Tom Ford enjoyed a two-hour bottomless brunch before beating Paul Deaville (Image: Getty)
Tom Ford credited a two-hour bottomless brunch for his Snooker Shoot Out victory over Paul Deaville. Not content with his unique pre-match meal and 72-10 victory over Deaville, Ford insisted he was heading straight back out with pals afterwards.
Despite being a ranking tournament, the Shoot Out adopts a streamlined version of snooker’s rules but many of the top players still enter. Matches are played across a single 10-minute frame and there is a shot clock to ensure players do not waste precious time. The audience can also be as noisy as they like.
Ford secured a break of 55 against Deaville to advance to the last-32 of the tournament. The 41-year-old has since qualified for the last-16 by beating Duane Jones.
Asked on Eurosport how he prepared for the match, Ford revealed that he had a two-hour bottomless brunch with some friends. His plans for the immediate aftermath of his post-match interview involved heading straight back out.
He said: “My preparation has been a two-hour bottomless brunch with my friends, to be honest. And I’m going back there as soon as I can. I’ve got a Christmas jumper that I’m going to put on and I’m straight out!
“Its one of these tournaments that you’ve just got to go out there and enjoy it what you can. I don’t think any of us deep down enjoy it because it’s so hectic with the nerves just kick in, you’ve just got to try and get that over and get on with it.”
Fans have been loving the fast-paced nature of the tournament.
MC Rob Walker told Eurosport: “This has been bonkers, everyone said to me the Shoot Out is good, the Shoot Out is nuts, I didn’t realise it was this good!
Tom Ford might keep up his routine of a bottomless brunch if he keeps him winning (Image: Getty)
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“What I’ve really enjoyed about this is the players have been smiling and they’ve been able to see the mayhem and they’ve been able to revel in, enjoy and savour the atmosphere. A couple of fans a few times have gone a little bit over the line, however, this is just great fun.
“It will get serious when they start thinking about the quarter-finals and 50,000 ranking points.”
The winner of the Shoot Out banks £50,000, while the highest break will earn the player £5,000. Among the players still in the competition is Mark Selby.