Ronnie O'Sullivan - 2007 UK Championship
Ronnie O'Sullivan demolished Stephen Maguire 10-2 to win his fourth UK Championship title.
He also compiled a tremendous 147 maximum in the deciding frame of his 9-8 semi final victory against Mark Selby.
Maguire, the 2004 champion, was unable to live with the brilliance of O'Sullivan who displayed his sheer genius and again marked his place as surely snooker's greatest player today.
O'Sullivan collected £100,000 and thanks to his 147 break a further £30,000 bonus.
This is his 19th world ranking title, four of which have been recorded at the UK Championship and it places him third on the all-time list, with Steve Davis (28) and Stephen Hendry (36). It was his first ranking title since the Irish Masters in 2005.
'It's been a long time and I never expected to win by that margin.' he said later.
O'Sullivan had the previous day set the tournament ablaze during his semi final against Mark Selby when he came back from trailing 4-1, 6-3 and 7-5. Selby looked exhausted as O'Sullivan turned up the pressure. It had looked at one stage as though O'Sullivan would be going home on Saturday evening.
Ronnie fought back to force the decider and when Selby missed the red in the deciding frame O'Sullivan jumped up and slammed in a perfect 147 to reach the final.
During the last few frames O'Sullivan had been aided in his concentration by counting the dots on a soup spoon and doodling on a piece of paper.
In the final O'Sullivan won all eight frames of the afternoon session and it looked as though Maguire was to suffer a whitewash, which was prevented as the Scot took the first and third frames of the final session. O'Sullivan then wrapped up the match with a brilliant break of 94.
'I envisaged the score being the other way round,' said O'Sullivan, 'I was only playing well in spells and I had to be at my best to win this one.'
Maguire praised Ronnie afterwards, 'Ronnie came out of the box like a whippet. I knew what was going to happen. He was far too good for me but really I am well pleased. I won in Belfast ( NI Trophy) two weeks ago and reached the final here.'
O'Sullivan celebrated his victory on the set along with his family, daughter Lily and girlfriend, Jo Langley.
UK TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The United Kingdom Professional championship was first held in 1977 at the Tower Circus in Blackpool.
In those days overseas players were barred from competing though Patsy Fagan from the Republic of Ireland slipped through the net as he held a UK passport to beat Doug Mountjoy 12-9 in the final.
Fagan, one of 12 children, was later hit by the “yips” when using the rest and this unfortunate complaint forced him out of the game in the following decade. When the championship moved to Preston Guildhall in 1978, Mountjoy defeated David Taylor 15-9 to win the title and he was followed by John Virgo (1979) Steve Davis (1980-81) Terry Griffiths (1982) and Alex Higgins (1983).
2007 Ronnie O'Sullivan
Virgo defeated Griffiths 14-13 but `had the misfortune to lose two frames by default when holding an 11-7 overnight lead. A belated dash to the venue from his motorway travel lodge, followed a phone call as to his whereabouts as the start time for the final Saturday afternoon session approached and he could not be found.
Virgo who had misread the session times, eventually arrived 20 minutes late and instead of leading by four with nine to play, was only two ahead in his search for his first major title.
Ball manufacturer, Super Crystallate, sponsored the championship in 1977 with Coral Racing following in 1978 until 1985.
In 1984, the championship was thrown open to all players, whatever their nationality, and now became a ranking event.
Davis took the title that year and like the world championship, was to dominate the UK until a certain Stephen Hendry joined the action.
From Preston, the championship moved to the BIC at Bournemouth and then to the Barbican Centre in York, where it remained until 2007 when the event moved to the Telford International Centre, previous home of the Grand Prix. Sponsors also changed with brewers Tennants replacing Coral, they were followed by Stormseal, Royal Liver Assurance, Liverpool Victoria, Powerhouse and Travis Perkins and Maplin.
It was the UK championship which launched the career of Davis but Hendry, the young pretender proved too strong for him in memorable finals in 1989 (16-12) and 1990 which the Scot won 16-15 in one of the best matches ever seen.
