Why is Ronnie O'Sullivan using two cues at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield?

Ronnie O'Sullivan played with two cues during his World Snooker Championship opener in Sheffield

"I thought a bit of a roll of the dice, it was a gamble. I was a bit nervous because I thought you could look a bit silly."

Ronnie O'Sullivan has explained the "crazy" decision to use two cues at the World Snooker Championship.

O'Sullivan dusted off an old cue from under his bed in Ireland and duly rocketed into the second round after wrapping up a 10-2 win over He Guoqiang on Wednesday.

O'Sullivan required just 35 minutes to turn a 7-2 overnight advantage into another comfortable Crucible win, then revealed he had made the switch as he looks to gain momentum in his quest for a record-breaking eighth title at the venue.

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He said: "My cue was hopeless yesterday [Tuesday]. It was only because I'm feeling all right that I was able to get away with it. I felt like I could play the shots that I like today. It was stuck under my bed in Ireland, basically, for most of the year until I came here."

Two centuries confirmed O'Sullivan's march into a last-16 showdown with fellow 50-year-old John Higgins, which starts on Saturday night, and will serve as a classic antidote to the emerging narrative of up-and-comers including first-time qualifiers Stan Moody and Liam Pullen.

O'Sullivan compares Crucible to a 'creche'

O'Sullivan described Stan Moody as a 'lovely boy and a great player'

While the young British duo have already fallen to defeats against Kyren Wilson and Chris Wakelin respectively, the 'Class of '92' members march on although O'Sullivan, who has again missed a slew of ranking tournaments this season, insists he is unsure about his ability to go all the way.

"It's hard, because I haven't played enough top players regularly to know," added O'Sullivan. "It was hard but I need to improve. I'm still a bit rusty, obviously we'll have to wait and see. Nothing's impossible."

In a post-match television interview, O'Sullivan jokingly described the tournament's practice room as a "creche", but picked out the likes of Moody and Pullen as special talents who could challenge the increasing Chinese dominance of the sport.

"I always say hello to the boys," added O'Sullivan. "Stan gave me a little nod the other day. He's a lovely boy and a great player. He's got a lovely cue action and the way he gets through the ball, I think he's going to be a world champion for sure.

"Liam Pullen is a lovely guy. I like seeing all the youngsters coming through. It does make you feel a little bit out of place, thinking, 'why am I still here?'"

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O'Sullivan did not need to break sweat to see off He, who had been plainly struck by nerves in Monday's opening session and could offer little upon the resumption as O'Sullivan steamrollered home with back-to-back knocks of 113 and 100.

It nudges him closer to eclipsing Stephen Hendry and becoming an eight-time Crucible winner, but O'Sullivan stressed the additional work that is required these days in order to stay ahead of the emergent new generations.

"I'm quite happy being in this situation," he added. "If you told me I'd be here, not favourite to win but maybe sixth or seventh favourite and enjoying the game, I'd say, 'yeah, great'.

"It's harder to go in with both feet and put your whole life into it, because you're not sure if you're going to get the wins. That's why I do little stints now. I just want to enjoy myself and not be a slave to the game."

Cue problems

O'Sullivan has faced ongoing issues with his cues, frequently struggling with tip, ferrule, and feel

It's not the first time O'Sullivan has had cue problems with the Essex potter admitting that he "lost the plot" before withdrawing from The Masters last January.

He said: "I snapped my cue, so that's unplayable. I just knew at that moment in time, the right decision was to not play.

"I've got a couple of other cues that I've got to start practicing with... I'm going to continue to play so I need to get used to the cue now."

However, O'Sullivan was asked what he made of Shaun Murphy bringing three cues to the Northern Ireland Open in 2023, to which he replied: "You can have three cues if you're winning but if you keep getting pumped it doesn't look good, does it? So I'd suggest start winning some matches before you start doing that."

'Class of '92' rematch

O'Sullivan will take on John Higgins in a a 'Class of ‘92' rematch

'The Rocket' will next face four-time world champion Higgins in a 'Class of '92' meeting - referring to O'Sullivan, Higgins, and Mark Williams, who all turned professional in the 1992-92 season.

O'Sullivan and Higgins will meet for the seventh time at the Crucible. In five of the previous six meetings, the winner has gone on to lift the famous trophy.

"A couple of oldies," remarked O'Sullivan on meeting the Scot, with the first session starting at 7pm on Saturday. "I was saying just hanging around this venue I feel kind of old now because everyone is 22, 23, it's like walking into a creche but we are still hanging around and having a go.

"I am not the player I was and probably never will be but as long as I can enjoy the game.

"I am starting to enjoy it again. I am getting through the ball but still not good enough to win these events, I have to rely on a bit of luck.

"John loves playing me. I think he plays better than me than I play against him. I think in a way I will be a bit of an underdog because I've hardly played over the last three years compared to John. He's probably favourite but it's a different type of pressure."

O'Sullivan famously defeated Higgins 18‍-‍14 to claim his maiden world title in 2001.