| O'Sullivan snookers suspicious minds • O'Sullivan does White no favours with 3-1 World Open win• 'No credence should be attached to unsubstantiated rumour'Ronnie O'Sullivan's 3-1 win over Jimmy White to reach the last 16 of the World Open in Glasgow exposed the falsity and perhaps malice of a rumour of uncertain origin, circulated by email, that O'Sullivan would lose on purpose because he owed White a favour.Neither O'Sullivan, in an 18-year professional career, nor White, in one of 30, has ever had a whiff of suspicion attached to them for such a malpractice.David Douglas, the high‑ranking former Scotland Yard policeman who has special responsibility, as a member of the World Professional Billiard and Snooker Association board, for the integrity of the circuit's matches and disciplinary matters generally, was made aware of the situation just as the match started and afterwards commented: "This was an unsubstantiated rumour to which no credence should be attached" – a judgment of course emphasised by the result.White, 48, now languishes at 66th in the rankings and rarely qualifies for the televised phase of tournaments. Slow to settle on that account, he was quickly 2-0 down but began to look more like the player who reached six world finals in his prime by stitching together a frame‑winning 88 in the third.It could easily have been 2-2 if White, in with 56 and beginning to fancy his chance, had not missed a tricky red to a middle pocket. As it was, O'Sullivan rose unperturbed from his chair to make the nerveless 80 clearance which put him through to play Stephen Hendry tomorrow for a place in the last eight.It was a match that illustrated how fine is the line between winning and losing in a mere best-of-five contest. The players are enjoying the event and the crowds have found it entertaining but the consensus is that it carries too many ranking points, particularly in the light of its random draw with no seeding, in comparison with others that start at the best of nine.Whatever the distance, though, a crisis point usually arrives at which leading players make their class, composure and self-belief tell – as O'Sullivan did.Afterwards he took the opportunity to emphasise that his reluctance to pot the last black of his 147 break on Monday in protest against the absence of a bonus prize for a maximum was only in the spirit of playful provocation."I'm a bit of a showman and I like to be given a bit of stick sometimes because I need reasons to play," he said of some of the criticisms which come his way. "I don't care about money. I live on a shoestring. I'm a bit of a hermit. I like to wind people up sometimes."Even so, among the players, there seems to be a consensus in favour of a bonus of some sort for a 147, even if it is not of the order of the ÂŁ20,000 they could expect in previous seasons. A prize for the most maximums in a season has been mooted.Ronnie O'SullivanJimmy WhiteSnookerClive Evertonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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Johnson and French clubs set to clash • Wilkinson, Haskell and Palmer must report for England training• French clubs want the three to play in Top 14 matchesEngland are adamant that their three elite squad players who are based in France – Jonny Wilkinson, James Haskell and Tom Palmer – will report for a pre-autumn international training camp on 24 October even though the two clubs involved, Toulon and Stade Français, want the trio to play in the Top 14 the following weekend.Wilkinson has a clause in his contract with Toulon guaranteeing that he is available for every England training session, regardless of whether it falls within the International Rugby Board's regulation governing the release for international rugby duty, but the position with Haskell and Palmer is less clear."We have assurances from their agents that they have the release dates for England training weekends locked into their contracts," said a Rugby Football Union spokesman. "Martin Johnson [the England team manager] will have first call on them on 24 October and whether he subsequently releases them back to their clubs for league matches will be up to him."England are determined to assert their authority over the trio because the first of their November internationals, against New Zealand at Twickenham on 6 November, falls outside the official international window. That means the French clubs would not have to release their players for the game unless they were contractually obliged to do so.There is a full Top 14 programme that week with Toulon travelling to Perpignan and Stade Français taking on Bayonne. Both have demanding away matches the previous weekend with Toulon in Toulouse and Stade making the trip to the champions, Clermont Auvergne.All three players are likely to be required by Johnson for the All Blacks match. Palmer started the two summer Tests in Australia in the second row while Wilkinson and Haskell, a back‑rower like Lewis Moody, whose fitness for New Zealand will not be known for another couple of weeks, were replacements.Wilkinson is expected to sign his new contract at Toulon this week after his father, who acts as his financial advisor, was sighted there today.Scarlets have offered the second row Gavin Quinnell, who lost the sight in his left eye after an incident during Llanelli's Welsh Premiership match at Cross Keys this month, a place on their coaching staff. The 26-year-old Quinnell is unlikely to play again for fear of suffering damage in his other eye and he is still coming to terms with his injury, which is the subject of an investigation by Gwent police."We are devastated for Gav," said the head coach, Nigel Davies. "He has been so brave and dealt with the incident magnificently. I have spoken to him and told him there would be a number of opportunities for someone like him with the club in our coaching team. He is very important to us."England rugby union teamJonny WilkinsonMartin JohnsonAutumn internationalsToulonStade FrancaisRugby unionPaul Reesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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