Whisper it quietly, but snooker fans might see Ronnie O’Sullivan back in action in the coming days, with the international Championship offering a chunky prize for a host of big names set to line up.

O’Sullivan lost to eventual winner Zhang Anda in the semi-finals here last year, and I really don’t think motivation will be a factor, despite The Rocket having skipped a host of tournaments already this term. Match sharpness might not be either, given just who we are dealing with.

I won’t be betting him but a deep run from O’Sullivan would certainly not surprise, while snooker’s ironman, Judd Trump, bids to back up following his silver medal finish at the Northern Ireland Open last time out.

Trump lost heavily to Kyren Wilson in the final in Belfast, but remains one of the main players again, while Wilson himself starts off against Mitchell Mann, before things get tougher with the likes of Neil Robertson and Barry Hawkins drawn in his section.

They all feature in the bottom half, which Trump heads.

That certainly looks the strongest half, though I can’t resist a few quid on big home hope DING JUNHUI (14/1).

Ding really is a puzzle nowadays, but I don’t think anyone is doubting the quality he still possesses, and he beat Ali Carter at the Shanghai Masters earlier in this season, before losing to O’Sullivan in the next round. He was then involved in a brilliant, high-scoring match with Stuart Bingham in the Saudi Arabia Masters.

Chris Wakelin put together breaks of 139, 132, 128, 92 and 78 when beating Ding 5-3 at the Wuhan Open, when the latter probably did well to make a game of it, so well did his opponent play.

Ding won some matches that week, and with his beloved UK Championship now firmly on the horizon, it seems fair to assume that something like his best form is just around the corner. Ding has won the UK Championship three times now, as well as reaching the last two finals, so the signs for a resurgence are there.

The first Triple Crown event of the season is only a matter of weeks away and Ding will know that, though it’s not just North Yorkshire the Chinese superstar saves his best form for. As well as the UK Championship, Ding’s other runner-up finish last season came back home in China at the World Open.