OAPs blast Ronnie O’Sullivan and claim Peter Ebdon interrupted their bowls game
Rocket stated one pensioner berated the 48-year-old for disrupting their indoor bowls at the K2 leisure centre
A GROUP of “grumpy old folk” from Crawley told moaning Ronnie O’Sullivan: Show us more respect.
The Rocket claimed one pensioner berated Peter Ebdon for disrupting their indoor bowls at the K2 leisure centre, the venue for snooker’s English Open.
Colin Rivers, 68, an ex-Royal Mail driver, was angry his match with Tony Nash (72), Tony Simmons (78), Dave Bradshaw (72) and Rosie (95) was soured.
Rivers said: “I read the SunSport article and thought ‘I don’t like his attitude. We’re old-ish people. We enjoy our games’.
“I don’t wish to sound rotten, but who do these people think they are? It’s a busy leisure centre.
“Players and staff walked past our bowls on Monday. We had no idea this was going on.
"Most stopped while we were bowling but Peter Ebdon walked straight through.
“We are really angry with the K2 management. They have now cancelled all our games this week.
“The general manager threatened us saying ‘You’ve two options, accept it or we close you down’.”
O'Sullivan has claimed that he would accept less prize money to play in better venues - like the Royal Albert Hall.
The Rocket is furious with the conditions at the English Open, describing the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley as a “hell-hole” that even “smells of urine”.
Yesterday the defending champ put those concerns aside to claim the 15th maximum break of his pro career, as he smashed Allan Taylor 4-0 in the second round.
But asked if he would take less money so he could play at iconic settings like London’s Royal Albert Hall, O’Sullivan replied: “All day long.
“I don’t play this game for money. I play this game for the love of it — to be in great venues, to be in great competitions.
“I’d happily take a huge pay cut if it meant better scheduling and better venues.”
The five-time world champion blasted World Snooker for their punishing tournament schedule, which he reckons is turning travel-weary players into “broken men”.
O’Sullivan, who has earned £10million in prize money, could also be fined for swearing during his post-match press conferences.
He said: “You saw John Higgins and it’s sad to see a great player basically broken because of all the travelling and qualifying he has to do. It’s really demotivating.
“People want to see top players playing at their best. It could be looked at. But it’s probably gone too far, it’s like turning a ship.
“Ken Doherty once said to me, ‘If you feed people enough s***, in the end it starts to taste good’.
“The guys are probably so far in it, they don’t even realise. They probably have no choice and are being held by the googlies.”
O’Sullivan showed his class as he cleared his first 147 break since the China Open in April.
It was only the 143rd in 36 years of pro snooker — meaning the Rocket is responsible for more than ten per cent of them alone.
He even joked he might wear a snorkel and flip-flops for a third-round clash with Welshman Matt Stevens today following his criticism of the screaming kids partaking in swimming lessons at the K2.
But O’Sullivan, 42, was still disappointed with his performance.
Describing his maximum, he said: “From 40-odd I was in bits. My back and arms were like fish, flapping all over the gaff. When it goes quiet, you feel the pressure even more.
“A 147 sounds really great — but my game is far from great.
“I haven’t played well since this tournament last year.
“It was also really hot. They certainly aren’t cutting corners on the heating bills!
“Or maybe they are doing it deliberately to punish us even more, to see if we can play in 100 degrees? Someone must have sadistic ways up there.”
World No 1 Mark Selby was knocked out 4-3 by fellow Leicester star Ben Woollaston. Higgins beat Nigel Bond 4-1.
