How snooker halls became Ronnie O'Sullivan's "creche" from a young age
Desert Island Discs

How snooker halls became Ronnie O'Sullivan's "creche" from a young age

B1IntermediateSeptember 24, 20262 min
  • Interview
  • Sport

The World Snooker Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan was cast away by Lauren Laverne in 2023. He remembers being dropped off unaccompanied at snooker halls across East London by his father as a young boy and learning to play grown men at adult tables - and beating them. You can listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds.

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Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is Desert Island Discs postcards, a collection of funny

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This postcard comes from seven times world snooker champion, Ronio Sullivan.

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0:00

Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is Desert Island Discs postcards, a collection of funny and heartwarming moments from some of our many castaways. This postcard comes from seven times world snooker champion, Ronio Sullivan. In 2023 he told me how he'd spent his childhood going unaccompanied to play in snooker halls

0:33

across East London. You know my dad used to put me in the car and he'd go, right we're going to City Road today, I'm going to drop you off, you'll be alright there. He would have dropped you off at seven.

0:46

About eight years of age I'd say, so yeah he'd drop me off there but my dad was like an East End guy so he knew he had the gift of the gab and he'd go and then he'd go I wouldn't have bought it, but I was a bit young, I couldn't even, here's the money for him to play all day.

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