A BOWL NEW BALL GAME , RON

CHRIS ASHTON has told Eddie Jones that picking him is not a gamble – despite having yet to start his season.

Sale wing Ashton is finally free to lace his boots this weekend having served a sevenweek ban for his pre-season red card.

But the problem is

Jones (right) names his squad for England’s autumn campaign tomorrow, so including Ashton would involve blind faith.

He has never capped the 31-year-old, who last played for his country in 2014, and England’s opener against South Africa is little more than a fortnight off.

Yet Ashton was at pains RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has stepped up his criticism of the venue for this week’s English Open.

The Rocket (left) launched a scathing attack on the K2 Centre in Crawley after his firstround win, claiming it and kids with flip-flops and snorkels on when you are about to play a match.”

But World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn (left) laughed off the Rocket’s barbs. “We know he likes controversy, even if it is invented, but he isn’t always right,” he said.

smelled of urine. And the defending champion has piled in again ahead of today’s match with Allan Taylor, saying: “You have to walk through the bowling green to get to the press conference. When I was walking through yesterday one old boy said ‘Can you stop walking while I am playing bowls? I am going to walk through while you’re playing snooker.’ “The whole venue is completely spread out. You don’t want to be traipsing through families