Snooker star, 39, makes desperate dash to local carpenter as cue snaps in two during flight to Saudi Arabian Masters

A SNOOKER star was forced to visit a local carpenter in Saudi Arabia after his cue snapped in two during his flight to the Middle East.

Matt Selt competed in the Saudi Arabian Masters alongside the biggest players in the world, including Ronnie O’Sullivan.

But on his journey to Riyadh his cue was broken into two on his flight, despite being contained in a protective case.

Selt revealed he had more cues sent over before his coach Chris Henry suggested finding a carpenter to repair the cue.

Fortunately, the pair found a carpenter who was able to glue the cue back together, with Selt able to play his opening round tie against Allan Taylor.

Selt explained the situation, telling the : “It snapped in two. I had some cues sent from back home and one from Thailand but I found a local carpenter here who has filed some of the wood away and used some extremely strong adhesive to put it back together, so I’m going to use it.

“I played with it for a few hours earlier. It looks terrible, but the balls are going in the direction they were going in before it broke.

“Hopefully that will keep happening and it won’t break during the game. He’s done a very good job in terms of keeping me going until I can get it to Thailand after here and get it completely rebuilt.

“My old cue I had for 20 years, Anthony Hamilton is playing with that now, so I practiced with that. My intention was to use that. Then I had a look at my cue and thought, I reckon I can sort this with a nail file and some glue.

“Chris [his coach] got us to this carpenter and he did exactly what I thought I was going to do. Got a file out, obviously a bigger one than a nail file, and this adhesive that dried in about 25 seconds. He sprayed it with some more adhesive and we manipulated it into being straight. We’ll see how it plays.”

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Selt, 39, said he found the whole fiasco “entertaining”, and he was ready and willing to play with a separate cue he had played with previously.

He continued: “It was funny, I was zero per cent bothered, which sounds ridiculous, but I wasn’t that bothered. I had the whole cue rebuilt three days before I played in China [at the Xi’an Grand Prix] anyway. A titanium ferrule, it was thicker, it was longer, so I had to get used to all that anyway, so I thought I’ll just get used to something new.

“I’ve found it entertaining, in a way. Listen, I’ll be seriously p***ed off if it breaks during my game, but I think it’s playable, I think I’ll be alright.”