It's All Going On !
The Crucible seemed busier then ever on day six. Tudor Square was a hive of excitement, with the afternoon’s play almost a distraction to the outdoor buzz.
The day started with a very jovial Ian McCulloch arriving to practice for his evening session. He was seen scurrying about at the stage door searching for a mobile phone charger. Stubbsie looked like he was trying to keep a low profile as he hurried past with his head down. He managed to stay under the fan-dar which was, at that time, pointed firmly in the direction of a rather dashing Michael Holt.
Lucky afternoon snooker-goers were treated to the Parrot and Murphy show. The perky chaps made jokes with the audience during their second round match; John offered his cue to someone in the front row after missing a snooker – then tendered his opponent’s when Shaun found himself in the same position a few shots later!
After an embarrassing mobile phone incident in the audience – Shaun spoke up, joking that it was his mum calling. Brilliant banter chaps.
The less said about the McCulloch-Hamilton bore, the better. The only person who stayed up to watch the painful play was probably Dotty, rueing the day he missed that easy pink.
The usual morning session gave way to the final of Junior Pot Black. Star in the making Mitchell Mann sailed to victory over Jack Lisowski in the one frame clash. The 15-year-old Cuefactor black band caused quite a stir with his 80-24 win. Confident and unafraid, he then took on and polished off pro-snooker man of the fans Jimmy Michie in crowd-pleasing style.
Mitchell told Cuefactor he expects to be back at the Crucible within the next few years - as part of the top 16. With a 147 under his belt and exhibition matches chalked-up against the likes of Jimmy White, I suspect he may be keeping that promise.
Another crowd-drawing event was the much supported pot-a-thon in Cuezone. Mark Morton, 32 and twenty-five-year-old James Travis are currently sinking balls as part of a crazy 48-hour mega snooker game to raise money for the Paul Hunter Foundation and Cancer Research.
Good on you fellas. They are trying to beat last year’s record which saw the pair rack up 105 frames over two sleepless days. Cuefactor popped by for a look – you can find out more on our latest news page.
It seems fitting at this point to finish with a tribute to Paul. Over the last week, he has been sorely missed and much talked about. Lyndsey was in Cuezone yesterday to keep the pot-a-thon lads going. Was great to see her on the scene, looking positive and chatting with fans about her three-time Masters Champion.
Ref Michaela told us he was the easiest going player she knew and his tragic death had left a huge void both in the game and in the lives of so many people.
One fan summed it up. He said: “Paul was an awesome guy, loved by all. The game has lost one of its brightest stars, an inspiration and a gent.”
