Ronnie O'Sullivan booed by snooker fans in Edinburgh after last-minute Scottish Open withdrawal

The cue king was due to kick off the evening session against Xing Zihao at Meadowbank Sports Centre last night (December 10) – but he pulled out less than 24 hours before his match.

The decision came as a massive blow to snooker fans in the Capital, who were also told over the weekend that world No.1 Judd Trump and three-time world champion Mark Williams would also be absent.

Widely considered to be the greatest snooker player of all time, seven-time World Champion O'Sullivan was a major draw for fans attending this year's Scottish Open. And his withdrawal left fans seething after they forked out for tickets.

His headline contest against Zihao was replaced by Shaun Murphy's clash with Daniel Wells on the main table last night - but when footage of O'Sullivan's career highlights were shown on screens inside the venue ahead of the match, boos rang out among the crowd.

Following O'Sullivan's withdrawal from the event, one disgruntled fan, who travelled miles for the tournament, said: “I can't believe Ronnie has pulled out of the tournament. I got the train from Inverness and have tickets for his opening match. He's an absolute disgrace for doing this hours before he was meant to play. It cost me a fortune.”

Another fan outside the venue joked that O'Sullivan should be renamed “Ronnie O'Villan”, adding that The Rocket is so rich “he probably doesn't think the £100,000 prize money is worth getting out of bed for.”

A third snooker fan said he'd be selling his ticket after O'Sullivan's bombshell. “Ronnie was the one I really wanted to see. I bought my ticket ages ago, and now I'll either flog it or give it away. I should have known better – he pulled out at the last minute last year too.”

In May, O’Sullivan warned he could quit playing tournaments in Britain, insisting he will pick and choose his future tournaments, and increasingly prioritise big-money offers from Saudi Arabia and the Far East.

The 49-year-old said: “I’m contracted to do certain events in China, and I’m contracted to go to Saudi, so obviously they’ve got first dibs then it’s about spending time at home with the family.

“It’s first come, first served. I’m already signed up for eight or nine tournaments, so if I do really badly in them I might have to dip my toe in and play a few tournaments over here, but probably not.

“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. If they’re not, I’m content to never ever play again, and move on and do other stuff.”

The Scottish Open runs until Sunday, December 15.