Snooker: Hann worried about snooker's future

Long-distance snooker commuter Quinten Hann voiced concern over the game’s future direction after taking another giant stride towards cementing his place among the sport’s elite.

Hann hopes to become the first Australian since Eddie Charlton in 1986 to become a member of the world’s top 16.

And after knocking out former world champion Ken Doherty to qualify for the last 16 of the £597,000 (€973,000) Regal Scottish Open in Aberdeen, Hann is almost there.

A place in the potting premiership is reckoned to be worth a minimum of between £50,000 (€81,000) and £60,000 (€97,000). However, there is a possibility the calendar could be trimmed from nine to six ranking tournaments next season with reduced prize money in most tournaments.

‘‘That kind of thing takes the shine off it,’’ said Hann, who faces European Open finalist Joe Perry tonight for a place in the quarter-finals.

‘‘The game has been stagnant for 10 years and the same mistakes are being made over and over again.

‘‘I hope it goes from strength to strength in Britain but it has been badly run.

‘‘What we need is someone like 110sport to organise it. I’m just worried what’s going to happen in the next 18 months after tobacco sponsorship goes,’’ said the 24-year-old from Melbourne.

‘‘I always look to the future in anything I do and I’m relying on playing snooker for another five years, but by then there might not even be a tour.’’

Hann is already guaranteed a pay day of £9,600 (€15,000) that will comfortably pay for his airfare back to Australia once the tournament finishes.

His victory over Doherty meant he had to cancel one flight to Australia but he is on standby to return Down Under should Perry knock him out of the tournament.

‘‘If I can get five days at home before the world championship starts then I will go back,’’ insists the provisional world number 16, who reckons to have made over 40 trips between Britain and Australia in the last two years.

On paper Hann should qualify for the quarter-finals but there have been so many shocks since the big guns entered the tournament on Monday that he will not take anything for granted.

Last night two more members of the top 16 bowed out, taking the total in two days to 10. Perry knocked in the final four colours to beat Scot Graeme Dott 5-4 after Dott had missed the last brown into a baulk pocket.

And world number 13 Mark King is also heading south after losing to Londoner David Gray 5-2 in one of two third-round matches.

Dott’s demise means that seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry is the only home player left in the tournament of the eight who started out last Saturday.

And Hendry’s passage into the next round is certainly not guaranteed against Essex qualifier Ali Carter. Carter has twice beaten Hendry, including in the first round at Aberdeen 12 months ago, so he is confident of achieving a hat-trick.

Barry Hawkins, second-round conqueror of world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, returns to action against Dave Harold, one of the six remaining members of the top 16.

Another top 16 performer will go out later today as world number one Mark Williams tackles fellow left-hander Jimmy White, the world number 11, in arguably the match of the day.