By Elliott West
“This was the best two years of my life”.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Introduction
Sometimes a snooker player needs a helping hand during their career and that can be said even of the greatest of the great, Ronnie O’Sullivan. Back in 2004, Ronnie had a cast iron game but certain aspects of it were going slightly rusty. Thanks to a telephone call to Ray Reardon by Paul Rinaldi, not as widely reported Ronnie’s father, Ronnie Senior from prison, Reardon accepted the challenge of using his wealth of knowledge and experience to coach/mentor the goat of snooker. This was an association that would last two years and Ray became a second father to O’Sullivan, nurturing this sometimes fragile individual, reigniting that victory fire in his belly and the hunger for success.
This was the ideal formula, a fusion of the minds of a past and present world champion. Reardon had helped transform snooker, making it a popular game, one that attracted large audiences and one where the players could actually survive on the money earned from their victories. Ray who accumulated six world titles during his illustrious career, walked into a situation where Ronnie had won one World Championship in 2001 and was eager to claim his second. A situation that O’Sullivan summed up when he reminisced about this special time in his life.
“I knew I needed something you know and I kind of felt my game was good but I was always thirsty to see if somebody could make me in to a better player”.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
The Unbelievable Relationship
No sooner had Ray Reardon received this unexpected telephone call, he packed and made his way to Sheffield. Retirement had caused the Welshman to lead a slower pace of life and spend most of his time on the golf course in Devon rather than the green baize. Ray retired in 1991, largely due to failing eyesight. He has tried all the methods in the book to battle advancing age including the upside down glasses and a sun visor but neither could prevent the blurred vision that he got when he played.
“I’ve made him laugh. I’ve told him jokes. And I’ve told him things that have happened to me, like when I was buried when I worked down a mine and should have died. And when I worked as a policeman. We all had other jobs. Terry Griffiths was a bus conductor”.
Ray Reardon
Ray was the guiding light for Ronnie, the man who whispered pearls of wisdom in his ear and showed him what to do on the table apart from potting balls. He provided the guidance that lit the inner fuse to make O’Sullivan better and better. These tips were precious gems that when incorporated into his game, caused the Rocket to fire on all cylinders. This can be summed up in Ray’s opening words to Ronnie, words that have never left this goat of snooker.
“The word was ‘I’m going to make you into an impregnable player’ and I didn’t even know what ‘impregnable’ meant. I thought, alright, well, if that’s what you think I need then we’ll go along those lines. And then it was just slowly after working in some practice sessions I thought we were just going to pot balls.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Impregnability and potting fluency is a winning combination and this is a combination that Ray developed with Ronnie over a two-year period. Ray had been there, beating the likes of John Spencer and Alex Higgins in his time. Jovial and warm-hearted off the table, Reardon was ruthless on it, caring not for his opponent but just wanting to get the victory fair and square. This magical period in snooker history obviously worked because O’Sullivan went on to win his second world championship in 2004. As Ronnie O’Sullivan raised the trophy and saluted his Welsh mentor by donning a set of plastic Dracula-style teeth, Ray Reardon and Paul Rinaldi applauded him from the Crucible’s wings. It was a challenge that Reardon said gave him a new purpose in life and added a number of years to it as well, proven by the fact that he has just celebrated his 90th birthday.
Afterthoughts
Without Ray Reardon, Ronnie O’Sullivan may not have had the drive and conviction to win a staggering seven world championship titles, equalling his rival Stephen Hendry. Still a player at the forefront of the game despite being 48 years of age, this player oozes class and ability. Reardon nurtured this natural ability and strengthened every weapon in his armoury. O’Sullivan is unique because he can win matches with his A, B or C games. Like a hawk, he swoops down on his opponents’ errors and punishes them with fluent breaks that kill off frames, often at one opportunity.
Gracious in victory or defeat, Ronnie still fears the occasion, he is fine when he is in the moment but suffers from his nerves before he walks onto the stage. He still gets that odd moment when his mental health gets the better of him and would rather withdraw to solace than play in a tournament in the wrong frame of mind. A highly private individual, O’Sullivan has a small selection of close friends. People who know the real Ronnie and in whose company, Ronnie can let down his guard. A warm and generous man in private, he still has the snooker bug and like Jimmy White, won’t be putting down his cue for many years to come.
