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Bingham hits the greens during quiet month on the baize

STUART BINGHAM made the most of a quiet month for him on the snooker Tour by dusting off his golf clubs for charity. 

The world No 9 was part of a four-man team in action at the Celebrity Golf Classic at Hanbury Manor in support of the President’s Sports Club and The Essex Disabled Sports Foundation.

Ballrun and fellow sporting stars including Nigel Mansell, Kriss Akabusi, Luther Blissett, Micky Hazard and Ozzie Ardiles took part in the event in Ware in early July.

Bingham (pictured second from the right at the top) said: “It was on one of the par threes and with the old hickory clubs. It makes it a bit of a showpiece.

“I didn’t do as well as I could have but still got 33 points and our team, which was me and three guys on a corporate day, came about middle of the pack.

“But it was a great occasion and I was honoured to take part and, importantly, it raised the profile of a great Essex-based charity.”

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Bingham keen to put new cue into action

STUART BINGHAM was very pleased with the feel of his new cue this month – and is now itching to use it in top-class action.

The 2015 world champion has been supplied bespoke equipment by the Cue Creator team, an American company which is headed up by the Sharp family and uses cues manufactured by McDermott Cues made in Menomonee Falls.

Bingham started using it on the practice table on the weekend and says it immediately had a positive impact on his game.

Ballrun said: “I got it after Riga and used it for practice and I knocked in a ton and four or five fifties, so it feels good. It just feels like it has a bit more life in it than my old cue, and I hope that margin of improvement can pay off for me.

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Bingham ready to resume close encounter with Mark Davis

STUART BINGHAM will be looking to sneak ahead in his all-square career head-to-head record with good friend Mark Davis in Latvia this week.

Ballrun, 41, and the Battler from Hastings, 44, have played 22 times and it is 11 wins apiece heading into the best-of-seven at the Kaspersky Riga Masters on Friday morning (June 23).

They can barley be split on frames won either, with Bingham on 76 and Davis 73 – or on the golf course for that matter.

Davis is world ranked number 37 and has reached four ranking semi-finals and has won the Six-Red World Championship three times, and Bingham is braced for another nip-and-tuck battle.

The world No 9, who beat Li Hang to book his place at the Arena Riga, said: “Mark is just a solid player, he is consistently seven out of ten and you just have to play very well to beat him. I guess that is why the record is so close.

“And we are good friends too, with go for meals together and our wives get on, and I share the same birthday as his son.

“I’ve played him at golf at few times in the past. It is pretty even there too, although I did used to get the better of him a bit when I was playing off five or six.”

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Bingham looking forward to taking on all-comers in charity fundraiser

STUART BINGHAM says he is looking forward to the challenge of playing all-comers in a charity fundraiser in Essex this Friday night (June 9).

The 2015 world champion will be taking on enthusiasts in single frames at Rayleigh Lanes Snooker Hall (which you can get directions to by clicking here) if they make a £20 donation to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

The 24-hour snooker marathon event has been organised by Bingham’s long-standing friend Peter Ward and is being held in memory of the world No 9’s late father-in-law Terry Shabi, who passed away in March 2014 at the age of 62.

Bingham said: “I’m not sure I will be able to make it through the whole 24 hours but I am looking forward to doing my part, and I am looking forward to playing any punters who want to take me on.

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Bingham hopes Griffiths can help him back to his best

STUART BINGHAM hopes his new coach Terry Griffiths can help him return to his very best on a consistent basis.

Ballrun has only shown glimpses of the form which saw him crowned 2015 world champion, although he notably won the Welsh Open this season.

Retired Welsh great Griffiths, 69, who won snooker’s top prize at the Crucible in 1979, asked Bingham if he would like to work with him in February and the partnership will start in early June.

Bingham, 40, said: “It’s an honour for me really and you can’t get better help than from someone who has been there and done it.

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Bingham: Crucible buzz always gives me ‘butterflies’

Listen to Bingham’s interview ahead of the 2017 World Championship by clicking here.

STUART BINGHAM admits he still gets “butterflies” every time he walks out at the Crucible to stake his claim to be a sporting world champion.

Ballrun, 40, was 23 years-old and world ranked 92 when he made his debut at the home of snooker in the year 2000.

Since then has qualified to break off at the famous venue nine times – memorably winning the title in 2015 with victory over Shaun Murphy in the final – and is now world No 3 and a married father-of-three.

But ahead of the start of his latest tilt at the crown this Sunday, he says the thrill of stepping out in Sheffield is as great as ever.

Bingham said: “When I think about the walk-out it gives you butterflies.

“Above my table at home I have a nice mural of me there in the semi-finals and it gives me butterflies thinking I am going to play there in a couple of days’ time. It’s brilliant and I can’t wait.”

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Bingham: China was a fun trip but I did not click against Wilson

STUART BINGHAM says it was a typically enjoyable trip to China even though he never really felt his game clicked before a last 16 defeat to Kyren Wilson.

The world No 3 is a firm fans’ favourite in East Asia and was happy to again sample the culture as he took part in this year’s China Open.

Ballrun, who beat Scotland’s Scott Donaldson (5-3) and Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham (5-2) before a 5-2 defeat to fellow Englishman Wilson in Beijing, admitted: “To be honest I did not feel I played that well in the first two matches even though I had little spurts of form in frames here and there.

“And I got found out really against Kyren. From 2-2 to 4-2 down I missed one chance where I was in the balls and should not have missed. And he punished me fully for it.”

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Bingham: Donaldson has found his feet on Tour so will be a tough test in China

STUART BINGHAM says he has been impressed with Scott Donaldson’s progress this season and is braced for a tough test against the young Scot at the China Open.

Donaldson (pictured), who has just turned 23, enjoyed the best result of his career last month when he beat China’s Zhou Yuelong 5-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Welsh Open.

And although he lost to Judd Trump, who in turn lost to Bingham in the final, Donaldson collected £20,000 in prize money which saw him move up from 77 to 67 in the world rankings.

Donaldson also beat Bingham 4-3 in a European Masters qualifier in September and Ballrun is preparing for another battle when they square off in Beijing on Monday, March 27.

Bingham said: “Him getting to the last four of the Welsh Open shows he is starting to find his feet on Tour.

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Stuart Bingham comment on betting investigation

STUART BINGHAM has admitted to breaking World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) rules on betting on matches involving other players.

The world No 3 found out in December that allegations were being investigated by Nigel Mawer, the chairman of the WPBSA’s disciplinary committee.

And in a follow up meeting with Mawer in January, Bingham confirmed he had placed accumulator bets on the outcome of other matches because he did not know it was against the governing body’s rules to do so.

Bingham is now awaiting the conclusion of the investigation before he discovers the penalty.

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Coventry clashes were good preparation for Llandudno

STUART BINGHAM says his solid showing in the Championship League over the past week was the ideal preparation heading into this month’s Players Championship in Llandudno (March 6-12).

Ballrun progressed from Group 6 with three wins from six in Coventry and then won six out of six in Group 7 to move into a semi-final with Mark Selby.

And although he missed out on a final with John Higgins and the chance to secure a place in the Winners’ Group after a 3-2 defeat to the world No 1, Bingham was happy to get some solid match practice.

He said: “I’ve gone through the group stage yesterday with six out of six and played some good stuff and against Selby it just came down to one error in the decider and he cleared up.