RONNIE O’SULLIVAN’S MAGICAL CHAMPIONSHIP SNOOKER TRIUMPH WAS THE BEST YEAR-END BRITISH SPORTING SUCCESS.
Snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Ding Junhui 10-7 at the York Barbican to win a record-extending seventh UK Championship and put on another era-defining performance.
The seven-time world champion O’Sullivan demonstrated a level of courageous play in the final three frames that should be recognized for what they were:
the greatest athletic event to occur in Britain.
Ronnie O’Sullivan famously appeared on This Morning with Richard and Judy the morning after he won his first UK Championship snooker title at the age of 17 in 1993.
He talked about the historic achievement of being the youngest winner of a major ranking event after his unheralded 10-6 victory against a formidable Stephen Hendry at the Guild Hall in Preston.
We had no idea at the time that the opulent Rocket Ronnie TV program would run for an additional 30 years,
rivaling Punch and Judy’s legendary appeal in the UK in terms of public appeal, slapstick humor, distinctive theatrical entertainment, well-organized chaos, and cultural significance.
Over the past forty years, O’Sullivan has become the snooker GOAT.
He first rose to fame as a raw 16-year-old rookie in qualifiers at the disputed Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool in 1992,
the traditional seaside home of the classic puppet show. Since then, he has controlled the cue ball like a puppet on a string.
Is that how it’s done? Just that. And a show wouldn’t exist without Punch.
The fact that his record 40th ranking title triumph in the sport occurred at the 47th UK Championship in December,
where three-time winner Ding Junhui was left punch-drunk by a nail-biting 10-7 loss, may have been apt.
Taking the nettle by storm, O’Sullivan went on to become the youngest and oldest person to wear the UK crown,
setting a new record with his most recent coronation, which took place two days before his 48th birthday.
THE BEST SPORTING SUCCESS
After Ding leveled the score at 7-7 from 7-5 adrift with a crucial 104, O’Sullivan produced a signature sprint finish.
Amidst a storm of spectacular pots and calm positional sense,
O’Sullivan was completely dominant, with closing breaks of 100, 74, and 129. Ding finished partying with just 14 points added.
In terms of historical significance, it was similar to his mad rush to win a sixth world title in 2020,
during which he made another absurd joke in the semi-finals at a Crucible Theatre that was abandoned because of the pandemic.
After trailing his longtime opponent Mark Selby 16–14 and looking like he was about to lose,
he put together wild knockouts of 138, 71, and 64 to win 17–16, a result that hardly seemed real.
Even if he had been wheeled out of the York Barbican in a sedan chair,
he could not have accepted the UK trophy in a more regal manner this time around.
He was in his element and under extreme pressure.
Was this the year’s biggest sporting triumph for the British?
The obvious choices would be Tom Aspinall’s quick triumph over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in New York
as the interim world heavyweight TKO and Josh Kerr’s spectacular 1500-meter victory at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest.
But when it came to longevity and gravity-defying achievements, the British athlete of the year was undoubtedly popularized by a vintage O’Sullivan returning to a well-known spot.
When O’Sullivan is in the “O zone,” a phenomenon that occurs spontaneously and is akin to the Northern Lights or the Old Faithful geyser,
it is tough to find anything better than him in any sporting field for the way in which it was achieved.
LIGHT AND SWEET
When the mood strikes, Old Faithful of the green baize is a geezer ready to burst into vibrant color.
When he flips the light switch,
When he flips the light switch,
the captivated audience suddenly realizes that brilliance can be uncorked by a single man holding a snooker stick,
and he continues to be the subject of compelling viewing above and beyond anything else in Britain.
Of course, since his early years, when he won the UK Championship in 1993 and went on to win more in 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2023, the genie has been out of the bottle for the legendary O’Sullivan.
Of course, since his early years, when he won the UK Championship in 1993 and went on to win more in 1997, 2001, 2007, 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2023, the genie has been out of the bottle for the legendary O’Sullivan.
The UK Championship, the second most renowned major ranking event on the circuit behind the World Championship,
has not been all sunshine and roses for the largest draw in the sport.
He famously quit a quarter-final match against Hendry in 2006 when he trailed 4-1.
He was devastated once upon a time in Essex after losing 9-8 to ferocious Welsh potting wonder Cliff Wilson in the final 32 of his first trip to the event in 1992,
a match in which he outscored Wilson by 1000 points.
Subsequently, he was fined more than £20,000 for walking out.
Subsequently, he was fined more than £20,000 for walking out.
Following his thrilling 10-9 victory over Judd Trump in 2014, which came after his opponent had tied the score at 9-9 from a 9-4 deficit,
O’Sullivan withdrew from the UK championship defense in 2015, claiming sleeplessness and his incapacity to make a 20 break as his primary concerns.
Even though he had to endure hardships when traveling to Preston, Bournemouth, York, Telford, and back to York,
the UK Championship provided an appropriate venue for one of the greatest athletes in history to showcase his offensive skills at a place that is really legendary.
REASONABLE INTENDATIONS
The legendary “People’s Champion” Alex “Hurricane” Higgins once overcame a formidable opponent in Steve Davis, 7-0, in a 16-15 victory in 1983.
