LAST UPDATE | 1 May 2022
SNOOKER GREAT RONNIE O’Sullivan is on course for a seventh World Championship title after putting a row with the referee behind him to establish a 12-5 lead over Judd Trump in this year’s final on Sunday.
O’Sullivan will need just six more frames for a victory that would equal Stephen Hendry’s modern-day record of seven world crowns when the best-of-35 contest is played to a finish at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre on Monday.
Match referee Olivier Marteel accused O’Sullivan, 46, of making an obscene gesture after failing to get out of a snooker in the eighth frame.
That led O’Sullivan to challenge Marteel by telling the Belgian official he “saw nothing”.
O’Sullivan, who had been 5-1 up, lost the next two frames to 2019 world champion Trump and at the end of the session left the arena without offering the traditional handshake to Marteel.
The World Snooker Tour subsequently issued a statement that said: “Ronnie O’Sullivan received a formal warning from the referee following a gesture he made in the eighth frame.”
Prior to the snooker authorities’ statement, O’Sullivan told Eurosport: “I just think he (Marteel) seems to be looking for trouble.”
O’Sullivan quelled any lingering controversy by offering a fist bump to Marteel at the start of the evening’s play.
Trump though won his third frame in a row to cut O’Sullivan’s lead to 5-4 in an all-English final.
But O’Sullivan, the oldest player to appear the showpiece match since mentor Ray Reardon in 1982, hit back with a break of 66.
He then capitalised on a succession of errors from a clearly nervous Trump, with the 32-year-old left-hander having said beforehand it had always been a “dream” to play boyhood hero O’Sullivan in a world final.
Trump missed a simple black in the 11th frame and O’Sullivan punished him with a break of 118, his third century of the match.
It was a similar story in the next when, after Trump missed another seeingly routine black, O’Sullivan’s clearance of 97 put him 8-4 ahead at the mid-session interval.
Trump, a renowned long potter, then missed with an effort to the bottom corner when play resumed and O’Sullivan’s break of 42 extended his lead.
There were signs Trump might be finding his form in the next only for a missed pink to the middle pocket to let O’Sullivan back in.
A fine safety shot from O’Sullivan led to another missed long pot by Trump and it was not long before he was six frames ahead.
Trump then produced a commendable break of 80 to reduce O’Sullivan’s lead to five frames.
But his luck was out in the next when he potted an excellent long red only for the cue ball to rebound into the opposite bottom corner pocket.
The foul let the relentless O’Sullivan back in with an easy red over the corner that was the starting point for a frame-winning break of 60.
Trump made a promising start to the final frame of the session only to lose position and just fail to pot a long-range brown.
It was the only chance the remorseless O’Sullivan required as he ended the day with a masterful clearance of 87 and a seven-frame overnight lead.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
Great player, not great person
@John O Reilly: know him well do you John ?
@Kieran Tierney: read alot about him
@John O Reilly: oh yeah I’ve been reading a lot about Joseph Stalin ..feel like I’ve known him years
@Kieran Tierney: you should talk to someone about that. He is dead a long time
@John O Reilly: so as well as being presumptuous you also have a degree in the blatantly obvious…good man John
@Kieran Tierney: Brilliant fair play!!
@John O Reilly: he was correct in this instance though
@Kieran Tierney: you are in trouble if you have to know someone to comment about them on here. You must know all the Liverpool fans?
@John O Reilly: You get nothing for being nice in this world dealing with the British press
@John O Reilly: John you are done ..give it a rest
@John O Reilly: you don’t know me and you comment on me and personally attack me so what’s the difference John ?? Double standards. I went after you because you are a vindictive person and all your cronies who agree with you won’t change the fact .
@Kieran Tierney: You had a go at him. I can’t see any personal attacks at you unless comments were deleted
@Mickety Dee: correct. I offered opinions on here like we all do
@Mickety Dee: he was saying I have special needs and questioning my education..calling me a child ..etc etc on a different post …keep up at the back . Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened..
