TOM FORD says he is playing through the pain barrier after injuring his left shoulder after knocking a wall down with a sledgehammer.
The Leicester cueist moved into the quarter-finals of the Northern Ireland Open with a 4-2 win over Yuan Sijun from China on Thursday afternoon.
The reigning Snooker Shoot Out champion remains in the hunt for the £100k title in Belfast even though he is not in 100 per cent physical shape.
His woes all began in the summer months when he decided to do some DIY in a new building which he hopes to turn into a snooker club.
Ford, ranked 22nd in the world, explained: “I’ve been struggling with my shoulder.
“I was knocking the wall down with a sledgehammer. Just what snooker players really do, innit?
“Just casually getting a sledgehammer and knocking a wall through! So I think I’ve done it that way.
“It was DIY. I’m looking at setting up a club myself and I thought that wall didn’t need to be there. So instead of paying somebody, I did it myself.
“Me and a couple of friends are setting up a club in Loughborough. I did it myself and obviously it was the wrong thing to do.
“It was about a couple of weeks later that I found it hurt. Just before the Championship League, that’s when I noticed. It has gradually gotten worse – and now it’s got better.”
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
Ford, who hopes to be fully better by the end of next month, has been having regular physiotherapy, undergone various medical scans and takes tablets to reduce inflammation.
He has chosen not to have cortisone injections to avoid any potential risk of getting any infection.
Yet the injury has prevented Ford from being able to practise properly in advance of ranking tournaments this season.
The 42-year-old was unable to play the British Open in Cheltenham last month because he could not bend over the table to play a shot without feeling discomfort.
Ford – who faces Chinese potter Zhou Yuelong in the last eight on Friday – said: “So I’ve not been playing. Not been practising at all.
“So to come to an event and actually win a game, it’s not the norm at the minute.
“It’s my left shoulder, so when I get down on the shot, I can feel the stretching and then I can feel a sharp stabbing pain.
“And then when I feel that pain, my legs go as well. Obviously I’ve not been practising because of that.
“When I do actually play a little bit, I can then feel the pain going up my neck and down the side as well.
“I’ve had scans. Everything’s healing up nicely now. But it’s just going to take time – and obviously time that we don’t have when tournaments come around so quickly.
“It’s a rotator cuff tear. I did it at the start of the season. That’s why if people have been seeing the results, I’ve not been doing very well.
“I get here and the table just seems huge and anything over six foot, I’ve got no chance.
“So I need my shoulder to get better so I can get on the practice table and actually feel half normal.”
No.3 seed Judd Trump – who has lifted the Alex Higgins Trophy four times – hit breaks of 132, 95 and 83 in his 4-1 win over Gary Wilson.
Ali Carter has withdrawn from the Northern Ireland Open – he had been scheduled to face Zhou Yuelong in the last 16 – due to personal reasons.
