A rare appearance by Ronnie O’Sullivan in the unlikely setting of a converted Arbroath fish factory has sparked ticket demand from as far as mainland Europe.
The five-time snooker world champion will perform for two nights at Shotz on May 13 and 14 in what will be his first exhibition in Scotland for decades and possibly his last.
Snooker commentator John Virgo will be master of ceremonies and he will open the show with his renowned comedy routine and impressions.
The Rocket will play a variety of qualifiers, sponsors and VIP ticket holders before signing autographs and posing for photographs.
Shotz opened in December 2013 and is owned by Ryan Fleming, 24, and his brother Marc, 26, both of whom play international pool for Scotland.
They took a year to convert a derelict fish factory in John Street West into a pool and snooker hall before opening a second club in Dundee last year.
Ryan said: “This very well may be one of the last trips to Scotland Ronnie ever takes to play.
“He hasn’t played an exhibition in Scotland in decades and I doubt he ever will again.
“He has semi-retired numerous times and has been getting closer and closer to hanging his cue up for good which makes this an opportunity not to be taken for granted.
“We have had interest for tickets from across Britain, and even some in mainland Europe, which highlights just how lucky we are to have him here at this stage of his career.
“Despite that interest we have tried to keep this event as local to Tayside as we can.
“After all, the local community is what keeps our doors open, so this is our chance to give them something back an event which they can remember forever.”
Shotz hosted World American pool champion Earl Strickland and World darts champion Gary Anderson in two previous exhibitions.
“We joked that the next step would have to be the world snooker champion but ultimately thought this would be out of reach,” said Ryan.
“Thankfully we both have some great contacts throughout the world pool and snooker circles and after around a year of trying we eventually made it happen.”
The Rocket could arrive in Arbroath as the new world champion if he wins the crown for a sixth time at The Crucible in Sheffield in April.
Ryan added: “I will be picking him up and dropping him off at the airport so I’m looking forward to a few hours getting to know the real Ronnie.”
Tickets are available directly from Shotz or shotzarbroath@live.co.uk.The Rocket loves to break recordsRonnie O’Sullivan was born in Wordsley in 1975.
Aged 10, he made his first century break and, at 15, he became theyoungest in an official tournament to record a maximum break.
He won his first UK Championship in 1993 and his first World Championship in 2001.
He set a record for maximum breaks in 2014 and another record for century breaks in 2015.
Nicknamed the Rocket for his rapid playing style, he dazzled onlookers at the 1997 World Championship by clearing the table in five minutes and 20 seconds for the fastest recorded maximum in history.
O’Sullivan is a five time UK Open champion, five time Masters champion and five time world champion.