@Kieran Tierney: never called you special needs. Did ask you if you went to a special school. I was concerned about your lack of perception. It is very strange to suggest that I could not comment on Ronnie O Sullivan unless I personally knew him
@John O Reilly: so if I went to as special school would I not have special needs?? Keep digging John …the good news is you have Kelly to back you up now
@Kieran Tierney: no. Children with special needs go to mainstream schools. But you don’t know much
@John O Reilly: so who goes to the special schools ..do you know much ?? Lol you are making yourself look a right tool
@Kieran Tierney: people like you
@Kieran Tierney: playing the victim a bit there KT… Grow up a bit will ya I know you don’t like John’s opinions but it doesn’t mean they are all wrong… It’s you who’s looking a bit silly on this one
@John Kelly: I think you will find you are the one looking silly …I don’t have special needs so explain how I’m playing the victim…and what’s it to you anyway
@Kieran Tierney: that’s right kieran everyone is wrong except you. Anyone that likes other texts is a cronie and my friends from Foxrock agree with you
@John O Reilly: sure there’s people wanting to give you a square go …I’m sure that’s my fault too…you are just a mouth like your mate Kelly
@John O Reilly: no just you and Kelly are constantly wrong .. nobody else I have a problem with on the entire site …kinda tells you something
@Kieran Tierney: you’re doing it again… Latching on to the special needs thing trying to make more out of it. Let it go, he was clearly just coming back to you going at him. And a section of the cettic and rangers fans do need to wise up, same as certain bohs and rovers fans. Especially last week when you were quiet on Dalymount being wrecked by a bad element and Richarlison was silly to pick up the flare and Ronnie was being daft as well
@Kieran Tierney: I’d say that might have something to do with us being bohs fans… Just guessing
@Kieran Tierney: dry your eyes Kieran
@Kieran Tierney: yes it tells me you are sad
@Kieran Tierney: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/snooker/ronnie-osullivan-world-snooker-championship-26774841
@Paul Mcnevin: now Paul Kieran doesn’t like facts.
@John Kelly: I’m not a board member for rovers or PA so I have no reason to talk on the pitch being wrecked at dalydump .although we did wreck you on the pitch as usual.and just like you didn’t speak when bohs where causing havoc at the avivia .I don’t care if Ronnie was being daft I don’t like him lol so I don’t know why you are all sending me links hahaha I just said he didn’t know him personally to say he was a horrible person which is a fact …I’m just laughing at you both that’s why I need to dry my eyes hahahahahaha
@Paul Mcnevin: I DON’T LIKE THE GUY hahaha this is pointless like the two John’s comments
@John O Reilly: like the facts you think kids with special needs such as down syndrome etc are put in public schools you absolutely tool
@John O Reilly: you keep saying I’m sad …do you not have any more words in your limited vocabulary..seems like you were in special education
@Kieran Tierney: we’ll leave it alone happy Monday!
@John Kelly: you should of left it alone from the beginning it wasn’t your argument
@Kieran Tierney: you need to check some facts and realise we don’t have public schools in ireland
@Kieran Tierney: tragic, lonely, delusional….
@John O Reilly: so what are the schools that aren’t private John ….is there any point with you anymore .. actually you may have issues
@John O Reilly: tragic, lonely?? So now you are a psychiatrist as well as everything else hahaha you are some man for one man John . Delighted I got in your head rent free get it right round you !!!
@John O Reilly: public school / national school…just to solve your pedantic ways .
@Kieran Tierney: ah here that’s a bit harsh… Haha its not just exclusive to you KT I am allowed to express my veiw as well ;)
@Kieran Tierney: they have public schools in England. They are called state schools here…… but its a while since you had any brush with education
@Kieran Tierney: anyone in your head would have plenty of space
@John O Reilly: they are called national schools lol keep making a tool of yourself….still raging are you
@John O Reilly: you practice that witty retort in the mirror for an hour did you ? .
@John O Reilly: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/education/primary_and_post_primary_education/going_to_primary_school/primary_education_life_event.html#:~:text=Most%20children%20in%20Ireland%20start,the%20age%20of%206%20years.
