JUDD TRUMP reckons English kids are lazier than their Chinese counterparts when it comes to snooker dedication.
A Far East revolution is going to sweep the sport led by new world champion Zhao Xintong, who is only 28 and tipped to dominate.
AlamyJudd Trump believes English kids need to work harder to make it to the top[/caption]
GettyZhao Xintong of China is tipped to dominate after his World Championship triumph[/caption]
GettyYoungster Stan Moody is one of few Brits Trump thinks has the desire to succeed[/caption]
There are 14 Chinese stars in the world’s top 50 and 11 of those are younger than 30.
In contrast, there are only TWO Brits under the age of 30 — Welshman Jackson Page, 23 and Leicester’s Joe O’Connor, 29.
Current world No 1 Trump, 35, hails from Bristol and dedicated his youth to the sport, becoming world champion in 2019.
Yet apart from Halifax’s Stan Moody, who is 18-years-old and ranked 64th, Trump does not see much coming through from the traditional heartlands.
The Juddernaut said: “I just think kids from the UK don’t want to work as hard. It’s as simple as that.
“I don’t think they have any less chances. They don’t want it as bad as some over in China.
“Kids nowadays, their lifestyle is too luxurious. They want all the latest gadgets and trainers.
“Not willing to lock themselves in a room for five or six hours a day, which many of the Chinese players do.
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“The Chinese are hungrier than them. That’s my attitude.
“Apart from a couple of players, Stan Moody is one of them, who looks like he wants it.
“I don’t think the hunger is there, to be honest. And you can see that when they play.
“Academies should have been done a long time ago. Maybe 10-15 years ago in my eyes.
“You see it in other sports and Ronnie has got his now. There are the ones in China.
“It’s been overlooked. World Snooker, with the levies we pay (on prize money), should have done it a long time ago.
“It would have been a lot easier and perhaps fund some of these overseas players and maybe some people that can’t afford that kind of thing.
“Some of the money could be distributed in better ways to promote snooker, rather than go to some of these qualifying venues that aren’t fit for snooker.”
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