something the game can be proud of.

Nearly comeback of the World Championship

An honourable mention must go to Lei Peifan who came back from the dead to down defending championship Kyren Wilson on a dramatic first day.

But my vote goes to Zak Surety who won the hearts of many with his wholehearted fightback against Ding Junhui on his Crucible debut.

Initially, it was all too much for Surety who could barely stand up as trailed 4-0 in a horror first session.

However, Surety is a terrific player who has made giant strides this season, and his performance in the second session the following day was outstanding.

Surety made four centuries, a record for a Crucible debutant, to close to 7-6, before Ding eventually finished the job to complete a 10-7 victory.

In the end, the Englishman had left himself with too much to do, but his second session was one few of us will forget in a hurry, not least Surety himself.

Rip-off of the World Championship

You shouldn’t be paying seven quid a pint anywhere, certainly not up north, so you can imagine my horror when the barman said ‘that’ll be £14, please’ as he sat two drinks on the bar of the Head of Steam, just across from the Crucible.

I didn’t get the next round.

ALSO WATCH: HOW TO MODERNISE SNOOKER

Nevertheless, the Head of the Steam comes an honourable second to World Snooker Tour for rip-off of the World Championship.

When Zhao Xintong beat Ronnie O’Sullivan with a session to spare on Friday, it meant Saturday afternoon’s semi-final session was lost, and almost a thousand paying customers left disappointed.

Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis were drafted in as replacements, attempting to reenact their famous black-ball final of 1985, but it was a poor second prize.

No refunds were offered by World Snooker Tour, not even half the ticket price, which left a sour taste. It often feels like paying customers, the ones who ultimately feed the game, don’t matter to those making the decisions.

This applies across sports, but were this a Test match in cricket, the public would’ve been refunded, that refund reduced depending on the amount of play that was possible through the course of the day.

Those unlucky fans on Saturday got nothing of what they paid for.

Match of the World Championship

Mark Williams enjoyed a remarkable tournament and a tough one, too, coming through a number of close finishes.

His semi-final win over world number one Judd Trump would’ve been very satisfying, but his deciding-frame victory over John Higgins in the previous round tops the bill.

The match was pure Crucible. It started slowly, with neither player able to gain the upper hand, until the contest burst into life in the final session.

Williams made the first move, winning the first four frames of Wednesday morning to lead 12-8, only to watch Higgins mount a brilliant comeback.

It was no-miss snooker from Higgins who did something similar to Judd Trump in the quarter-finals of this event back in 2018, and he always appeared to be in control of the decider.

The fact this titanic tussle was being played out between two of the Class of 92 made the moment even more special, and standing ovations from the Crucible crowd came at the beginning of every session and before the final frame.

The atmosphere in that famous old theatre was everything we’ve come to expect, and the chance to watch two of snooker’s great players doing battle in the swan song of their careers was something all us watching were grateful to have been given.

And what a grandstand finish they produced. Both men had their chances, but Higgins seemingly had the match won when potting the final brown to leave himself the blue along the top cushion for victory. Just roll it in.

But he didn’t, playing it at pace and rattling the jaws, and instead it was Williams who nervelessly potted the final three colours to seal a most dramatic win at the end of the most dramatic of contests.

Snooker – what a sport.

Shot of the Championship

Everyone will have their favourites here, but mine is Mark Williams’ match-winning blue against John Higgins in the quarter-final I’ve already nominated as my match of the championship.

It comes back to context again, and having all but resigned himself to defeat, how Williams was able to stand up and roll in that blue with everything on the line defies belief.

It wasn’t just the pot, an incredibly thin cut across the nap of the table, it was the fact that he could do very little about a potential in-off in the middle pocket when the white rolled back off the opposite side cushion.

One of the main strengths of Williams has always been his bottle, and the fact he is able to go all-in when he needs to. I think all great players have that.

Williams knew he needed to back himself to pot the blue, something Higgins didn’t fully do when faced with match ball, trusting his talent and technique under the most intense pressure.

And that’s what he did. The blue went straight into the heart of the pocket and when the white avoided the middle pocket and landed perfectly on the pink, the match was done.

What a shot.

Bad smell of the World Championship (bore off, Barry)

As the World Championship navigated the first week, we had thankfully heard very little about the Crucible not being fit for purpose, or why snooker must move its crown jewel to Saudi Arabia.

There was a real feel-good factor about the tournament, and Sheffield City Council must take plenty of credit for creating an almost party-like atmosphere around the venue.

A giant screen was erected directly opposite the Crucible, which was met by a huge astro-turf strip which ran all the way to the venue, initially acting as a type of green carpet on the press day so all the fans could watch the 16 seeds being interviewed by Rob Walker before they made their walk to the main building.

It was a terrific idea, and very-well ed by a huge number of fans who were able to have selfies with the players and autographs signed. I’ve been to a fair few of these press days now, and this was the best yet.

And then, that same area was turned into a big garden, with drinking benches and even deck chairs laid out in front of the big screen which showed all the snooker live for those without tickets for the Crucible itself.

When I made it back to Sheffield a few days later, the area was again packed out with people enjoying drinks and watching the sport in the sun. Snooker, as it should, had consumed Sheffield.

But, like a bad smell, Barry Hearn could not resist returning to the limelight before long, and he was back, parroting the same old line about Sheffield City Council forcing him to move the event and how the venue wasn’t good enough.

We get it, Barry. You want to take the World Championship away from all these people who love snooker dearly and visit Sheffield to watch some of the most brilliant sport imaginable so you can make more money.

You can slice it however you want, be it increased prized money, a bigger venue, more global reach, but when the dust settles, it all comes back to money and lining those deep pockets.

We get it. We really do. We’ve heard this record on repeat for a while now, and it’s boring. Most of us have come to accept that by 2028, the World Championship will be moved from the Crucible, likely to some vast, soulless venue thousands of miles from snooker's home, one which nobody really wants to play in for any other reason than to earn big money.

Yes, we understand. But for now, we want to enjoy what we’ve got, while we can. This wonderful, quirky venue, its unique atmosphere, and the iconic memories it creates. We want to enjoy this new garden, from where we can watch the snooker with a pint in the sun.

Do us a favour, Barry, for the next two years, just let us enjoy all that in peace. We’ve heard your story already, we know what’s coming. But until you eventually take it away from us for good, it's ours, and we intend on cherishing every moment of what’s left.

‘Two pints, please. Fourteen quid, you say? What a bargain.’

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