O’sullivan strikes superb form to land record title

Ronnie O’sullivan vowed to continue making snooker history after becoming the first player to win seven UK Championship titles with a 10-6 victory over Mark Allen in York last night.

O’sullivan’s triumph saw him surpass the previous record he shared with Steve Davis, as well as edging past Stephen Hendry to win a 19th “triple crown” title – comprising the World and UK Championship and the Masters.

O’sullivan said: “It’s great to make history. To beat Davis’s record and to beat Stephen Hendry, who is my hero and the ultimate player, is just crazy. I never thought I would be chasing these kinds of records. I don’t want to stop there – I want to put in some distance and make it harder for the next guy to overtake me.”

O’sullivan’s triumph, sealed a quarter of a century after he first won the title as a 17-year-old, came after he reeled off six consecutive frames to turn an early 2-1 deficit to the reigning Masters champion into a 7-2 lead.