Mark Selby left shivering and clutching hot drinks after heating breaks at English Open amid UK cold snap

Updated 12/12/2022 at 13:17 GMT

“Will it be like this all day?” asked Mark Selby as he battled to keep warm at the English Open in Essex. Temperatures in the UK have plunged in recent days, with Essex seeing weather flirting with 0°C on Monday. Selby needed the full seven frames to see off Noppon Saengkham in his opener and will now hope the tournament organisers can fix the heating ahead of the second round.

‘Brrrr!’ - Selby struggles with cold during English Open match after heating breaks

Baltic conditions caused havoc at the 2022 English Open snooker tournament on Monday, despite the event taking place indoors.

A problem with the heating left Mark Selby and Noppon Saengkham struggling to keep warm during their first-round match at the Brentwood Centre in Essex, with the four-time world champion requiring a conveyer belt of hot drinks to stop his hands from freezing.

Selby spoke to referee Tatiana Woollaston about the temperature, which hovered around freezing in Essex on Monday morning. “Will it be like this all day?” he asked, before jokingly asking the crowd for a hot water bottle.

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The audience were also enduring rather than enjoying the action while wrapped up in multiple layers, while the poor players were just in standard black shirts as Selby was repeatedly pictured with his hands in his pockets or clasping onto a hot drink provided by organisers.

“There’s a lady in the front row, she’s got about 10 layers on. I think that’s advisable in these conditions. Brrrrr! Winter strikes!” said Phil Yates on Eurosport commentary.

“Not impeccable timing when it comes to the heating system that’s not working properly because of the cold snap affecting the UK. In times like these, the players probably wish they could wear their waistcoats and give them an extra degree of insulation.

“If you’re thinking about a Disney film, the most appropriate would be Frozen.”

Selby won a final-frame decider to see off Noppon 4-3 and will now hope the heating is fixed by the time he plays his second-round match against Joe O’Connor. O’Connor made a memorable run to the Scottish Open final earlier in December, falling to Gary Wilson at the final hurdle.

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