Rocket Science

"Snooker needs Ronnie O'Sullivan."

The popular refrain to every mention Ronnie O'Sullivan made to his impending retirement. Not that it was ever taken too seriously. Ronnie's been threatening to retire for almost as long as he's been able to hold a cue, yet it's never seemed a serious prospect. Until now.

Anyone who knows anything about the game knows that Ronnie O'Sullivan is a complex character. His personal issues have been raked up by the press for years, and many feel that it's a wonder he's achieved the success he has. At the same time, the 3-time World champion and 4-time UK and Masters champion has to be one of the biggest underachievers in sport. His talent is unrivalled - I defy anyone to name a player - Reardon, Davis, Hendry, Higgins - who could match beat Ronnie O'Sullivan at his best. Only yesterday I re-watched (for the umpteenth time) his 5 minute 20 second 147 break - a feat which will never come close to being matched. Watching O'Sullivan on song is a privilege, and any snooker fan is prepared to put up with the slumps in form, the rudeness, even the infamous walkout, just for a chance to see the Rocket play again.

Because "the game needs Ronnie". This was certainly true a few years ago. But now? With the rise of charismatic and fearless potters like Neil Robertson and Judd Trump, the dapper jester Mark Selby, and wannabe bad boy of snooker Mark Allen, do we need the brooding unpredictability of O'Sullivan? Is there still a place for him at the top of the pile, when John Higgins has become the world's most consistent player and greatest matchplayer, winning 3 of the last 5 world titles? Even Mark Williams has made a return to something like his world-beating form, shooting up the rankings in the last 18 months.

This isn't the first slump Ronnie's experienced. Before he won his 3rd world title in 2008, he had a doldrumic period. But that 2008 championship showcased some of his most dominant play ever, thrashing the lamb to the slaughter that was Ali Carter with ease to lift the trophy. Earlier this season, during the final stages of the Premier League (which he won for the 10th time), it looked like some of the old fluency was returning, and his first round encounter with defending Masters champ Ding Junhui yesterday was proof that he can still produce the highest quality snooker.

But the reality is this: snooker has entered an era where every player, not just the journeyman, needs to pack his bag and be prepared to globetrot to keep his ranking. With new events springing up across the board, it's not enough just to eye the old favourites. Ronnie has personal experience of this - skipping the last two PTCs, coupled with some poor form of late, has seen him drop to 16th in the rankings. Any lower, and he needs to enter the qualifying cubicles. Is that an arena O'Sullivan can handle? For a man who has the adoration of any crowd he entertains, is there enough reward in playing in dark, confined spaces, just to qualify for another event with low prize money?

Who knows what will happen? Ronnie O'Sullivan clearly loves the game, but whether that love will be enough for him to change his lifestyle is another matter. He'll play qualifiers for the World Championship if necessary, but if he enters next season ranked 20th we might need to fear the worst.

Does snooker need Ronnie O'Sullivan? Just ask the 1500 people who watched him finish off Ding Junhui yesterday afternoon in the Ally Pally. They'll applaud and cheer Higgins, Ding, Robertson, Williams, and many more. They love Judd Trump and Mark Selby. But to hear the roars that greeted every pot as he finished with a stylish 126, to see the crowd on their feet, to sense the electricity in the air as he gave a trademark modest wave to the audience...

Snooker might be moving on, Ronnie. But don't go just yet.

A Tale of Two Championships

The 2010 UK Championship certainly hasn't been lacking a good storyline.

From Ronnie O'Sullivan dropping five in a row to lose 9-6 to Stuart Bingham in Round 1 onwards, this tournament has had more ups and downs than something with lots of ups and downs.

With the field now whittled down to two, what is the final going to provide?

On the one hand we have John Higgins - having completed his very controversial six-month ban from the sport, the Wizard of Wishaw marked his comeback with a win and a 2nd place finish at two European events, before returning to Britain and marching through to the final. It hasn't all been plain sailing - he had it tough against Graeme Dott and Mark Allen, and his first-round match against Stephen Lee featured as high-quality snooker as you could expect to see. Lee lost 9-6 with a pot success rate of 96%, normally enough to canter to victory.

On the other hand we have a man sitting at World Number 3 (somehow) - having rediscovered his form over the past couple of years, Mark Williams has made the journey from 46th place in the rankings to the final of a major championship. No one quite knows how - the Welsh Potting Machine hasn't lived up to his name for most of the tournament, missing long pots by up to a foot at times, but he's managed a few Houdini results nonetheless. Only his experience got him through against youngster Mark Joyce, and God knows what got him through against Shaun Murphy last night. Without a 100 break in the tournament so far, Williams has struggled through every frame and match. But he's back where he belongs.

On paper, Higgins has to be favourite. Arguably the greatest matchplayer the modern game has seen, he's come back from his time off with a vengeance. His break-building has been superb, and his safety play as good as ever. A win here would recapture the number one ranking he lost to Neil Robertson after the World Championship, and set him up for another assault on Sheffield in the New Year.

As for Williams, what does he have going for him? Only that he has got to a final he shouldn't have, and that counts for a lot. The best players in all sports are those who can win when they aren't playing well - we've seen Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, the All Blacks and Manchester United do it time and again. Williams has nothing to lose really - he's got here through blood and sweat, and no one really expects him to win.

If you look at his last two matches though, there was an interesting feature of both - the only time he pulled out a couple of long pots and half-century breaks was when he was under the utmost pressure - trailing to Mark Joyce in the quarters, and at 8-6 down to Shaun Murphy last night. He will not believe he is beaten, and seems to relish the challenge.

John Higgins is a cannier player than Murphy, and you get the feeling that if he goes 2 up with three to play it will be his night - remember - Murphy had chances in every frame from 8-6 up - but there's still something inside me that is saying that Williams could just pull it off. It's against all the odds and statistics, but you don't play the game the way he has the last week without having something special. John Higgins isn't a mentally weak player, but we have see comebacks launched against him - Mark Allen from 13-3 down, Mark Selby from 11-4 down - ultimately unsuccessful, but he has been prone to losing a few on the bounce.

Mark Williams has been in the tough matches before - who can forget 2003 when he hung on to take his second Crucible crown 18-17 from our Ken?

I don't know. After the week it's been who knows what will happen?

I'm going for Williams.