Ronnie O'Sullivan cue: How World Championship semi-finalist's cue is made

Footballers wear brand new boots most weekends. Tennis players pull out fresh rackets during matches. And darts players are often happy to toss their flights away into the crowd after wins.

Nowhere in elite level sport is the bond between player and equipment more profound than in snooker, where once a player finds what they consider the perfect cue, they aim to treasure it for as long as possible. A lifelong alliance is considered the dream scenario.

But during the ongoing World Championship in Sheffield this week, the game's most illustrious star Ronnie O'Sullivan has been ill at ease with his cue, labelling it "awful" and claiming it is causing "carnage" in his game despite a hitherto straightforward run to the semi-finals.

O'Sullivan is using temporary replacements from the workshop of world-renowned master cue craftsman John Parris, after snapping his previous long-serving design from the same manufacturer following a frustrating defeat in the Champions League in January.

"He is not settled," Parris tells the BBC at his South East London workshop, which has been producing top-of-the-line cues for more than 40 years.

"I'm not sure what cue he's coming out with every time he comes through the curtain. It could be a different one every day. He's not happy with it but he's managing. We'll get there - we'll get the perfect one in the end."

With one of Parris' creations taking almost a year to produce, costing up to £3,000, and customers facing an eight-year waiting list in some cases, John told BBC Sport about why his cues are so special, what working with O'Sullivan is like, and why finding the perfect match is such a tough ask.

Click here to read article