Out of this world Rocket aims for unforgettable season
Ronnie O’Sullivan can turn what he described as a “decent season” into a truly memorable one by retaining his Embassy world title at Sheffield in May.
There may be some doubt whether the Crucible Theatre will host the 2006 gathering.
However, there is no question O’Sullivan heads for Yorkshire in the spring as overwhelming favourite for the biggest prize in the sport.
His 10-3 victory over John Higgins in the Rileys Club Masters final at Wembley last night was breathtaking.
Higgins didn’t play badly but had no answer to the Rocket’s scintillating display in front of 2,500 spectators at the Conference Centre.
“It’s been a steady sort of progression this season,” said O’Sullivan. “I won one at the start (Grand Prix), one in the middle (Welsh Open) and now this one.
“Now Sheffield is round the corner and it’s just about reproducing what I did last year. If I do that I will have every chance.
“Going to Ireland and China is just part of the build-up. But I’ve put in the hard work and now it’s just about potting a few balls.”
Higgins, described earlier in the week by Stephen Hendry as one of the world’s best match players, is one of the few capable of living with O’Sullivan in last night’s form.
However, he’s now lost their last six meetings and confessed: “Somehow we’ve got to try and compete with him over a distance.
“Ronnie never looked like missing. It was a bit of a shock.”
O’Sullivan’s win banished the bad memories from three losing Wembley finals, including his 2004 final-frame defeat by Paul Hunter after leading 7-2.
“There’s always a chance a game can change,” said the world number one. “You’ve got to keep control of your emotions and make sure you don’t make any silly errors.
“I never thought I was going to get blown away or I was going to blow John away.”
O’Sullivan’s win was worth £125,000 (€180,000) and he leads the money list with more than £240,000 (€348,000).
Higgins collected a £60,000 (€87,000) runner’s up prize and is second in the cash stakes with £155,000 (€224,000).
O’Sullivan finished off with a break of 134 to go with his earlier efforts of 107 and 102. He also included runs of 95, 58, 97, 79, 75, 79 and 79.
In four of the frames Higgins managed to pot just one ball; in three others he didn’t score a point.
“Ronnie is a total genius with a snooker cue,” agreed the world number five. “He played to a standard we haven’t seen before. Somehow we’ve all got to try and catch up.”
