Ronnie O’Sullivan fan snaps up World Championship winning waistcoat for £16k from new Meadowhall store

The shop, which is hosted by memorabilia retailer The Fan Cave, is as much a shrine to the sporting great as it is a place to buy goods.

The Rocket’s own branded clothing range and snooker souvenirs like mugs and water bottles being sold there are displayed alongside prize artefacts from his glittering career, including the first trophy he won in 1985 and the childhood table on which he honed his skills.

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Visitors even have the chance to get their photo taken with the World Championship trophy he lifted for the sixth time at last year’s tournament, which was postponed due to the pandemic.

Dan Hoyland, managing director of The Fan Cave, said: “The shop and Ronnie O’Sullivan’s clothing lines which are on sale there have been exceptionally well-received, with people queuing outside to get in on some days.

"It’s a bit of a snooker Mecca where people can look at some of the many trophies he’s collected over the years, see his childhood table and generally go on a bit of a nostalgia trip as he attempts to create more history at the Crucible.”

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The Fan Cave has previously sold some of O’Sullivan’s memorabilia for eye-watering sums, with his World Championship-winning waistcoat fetching £16,000 and a signed set of used balls from the same tournament being snapped up for £6,000.

While the new pop-up store is focusing on selling more affordable memorabilia, collectors can pick up signed sets of balls from some of the star’s other title successes over the years.

The store opened last Monday, April 12, and is scheduled to remain in place for two months, though it could close sooner if interest dies down once the World Championship ends on Monday, May 3.

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O’Sullivan started his title defence in stunning style with a 10-4 first-round win over Mark Joyce which included three consecutive centuries.

But he warned that fans’ overenthusiasm could wreck his bid for a seventh world crown after he was accosted by a ‘boozed-up’ fan in Sheffield city centre.