KYREN WILSON knew he was “off the rails” when he ended up in a stranger’s house following an all-night party.
The Warrior, 32, bottled up a lot of his emotions, positive and negative, when he won a maiden World Snooker title in May following a 18–14 final victory over Jak Jones.
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Kyren Wilson admitted that he went ‘off the rails’ after winning the World Snooker titleCredit: INSTAGRAM
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He ended up at a stranger’s party at 7amCredit: INSTAGRAM
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He won the World Snooker Championship title earlier this yearCredit: PA
It was only when he sobered up in an unknown property after a late-night boozy session did he realise he needed to stop following a destructive path and knuckle down for this season.
Wilson told SunSport: “I was mostly enjoying a few late nights. I did not know when to rein it in and stop celebrating.
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“I knew I had a very, very busy schedule coming up so I wanted to keep celebrating.
“You get that opportunity only once of being a first-time world champion – so I wanted to enjoy it as long as I could.
“I ended up at a few late-night parties. Drinking far too much.
“My wife Sophie turned to me and said: ‘It’s time to rein it in now. Stop searching for the high through alcohol – and instead get that high by winning again.’ “I’ve got my head back in the game now.
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“At one point, I ended up at a house party until 7am and I didn’t even know the person (who owned it). I was there on my own.
“That was a bit of an eye-opening moment – you need to get your life in order.”
Wilson put down the pints and returned to the baize and within weeks, he was lifting silverware again.
Watch Kyren Wilson nail the Ivan Toney snooker shot then pour perfect pint of Guinness without looking in ‘filth’ video
At present, he is positioned second in the world behind Judd Trump and the race to finish top of the rankings will be one of the thrilling stories on the Road to the Crucible.
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Wilson added: “I have had so many wonderful opportunities off the back of being world champion, parading the trophy at Chelsea.
“We went to Aston Martin at Silverstone. We were invited back to their headquarters and partied with them while watching England at the Euros, which was an amazing occasion.
“There were Aston Martins dotted around left, right and centre. I enjoyed myself in those situations.
“Stephen Hendry came and filmed at my house for his Cue Tips YouTube channel. I picked his brains and said: ‘What were you like after you’d won your first of seven world titles?’
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“He’s a totally different sort of animal. He was like: ‘I was straight back to the practice table, I couldn’t wait for the next season and next event.’
“You know, I’m not quite that sort of animal. I’ve had a fantastic upbringing with a good social background, good friends that I see regularly.
“So, I just wanted to get around with those and celebrate for as long as I could.”
The rules of snooker
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THE aim of snooker is to clear the table of all balls – and achieving it in an incredible 147 break is the ultimate goal.
The rectangular table features green baize, a baulk line and semi-circle, known as the D.
It has six pockets, four in each corner and two midway down both long sides.
There are 15 red balls which are arranged in a triangular shape.
There are also six colour balls, and the white cue ball.
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Each colour sits on its own designated spot at the start of the game.
While red balls are worth one point when potted, the colours all have a different value.
In ascending order these are:
Yellow – two points
Green – three points
Brown – four points
Blue – five points
Pink – six points
Black – seven points
The first player will cue off and must hit at least one of the red balls in the triangle.
If they pot a red, they can then continue by potting a colour.
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However, if no red is potted then their opponent will play the next shot – going for a red first.
Each player must first pot a red ball when it’s their turn to play. If nothing is pocketed it is the other player’s turn at the table.
After each red is potted they must then follow with a colour, then a red, then a colour, and so on.
Whilst there are still red balls on the table, the potted colour balls are returned to their designated spot.
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Once all the red balls are pocketed, the player at the table must pot the colours in the order as outlined above.
If they miss then their opponent will have the opportunity to clear the table.
A 147 is a maximum break when all reds are potted by one player in one stint at the table.
In order to achieve 147, the player must pot all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points.
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They must then clear all the colours, concluding with the black for 27 points.
During play the rules state that the cue must only touch the white cue ball.
The cue ball also must hit the correct colour ball – reds or colours in order.
