£ 10,000 too ‘ cheap’ for O’Sullivan

reached in this week’s BetVictor Welsh Open while leading Barry Pinches 3- 1 on a score of 40.

And when told it was £ 10,000, three- time event winner O’Sullivan deliberately played for the pink off the 14th red , fi nishing with a 146 break at the Motorpoint Arena – taking the black again off the fi nal red to close out a 4- 1 victory.

There was some disappointed mumbling from the crowd yesterday and O’Sullivan, who is now into the last 64, said: “I could have got on the black off that red and possibly got another 147. You never know, it can get twitchy.

“But £ 10,000 – it’s too cheap! It’s like going in to a Mercedes garage and them saying, ‘ You can have this for three grand’. No way, that’s too cheap – you have to value certain things.

“I thought punters got value for money today.”

Hearn said: “Players have a duty to the fans to deliver the best standard and entertainment they can. Anything less than playing to their best ability is unacceptable and disrespectful to the paying public.”

Tournament sponsors BetVictor, though, have said they will pay out to those who backed O’Sullivan to score a maximum.

Spokesperson Charlie McCann said: “Ronnie obviously has an issue over the £ 10,000 offered for a 147 break but we don’t think our customers who backed a maximum break in the tournament, or the handful who backed ‘ The Rocket’ for a 147 in the match, should be out of pocket; we have paid out accordingly.”

O’Sullivan once won £ 165,000 for making a maximum at the 1997 World Championship in Sheffi eld.

World No 2 Mark Allen said: “That’s just Ronnie. It’s why people come and watch him – you never know what you’re going to get.

“He’s unbelievably talented but a bit of a nutcase off the table at times, which is what people want.

“I sort of understand where he’s coming from. Compared to the days when it used to be massive money for 147s, it is a bit disappointing. But 147s are still cherished – I’ve never had one on tour.”