Ronnie O’Sullivan accused of ‘stubbornness’ as snooker great called out over chalk usage
It has been criticized that Ronnie O’Sullivan does not use the same chalk as his opponents on the World Snooker Tour.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has been called “stubborn” by Stephen Hendry for his insistence on sticking with the traditional chalk on the World Snooker Tour.The official chalk partner of the World Snooker Tour is Taom Chalk, but the legendary snooker player still favors Triangle Chalk, their previous sponsor, because he receives more bounce off the cushion.
In the past, O’Sullivan has faced criticism for not wanting to switch brands like everyone else. Following their English Open match in 2021, John Higgins demanded that his opponent “got rid” of the Triangle Chalk.
After the WSS Tour revealed their collaboration with Taom, Judd Trump also used Triangle Chalk for a while, but he has since moved to the new line. According to Hendry, O’Sullivan is the only player on the WSS tour who is still using Triangle Chalk as a result.
Hendry posted on his YouTube channel, “The players now, I mean as I say the tables are just beautiful now and they used to change a bit from tournament to tournament.”
“But these days, the tables are almost always… But the gamers go, “Oh my god,” as soon as something goes wrong. The largest, in my opinion, is that Ronnie still uses the traditional chalk, which bounces and receives kicks on the cushion. Why he wouldn’t use a fresh one is beyond me. I’m not sure if it’s stubbornness.
Hendry’s biggest complaint about O’Sullivan’s insistence on using Triangle’s product is the mark it makes on the table with chalk.”The new chalk is used by every other player… “On the table, you never receive any marks,” he said. “If you watch old snooker matches from the 80s, there would be chalk marks everywhere and get kicks all the time.”
O’Sullivan won the 41st ranking championship at the World Grand Prix last month, setting a new record, to cap off an incredible start to his 2024 campaign. The 48-year-old, who has been dealing with a busy schedule lately, decided to put his “health and well-being” first and withdrew from the German Masters.
“I’m sorry I won’t be there and I hope to see you all soon,” he posted to X. “I adore the occasion and the German fans, but I must put my health and wellbeing first.
“It’s been a tiring and challenging season for me so far, despite how it may seem with the tournament wins so hope you understand.”O’Sullivan is currently riding a 15-game winning streak and has only lost three times in 33 games all season.
