I’ll give £ 11k to charity... if I get £ 61k first
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has promised to give £ 11,000 to charity – but only if he makes another 147 and collects a bookmaker’s offer of £ 61,000.
O’Sullivan was widely criticised after snubbing the chance of a 147 at the Welsh Open on Monday because the prize- money was “too cheap”.
He was accused by World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn of being disrespectful, while rivals, including Ali Carter, who has suffered from Crohn’s disease and cancer, suggested he was selfi sh and should have handed the cash to charity.
Now bookmaker Paddy Power have put £ 61,000 on the table if he makes one this week and O’Sullivan said : “That is more like it – and I will give £ 11,000 to charity if I make one.”
He went on to defend his decision to ridicule the original £ 10,000 prize- money on offer and stop his score at 146 instead.
“When you do things differently or unexpectedly you divide opinion,” he said.
“I see Stephen Fry, one of the greatest men in this country, has upset some people with something he
said at the Baftas. It happens. I don’t see why what I did was wrong, it is my form of entertainment, my way of making a serious game more light- hearted.
“I don’t pay it all too much attention. Once I step over the line I am ready to play.
“There is a mindset where you need to be yourself.
“If I am out there thinking about charities, mums, dads, my children, what my cleaner is doing, have I paid my bills, what everyone wants of me… I couldn’t perform, I’d be too worried.
“You need to grow big shoulders and say, ‘ whatever it takes’ and be strong. I have made 13 147s, won fi ve world titles, scored the most centuries... I have done some good things.” O’Sullivan gave a showman’s masterclass yesterday, as he beat China’s Tian Pengfei 4- 0 in Cardiff. Tian came into the match unbeaten against the Rocket, having won both of their previous encounters.
But it soon became clear that proud record was set to go up in smoke as O’Sullivan produced a devastating display of snooker. His long game, once considered a weakness, is up at the 100 per cent success rate as Tian was blitzed by 415 points to 37. And there were breaks of 110, 112 and 102 to extend O’Sullivan’s record career centuries tally to 811 – plus a 90 for good measure.
After his criticism of O’Sullivan on Monday, however, Hearn, above, made a U- turn yesterday to say that the player is close to being bigger than snooker.
He said: “Without personality and characters, sport dies. O’Sullivan’s the biggest character in the sport.”