Maguire puts out O'Sullivan

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s reign as the SAGA Insurance Masters champion is over after defeat to Scotland’s Stephen Maguire at the Wembley Conference Centre.

The defending champion found himself 3-1 down, battled back to level at 5-5, but saw his opponent pinch the decider for a 6-5 win to progress to this year’s showcase quarter-finals.

“I had my chance, but I didn’t take it,” reflected O’Sullivan.

“If you don’t take your chance you don’t expect another one, so I can’t complain.

“You try and be inspired every time you play. I don’t rely on crowds to inspire, I don’t rely on anyone to inspire me. If you can’t inspire yourself you’re not going to get very far.

“It was a decent atmosphere, but the whole point of it (the match) is to win - and I didn’t win. It’s a failure as far as I’m concerned.”

Maguire won the opening frame of the match thanks largely to a break of 56, before O’Sullivan levelled matters with a composed break of 68 after Maguire had faltered on 47.

But Glaswegian Maguire, winner of this season’s Northern Ireland Trophy, raised his game and pocketed breaks of 103 and 84 and lead 3-1 at the interval.

The provisional world number two extended his lead to 4-1 by winning the fifth frame on points 64-50, only for O’Sullivan to rally with a run of 112 to reduce his arrears.

The Rocket won the next frame with a break of 72, before Maguire edged 5-3 ahead by winning a scrappy eighth frame.

However, back came provisional world number one O’Sullivan to force a final-frame decider.

A break of 66 was enough to make it 5-4, before a break of 64 made it all square as the two heavyweights went the distance.

But O’Sullivan missed a routine final blue ball and Maguire pounced to pinch the frame just as it looked as if he was heading for an early exit.

“I think I had one fan out there,” said Maguire.

“It was a good match for the crowd, but they’ll be gutted he’s out.

“At 4-1 up I was feeling brilliant and I felt as though I didn’t fancy missing if I split the pack, I was confident I could clear up at one visit.

“But he’s made a 100 break to come back to 4-2 and I was thinking what have I got to do to beat this guy?

“However, it turned in the end because when he missed the blue it went over the bag for me and I managed to take my chance.

“I was never in doubt he was going to clear up. I was 100% sure he was going to clear up, I’d actually resigned myself to defeat.

“I was actually thinking ’what am I going to do tonight now that I’m out?”’

Welshman Ryan Day missed out on a maximum 147 break as he disposed of wildcard Barry Hawkins in the last of the matches on the opening day .

This season’s Shanghai Masters runner-up potted 15 red and 14 blacks, but in attempting to pot the 15th black broke down on a break of 113.

If the Bridgend potter had gone on to make a total clearance by potting the remaining six colours he would have pocketed an additional £35,000 of prize money – £25,000 for the maximum break and £10,000 for the tournament highest break if it had not been bettered.

But despite missing out on a televised 147 Day was understandably delighted to have progressed to the last 16 stage with an impressive 6-2 win, where he now meets former world champion Peter Ebdon tomorrow night.

“I was a bit unlucky when I brought the red out, it could have been easier,” said Day.

“I could pot it but it was a bit of a guess where the white was going.

“Barry told me after the match that the high break prize is £10,000 – if I had known that I would have just played for the brown and gone for a 144.

“On the other hand there haven’t been many maximums in this tournament so maybe I was right to go for it.

“But it was an encouraging performance, I was hitting the ball well, particularly after the interval.”

Day won a scrappy opening frame, before pocketing a break of 63 to take the second.

The world number 16 went 3-0 ahead by winning the third frame on points 67-11, before Hawkins got on the scoreboard with his first frame to trail 3-1 at the mid-session interval.

Day missed out on a 147 in the next frame, but his 113 break was easily enough for a 4-1 lead, before Hawkins responded with a break of 73 to make it 4-2.

But it was Day who booked his place in the next round as he compiled breaks of 55 and 121 to keep his title dreams alive.

Beckenham left-hander Hawkins was left to reflect on what might have been having won a string of tough qualifying matches just to qualify for this year’s £460,000 tournament.

The world number 19 had a high break of 73, but that was the 28-year-old’s only break over 50 as he crashed out at the first hurdle.

Hawkins was beaten 6-3 by Ken Doherty in the first round of last year’s tournament.