Ronnie O’Sullivan quirk baffles Shaun Murphy as Rocket completely ignores snooker rivals

Ronnie O’Sullivan quirk baffles Shaun Murphy as Rocket completely ignores snooker rivals

Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered a first-round exit at the UK Championship.

Shaun Murphy has questioned Ronnie O’Sullivan’s loyalty to a particular brand of chalk as the Rocket continues to ignore those calling for him to follow the crowd

O’Sullivan has stuck with Triangle chalk despite most professionals switching over to Taom, which many consider better for avoiding kicks, miscues and mess. Poor table conditions have been a topic of discussion at the UK Championship this week, where O’Sullivan crashed out in the first round against Barry Hawkins.

And Murphy has been asked whether the use of old school chalk has had any part to play. He told SportsBoom: “I’ve absolutely no idea why some players still use what is obviously a bit of a spoiler.”

The 42-year-old was also asked whether governing bodies should look at banning certain types of chalks if they are having an effect on the rest of the field. But he is not convinced, insisting that O’Sullivan should be free to continue his quirky choice for as long as he wants to.

“I think it would be very hard for the governing body to insist that all players use a particular brand of chalk,” Murphy said. “It’s an accessory. They’d be telling us what tips and cues to use next. I don’t think that could happen.

It is a completely personal choice.”

Murphy, who is into the quarter-finals in York after beating Ding Junhui, is far from the first player to question the use of Triangle chalk in the professional game. John Higgins told O’Sullivan personally and publicly to get with the times after beating him 6-5 at the English Open in 2021.

“I said to Ronnie to get rid of that Triangle chalk,” Higgins told Eurosport. “It felt like everything for him was a kicky shot. He says it is the tip, but it is the striking of the cue ball. You can hear it on every shot. I was sitting and watching and he was kicking every single shot. He says he loves his Triangle.”

At the time, current world No 1 Judd Trump was also using Triangle. He has now started using Taom, but Higgins is more than happy for O’Sullivan to stick to his old ways.