@John Kelly: sorry John I was too busy looking at who rovers can draw in the champions League first round..oh yes it’s a different competition the champions League qualifiers still though ..it’s one more European competition that bohs aren’t in
@Kieran Tierney: who said he was a horrible person? I said he was a great player but not a great person…
@Kieran Tierney: won’t help your reading skills
@John O Reilly: King of pedantry …just like Mr Kelly..must be a bohs thing ..my writing skills are far better than yours since it’s almost impossible to decipher the mess of mistakes ..
@Kieran Tierney: that’s great Kieran good for you. If I’m not mistaken rovers exited both European competitions lamely. Bohs got knocked out in the 3rd qualifying Rd by 1 goal having won 2-1 in Dublin losing to the eventual quarter finalists PAOK who were then beaten by former European Cup winners Marseille… Compare that!
@John Kelly: rovers got into the Europa League group stages …I just bettered it
@Kieran Tierney: a great achievement for Irish football but not last year they didn’t…
@John Kelly: who mentioned year .. maybe this year you might better it ….oh wait
@Kieran Tierney: well I was clearly talking about last year.
Bit out of order by ronnie. Refs do a good honest job and its this refs first final too, the highlight of his career.
@Brian Dunne: second final he did 2015 aswell
@Gerry k: correct Gerry, my bad! Ronnie was still out of order though.
@Brian Dunne: Why was he out of order, Brian? In the incident with the cue ball, professional standards have to be upheld in a game where fractions matter, so he was right for insisting that they were: He’s not playing pool in the pub. If he made whatever gesture he was accused of making, the cameras would have picked up on it and it would be all over Twitter. He didn’t, they didn’t, and it isn’t, so he was right again.
@Stiofán Ó’Murchú: He was
O sullivan is and always will be a d@@@kh××d
@Matthew Doyle: why? He was correct.
@Matthew Doyle:
Cheap shot from nobody.
Gwan Trump (never thought I’d ever say that).
A complete diva
@John Fagan: Well it comes with genius ….haven’t you heard?
Ref looking for trouble, he’s only annoyed with himself after Ronnie annoyed him in the second frame about the cue ball position. O Sullivan can be a bit of a gob but ref looking for a scene there
How long did it take to re-spot the cue ball? That was ridiculous, dragging Trump into it too. Come on Ronnie focus on your snooker not picking on Refs. I actually thought Martell handled it well but was clearly flustered. Didn’t see the other incident….
@Trevor Wallace: the other incident was worse – he was way out of line with the way he spoke to the ref.
@Trevor Wallace: Martell handled both incidents terribly yesterday. The first one you have both players agreeing that the cueball is not replaced correctly and he took an age to get it right. O’Sullivan could have been nicer to him but the ball wasn’t replaced correctly and he was right to argue the toss with him. Still haven’t seen any gesture regarding the second incident but it was an important frame for Trump and the ref made it about him by warning O’Sullivan before Trump got down to play the frame ball which Trump rightly questioned if he couldn’t leave it until after the frame. Got the impression that Martell wanted a bit of retribution for the earlier incident to be honest and that’s not what you need from the referee. You shouldn’t know they are there
O’Sullivan if you let him away with it is a bully.
Ref should blank him from that moment because he’s an arrogant gob although best ever snooker player period
@Damien Doyle: Once you add period to the end of your comment it becomes fact.
@Benny McHale: once you add fact to the end of your sentence it becomes gospel!!!
@Eoin Nolan: once you add gospel to it it becomes religious
@James Lough: once you add religious, it becomes… ah f@@kin forget about it
@mitchellaneou5: once you add it to the end of a sentence it becomes Information Technology
@Benny McHale: stop making up facts.
He is a flawed genius and the only player worth watching at the moment.
Good
Always enjoyable to watch Ronnie.
Is he still a good player? I’ve zero knowledge as i avoid him like the plague. Seems like he’s still an insufferable prat.