28
BACK PAGE
If I could see me now...
What your younger self would
make of you today
Ronnie
OSullivan
40, snooker player
I
never really chose
to play snooker;
my dad did that
for me, and I wish
he hadnt. When
I was a kid, I just
wanted to have a laugh,
potting the odd ball, but
Id probably have been
happier playing golf or
football, or driving cars
for a living something
outside, with an adrenalin
buzz. But Dad was
ambitious on my behalf.
He sat me down when I
was 10 and told me that
if I wanted to play sport I
should try to be the best in
the world, and if I wanted
to do that, I needed to stop
mucking around. In that
moment, he turned me
into the hyper-disciplined
monster I still am.
He used to compare
the snooker hall in
Chigwell to a crche: it
was somewhere he knew
Id be safe and stay put,
rather than out on the
streets causing trouble. He
had spies there, too older
members would
report back to
him if Id got the
hump that day
and snapped a
cue, or wasted
my pocket money
on the fruit
machines.
By the time I
was a teenager
I was pretty well
drilled, winning
tournaments all
over the place.
Apart from the
past five years,
that time between
11 and 15 was
probably the best,
most consistent
snooker Ive
played. Everything
went a bit wrong in the
following two decades. If
that 15- or 16-year-old could
see what Im like now, hed
probably think Id done
OK. Im clean now, on the
straight and narrow, happy.
Hed also think I was an
idiot for going down some
of the paths I did.
My dad went away to
prison when I was 16, and
with him gone I barely
practised for nine months.
Instead I got myself a first
girlfriend and had fun with
her. Then my dad came out
on bail and read me the riot
act, putting me back in
training and getting me to
win again. A year later, he
was put away for good
[OSullivans father, also
named Ronnie, was jailed
for murder in 1992], and
I went completely off the
rails. I had no education and
no other skills, though, so
snooker was my only real
job prospect.
From the age of 16 to 35,
I was rubbish. I was deeply
unhappy, too, and the young
Saturday 3 December 2016 The Daily Telegraph
Pet subjects
Our resident vet Pete Wedderburn
answers your pet problems
O
ur two-year-old include nitrogenous
border collie chases chemicals that mimic cat
shadows in sunlight urine scent. Wash the area
or artificial light. He is with a 10 per cent solution
obsessed, banging into of biological or enzymatic
walls in his excitement. washing powder, rinse,
He gets plenty of exercise. then when dry spray
What can we do? with surgical spirit using a
AW, DUBLIN plant mister. Commercial
enzymatic cleaners to
This behaviour is common remove the odour of cat
in border collies, suggesting urine may also help.
a genetic predisposition.
Your vet should do a My six-month-old lizard,
work-up, including blood a bearded dragon called
profiling, ophthalmological George, has a swollen
and neurological reviews, leg. He is fine otherwise,
to rule out underlying eating crickets and
disease. If its behavioural, remaining active.
a modification programme AB, MANCHESTER
is needed. Solutions include
controlling lighting to This may be secondary
minimise shadows, calming nutritional hyper-
caps (these restrict vision), parathyroidism caused by
dark goggles to hide the a diet deficient in calcium
shadows (doggles.com), the and an environment
use of drugs and alternative without enough ultraviolet
behaviours (such as hunting B radiation. He needs to be
hidden scents, etc). checked by a vet to confirm
me would know it, since two things outside of this diagnosis (see rcvs.org.
Ive only ever been happy playing that I love. The My 17-year-old cat no uk/find-a-vet/). Treatment
when Ive been in control young me would appreciate longer wants to go outside may involve extra oral
of things. I was drinking that, because the structure to urinate. I scrub the calcium (e.g. dusting his
far too much, dabbling makes me happy. floors with disinfectant, crickets in calcium powder)
in narcotics, and found My son, Ronnie, is quite but she still wees inside. and a full spectrum light
myself in nightclubs every similar to me. Hes happy in I dont want a litter box in source in his tank.
night. I didnt enjoy that his own little world, and just the house. How can I stop
environment at all, so I gets on with things. At one her doing this? BARK THE HERALD
anchored myself to snooker time he wanted to play JG, JERSEY ANGELS SING
and knuckled down. snooker, but I talked him As Christmas approaches,
Throughout my out of that one. It isnt good The best way to break the many churches now have
life, Ive never been for you as a person. Thats habit is to keep her away dog-inclusive carol
bothered by the something Ive got on the from her chosen areas, services. Stoneleigh
records or titles. young me, I suppose. He perhaps by changing the Parish Carol Service has
I always want to be wouldnt know why, but Id geography of the locations, one at the Kennel Club
the best I can, but In the frame: the breaks on my YouTube tell him never to pick up a using furniture to block building in Warwickshire
I basically play Ronnie OSullivan highlight reel, though its snooker cue. Play something access. Also, remove on Sunday, December 18.
snooker in the same celebrates another probably nothing he else maybe tennis. I could any smell that she may Ask locally to see if theres
way I did as a kid trophy with his two couldnt have done. be Andy Murray right now, detect. Dont use normal one near you.
just trying to pull off children, Lily and I never would have and would have been happy disinfectants: they often
good shots. Its why Ronnie jnr, above; thought about having kids the whole time. But Im not,
Ive dropped in and with his father, left either, thats for sure. I love and I havent been.
out of the game: my children deeply, but I
Rescue me
trophies are fun for wasnt gifted in the Interview by Guy Kelly
 Roxy is a loving six-year-old female boxer.
about five seconds. fatherhood department. I
I prefer the art of it; struggle with how it Visit hcbw.org.uk for more details.
Framed, the first novel by  To view outcomes of rescued pets, see
some days its good, interferes with my own life, Ronnie OSullivan (Orion,
other days its not. to be honest, but I do the petsubjectsrescue.petethevet.com.
16.99), is available for
I think teenage best I can. Still, Im healthy,  Send pet problems to petsubjects@telegraph.
14.99 plus p&p. Call 0844
Ronnie would have I eat well, I get up and go for 871 1514 or visit books. co.uk or tweet to @petethevet. All sick animals
some grudging runs. With writing and telegraph.co.uk should, of course, be taken to a vet.
respect for some of punditry, too, Ive found