In 1988, 46-year-old Doug Mountjoy produced an incredible 16-12 victory over O’Sullivan’s fellow seven-time world champion Hendry.
In 1990, Hendry secured a crucial 16-5 victory over Davis, and in 1992,
Jimmy “Whirlwind” White became the champion for the one and only time, defeating John Parrott 16-9.
The 48-year-old six-time UK champion Davis even made it to the championship match in 2005,
but he was unable to secure the triumph like O’Sullivan did in a 10-6 loss to Ding, who was then 18 years old.
However, history shapes the present, and O’Sullivan has elevated the tournament’s profile and storyline to unprecedented heights.
He will realistically aim to repeat his record-breaking eighth-place finishes at the Masters in London and the World Championship in Sheffield in 2024.
His final victory versus Ding was a microcosm of fulfilling early promise sidetracked by inner demons and the dark dog of despair.
His career has been elevated by a sense of making up for lost time marred by well-documented battles off the table.
O’Sullivan has won two of his seven Masters championships after turning forty, four of his eight UK titles after becoming forty, and four of his seven global titles after turning thirty-six.
In the second part of his 31-year career, he has won almost half of his golden trophy collection, and in the last ten years,
he has also taken home four Champion of Champions trophies.
In September of that year, O’Sullivan won the Shanghai Masters for the fifth time, defeating world champion Luca Brecel 11-9.
Brecel had previously helped O’Sullivan win the title at the Crucible in April, coming back from a 10-6 deficit in the final eight games to win 13-10.
In a characteristically reserved Shanghai accent, he remarked, “I’m not really bothered about trophies.”
I’ve sold a good number of them because I want to be 70 or 80 years old without any souvenirs left. I’m getting ready to pass away.
Having said that, I’m not into snooker stuff. Cues and waistcoats are going out of style.
He is not exactly fading away on the old green baize, as he erupted in the final moments of 6-5 victories over Robert Milkins and Zhou Yuelong in the UK,
refusing to give up despite having both natural talent and the willpower to do so.
Tony Drago or Cicero, two of the greatest thinkers of antiquity, are claimed to have remarked,
Not for us alone are we born; our country, our friends, have a share in us.
O’Sullivan is among the select few snooker players in history to have both the scoreboard and the general audience award him artistic points.
He plays his sport and gives it his all.
Encouraging large crowds and making fun of his own high standards are equally crucial,
Encouraging large crowds and making fun of his own high standards are equally crucial,
but even though he talks a nice game and has seemingly always had a catchy soundbite or three, he actually plays a better one.
People are drawn to him when he plays snooker, whether in the UK or abroad,
because he is the fastest player on the planet and plays the game in the same way that it was meant to be watched as a broadcast spectacle back in the 1960s.
Even though he is still a young guy with infinitely superior shot selection,
this aggressive positional play visionary in the hardest cue sport of them all was oddly disqualified from consideration for the Sports Personality of the Year award.
Not that he seems shocked to be left out in these sections.
THE BEST AVAILABLE
“I believe I receive greater support and am more liked by people in Asia than I am in my home country,”
O’Sullivan told reporters while recently visiting Hong Kong to publicize an exhibition in March.
I come here to play more because it makes me feel good if you like me. I don’t feel like I get the same support over in the UK as I do here.
In the tenth frame of his decisive victory versus Ding, he was ahead 5-4 but down 56-2, which was a pivotal moment.
Remaining three reds up meant he only needed one snooker.
However, he took a brief look around the table before opting to let up,
forgoing an attempt to try for a lone snooker that would disrupt his usual flow in the following frame.
At the end of the day, he told Eurosport, “I think the game needs to be entertaining.”
Watching someone lose in pool can be amusing.
However, I believe that the more important thing is simply getting rid of the truly dull players who play terrible, ugly snooker.
The purest form of flattery is imitation. World No. 16 Jack “Jackpot” Lisowski resembles O’Sullivan strikingly when he executes a shot;
yet, his inspiration to play the game comes from more than just his superior technique and cue movement.
Lisowski stated, “I just try to play attacking snooker,” at a recent press conference held in Hong Kong.
It needs to captivate viewers and provide entertainment value; nobody is going to watch people take 30 seconds to take a shot.
You have to pay attention to Ronnie since he is the greatest person ever.
It works because he plays the game that way and is undoubtedly the most well-liked player.
I think the sport would be much bigger if everyone played like that,” he says.
Because of this degree of expectation, O’Sullivan is able to amuse the general public by pointing to professional athletes like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and Lionel Messi as models of self-expression.
I want to watch Messi, Federer, and Woods in football, tennis, or golf,”
he remarked. Try to play like Tiger if you’re going to play golf.
Even though you might not be as skilled as him, strive to play in a thrilling manner.
Any sport suffers when players do not play the game properly. Because of their flair, Woods and Federer are adored by all.
“It’s better for people to watch if there are more people who can play like that.”
The British people will never get tired of watching old replays of classic Ronnie O’Sullivan, much like they would an old episode of The Two Ronnies during Christmas.
As he closes 2023 with 1,230 centuries and counting, he is the clear favorite in the game and the ultimate crowd-pleaser,
a role he enjoys just as much as that of Michael Jordan, Usain Bolt, or Muhammad Ali.
He is the best there is in elite sports.
