I’m on the brink of World Snooker Championship final but I’ll be swapping sports less than 48 hours later
STUART BINGHAM will swap snooker balls for pool next week – even if he has a raging hangover.
Ball Run, 47, could become world snooker champion on Monday night before heading to Telford to take part in the UK Open pool tournament on Wednesday.
Should he reach a second Crucible final – he was world champion in 2015 – then he intends to celebrate hard at the annual post-event party whatever the result.
This summer and next season, he plans to alternate between the two cue-ball sports, to earn more cash and gain more playing time.
It was a decision he made earlier in the year as he found his form plummet involving 22 balls and his appearances in big snooker events drying up.
Bingham is in the same draw alongside ex-Premier League footballer Troy Deeney and Mosconi Cup hero Jayson Shaw.
Basildon-based Bingham told SunSport: “I love playing all year round. It’s nice to have family holidays but if there’s a tournament to play, I’ll be there.
“I have a wildcard to play in the World Nineball Tour. And I’ll try to play as much as I can.
“I remember watching the Mosconi Cup for many years. It was in Basildon in 1995 when Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Jimmy White were playing for Team Europe.
“I remember getting hooked by the sport then. It’s a very skilful game but there is a lot of luck involved with the break-off.
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“I experienced it last year and it opened my eyes. I knew how good people were but what they were doing with the jump shots, it was great.
“I’d rather be playing snooker but if I don’t qualify for an event and there is a pool event on, I will play pool.
“Pool is a bit more relaxed. But when you get on the table, you want to win, you want to pot the balls.
“It’s not like you are playing darts and then your arms aches when it comes to snooker. You are still potting balls.
“I will only play pool around the snooker. The calendar is really busy all year.
“I won’t be able to enter half of the events. It will only be off the back of not qualifying or if the dates don’t clash.”