RONNIE O’SULLIVAN was flown to an exhibition clash from London to Finland…by a snooker REFEREE!
On Monday morning, the Rocket jumped on a flight out of Heathrow with his snooker manager Jason Francis heading to the Finnish capital of Helsinki.
Once on board the two-and-a-half-hour trip the captain Sami Erkkilä came over to the seven-time world snooker champion and introduced himself.
O’Sullivan, 48, was even allowed the special privilege to sit in the cockpit as the plane made its descent.
Erkkilä is a part-time referee on the World Snooker Tour and has officiated matches at Qualifying School.
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And it just so happens that he was going to be centre stage for O’Sullivan’s friendly shows in the city of Tampere – north of Helsinki – after completing his day job of flying commercial aeroplanes.
A total of 4,500 people are expected to watch the world No.5 take on Gary Wilson over the course of three sell-out Snooker Legends shows in the Nordic country, which have been organised by former pro Robin Hull.
Since losing to Stuart Bingham in the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship, O’Sullivan has been pretty much on the road since May 13.
He has had 19 days in China and then a week in Europe for lucrative post-season exhibitions.
O’Sullivan posted a photo of him and the pilot on Instagram with the caption: “Huge thanks to captain Sami Erkkilä who flew us to Helsinki today on Finnair and will also put on the white gloves to referee our show in Tampere tonight.
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“Was a great experience to be invited into the cockpit for the landing!!”
O’Sullivan has reached a stage in his life where he is keen to earn money on the exhibition circuit and he can pick and choose his tournament appearances.
Speaking as he lost to Ball Run at the Crucible last month, he admitted he may not appear on home soil until late October or early November.
He said: “I’m contracted to do certain events in China.
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“I’m contracted to go to Saudi Arabia. Obviously they’ve got first dibs then it’s like spending time at home with the family.
“There’s only so many days I am allowing myself to be away from home. I can’t do it all really.
“I think it’s being your own boss. Listen, WST is a commercial business and I decided I had to become commercial just to enjoy being on the tour.
“I don’t just turn up willy-nilly to events. There’s a tax to be paid.
“If people are prepared to pay it, I’ll get my cue out of my case.
I don’t just turn up willy-nilly to events. There’s a tax to be paid.
Ronnie O'Sullivan
“If they’re not, then I’m quite content to never ever play again and move on and do other stuff.
“You only get one life and I want to fulfil everything to the maximum.
“But I’m also aware of my value and that’s my time and what I bring to the sport.
“As long as those needs are met, I’ll keep playing.
“If they’re not, I’ll be hanging up the waistcoat and hanging up the cue and doing some other stuff.
“At the moment there’s enough things going on to keep me interested in the game.”
