Hawkins hoping for TV boost
After safely navigating the first round of the UK Snooker Championship, Ditton’s Barry Hawkins is hoping the glare of the TV cameras can reignite his passion for the game. Hawkins beat Ashley Carty 6-1 at the Barbican in York to begin his campaign at what is considered one of snooker’s ‘triple crown’ events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. The 35-year-old, who reached the 2013 World Championship final, admits he has found motivation hard to come by in recent weeks as the grind of a long season takes effect. But he believes being part of such a prestigious tournament like the UK Championship will soon have him champing at the bit to spend more time on the baize. He said: “It sounds like I’m complaining too much but I’ve lost a bit of interest over the last few months. “It’s hard to get motivated sometimes, so hopefully tournaments like this with the TV cameras and where it feels like a big occasion will get the adrenaline going and I can find a bit of form. “I’m eager to play when I arrive for an event but when I’m out there, I sometimes feel a bit flat. I know it’s a bad attitude but I can’t really be bothered with it. “But for tournaments like this with the cameras there and a lot of money at stake, the motivation comes back a bit. “It sounds bad when you say ‘I’ve lost interest’ but it happens to everyone a bit throughout the season.” Hawkins, ranked at No.5 in the world, made five half-centuries while seeing off a potential upset in the form of amateur Carty and now faces Nigel Bond in the second round. British Eurosport is the Home of Snooker, showing 19 tournaments per season including the World Championship, UK Championship, the Masters and all other ranking events. Available on Sky, Virgin Media & BT TV or online/mobile via eurosportplayer. com
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