O'Sullivan realises a dream

By Geet Sethi

SHEFFIELD, MAY 8. He won, not only in style but also with a panache and fluency that comes so easily to him. In claiming the Embassy World snooker championship with an 18-14 victory over John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullivan, fulfilled a goal, which was set when he made his first century as a ten year old.

The authentic talent, the sparkling effervescence and the genius of this 25-year-old have been often threatened with the trauma and turmoil of an insecure mind, which has had to come to terms with the sudden and unfortunate conviction of his father, who is serving life for killing a man in a nightclub brawl.

But on Monday night, the talent at last found fulfilment. The unpredictability and volatile mood swings, induced by the trauma and turmoil, were firmly put aside in the inner recesses of the mind, where hopefully they will remain untouched and hidden.

In a professional career, which commenced 11 years ago, the world's most talented cueist has had to wait eleven years to fulfil that dream. Having exorcised the demons more successfully than Jimmy White, who failed in his bid to get his fingertips around the world trophy despite coming close enough to place his hands on the gleaming piece of silverware a record six times, O'Sullivan has crossed the mental barrier which has inhibited his own success in a sport which he feels he should have dominated.

``I certainly feel that I should have won it at least a couple of times by now. I am surprised it has taken me until the age of 25 to get to reach the final. I'm not being big headed but I know how good I was'', said O'Sullivan after a comprehensive 17- 11 semifinal victory over Joe Swail. Even his most vociferous critic will be unable to argue with his own assessment of his capabilities.

Having seen the heights of success as a teenager - he became the youngest winner of the U.K. Championship at 17 years 11 months - and having gone through the frustrations of being unable to find consistency in his game and temperament, O'Sullivan has seen it all at the age of 25.

This victory will provide him with the one trophy that has eluded him. It will also give him the one missing piece in a puzzle in which he has to re-arrange other pieces of sanity and genius into their respective places, to complete a picture, which can be hung in the gallery of all time greats.

He seemed to have found the answers to his inconsistency a few months ago. In discarding his reluctance to indulge in tactical exchanges and in successfully controlling his adventurous urges in a game which is today played with scientific precision, he had come across the recipe which he converted into four delicious victories in the Champions Cup, Regal Scottish Masters, China Open and Irish Masters prior to arriving in Sheffield.

He outclassed Andy Hicks 10-2 in the first round, discarded Dave Harold 13-6 in the second round, carved a 13-6 victory over Peter Ebdon and expended little energy in disposing of Ireland's Joe Swail in the run-up to the final.

With a curious mix of calm and efficient break building, coupled with outbursts of inspired genius, O'Sullivan struck first by establishing a 6-2 advantage over Higgins. In retrospect the foundation of his victory was built in that session. Higgins tried hard and used all his experience to negate that four-frame advantage. He uncorked decisive breaks of 60, 107, 65, 65 and 98 in the next two sessions but failed in his bid to unsettle his opponent's momentum.

And then in that crucial fourth and final session, trailing 10- 14, Higgins momentarily found rhythm, rediscovered his composure and negotiated a vital long red into the top pocket. With only two reds on the table and having compiled a 50 earlier on, that red gave him the frame and for the first time in the entire contest, Higgins, stubborn and resolute, had reduced his arrears to only three frames. Having won the last three frames of the third session, this was Higgins's fourth successive frame, a cause for worry for O'Sullivan

Sensing danger, O'Sullivan responded and stretched his lead to four by winning the 26th frame. Early on in the next, O'Sullivan, in playing a safety, negotiated the cue ball to find the security of the baulk cushion but alarmingly left a red over the top pocket. Higgins stumbled, unable to find the target but was let off when O'Sullivan failed to capitalise. But that error from Higgins perhaps cost him the match.

O'Sullivan won the frame with a glittering 78 to go 16-11 ahead. The gap was too huge for the world No. 2 to recover. Ten breaks over 70, an array of glorious shots and 357 unanswered points, captured the essence of O'Sullivan's brilliance in the contest and his dominance was reflected in Higgins being unable to pot a single ball in eight of the frames which O'Sullivan won.

The Scot offered brief resistance winning the two more frames but faltered in the 30th frame missing a straightforward red into the top. At 17-13, with the score-board reading 69-6, the world No. 4 missed the championship ball - a simple red into the centre and with five reds on the table Higgins cleared till black with 65 to make it 17-14.

But O'Sullivan, with an 80 clearance, kept his date with destiny. A bit late perhaps, but unlike Jimmy White, had kept his date.

``This means more for my family than it does to me. My father - he loves me to bits and I love him immensely - will be thrilled and over the moon'' said the newly crowned champion, who took home œ 250,000 for his efforts.

The results (best of 35 frames): Ronnie O'Sullivan bt John Higgins 18-14 92 (88)-41, 0-92, 81 (81)-0, 79-0, 56-47, 0-135 (135), 90-28, 71 (70)-0, 49-72 (60), 49-36, 2-53, 50-68, 99 (99)- 0, 100 (100)-12, 22-108 (107), 99 (99)-0, 81 (81)-26, 12-78 (65), 139 (139)-0, 85 (85)-0, 133 (86)- 0, 33-65, 21-67 (65), 0-98 (98), 19-68 (50), 68-0, 78 (78)-43, 8- 67 (62), 5-105 (87), 68 (68)-60, 69-71 (65), 80 (80)-450.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : BAI in need of some fine tuning
Next     : Sasikiran suffers setback