O'Sullivan on course to regain title

A decade after his one and only Rileys Club Masters triumph, Ronnie O’Sullivan is poised to lift the trophy again.

The world champion, the only player to win two titles this season, resumes at 8pm tonight with a 5-3 first session lead over Scotland’s John Higgins.

World number one O’Sullivan requires five of the remaining 11 frames to pocket a £125,000 first prize.

But the 29-year-old from Chigwell was not getting too carried away by his welcome advantage.

Twelve months ago O’Sullivan, whose guru Ray Reardon was backstage watching the match unfold today, led Paul Hunter 7-2 in the final and lost 10-9 to the Leeds pin-up.

And in 1997 he stormed 8-4 ahead of Steve Davis but was stunned as the master cueman came back to win 10-8.

But O’Sullivan has been in imperious form all week, culminating in his 6-1 semi-final demolition over Jimmy White on Saturday night.

He started where he left off against the Whirlwind by making 95 to take the opening frame.

However, Higgins, a 6-3 semi-final winner over Peter Ebdon, hit back with runs of 54 and 76 to go 2-1 up.

O’Sullivan’s response was magnificent. He levelled by the mid-session interval courtesy of a 107 break and regained the lead with a second half-century.

Higgins, trying to win the Masters for the first time since 1999, could only join the rest of the 2,500 crowd in admiring O’Sullivan’s cue prowess.

The world number five potted just two balls in the next two frames as the Rocket slotted breaks of 97 and 102.

It could have been even worse for British Open champion Higgins in the last frame of the afternoon.

He trailed 32-0 only for O’Sullivan to miss a pink into a centre pocket to give him a reprieve.

A 53 by the Scot, a four-point foul and another five points left O’Sullivan requiring two snookers.

Rather than give up the frame O’Sullivan fought on and obtained the necessary penalties. He also potted the brown.

But it was relieved Higgins who sank blue and pink to reduce his arrears.

And he was in better shape than their 1995 Masters final head to head.

O’Sullivan led 6-2 at the break, went on to win 9-3 and, at 19, became the youngest Masters champion in history.