SNOOKER

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN escalated a war of words with supremo Barry Hearn after surging into the UK Championship semis.

He breezed past world No 59 Martin O’Donnell 6-1 at the Barbican Centre in York to keep his bid for a record seventh UK title on track.

But O’Sullivan upped the stakes over his threat to stage breakaway tournaments in response to comments by the World Snooker chairman.

Hearn said: “What he’s said is damaging to the game. It must stop. I will talk to him. He can come and have a cup of tea and a chat.

“I don’t want to ban him but there are rules to be obeyed.”

O’Sullivan, who will play Leicester’s Tom Ford today, said: “I don’t really plan to have a cup of tea with Barry, there’s no point.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of top players and they agree. I understand they might not want to add their name to a list, that’s fine – but I’m brave enough to speak out. Others don’t say what they feel.”