Ronnie O’Sullivan dusted off an old cue from under his bed in Ireland and duly rocketed into the second round of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield after wrapping up a 10-2 win over He Guoqiang.
O’Sullivan required just 35 minutes to turn a 7-2 overnight advantage into another comfortable Crucible win, then revealed he had made the switch as he looks to gain momentum in his quest for a record-breaking eighth title at the venue.
O’Sullivan said: “My cue was hopeless yesterday. It was only because I’m feeling all right that I was able to get away with it. I felt like I could play the shots that I like today. It was stuck under my bed in Ireland, basically, for most of the year until I came here.”
Two centuries confirmed O’Sullivan’s march into a last-16 showdown with fellow 50-year-old John Higgins, which starts on Saturday night, and will serve as a classic antidote to the emerging narrative of up-and-comers including first-time qualifiers Stan Moody and Liam Pullen.
While the young British duo have already fallen to defeats against Kyren Wilson and Chris Wakelin respectively, the ‘Class of ’92’ members march on although O’Sullivan, who has again missed a slew of ranking tournaments this season, insists he is unsure about his ability to go all the way.
“It’s hard, because I haven’t played enough top players regularly to know,” added O’Sullivan. “It was hard but I need to improve. I’m still a bit rusty, obviously we’ll have to wait and see. Nothing’s impossible.”
In a post-match television interview, O’Sullivan jokingly described the tournament’s practice room as a “creche”, but picked out the likes of Moody and Pullen as special talents who could challenge the increasing Chinese dominance of the sport.
“I always say hello to the boys,” added O’Sullivan. “Stan gave me a little nod the other day. He’s a lovely boy and a great player. He’s got a lovely cue action and the way he gets through the ball, I think he’s going to be a world champion for sure.
“Liam Pullen is a lovely guy. I like seeing all the youngsters coming through. It does make you feel a little bit out of place, thinking, ‘why am I still here?'”
O’Sullivan did not need to break sweat to see off He, who had been plainly struck by nerves in Monday’s opening session and could offer little upon the resumption as O’Sullivan steam-rollered home with back-to-back knocks of 113 and 100.
It nudges him closer to eclipsing Stephen Hendry and becoming an eight-time Crucible winner, but O’Sullivan stressed the additional work that is required these days in order to stay ahead of the emergent new generations.
“I’m quite happy being in this situation,” he added. “If you told me I’d be here, not favourite to win but maybe sixth or seventh favourite and enjoying the game, I’d say, ‘yeah, great’.
“It’s harder to go in with both feet and put your whole life into it, because you’re not sure if you’re going to get the wins. That’s why I do little stints now. I just want to enjoy myself and not be a slave to the game.”
Elsewhere Chris Wakelin – pictured above – has hit back at criticism from seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry and vowed to be “at the front of queue” to congratulate O’Sullivan if he eclipses their shared record at the Crucible this year.
Wakelin, a two-time ranking event winner and world quarter-finalist last year, completed a 10-6 first-round victory over Liam Pullen then expressed his frustration at Hendry, now a BBC pundit who also presents a weekly show on YouTube, whom he insists “doesn’t rate me at all”.
“Every single event, whenever I’m playing a match on TV, he always says the other guy is going to win,” Wakelin said. “I laugh about it every time and it gives me a lot of pleasure to go out there and do my thing.
“Even on his YouTube the other day, which I’m a big fan of and watch every week, he said that he fancied Liam Pullen to beat me, and in the next breath he said, ‘I’ve never seen him play before’. Whatever.”
Asked if he would be willing O’Sullivan on to clinch a stand-alone eighth Crucible crown, Wakelin quipped: “Oh yeah – just to see his (Hendry’s) face at the end. They’ll definitely stick him on commentary for the final session of the final.
“It will be a long time coming and it would be quite funny. I’d be at the front of the queue to congratulate Ronnie.”
Wakelin revealed he got his own back when he was drawn to play Hendry in the British Open qualifiers in 2021, early in the Scot’s abortive comeback at the age of 52.
“I thought, I’ll have a little dig,” the 34-year-old said. “So when they (the media) asked me, are you looking forward to playing a seven-time world champion and legend, I said I was a bit young to remember when he was at his best but my mum was a huge fan – and then he beat me!
“I’ve got a massive amount of respect for anyone who’s ever won a tournament in this game. Stephen being a seven-time world champion, I’ve got nothing but admiration for the guy. But he clearly doesn’t think I’m any good.”
Four-time winner Mark Selby made short work of 2024 finalist Jak Jones on Wednesday, posting three half-centuries as he eased into a 7-2 lead ahead of the evening’s scheduled conclusion.
Additional reporting: PA