'looking For The Holy Grail' – O'sullivan's Master Cue Craftsman

Footballers deterioration marque caller boots astir weekends. Tennis players propulsion retired caller rackets during matches. And darts players are often happy to flip their flights distant into nan crowd aft wins.

Nowhere successful elite level athletics is nan enslaved betwixt subordinate and instrumentality much profound than successful snooker, wherever erstwhile a subordinate finds what they see nan cleanable cue, they purpose to wealth it for arsenic agelong arsenic possible. A lifelong confederation is considered nan dream scenario.

But during nan ongoing World Championship successful Sheffield this week, nan game's astir illustrious prima Ronnie O'Sullivan has been sick astatine easiness pinch his cue, labelling it "awful" and claiming it is causing "carnage" successful his crippled contempt a hitherto straightforward tally to nan semi-finals.

O'Sullivan is utilizing impermanent replacements from nan shop of world-renowned maestro cue craftsman John Parris, aft snapping his erstwhile long-serving creation from nan aforesaid shaper pursuing a frustrating conclusion successful nan Champions League successful January.

"He is not settled," Parris tells nan BBC astatine his South East London workshop, which has been producing top-of-the-line cues for much than 40 years.

"I'm not judge what cue he's coming retired pinch each clip he comes done nan curtain. It could beryllium a different 1 each day. He's not happy pinch it but he's managing. We'll get location - we'll get nan cleanable 1 successful nan end."

With 1 of Parris' creations taking almost a twelvemonth to produce, costing up to £3,000, and customers facing an eight-year waiting database successful immoderate cases, John told BBC Sport astir why his cues are truthful special, what moving pinch O'Sullivan is like, and why uncovering nan cleanable lucifer is specified a reliable ask.

Seven-time world champion O'Sullivan made a precocious determination to participate this year's tournament, having not played competitively for 4 months, and called Parris pinch a last-minute petition for caller equipment.

"It was a spot bosom breaking erstwhile Ronnie collapsed that past one," Parris says. "It was conscionable a tantrum, a unreserved of blood. It happens I guess. It takes a batch for Ronnie to do that. He has sewage a batch of unit connected him. Everybody wants a portion of him.

"Sometimes if it's a cleanable break you tin put it backmost together again. But this was a existent job! It was ne'er going to work. So you conscionable person to opportunity 'oh well, present we spell again'."

Parris first designed a cue for O'Sullivan erstwhile nan upcoming prodigy was conscionable 11 years old, and he and his 14 unit members are now partway done nan nine-month process of crafting what they dream will beryllium O'Sullivan's adjacent semipermanent cue.

"He doesn't alteration cues very often but he is ever saying 'well make maine different 1 conscionable to spot if it could beryllium that small spot better'," Parris explains. "So we usually person 1 aliases 2 connected nan spell location successful nan background. As I'm going done shafts I'll deliberation 'Ronnie mightiness for illustration this one' and I'll put it to 1 broadside for him."

Parris travels to timber yards crossed nan state and searches done stockpiles of wood looking for high-quality pieces of ash and maple. Over nan pursuing months nan wood is cut, settled, rounded, spliced, planed, fitted pinch a brass extremity and leather pad, sanded successful 9 different ways, oiled, and yet waxed, earlier being complete.

"It sounds a spot big-headed but yea it is art", Parris says. "I won't beryllium successful nan Louvre pinch a cue but a batch of pridefulness goes into each one.

"We've sewage sizes that we cognize Ronnie likes. He is rather fussy! People spell 'oh Ronnie could play pinch anything' and he could, but not to nan level that he wants. He is conscionable looking for that small flick present and there, nan feel, and I deliberation conscionable wants to get backmost to what he had before… if nan aged 1 was still successful 1 piece!"

Parris took a fewer cues to O'Sullivan earlier nan World Championship to "glean what he's looking for".

"He's really tuned in," adds Parris. "It's brilliant really. He's not going to opportunity 'well I mightiness beryllium capable to turn into this', he wants thing that feels correct from nan start. Finding 1 that ticks each nan boxes for that. That's erstwhile you'll spot maine skipping up nan road!

"His caller 1 is simply a activity successful advancement - he is trying them, liking some, not liking others, but still looking for nan ultimate. It is for illustration nan beatified grail, really. It's that pursuit. Hopefully we'll get location eventually."

O'Sullivan's earthy showmanship and compelling characteristic person made him 1 of nan astir celebrated sportspeople since he won nan UK Championship arsenic a 17-year-old successful 1993. His maverick qualities shape portion of Parris' willingness to activity pinch O'Sullivan, moreover aft nan demolition of 1 of his workshop's good creations.

"People conscionable emotion to watch him," Parris says. "He is simply a small spot naughty sometimes. He is his ain man. He does what he wants to do. So I conjecture group subordinate to that and emotion him for it.

"We're mates, I suppose. He knows I'm location if he wants something. He doesn't really request to inquire for favours because I'll ever do it."

When Parris is moving pinch players for illustration O'Sullivan, aliases chap big-name clients Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor and Judd Trump, he is aiming to thief them consciousness nan benignant of intrinsic spot sports stars must person successful their instrumentality to win astatine nan apical level.

"You request to hide astir nan cue," Parris insists. "When you're playing, you don't want to beryllium reasoning 'oh I wish it was longer aliases wider'. You conscionable want to prime it up and spell 'this is my cue and I cognize I tin triumph pinch it', and hopefully it gives group that benignant of confidence. The aged cliche astir it becoming portion of your limb is astir apt true."

O'Sullivan's semi-final pits him against China's Zhao Xintong while favourite Trump faces Mark Williams successful a high-quality last four.

For Parris, nan thrill of triumph is nan logic he has nary desire to extremity offering his trade to nan world's champion players now that he is into his 70s.

"You get a buzz," he says. "That's what it's each astir - seeing thing we've created win. I'm ne'er going to assistance a trophy, but I conscionable deliberation 'that's small spot we've done for that subordinate there'.

"The measurement Ronnie is playing astatine nan moment, I don't deliberation he believes he tin triumph it. But he pulls retired immoderate typical things sometimes, doesn't he? So ne'er opportunity never."