"Inconsistent genius..."

Marc Featherstone, Derbyshire: Do you think the young players coming in to the game will make it even more attacking, and maybe even abandon safety completely?

DD: I think players like Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy are about as attacking as you can get. They take on almost everything they are offered, and hit the ball into the pocket with real authority. Snooker has certainly become more attacking than the days of Ray Reardon, Terry Griffiths and Steve Davis, because players are able to pot better than those players ever could. But I think the attacking level Ronnie, Neil and Shaun have taken the game of snooker to is about the final chapter. You can't just keep potting great shot after great shot, and of course if you miss, you are likely to leave your opponent in.

Tony Sim: I've got a question for you; what brand of cue tip do you recommend or use?

DD: I always the Elk Master; most professionally players out there use it. There is another one called Blue Diamond, but it is a much softer tip and takes longer to bed in.

All tips tend to be a bit soft and take few hours to harden up after you first put them on, and it takes a little while, a day or two, to get used to a new tip on a cue. It makes the cue play slightly differently when you have a new tip on; shots with side are harder to judge with a new tip until you get used to it. Eventually, it shapes itself and settles in and gets a bit firmer, and then it should last for a couple of months.

Moshe Tal: Hi Dom; who is the most talented player in the game? Is Ronnie over-appreciated?

DD: When Ronnie is at his best, you can use the word genuis about him. He is the most beautiful player to watch when he is cueing well - and he always cues well. He has a Rolls Royce cue action, hits the ball so sweetly and can play any shot in the book. And he can do all of that both left and right-handed. For me, Ronnie is the most gifted player in the game.

But for me, talent is a different thing. Ronnie will be the first to admit that he can be very inconsistent, for whatever reason. As a fellow player, I see talent as being able to maintain a high level of consistency over a long period of time. And if you're talking about consistency, then you have to look at Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, who have won multiple World Championships and stacks of other ranking events besides. For me, they are the greatest names in the game.

Georgios Giannoukos: Since you recently played Lee McCulloch, and have seen what level of form he is at, do you think he has any chance of upsetting any of the "big names"?

DD: Well, Lee doesn't have any chance of upsetting the big names now, because Anthony Hamilton has beaten him 13-8 in the first round. I admit, I did think that at one stage Lee would get the better of Anthony because psychologically, he is very good. Lee is excellent at the mental side of the game and is good under pressure. But Hamilton played very well to beat him - and that is the end of that, I'm afraid. That's all it takes.

Elie, Colchester: As a player, who do you most enjoy watching and playing against? Good luck for next season.

DD: For sheer watchability, you can't enjoy any performance better than a Ronnie O'Sullivan performance. He is so exciting, and at his best, there is no-one who can touch him. Stephen Hendry once told me that even he thought that Ronnie at his best is an unplayable prospect. I have played him a number of times and I can't get near him. He certainly seems to enjoy playing against me!

Christiaan Neu, Belgium: My question for you is: Wich is your favourite movie of Mario Lanza. I've read it on wikepedia that you're a big fan. Thanks a lot, and good luck for the rest of your career!

DD: I like Serenade; I chose not only the storyline but the arias and the neopolitans and the songs that he sings. I also like That Midnight Kiss, which was the first film he ever did with Kathryn Grayson. I like all of them, they are all very watchable films. I like other opera films, too; I have all sorts of films of the great opera singers from the 1930s onwards.

Kris Robins: Could you please give me your opinions on Wales" top two players, Matthew Stevens and Mark Williams? Do you think that Mark has lost his desire to compete at the highest level, and also do you think Matthew will be able to get over his losses in the World Championship?

DD: I can tell you that Mark is practicing as hard as ever. I know from some of the players that he practices with, players that I also practice with like Ryan Day and Lee Walker, that Mark has been doing unbelievable things in practice, things that players only dream about; consecutive maximums, nine centuries in 15 frames and hammering Ryan Day 14-2.

But practice and match-play are so different to each other and the facts say that he can't win a match at the moment. He has lost so much confidence in matches and he is only showing glimpses here and there of his brilliant best form, but it is not enough. He will be glad the season is finished so that he can have a break. The new season will be a new start for everyone and Mark will have the chance to reassert himself again.

Meanwhile, Matthew has struggled to find the time to practice; I don't think he enjoys it as much as he used to do. It is those hours on the table that Matthew needs, as he doesn't put the hours in that he used to. But he is a very, very gifted player and always a danger.

Nicholas Passmore, Dudley: What areas of the world would you like to see snooker expand in to next following the success of the China Open?

DD: I would like to see snooker expand in to as many countries as possible. Germany could be next; the game is very popular there. We get a lot of German fans coming over to watch the tournaments over in the UK. I would also like to go in to Thailand. Snooker in Asia is very popular and in Thailand there are some wonderful players. There is actually a snooker academy in Cambridge that brings over some players from Thailand, helps them with finance and practice because it is hard for Thai players to take the chance and come over on their own.

There is always the potential to have more tournaments in Asia, in Hong Kong, China and Thailand. And I would love to take a chance on Australia, because that is another country where the sport is popular. The success of Neil Robertson will help, and they had Quinten Hann before him. I definitely think there is room in the calendar for a tournament in Australia.