Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Allen unhappy with temperatures at English Open - 'I couldn't feel my hands'
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Updated 13/12/2022 at 09:03 GMT
There were issues with the heating on the opening day of the English Open, with several players complaining about the temperature at Brentwood Centre. Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Mark Allen were all unhappy with the conditions, and several supporters were seen with their coats and layers on. Stream the English Open and other top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+.
‘Brrrr!’ - Selby struggles with cold during English Open match after heating breaks
The opening day of the English Open brought plenty of excitement and drama, with Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump just sneaking through, but there’s one talking point that just won’t go away – the temperature in the arena.
Supporters throughout the day were pictured wearing coats and hats, while several players complained about how cold it was at the Brentwood Centre after a problem with the heating.
In the opening match of the day, Mark Selby required a conveyer belt of hot drinks to stop his hands from freezing.
Selby spoke to referee Tatiana Woollaston about the temperature, which hovered around freezing in Essex on Monday morning. “Will it be like this all day?” he asked, before jokingly asking the crowd for a hot water bottle.
O’Sullivan - who needed seven frames to beat 18-year-old Ben Mertens – said the temperature was a concern.
“I was shivering at one point, then my nose started to run,” he said in the Eurosport studio.
“It was so cold, but I got used to it in the end. Then you come in here and it’s too hot. I’m never happy me, too hot, too cold.”
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Trump also had to dig deep to see off Jackson Page 4-3 - in a match that was interrupted by a fire alarm - and the former world No. 1 even went as far as saying he would not have been disappointed to lose due to the issues in the venue.
“I think you have stolen all the heat,” Trump told the Eurosport team of Rachel Casey and Jimmy White in their studio.
”I need a job in here! From the start, I knew even if I lost I was not going to be disappointed as I was shivering and shaking. In snooker you need to have that touch of the ball; I never had it at all so I could not be too hard on myself.
“Obviously I want to win, but that would have been easier to take with stuff out of my control.
“Now I am happy to get through and hopefully things can change and allow everyone a fair opportunity.
“No excuses, it would have been difficult to lose as it is probably colder than it is outside, but everyone is here to try their absolute best.”
Mark Allen had a smoother session as he beat Mitchell Mann 4-1, despite the fact his preparations were disrupted after having his flight on Sunday night cancelled.
The Northern Irishman also wasn’t pleased with the playing conditions, tweeting: “Happy to get through after a disastrous 24 hours.
"Cancelled flight, hardly any sleep, early start, flight to Birmingham, 2&1/2 hour taxi and pretty much straight to play in freezing conditions where I couldn’t feel my hands or feet.”
The second round commences on Tuesday, but with the cold spell here to stay, participants will be hoping the heating issues have been addressed in Essex.
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