Hearn warning over Crucible as O’Sullivan gets off to a flyer

On the day that Barry Hearn warned that Sheffield’s days of staging the World Snooker Championship could be numbered, Ronnie O’Sullivan roared out of the blocks in his quest to make Crucible history by becoming the first eight-time world champion in the modern era.

Facing the Welsh qualifier Jackson Page, O’Sullivan built an 8-1 lead in the first session of their first-round match. He fired four half-centuries plus a break of 122 in the fifth frame to leave the 22-year-old Page next to no chance of rescuing the situation when they resume today. Page was in danger of losing the session to whitewash until he crafted a superb break of 142 in the seventh frame.

Earlier, Hearn - the former World Snooker chairman and president of Matchroom - warned Sheffield City Council that the Crucible needs to be replaced with a larger venue if the city wants to keep the tournament.

Speculation over the future of the venue was sparked in the buildup to this year’s tournament by O’Sullivan, who suggested it should be moved to either Saudi Arabia or China in order to maximise profit potential. After a first-round defeat, Hossein Vafaei then blasted conditions at the historic venue, calling it “smelly” and comparing practice room facilities to “playing in a garage”.

In response to the criticism, Hearn said: “I am doing absolutely everything I can to stay in Sheffield and it takes two to tango. I’ll stay here while we’re wanted, and I think we’re wanted. But they’ve got to be realistic. We’ve said for the last few years we need a new venue that seats 2,500 to 3,000 people. I’m looking for Sheffield to come to the party and if they do, we’re staying.”

But Hearn stressed that he has no qualms about taking the event away from its home since 1977. “There’s a price for everything, whether we like it or not,” he said.