Rising star Oliver Sykes’ snooker hero will make you feel old

Oliver Sykes is a fresh-faced addition to the professional tour this season (Picture: WST)

New snooker stars have been naming Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins as their heroes for so long that a younger name catches you off guard, and Oliver Sykes has a role model from a different generation.

The 20-year-old is in his first season on the professional tour and has picked up some encouraging victories already, including beating Alexander Ursenbacher and Zak Surety to qualify for this week’s Northern Ireland Open.

It will be his first taste of a main venue this season, having been slogging it out in qualifiers at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester so far.

His clash with Dave Gilbert on M...