Richard Mann's World Snooker Championship awards as Ronnie O'Sullivan and Barry Hearn make the cut

Story of the World Championship

I don’t mean this to sound disparaging in the slightest, but they say God loves a trier.

And if the old man up there does indeed exist, I suspect he admires Kyren Wilson, snooker’s latest world champion, greatly.

Wilson wasn’t born with the touch of genius Ronnie O’Sullivan possesses, nor the flair of Judd Trump, and his family haven’t had things as easy as some. Those factors ensured Wilson’s path to the top was even tougher, but make his achievements all the more impressive.

Wilson is world champion on merit, the one player who has dominated throughout the 17 days in Sheffield, never really looking troubled, not even when former nemesis John Higgins got within a single frame in their quarter-final. Or when Jak Jones threatened to produce a comeback for the ages in the final on Monday night.

Wilson is a real snooker man. He loves the sport and its history. He cares about its future – a rare thing nowadays, it seems – and he will be immensely proud of becoming world champion. And so he should be.

Wilson has played brilliant snooker across the 17 days and his Monday night wobble shouldn’t take away from that, but it’s what has come before that marks him down as a true champion.

He’s always had a game suited to the Crucible, and reached the last four in 2018 and the final in 2020, before losing in the semi-finals a year later.

So near yet so far. His cue-ball control wasn’t good enough at elite level and there have been times when he hasn’t handled high-pressure situations as well as he has these last two weeks.

But he has worked and worked and worked some more. He’s always worked hard, harder than almost anyone else on tour by all accounts, and you never see Wilson compete at a tournament looking disinterested, complaining about venues or conditions.

Hard work, determination and professionalism. That’s always been the Wilson way and even when this season has posed many challenges in terms of form and lack of trophies, it’s been the same upbeat Wilson, well prepared and ready for business.

And it’s all been worthwhile. Kyren Wilson, champion of the world, and oh how he deserves it.

Moment of the World Championship

Let’s be frank, this has been one of the worst World Championships in recent memory.

The final briefly threatened to turn into something special, but in the end it was much like the rest of the tournament – falling short of what we every year hope the Crucible will deliver on the first Monday in May. That magical final between John Higgins and Mark Williams in 2018 seems a distant memory now.

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But the second Monday of the tournament, a week ago now, boy what an evening of snooker that gave us. Magic Monday.

On the second table, Stuart Bingham and Jack Lisowski enjoyed a thrilling tussle before Lisowski’s knack of making mistakes at the wrong time again cost him dear.

With the pair locked together at 11-11, Bingham won a decisive frame from needing snookers, the match all but won there and then, Lisowski left rueing another chance missed.

On the adjacent table, things were about to get even more dramatic with John Higgins and Mark Allen producing a finish that will surely go down in Crucible folklore.

Allen began the concluding session of this last-16 clash nursing a 9-7 lead, but Higgins refused to buckle and fought his way back to 11-11.

Allen led again at 12-11, leaving Higgins fearing the worst after a recent run of form that that has been blighted by close defeats in big matches, a few against Allen who the veteran Scot lost to in a deciding frame at the Masters in January.

Sure enough, another decider was confirmed when Higgins produced a cool clearance on the colours to level the scores once more – though the best was still to come.

Allen, displaying all the poise and quality that has taken him to the top of the world rankings, meticulously worked his way into a frame and match-winning position, only to miss a straightforward red with the rest on 62 and hand Higgins a lifeline.

With no pot to go at, Higgins was forced to take on a dangerous double that would’ve cost him the match had it missed. It didn’t, and what followed was the stuff of legend.

So often famed for his nerveless counter-clearances, Higgins had appeared to have lost that killer instinct in the biggest moments and all those painful defeats in the last 24 months had come in similar situations to this.

On the biggest stage of all, at the home of snooker no less, Higgins rolled back the years, the grand master mopping up the balls like bread in leftover gravy.

One final obstacle came on the last red, lurched on the bottom cushion with the white left at a dangerous distance and angle. Drop it in and give it every chance, then.

Or not. Higgins stunned it into the centre of the pocket at pace, as if failure hadn’t even crossed his mind, the white seemingly on a piece of string as it landed plum on the baulk colours.

He was never out of position again, nerves of steel and arms aloft having potted the final black, the exhale of air from puffed cheeks confirming Higgins is human after all and that he had just withstood about as much pressure as any snooker player will ever face.

What a match. What a night. What a player.

Villain of the World Championship

You wonder whether he rather likes it, because Barry Hearn has become the perfect pantomime villain of snooker.

It wasn’t so long ago we were told Hearn Snr. would be taking a back seat, but we’ve barely heard a peep from Eddie Hearn in Sheffield this year, while I’ve had people messaging me asking if Steve Dawson actually exists. Dawson is the current chairman of World Snooker for those wondering.

If I can give Hearn some credit, he has fronted up and answered the questions. I have rarely liked what he has had to say, but he met Ken Doherty head on when talking to the BBC, and then Rachel Casey who stood her ground and wasn’t prepared to be pushed around when asking the questions for Eurosport.

