SNOOKER commentator Dennis Taylor was momentarily put off by Ronnie O’Sullivan’s first round opponent at the World Championship.
He Guoqiang left Taylor surprised by his decision to wear a glove for .
He Guoqiang surprised snooker commentator Dennis Taylor with his decision to wear a glove against Ronnie O’Sullivan Credit: PA
The Chinese potter is one of the few players to rock them for matches Credit: PA
Facing off at the Crucible, Guoqiang, 25, took to the table with a black fingerless mitt on his left hand.
It interrupted 1985 world champ Taylor in his flow with distracted early on.
He had been setting the scene for the match, discussing the pair’s two previous meetings but cut himself off.
Taylor said: “They’ve played each other twice so he knows what he’s up against here [].
“But all these Chinese players don’t seem to suffer with Crucible nerves.
“They’re based in and they’re wonderful to watch.
“And he’s got the glove on there. I haven’t seen that for a while.”
Used to get a smoother and more consistent slide of the cue on their hands, players have tended to go away from wearing a glove.
It is more of a common thing in , and Taylor was not expecting world No46 Guoqiang to rock up with an addition to his wardrobe.
He was otherwise kitted out in a blue waistcoat and long black shirt.
Unfortunately for Guoqiang it didn’t prove very useful as he was quickly 4-0 down to Ronnie, 50.
The seven-time winner of this tournament racked up breaks of 72, 97, and 113 on his way to the comfortable lead, playing first to 10 frames.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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