Snooker chief Barry Hearn is set to become the oldest professional player to appear in a UK pool tournament after entering the UK Open Pool Championship.
The 76-year-old has been given a wildcard to feature at the tournament, which is set to start at the Telford International Centre in May and will play at least two games.
Hearn, the father of Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie, has been one of the most influence figures in snooker in the last 50 years after popularising the sport and developing the talents of stars like Steve Davis.
His company Matchroom run the World Nineball Tour, meaning securing a spot in the tournament was straightforward. He has dismissed critics of his appearance, saying he “doesn’t really care” what they think.
Hearn has already appeared at the US Open Pool Championship last summer, where he was thrashed 9-1 by Konrad Juszczyszyn – but won a bet with son Eddie that he would win at least one rack.
“The US Open was a dream achieved, but there was nothing planned afterwards until now,” he told The Sun. “If I thought I was keen before that, I’m four times keener now. I have had the taste. I won one rack, which cost Eddie a fortune. He had to take me out for this lavish meal. The bet was ‘you won’t win a rack’. And he had to pay for the most expensive lunch you can ever arrange, which we did.”
Hearn – whose journey will be featured in the Netflix documentary Matchroom: The Greatest Showmen – says he will practising every day ahead of his appearance at the tournament and is aiming to go one better than last year and win at least one game.
“Nineball has become an addiction with me,” he added. “I thought the US Open was supposed to be a one-off and a bucket list item ticked off. It has caused chaos in my household but I have cleared out a room and my own table will arrive in the next few weeks. I will play every day.
“Now, I want to win a game. I’m the oldest person in the tournament. I’m 27 years older than Ronnie O’Sullivan and he’s contemplating retirement from snooker. I’m just starting this journey in the sport. I have no excuses for not getting better.
“I think I have earned my wildcard. I don’t care what people think. I have paid my dues. I’m not thinking I’m a risk to the eventual winner. There should be no boundaries in sport. Ability is the only criteria. I am not good enough to win it but I might do better than at the US Open and that is my goal.”
TalkSport presenter Andy Goldstein will also be among the 256 players involved in the tournament as the other star-studded name to be included, after ex-Watford star Troy Deeney pulled out of last year’s event.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
