Ronnie tops Davis’ UK haul
RONNIE O’SULLIVAN ripped up the snooker history books in York last night.
The Rocket made it a record 19 successes in snooker’s three major tournaments by being the first to win a seventh Betway UK Championship title.
O’Sullivan, 43, stormed to a 10-6 win over Mark Allen at the Barbican Centre to continue a blistering campaign.
World No.3 O’Sullivan is at war with supremo Barry Hearn over formats and venues on tour – and last week even threatened he could stage breakaway ‘Champions League’ events.
That triggered a furious response from Hearn, who called his box-office talisman “pathetic, ridiculous and selfish”.
But on the table O’Sullivan, who pocketed a £170,000 cheque last night, has won three of the five events he has played this season – and also reached a final and a semi-final.
O’Sullivan has now edged ahead of Steve Davis on UK wins – and has 19 Triple Crown triumphs, one clear of Stephen Hendry.
O’Sullivan’s big breakthrough came at the UK in 1993 at the age of 17 years and 358 days – and this marked the perfect 25th year anniversary.
Hendry won his 18 majors in 11 years, less than half the time. And he still holds two huge records – seven world titles at the Crucible, and 36 ranking titles with O’Sullivan now just two adrift of that one on 34.
Prize
Allen took consolation from his £75,000 runners-up prize, equalling a career-high ranking of No.6 in a superb year that saw him win the International Championship in China.
But it was a second loss in the UK final for the Northern Irishman, having gone down to Judd Trump back in 2011.
Allen, 32, needed a good start – and he got just that, taking the first frame.
But O’Sullivan hit straight back with a break of 101, the
986th century of his illustrious career.
The pair shared the next two, before a ruthless O’Sullivan surged ahead to take a 6-2 lead into the evening session.
After falling 7-2 down Allen trimmed the deficit with breaks of 56 and 105.
O’Sullivan cleared up from
59-6 down in frame 13 and soon closed out the contest.