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I was surprised to hear that an alternative bid to Barry Hearn’s plans for the future of snooker will be presented next week. I understand John Davison is behind it, and I know he tried to launch something similar with the Altium group several years ago.

This could potentially create a dilemma for me, as well as all the other players who will have to wait until next week’s EGM to discover what Davison is proposing. I won’t be making up my mind until I see exactly what is on the table. I know what Barry is proposing, and I know he would do a great job and that he’s got a lot of support, and that it will be difficult to go against what he has already proposed. But as of now, I’m still undecided. I’m going to wait and see what this rival bid is about and, until then, I don’t intend to put all my eggs in one basket.

You can read more about Davison and his rival bid at Dave Hendon’s blog: http://www.snookerscene.blogspot.com/

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I’ve been back from holiday for only a week but I’m getting back on a plane on Monday when I travel to China for the Wuxi Classic. It’s a straight knock-out and I’m playing Tian Pengfei in the first round. You might remember he beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the China Open a couple of months ago, when Ronnie missed that controversial black.

It should be a good game and I’m looking forward to it. I got to the final two years ago but lost to Ding Junhui, so hopefully I can go one better this time. I always enjoy playing in China, there are always big crowds watching and I get a real buzz from it.

I’m suitably rested now after my run to the semis at the Crucible. I’m still gutted that I lost to Graeme Dott but I’ve put it behind me and moved on. I had a great run to the semis and, looking back, it was a good tournament for me. And Graeme played especially well, probably the best he has done for several years. I think he ran out of steam a bit in the final, but Neil Robertson was a very worthy winner.

My holiday I Spain was really good. Me and Vikki went for two weeks with her parents and had a great time. We travelled about during the first weeks, visiting places like Valencia and Benidorm. Madrid and Barcelona were a bit too far away, so maybe I’ll see those next time I’m there.

The food in Spain is brilliant. In fact, we never stopped eating! We were eating three meals a day and I must have put on 10 stones! But I weighed myself when I got back home and I’m still under my recommended weight, so I don’t know how that happened!

Since I got back I’ve been practising a bit ahead of China. But I also dusted off my golf clubs after four years of threatening to do so! And it showed! I played 18 holes with Mukesh and Ben Woollaston and I really wasn’t very good. I went round in 123! Ben got home in 99 but Muke was the worst, doing it in 137! Lol.

I must have lost eight or 10 balls in the first nine holes, I think I need SatNav! But I really got into it and can’t wait to play again, although I don’t think Tiger Woods needs to worry just yet. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve always been a bit envious when golf days come around that lots of snooker players take part in, and I haven’t been able to. Well, now I want to get good enough so that I can join in too.

It is such a hard, frustrating sport though. And it’s really nerve-wracking when you hit that first ball off the first tee with everyone watching. I like to watch golf on TV and, playing it, it makes you realise how good those pros are. It made me appreciate what it’s like for people who watch me play snooker but who then find it so hard to do when they try and play. I think I need some lessons though before I fall into too many bad habits, and I’ll be really happy if I can go around 18 holes in 80-odd. That’s my mission from now, so watch this space!