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.

Master Once Again

Everyone knows you can never rule out the Germans in the FIFA World Cup, no matter when they got knocked out. The same is rapidly becoming the case with the Masters champion.

You read it here - don't rule him out if he's a few frames behind; he doesn't know when he's beaten. We've seen him mount a comeback against John Higgins in the World final, we've seen him win four in a row to beat O'Sullivan in the Welsh Open. This was the best we've seen yet.

Trailing 4-1, the Jester from Leicester did well to finish the afternoon session only 5-3 behind, but even that deficit looked like it could be too much. We all know that players have beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan from time to time - it happens. This was different. Ronnie was on his game, and if you can beat him then, you're something pretty special.

Ronnie had two centuries in the first four frames, and when they returned in the evening the two men shared the first six frames. The Rocket then took hold of the match, and won the 15th frame to take a three-frame lead.

So hold on. We've all heard it before. One frame at a time. You just need one chance. One shot at a time. Stay in the moment. There are plenty of clichés for the situation Selby found himself in, but few players could perform as he did. He made two decisive breaks, including a 109, to take the next two frames, but O'Sullivan still only needed one to win.

In the 18th frame, trailing 9-8, Selby looked in control once again, before he missed an easy red. Ronnie played an audacious safety to the jaws of the yellow pocket, and got to the colours needing up to the brown. He then took on the wrong shot.

He may be Ronnie O'Sullivan, but to try the cut on the green that he did, with oodles of check side, took some nerve. To play it left-handed took a fair bit more. No player wants to play a safety at that moment, but it was a poor decision from Ronnie. Selby took advantage of the miss to take the match to a decider.

Who knows how Ronnie felt in that final frame? At the UK Championship in December, we saw Ronnie fight back from 8-3 to 8-8 before losing the 17th to John Higgins, but he looked beaten at Wembley. Selby got in first, and although he broke down on 53, he got another chance and sealed an incredible victory.

In Mark Selby we undoubtedly have a star for the future. Who knows where the game will be in 2020, but don't be surprised if he's at the top of it (Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen will probably be up there with him). The only player I've seen who's succeeded in as many fightbacks since Steve Davis's time is Ken Doherty - Selby has the grit and safety prowess of Ken, but he's got the break-building as well. He's sorted out what was a wobbly cue action, and he'll be a contender in any tournament he plays from now on.

He'll never give up, and players will know that - you're not going to relax until you scrape him off the table, because he's not going to help you.

He clearly loves the Masters, and with three finals out of three, it looks like becoming a second home. Let's see if he can make the Crucible his summer retreat.

We saw a fantastic tournament this week, with the resurgence of Mark Williams to some of his best form, and a truly cracking final.

I know I'm not the only one who can't watch the Masters without thinking of Paul Hunter, and I hope that wherever he is he knows that the snooker world will always remember him fondly.

We miss you Paul.

Location, Location, Location

Sometimes it’s all about the surroundings.

What is it about Wembley and Mark Selby? After his loss to John Higgins in the 2007 World Championship final, it was at the Masters in January 2008 where he showed the snooker world that he wasn’t going away. A crushing 10-3 victory over Stephen Lee told us that the Jester from Leicester was more than just a joker. The following year he returned and was edged out 10-8 by Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final. And now, after a pretty dismal season to date, Selby’s back in the final.

Of course, you could say that it’s a good place for Ronnie as well – nine finals including today’s, six in the last seven years, four victories. But let’s face it - everywhere’s good for Ronnie.

Last year’s final between these two was a cracker of a match, both players knocking in big breaks amongst some fine tactical play as well. Selby’s break-building hasn’t been up to it’s usual high standard this season so far, and even in this tournament, but he’s a fighter. We saw his grit in that World final and it’s been present ever since. Selby’s semi-final with Stephen Maguire yesterday may not have been a classic, but he got the job done, breaks of 91, 51 and 55 sealing victory for him from 3-3 to 6-3.

O’Sullivan, on the other hand, was involved in one of the finest matches the Masters has ever given us, and that’s no mean feat. 2-0 down to Mark Williams after an early century from the Welshman, Ronnie made 86 and 99 to level, before taking the 5^th. Williams came back with a 132, and after taking a frame apiece, Williams went within a frame of victory at 5-4. The Rocket came back with a well-made 67, and took the last frame when Williams broke down after losing position in what looked to be a comfortable break.

As usual, Ronnie refused to get excited, labelling himself “surprised” at winning, and claiming that Williams was the better player on the day. He said that his recovery from 2-0 down began by playing some left-handed shots and “remembering how it felt to be a snooker player”.

Thanks Ronnie. You always make us mortals feel good when you say things like that.

So what about the final?

Ronnie may not be happy, but he’s playing the best I’ve seen this season. His long potting has been his problem over the last while, but it’s looked pretty good at times in this championship, and amongst the balls he’s as good as ever. He can claim a don’t-care attitude, but he gave us a fist-clench when he potted match-ball against Williams yesterday, so don’t you believe it. He wants that 5^th title, and wants to get in form for the World Championship in April.

Selby’s game has improved throughout the tournament. He saw off an out of sorts Ding Junhui before edging out Mark Allen to face Maguire. He’s still not at the level he was at last year, but he’s on his way back, and once he has a bit of form you know he’s going to hang in there. Don’t rule him out at 6-2 or 7-1 behind; there’s a Doherty-like grit there that’s going to bring him a rake of ranking titles over the years.

It does look like Ronnie’s got what it takes to win this match, but the Masters is full of great memories for Selby. It’s not a bad event to make your personal playground, and with only one loss in the tournament in his career, the Jester will fancy his chances.

P.S. Think we might see a 147.