By Elliott West
“I don’t feel that old. I know what my age is but I feel young in my mind.I feel young when I’m around the table – I feel a lot younger around the table than these younger players. They look old, their brains are quite slow. I still feel like my brain’s pretty quick around the snooker table, which is enough.
They need to get their act together because I’m going blind, I’ve got a dodgy arm and bad knees – they still can’t beat me!”.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Introduction
Ronnie O’Sullivan’s eighth Masters title is right to be congratulated. Despite a 5-3 by Ali Carter at the end of the afternoon session, Carter’s lead melted away before his eyes in the evening and his errors after 7-6 cost him the match. O’Sullivan is a master of turning up the gas when it is required and in this instance, Ali drowned in his opponent’s brilliance. This victory raises a lingering question that to date, hasn’t been answered. That being, how do you beat someone who is at another level of snooker?
Frankly, O’Sullivan only gets beaten when his heart isn’t in it and his mind is elsewhere. I am not rubbishing anyone who has defeated him but it is a considering factor. With so many of the top players off the boil at the moment, it only takes an ‘A’ class Ronnie to turn up and the opposing field falls away like a reaped crop. Even with exceptional play by Ali Carter and Mark Allen in the previous rounds, O’Sullivan looked unbeatable. A man who says what he wants and still bask in his Sunday night glory.
The Snooker Headache
I really don’t think this problem for players will change until Ronnie retires and that is some way off. His sheer natural talent fails to falter and the others on the tour, really only have a chance when this snooker deity withdraws or plays below par. O’Sullivan has already won 23 Triple Crown titles over 30 years and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have a few more Triple Crown titles up his sleeve. There will come a time when he maxes out Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and probably Joe Davis. A rare breed of player that we may never see again.
Finding a Solution
“Too much intense snooker for me is not good. I need to back off and consolidate”.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
I think players need to tap into the mindset of Zhang Anda who isn’t phased by anyone he plays. He has nerves of steel and has a brilliant poker face when under pressure. He just picks up his cue and just plays, rain, wind or sunshine. Ali Carter had a good chance of slaying the dragon at the Masters and his loss will haunt him for some time. While Carter lies in a dark room, Ronnie is photographed by his Dad still in his clothes from the final with a beaming smile. Perhaps Ali Carter knows now what Jimmy White went through at the hands of Stephen Hendry. Ronnie’s aim of trying to win can be brutal. A loss that clearly rattled him, refusing to wear his runner-up medal.
It’s hard enough to beat [O’Sullivan]” Carter said. “But when you’ve got people shouting when you are on your shot and saying stupid things at important times because half of them haven’t got enough brains, it’s ridiculous.
“There are some morons in the crowd. It is just unbelievable really.”
Ali Carter
Ronnie certainly didn’t play his ‘A’ game throughout the Masters but was able to scrap out a comfortable win when required. In the final, O’Sullivan almost bullied his opponent with his choice of outlandish shots, goading him with his cue and setting down a gauntlet that he would beat Ali, whatever it took. If you don’t have three classes of snooker, he will run away with the match. You have to apply the brakes on his odd mistakes and score heavily. Otherwise, he will win a frame in sometimes minutes. Players like Neil Robertson and John Higgins are having purple patches, frustrating times when your form eludes you and end up like a golfer in the rough. As long as this continues, Ronnie O’Sullivan will prevail when he chooses to.