WATCH: SHOULD THE WORLDS STAY OR LEAVE THE CRUCIBLE?

Best of the lot was Andy Goldstein, typically, for Talksport Radio. Goldstein didn’t take any nonsense, for all there was lots coming from Hearn’s mouth. But the latter stuck to his script, and sadly, it seems, his principles.

"Money, money, money" was the message and if anyone is any doubt, the future of the World Championship and where it is staged will ultimately be decided by cash.

In that case, next stop Saudi Arabia, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens before World Snooker’s contract with Sheffield City Council expires in 2027.

My biggest issue with Hearn is that I believe he is being disingenuous. You only have to walk around Sheffield City centre to see the poverty, the homelessness, to know that the council can’t afford to build a 3000-seat arena to host snooker for two weeks a year.

We shouldn’t forget that Birmingham’s council tipped bankruptcy last year and in this day and age, it’s clear that councils have little money to spare.

But this is the blame game in its early throes, Hearn absolving himself when he rips snooker from its "home", as Shaun Murphy called it last week. Sheffield City Council don’t value him and snooker enough apparently, so blame lies with them.

But the people of Sheffield won’t buy it and hardcore snooker fans don’t either. Not all will be against Saudi Arabia hosting the World Championship right now, or anywhere else for that matter, but when reality kicks in and it becomes apparent that snooker is leaving the Crucible for good, it is sure to leave a sour taste in the mouths of those who have supported the sport for years, through thick and thin.

Even more disturbing is how little has been said about human rights issues in Saudi Arabia. It doesn’t all have to be one-way and Qatar hosted last year’s World Cup when its own human rights issues came under the microscope. Many disagreed with the likes of Gary Lineker and Roy Keane taking big cheques to cover that tournament, but they did at least discuss the subject rather than pretending it didn’t exist.

"It’s all about money" Hearn told Goldstein, but try telling that to Manahel al-Otaibi who, as Sky News reported last week, human rights groups say has been sentenced to 11 years in prison over her choice of clothing.

Hearn has a granddaughter himself and I wonder if he thinks that treatment of a young woman is right and just. I’d like to think he doesn’t, but the silence coming from World Snooker means I can’t be sure.

What I am sure of is that it really is all about the "money".

Nonsense statement of the World Championship Part I

Hossein Vafaei is making a habit out of grabbing the headlines, though not often for his play on the table.

12 months ago Vafaei called Ronnie O’Sullivan out, suggesting he should "retire" before getting schooled by the Rocket in a grudge match that was so one-sided it almost descended into a farce.

Earlier this season, Vafaei stormed off and refused to shake the hand of Mark Williams after the Welshman had dominated their match at the World Grand Prix.

Williams would later explain: "I just pulled him up about it and said 'what's your problem', and he said it was because I slapped my leg at the end when I won.

"I slapped my leg at the end because I shouldn't have gone for the pink. I should have played safe."

Vafaei was back on the back pages at the World Championship, though he didn’t make much of a splash on the table as Judd Trump made light work of him in their first-round match.

Afterwards, Vafaei was more interested in talking about the venue, suggesting it was "smelly" and that the practice facilities were like "practising in a garage".

"Everything’s so bad", he continued, "if you ask me if I want to come back here, I would tell you no way."

The problem here is that while some of Vafaei’s comments may or may not have merit, there are ways to make your point. Being outright disrespectful to a venue that has done so much good for snooker – irrespective of its future – is not the way.

Furthermore, surely Vafaei should be more interested in his own career than worrying about what the future holds for the Crucible. The 2022 Shoot Out remains his only career success and he has fluffed another couple of good opportunities to win tournaments this season.

For someone who talks plenty, Vafaei has achieved very little on the table and he might just be grateful for a return to the Crucible next year.

Be careful what you wish for, Hossein.

Nonsense statement of the World Championship Part II

This story took another turn, a quite remarkable one, when the likes of Shaun Murphy and Jimmy White weighed in with their say.

Murphy, never one to keep his opinions to himself, blasted "He said he doesn’t want to come back – don’t come back! He doesn’t have to, he’s not forced to come here. Don’t come!"

But that was small fry to compared to Alan McManus who let rip at Vafaei on Eurosport, stealing a famous line from Roy Keane about prawn sandwiches before leaving viewers in no doubt as to what artist currently sits atop of his Spotify Library.

"I don’t know what he wants. Does he want a bunch of flowers and a prawn sandwich on the way in the door? I don’t know. You come here to play snooker, you don’t come here to smell roses and flowers and all that stuff.

“This is a place to come and conduct your business. If Diana Ross came here to put on a show, or anyone else for that matter, it’s a place of work, it’s not a place to come and be pampered. I don’t know quite what it is he wants.

"If you want to be a big star in this game, which he’s not yet incidentally, go out and win some tournaments and then start talking like that."

From Murphy, to Jimmy and then McManus, perhaps this was all a Chain Reaction (you can have that one for free) which meant by the time the Scot had his say, he had reached boiling point.

