O’SULLIVAN: TOUR WANT RID OF ME

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN claims the World Snooker Tour want him to hand in his resignation — despite having just become the oldest major champion in the sport. The Rocket, who turns 48 today, claimed a record-extending eighth UK Championship title in York on Sunday, 30 years after winning his first at the age of 17.

But O’Sullivan continues to be at war with the WST over their attempts to block players from entering big-money exhibition events in China. The World No 1 said: ‘As long as they want me to keep playing, I’ll play. But they sent me a letter the other week saying they want me to consider my future on the tour. I don’t know what’s going through their heads at the moment. ‘I feel like I’m doing a pretty good job. But they don’t seem to think so. They seem to want me to hand my resignation in.’

WST sources insist it is not true that they have asked O’Sullivan to consider his future. But the seven-time world champion faces disciplinary action for comments he made earlier this season, when he claimed snooker bosses are bordering on ‘blackmail’ by trying to block players from going to China and described their threats as ‘b****cks’. O’Sullivan alleges he was advised not to play in Shanghai in October. He risks further angering the WST if he does not appear at the Scottish Open later this month. ‘I might go to Scotland, I’ll see how I feel,’ he said. ‘I’m looking forward to Christmas in Macau.’