**Ronnie O’Sullivan Responds with Trademark Calm as Table Debate Overshadows Crucible Brilliance**
Snooker has always been a sport of fine margins, but the 2024 World Snooker Championship brought those margins into sharp focus, not only for the immense talent on display but for the lively discussion brewing over the playing conditions at the Crucible. In particular, the size of the table pockets prompted sharply contrasting views amongst the sport’s leading figures, with seven-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan unfazed by the controversy while others – including Kyren Wilson and Shaun Murphy – were notably vocal.
Kyren Wilson, who claimed the iconic trophy last year by defeating Wales’ Jak Jones 18-14, inadvertently ignited debate with his observations on the tables’ specifications. Wilson claimed that pockets during the later stages of the tournament were noticeably tighter compared to previous years, a stance which quickly attracted attention across the snooker world. While his skill and poise on his way to the championship could not be questioned, his forthright views ensured headlines away from the felt.
Speaking candidly on the Snooker Club podcast, Wilson shared his perspective on the matter: “When it went to the one-table set-up, I don’t think [the pockets] were as tight as when there were two tables. Maybe the new cloth for the semis made it play differently, helping more balls slide in. But by the final, the cushion cloth was changed again, so it made the balls slide even more. Last year, John Higgins played a black down the cushion that wouldn’t drop this year. Compared to last year, the pockets are definitely tighter – 100 percent.” Despite having prevailed on snooker’s grandest stage, Wilson insisted the change was significant to the outcome.
However, Ronnie O’Sullivan, ever the picture of composure, reacted with characteristic nonchalance when pressed about the issue. To O’Sullivan, pocket tightness is simply a challenge to be surmounted by top-level players: “They seem all right to me. If you hit them sweet, they go in; if you don’t, they don’t – simple as that,” he explained. Throughout his career, O’Sullivan has consistently brushed aside excuses and distractions, focusing instead on performance and precision, and this scenario was no exception. “The tighter the better, really. It makes you more accurate,” he added, reinforcing his view that the best adapt, no matter the conditions.
Stephen Hendry, another seven-time world champion and a pundit who knows the demands of the game at the very top, was quick to side with O’Sullivan. While acknowledging that players’ opinions must be respected, Hendry questioned whether the change in pockets could truly account for the premature exits of several leading contenders. “There’s been a lot of talk about tight pockets. The players are the ones competing, so we should trust their views – but what about all the so-called best players who went out early? Ronnie, Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen – the list goes on. If the pockets were so decisive, would we have seen so many early surprises?” he remarked.
By contrast, reigning Masters champion Shaun Murphy expressed firm agreement with Wilson’s view, stressing that the new Star tables introduced that season had indeed made life notably harder for the competitors. “These new tables have smaller pockets. I don’t know who decided to make the change, but the players might have appreciated being consulted first,” Murphy argued, illustrating the divide within the sport’s top ranks over the matter.
The debate ultimately did little to affect the brutal realities of elite sport. When the 2025 championship commenced, it was a different story for Wilson, who was unable to defend his crown, bowing out in the opening round. O’Sullivan’s journey finished in the semi-finals, bested 17-7 by emerging Chinese star Zhao Xintong, who then went on to capture the title with a performance that drew praise from across the snooker community.
Ever candid, O’Sullivan admitted to South China sports outlet SportsBoom that his defeat was hardly unexpected. “To be honest, I wasn’t that bothered. I’ve felt that way in practise a lot lately – I can’t even quite put my finger on it to fix it,” he reflected. O’Sullivan, now openly musing about his future at the top of the sport, was nonetheless unstinting in his admiration for Zhao, describing his potential as “limitless” and hailing his impact both for snooker and for the sport’s popularity in China.
This pocket-size debate may well linger, with different generations of players holding fast to their beliefs. Yet, as O’Sullivan so often demonstrates, it is the ability to adapt, block out distractions, and deliver under any circumstances that has long defined snooker’s greatest champions. The latest chapter at the Crucible proved once again that amid the clamour and controversy, it’s cool heads and cue-arm mastery that truly decide who will lift the famous trophy.