Twice in championship history, Hendry, master of the maximum break, compiled 147’s in front of the TV cameras, in 1995 and 1999.
Willie Thorne who lost to Davis 16-14 in the 1985 final after leading 14-8, compiled a non-televised maximum in 1987 while Peter Ebdon in 1992 and Nick Dyson in 2000 did likewise.
In 2005 Ding Junhui wrote his name into snooker’s record books when he defeated Steve Davis 10-6 in the final. Davis, the green baize legend, had dreamed of celebrating his 100th career final with a seventh UK crown, his last victory in the event was in 1987 when he beat Jimmy White 16-14 at Preston's Guild Hall.
But instead his teenage opponent, 30 years his junior, became only the second 18-year-old in the sport’s history to have won two ranking tournaments. There was no denying the China Open champion his success, the world No 62 became the lowest ranked player to lift the trophy in the 28 year history of the event.
It was Peter Ebdon who lifted the trophy in 2006 defeating Stephen Hendry 10-6. Hendry had recently 'gone back to his roots' in terms of practice and in reaching this final had shown his determination to get back to the form which made him so feared in the 90's. Ebdon however was aiming for the top again and in a methodical display of talent proved just to difficult an obstacle to Hendry.
The event had a new sponsor with Maplin Electronics and was to become the last at the Barbican Centre in York.
In 2008 the event moved to the International Centre in Telford as the previous venue - the Barbican Centre in York - was being demolished. Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Stephen Maguire 10-2, to win his first ranking title since the Irish Masters in 2005. During the semi final in a display of his snooker genius that left many in awe, he also compiled a 147 maximum to take the last frame from Mark Selby. Maguire, the 2004 champion, was unable to live with the brilliance of O'Sullivan who displayed his sheer genius and again marked his place as surely snooker's greatest player today.
| 2007 - Ronnie O'Sullivan bt S.Maguire 10-2 | 1992 - Jimmy White bt J.Parrott 16-9 |
| 2006 - Peter Ebdon bt S.Hendry 10-6 | 1991 - John Parrott bt J.White 16-13 |
| 2005 - Ding Junhui bt S.Davis 10-6 | 1989 - Stephen Hendry bt S.Davis 16-12 |
| 2004 - Stephen Maguire bt D.Gray 10-1 | 1988 - Doug Mountjoy bt S.Hendry 16-12 |
| 2003 - Matthew Stevens bt S.Hendry 10-8 | 1987 - Steve Davis bt J.White 16-14 |
| 2002 - Mark Williams bt K.Doherty 10-9 | 1986 - Steve Davis bt N.Foulds 16-7 |
| 2001 - Ronnie O'Sullivan bt K.Doherty 10-1 | 1985 - Steve Davis bt W.Thorne 16-14 |
| 2000 - John Higgins bt M.Williams 10-4 | 1984 - Steve Davis bt A.Higgins 16-8 |
| 1999 - Mark Williams bt M.Stevens 10-8 | 1983 - Alex Higgins bt S.Davis 16-15 |
| 1998 - John Higgins bt M.Stevens 10-6 | 1982 - Terry Griffiths bt A.Higgins 16-15 |
| 1997 - Ronnie O'Sullivan bt S.Hendry 10-6 | 1981 - Steve Davis bt T.Griffiths 16-3 |
| 1996 - Stephen Hendry bt J.Higgins 10-9 | 1980 - Steve Davis bt A.Higgins 16-6 |
| 1995 - Stephen Hendry bt P.Ebdon 10-3 | 1979 - John Virgo bt T.Griffiths 14-13 |
| 1994 - Stephen Hendry bt K.Doherty 10-5 | 1978 - Doug Mountjoy bt D.Taylor 15-9 |
| 1993 - Ronnie O'Sullivan bt S.Hendry 10-6 | 1977 - Patsy Fagan bt D.Mountjoy 12-9 |
