It is commonly known these days as the Luke Littler effect. A teenage phenomenon bursting on to the scene and almost becoming a bigger force of nature than the sport he or she was born to succeed in. But while darts is only experiencing that boom now, snooker has tasted this sensation before.
In the 1990s, it was Ronnie O’Sullivan’s arrival on the baize as a teenager that revitalised snooker’s fortunes in the UK. In the mid-2000s, Ding Junhui’s emergence led to the explosion of the game in China – which has just produced its first world champion in the shape of Zhao Xintong, one of millions who was inspired to pick up a cue by Ding.
