People are only just realising how much Ronnie O'Sullivan's snooker cue costs

 Ronnie O'Sullivan is still striving to find a cue he is happy with despite advancing to the last eight at the World Snooker Championship.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has tried out dozens of cues since breaking one in anger earlier this year

Ronnie O’Sullivan has kept his long-time cue maker busy this year - despite barely playing. The Rocket has advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship in his first competitive appearance since the Championship League in January, when he snapped his cue in anger and dumped it in a bin.

After taking an extended break from the game, the seven-time world champion returned to the practice table in a bid to rediscover his form and, most importantly, his enjoyment for the game. During that process, he has gone through a multitude of cues produced by esteemed equipment maker John Parris, who has been supplying the top players in the game for decades. Given that O’Sullivan is ultra-particular regarding cues, it isn’t simply a case of picking one off the rack from Parris’s workshop in Forest Hill, south-east London.

The 49-year-old isn’t afraid to try out different makes of cue and has recently been using a Ton Praram, whose handmade cues range from under £100 to more than £1,000. But Parris, who has supplied equipment to the Rocket since he was 11 years, remains his go-to maker. 

Speaking during his second-round victory over Pang Junxu, O’Sullivan mentioned how busy he was keeping Parris, saying: "I’m keeping this current cue until maybe John Parris can make me another one that I feel comfortable with.

"I’ve tried about 20 so far. I’m a bit fussy with cues. I’m not one to get a cue and think, ‘Oh, I’ll persevere a bit’. I like to feel like I can play with it straightaway. So John’s going to get busy. He’s out there chopping down trees as we speak to try and find me a nice bit of wood.”

O’Sullivan was in contact with Parris ahead of the World Championship. Parris told Alan McManus’s Snooker Breakfast podcast: “I’ve been doing Ronnie’s stuff since he was 11. We’ve been talking, I’m not even sure what cue he’s going to try. He’s getting a bit like a golfer at the moment.”

O'Sullivan, by his own admission, is very fussy about cues

A cue - either off the shelf or custom-made - can be purchased from the Parris Cues website. A limited edition ‘Ultimate’ with a maple shaft costs in the region of £2,000. That price can rise by several hundred pounds depending on extras like the choice of splice and veneers. A more affordable cue from the 'Parris Collection' ranges from £540 to just over £1,000.

The art of making a cue for top players cannot be underestimated, and Parris is regarded by many as the best in his field, having worked with Steve Davis to current-day players. Speaking about his relationship with O’Sullivan, he told the Guardian in 2023: “We’ve always had a really good relationship.

"It’s funny, when he wins something and I post on Twitter he’s done it with a Parris cue, people say: ‘He could have won that with a broomstick or a chair leg.’  And maybe he could. But if they knew how particular he is on his equipment – he’s so tuned into his cue, it’s got to feel and look just right.”

O'Sullivan begins his record-extending 23rd Crucible quarter-final against Si Jiahui on Tuesday. The match concludes on Wednesday.