If it hits the incorrect colour then a foul is called.
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If the cue ball fails to hit any ball or is pocketed it is also a foul.
The player’s turn at the table ends if they play a foul shot.
Players are also penalised if they touch any ball on the table with their person.
Slot has also emulated legendary Liverpool boss Bill Shankly by winning his first three European matches as manager.
Liverpool’s impressive start to the season includes wins against Manchester United, AC Milan and Chelsea.
There are some big tests on the horizon. As well as Arsenal, they have matches against German champions Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City between now and 1 December.
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“This is a team on a brilliant run with some players playing well, but it’s clear more improvements will come,” said Nevin.
“If you are having this sort of run and nowhere near peaking yet, that’s real good news.
“Arne Slot’s aware of it. There’s more to come from this team, but you wouldn’t think so from the results.”
After the Leipzig game, Slot said his players must be proud after achieving the “almost impossible” feat of setting new club records.
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Like Klopp, Slot is aware he will be judged on the number of trophies he brings to Anfield – not records.
“Records are nice, but other things are nicer than records and you know what I mean by that – trophies,” Slot said.
Match of the Day pundit Guillem Balague explains how Unai Emery has transformed Aston Villa from a club in a Premier League relegation battle to Champions League table toppers.
This Saturday, UFC 308 takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, headlined by the featherweight title fight that has captured the interest of the entire MMA world. On top of that, a five-round middleweight showdown between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev will finally take place. With all that going down, MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew is back to break down all the fights.
This week, Jed runs solo, breaking down all the key aspects of this Saturday’s card. Topics discussed include whether Topuria can back up all his trash talk, whether Chimaev can finally earn a title shot, whether Magomed Ankalaev can convince the UFC he deserves a shot at Alex Pereira, and much more.
Tune in for episode 105 of No Bets Barred.
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New episodes of the No Bets Barred podcast drop every Wednesday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you find your favorite podcasts. The latest episode can be heard below.
OLEKSANDR ZINCHENKO came close to having his leg AMPUTATED as a teenager due to frostbite.
The Arsenal full-back, 27, made his name at Manchester City from 2016 to 2022, winning four Prem titles, four Carabao Cups and one FA Cup.
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Oleksandr Zinchenko almost lost his leg due to frostbiteCredit: Getty
He has also gone on to captain Ukraine at major tournaments and recently helped the Gunners become top-flight title challengers once more under Mikel Arteta.
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But at the age of 17, his entire life could have changed thanks to a dry ice incident that left the defender with a gangrenous foot and moments away from amputation.
It came about following a call from German club Hoffenheim to attend a trial, having been frozen out of the Shakhtar Donetsk academy and trying to reignite his career while taking part in the Russian street leagues.
He explained: “The day before I was due to fly [to Germany], FC Meteor, one of the non-league clubs I played for, called me. They had a big game and wanted me to fill in.
“These leagues were a bit rogue, sometimes more like a cage fight. Some opponent did a crazy tackle on me and caught my right ankle. It swelled up like a balloon.
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“There was no way I could play the next day in Germany. Just walking was causing me pain. I was in no state to do a trial. But I couldn’t cancel and lose this life-changing opportunity.
“We decided I would go anyway and ask them to let me train a couple of days later, by which time the swelling would have hopefully gone down.
“I was on the plane with Lufthansa and I remember thinking: ‘Let’s not waste time to get the swelling down. Let’s use the flight.’ So, I asked the stewardess for some ice for my ankle.
“She didn’t understand me at first because my English wasn’t great and I didn’t speak any German. But she came over with what looked like ice in a plastic package.
“I wrapped it up, put it on my ankle and went to sleep. Problem solved. An hour or so later, I woke up and expected to see a bag full of melted water. But there was none.
Mystery as Kai Havertz denied chance to make Arsenal history but Mikel Arteta has no idea why it happened
“Then I looked at my ankle. All the skin had turned white. I put my sock back on
and, within around 20 minutes, as it warmed up, it started to blister.