Yes, Vafaei’s comments were way off the mark, but Diana Ross? I’m struggling to make the link or see how she is at all relevant here. I doubt very much that the legendary singer has any intention of visiting the Crucible anytime soon, or that 29-year-old Vafaei has even heard of a music star some 51 years his senior.

It must be said that that a fair amount of criticism has been labelled at McManus in recent months for his punditry on some players compared to the apparently different approach he takes with others.

Ronnie O’Sullivan never seems to feel the wrath of McManus and let’s be frank, his post-match interview on Eurosport after the Masters final was an unedifying watch as the just-crowned champion explained what turned him on.

McManus certainly looked uncomfortable as he shuffled in his chair, but he refused to call O’Sullivan out then or afterwards, nor this week despite the latter's continued support for moving the World Championship away from the Crucible to Saudi Arabia. Vafaei didn’t receive the same leniency, that’s for sure.

O’Sullivan has had an interesting time in Sheffield, flirting with the idea of a breakaway tour and yet again suggesting UK fans might not see much of him next season. His spat with referee Desislava Bozhilova over the opening and closing of a door at the Crucible in the final session of his quarter-final with Stuart Bingham barely got a mention, either.

Instead, McManus continues to give O’Sullivan plenty of Baby Love ("Alexa, play me more Diana Ross songs") while saving his harshest critique for other players on tour.

Judging by much of the reaction on social media, it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Nonsense statement of the World Championship Part III

Ronnie O’Sullivan comparing the human rights records of the United Kingdom and Unites States of America with Saudi Arabia.

It’s hard to comprehend O’Sullivan’s words, never mind try to make sense of them. You can’t.

Whataboutism: the technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising a different issue.

Shot of the World Championship

As ever, there is plenty to choose from.

The John Higgins double against Mark Allen might’ve won had I not already written a few hundred words on it above, and the red along the rail in the same break was probably an even better shot.

There was also a shot from Ryan Day against Ronnie O’Sullivan, potted with the rest, developing a couple of reds tied up on the bottom cushion to ensure the break continued which was a thing of beauty.

The blue Jak Jones potted in the fourth frame of his semi-final win over Stuart Bingham doesn’t immediately jump off the page, but it was a terrific pot to the green pocket which left him perfectly positioned on the pink to allow him to pull off a vital clearance.

It’s the context that is most important here. Jones had started his first Crucible semi-final horribly, Bingham bossing the early exchanges and racing into a 3-0 lead with a series of sizeable breaks.

The biggest match of Jones’ career was threatening to become a nightmare as early as the first session, but he gathered himself wonderfully to somehow win that frame, get a foothold in the match and the session, which he would eventually draw 4-4.

From there, Jones always looked the stronger player and eventually won the match 17-12. Had he lost that fourth frame, I suspect we may have had a different result.

Some pots are for show and some for dough. That blue from Jones went a long way to earning him £200,000.

Class acts of the World Championship

Honourable mentions must go to Mark Allen and Mark Selby.

Throughout Allen’s epic with John Higgins it was evident there was great mutual respect between the pair, regular taps of the table and nods of appreciation after yet another fine safety return.

But to lose in the manner Allen did, when only a few pots from victory, will have cut deep. So to then jump straight from his chair and tell Higgins "to believe in yourself" must be one of the greatest acts of sportsmanship seen at the Crucible.

Allen continued that message in his post-match interviews, too, despite clearly being shattered at suffering such a cruel defeat. All class.

And the same can be said for Selby, up from his chair to congratulate Joe O’Connor with a smile, a hug and a few words of encouragement after the four-time champion was dumped out in the first round.

Hard as nails on the table, there is little doubting Selby’s class off the table.

It’s been a tough few years for Selby, from his own battle with depression, his wife Vikky’s fight with breast cancer and the loss of a close friend to cancer around the same time.

All the while, Selby has rocked up to tournaments and given his all, the results understandably not coming and if anything, making matters worse as the realisation dawns that snooker isn’t anywhere near as important as the other things in life: family, friends, health and happiness.

Things came to a head at the Tour Championship when Selby hinted at possible retirement, something he again discussed after losing to O’Connor. Snooker isn’t doing him any good or making him happy anymore, he argued.

Perspective isn’t always easy to find in top-level sport, but you have to admire Selby for finding some and realising what is important.

He has enjoyed a stellar career, made his money, and in all honesty, worrying about a silly game where players use sticks to try and pot different coloured balls in a hole really does fall down the list of priorities when you consider what the Selbys have had to face in recent times.

Nevertheless, with all those thoughts playing in his head, he was gracious and warm to O’Connor, a young man who has looked up to Selby for much of his life. Many would’ve shaken hands and bolted for the exit door, but Selby did not, and that says so much about the man.

Just like Allen, all class.

I do hope we see Mark Selby playing snooker next season. But above all, I wish him and his family well. They have been through so much already to know there are more important things in life.

Snooker really is just a game.

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