RONNIE O’SULLIVAN dashed to a Sheffield shop for an “extraordinary” change to his cue DURING his World Championship semi-final.
The seven-time world champion has tinkered with his gear all the way through his inspiring return at the Crucible.
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But to still be doing so at this deep stage in the tournament has astounded pundits.
Now it’s been revealed his adjustments included a surprise shopping trip amid his tight last-four clash with Zhao Xintong.
The Rocket reportedly put a new tip on before the match started on Thursday.
And after the day’s play ended level at 4-4, he changed his ferrule – the metal sleeve behind the tip.
Long-time BBC presenter Hazel Irvine said: ‘We knew that Ronnie O’Sullivan was playing with a new tip in that session.
‘Immediately afterwards, we are hearing, he actually went to a shop in Sheffield and changed not only the tip but the ferrule of his cue.
“A rather extraordinary thing to do in the middle of a semi-final.”
Six-time Crucible king Steve Davis appeared to agree with that verdict.
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The Beeb pundit, 67, said: “Yeah, not great.
“If you’ve got problems with your equipment and you change mid-stream, how hard is that? How tough is the situation and how bad must it be to change?
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‘You’re playing to small margins, but the fact he was trying out a different material for the metal ferrule that has different characteristics, has in this tournament caused him all sorts of problems, but he’s still got over the line, that’s how clever he is.
“But he’s not happy with he cue so he’s changed it and now he’s into unknown territory.”
O’Sullivan has been frustrated with his equipment over the past few months – putting his whole attendance at the Crucible in doubt until the 11th hour.
His concerns hit a low when he bashed his old cue in the Championship League in January – before skipping three months of tournaments.