GOT hit by a sucker punch the other night, lulled into watching the opening forays of the World Snooker Championship on BBC 2 by the prospect of what presenter David Vine described as "one of the biggest upsets threatening in the 21 years" of the event. Poppycock.

I even entered into the spirit of the darn thing. Didn't punch the Aertel or Ceefax panels to get an update or anything. Steered clear of the radio. Really wanted to see how a guy from Mansfield could wipe the smile off Stephen Hendry's face. Trouble was, I didn't see him smile all night.

Certainly the whole thing wiped the smile from my face. Suddenly, I remembered why people don't normally watch the first round of the snooker. Boring is too nice a word. Hendry has as much charisma as a warthog, to borrow David Feherty's description of another Scottish sportsman.

Why doesn't he smile? The world number one - outrageously priced at 8 to 13 to win a sixth title - looks like someone constantly in pain, but it is the viewer who is in need of some anaesthetic after a few hours watching unsmiling Hendry in action.

Snooker is suffering from an identity crisis, certainly as far as television is concerned. It needs a few more colourful characters; the Alex Higgins and Jimmy Whites (of old) did more to attract the armchair viewer than a player who goes into robot mode whenever he approaches the table.

And we will all - perhaps - get the chance to see the new breed of snooker player over the next two weeks as the BBC plan to show up to six hours a day of play from the Crucible.

Stephen Hendry was never going to lose to Jason Ferguson. They are a different class, simple as that. The Beeb commentators, of course, did their best to set up a sporting disaster story. And I fell for it.

But the message got home soon enough on Saturday night as the Hendry robot switched on and left Henderson sitting in the corner chair like a bold kid at school. Even John Virgo struggled to come up with any witticisms as the Hendry comeback turned into a cakewalk. "Jason needs inspiration from somewhere," he tamely muttered at one stage.

And fellow commentator Clive Everton rowed in with "Jason needs a good safety, needs to put Stephen Hendry in trouble." More poppycock.

As presenter Vine commented after the "struggle" was over, "Stephen certainly wasn't smiling tonight." More is the pity. A few smiles might have helped relax the viewer as much as the world's greatest snooker player.

Now I have a confession to make. With the help of the zapper I cheated a little during Saturday night's snooker, just to get another chance to see "They Think Its All Over" on BBC 1, even if it was a repeat. For Gawd's sake, even Teddy Sheringham was laughing.

Pity is, tomorrow night's showing of the programme - on BBC 1 at 10.35 p.m. - is the last of the present series. Stephen Hendry should watch it.