02 October 2023 , 15:46
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Ding Junhui was forced to send a friend to Marks & Spencer to buy a new pair of trousers after wearing the wrong colour at the English Open.
The Chinese snooker star faced compatriot Ma Hailong in the tournament's final qualifying round in Brentwood on Monday, but he was in danger of forfeiting the tie after turning up in brown trousers. English Open rules stipulate all trousers must be black.
Ding had "totally forgot" about the strict code and was left panicking when organisers informed him of the gaffe. Thankfully, his friend quickly dashed to the M&S branch on Brentwood's high street and he was only docked one frame, keeping his hopes alive.
After putting on the right pair of trousers, Ding battled to a 4-3 victory to book his place in the first round of the English Open. The 2016 World Championship runner-up will now face Englishman David Grace in the opening round on Tuesday.
Ding went 3-1 down in his qualifying match but rallied to win the best-of-seven contest. "I totally forgot that I needed a black shirt and trousers for this tournament," the 14-time ranking champion told World Snooker after the drama. "My memory is not good!
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"I didn’t think about it. Once I was playing I tried to just concentrate on the match. Luckily Ma's safety was not that good and he gave me enough chances to win."
Ding will need to keep hold of his new trousers if he wants to win the English Open. The tournament, which was established in 2016, has previously been won by Liang Wenbo, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stuart Bingham, Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Mark Selby twice.
Ding is a three-time UK Championship winner (Getty Images)Do you think the English Open's rules are too strict? Let us know in the comments below!
Ding hasn't had much luck in the English Open to date. His best performance came in 2020, when he lost to four-time world champion John Higgins in the fourth round. Ding hasn't won a ranking tournament in four years and would love to end his drought.
The Chinese favourite is one of the greatest snooker players his country has ever produced, having won the UK Championship three times. That tournament is considered as part of Snooker's Triple Crown along with the World Championship and the Masters.
Elsewhere at the English Open, Northern Ireland's Mark Allen thumped Egypt's Mostafa Dorgham 4-0 in their qualifying match. Allen, who won the World Grand Prix in January, eased to victory with four consecutive century breaks.
Allen told World Snooker: "I have been low on confidence but I know I can still play the game. It has been a while since I won a tournament... I am getting found out when I come up against someone who plays very well. I had a good chat with my mental coach Paul Gaffney this morning which really helped, it freed me up."