“When we arrived in Frankfurt, an associate of my agent was waiting. ‘I have a little problem,’ I told him. I think I gave him the shock of his life when I showed him my ankle.
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“We drove to the Hoffenheim academy, taken immediately to a physio, who pulled down my sock and turned nearly as white as the skin on my ankle when he saw it.
“His reaction told me this was bad. ‘We’re taking you to hospital, right now.’ I was rushed into an operating theatre and surgery commenced immediately.
“They were removing gangrenous tissue. If that had spread, it could have affected the whole foot, requiring it all to be removed. The reason? I had frostbite.
“It turned out that when the air stewardess gave me ice, it was dry ice, which is three times colder than normal ice, exposing my bare ankle to Arctic-like temperatures.
“The German doctor looked at me gravely. ‘You are fortunate. You came at the right time. Any later, and you might have lost your leg.’
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“Only then did I realise quite how close my dreams had come to ending and my life changing utterly.”
After his near-death experience and a spell in the Russian Premier League, Zinchenko spent six seasons at City before joining Arsenal in the summer of 2022 for £35m.
However, Zinchenko has also revealed he could have played for the North Londoners much sooner with Arsene Wenger keeping tabs on his situation back in 2014 following a Youth Champions League clash between Arsenal and Shakhtar.
Zinchenko said: “I got a call from an agent who said: ‘Alex, I have a very good connection with Arsene Wenger. He called me after your game. He really wants to see you in the club.
“I was speechless; my jaw was on the floor. When I gathered my thoughts after a few seconds, I said: ‘This is probably a joke. Someone is having a laugh here.’
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“For one reason or another, it never happened. I had sort of forgotten about this whole thing until Wenger came to the Emirates in December 2022 to watch us beat West Ham 3-1.
“I shook his hand. I had never met him in person before… ‘Mister, eight years ago, I played for Shakhtar Donetsk in a Youth League game against Arsenal…’ I said, cautiously.
“He interrupted me. ‘Yes, it was at Boreham Wood. Arsenal won 3-1. And after 20 minutes, I pointed at you and said: “I need this guy.”‘ It was all true. Incredible.
“I sometimes imagine what would have happened if I had joined the first team as a 17-year-old.”
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Oleksandr Zinchenko joined Manchester City back in 2016Credit: AFP or licensors
It didn’t take long for the UFC’s matchmaking team and brass to make a decision on Jake Hadley after his third loss in four fights.
Hadley will have to work his way back to the UFC after an upset loss on the main card at UFC Fight Night 245 this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Hadley announced the news on social media Wednesday, but made a point to say his contract was up, and he “wasn’t cut.”
Hadley (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was the biggest favorite on the card at more than 6-1 against Smotherman (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who took the fight on just a few days’ notice after Brady Hiestand pulled out. But Smotherman outworked him over 15 minutes for a unanimous decision.
“I wasn’t cut my contract came to an end,” Hadley posted on social media. “took 2 big risks my last 2 fights being a company man and it bit me on the arse. Took block head on a weeks notice but missed the weight which was obviously held against me then took cam on 3 days notice after originally training for a wrestling based opponent I understand cam didn’t do a camp but everyone’s ready always for 3x5s cmon I proven that vs block head took the fight on baby’s due date because fight was offered and didn’t wanna say no to the ufc and be a company man but ohh well if I choose to work my way back to the UFC I know I can do that again no problem.”
Hadley won the Cage Warriors flyweight title in late 2020. Ten months later, he took a fight on Dana White’s Contender Series and earned his way into the UFC – even though he missed weight.
After a loss in his promotional debut, he won back-to-back fights against Carlos Candelario and Malcolm Gordon, the latter of which was a 61-second knockout worth an extra $50,000.
But then came consecutive losses to Cody Durden and Charles Johnson at flyweight, and he missed weight when he moved up to bantamweight for a fight with Caolan Loughran earlier this year, which he referenced in his post.
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The Smotherman loss was the nail in the coffin of the 28-year-old Brit’s UFC tenure for now.
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