COLEGIULNAȚIONAL“IONLUCACARAGIALE”,MORENI PROFILFILOLOGIE,INTENSIVENGLEZĂ Lucrarepentruobținereaatestatuluila limbaengleză… [605440]

MINISTERULEDUCAȚIEI,CERCETĂRIITINERETULUIȘISPORTULUI
COLEGIULNAȚIONAL“IONLUCACARAGIALE”,MORENI
PROFILFILOLOGIE,INTENSIVENGLEZĂ
Lucrarepentruobținereaatestatuluila
limbaengleză
Profesorcoordonator:MateiMirandolina
Candidat: [anonimizat]-Bianca
Mai/2017

2RONALD RONALD
ANTONIO ANTONIO
““RONNIE RONNIE””
OO’’SULLIVAN SULLIVAN

3TABLEOFCONTENTS
ARGUMENT………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
PERSONALLIFE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
PROFESSIONALCAREER…………………………………………………………………………………………………………6
1993/1994season:FirstUKChampionship……………………………………………………………………………………7
1994/1995season:FirstMasterstitle…………………………………………………………………………………………..7
1996/1997season:Firstmaximumbreak……………………………………………………………………………………..7
2000/2001season:FirstWorldChampionship………………………………………………………………………………8
2003/2004season:SecondWorldChampionshipTitleandworldnumber1……………………………………8
2016/2017season:UKChampionshiprunner-upandrecordseventhMasterstitle………………………….8
RONNIEO’SULLIVANRECIEVESOBE………………………………………………………………………………………..9
RUNNING:THEAUTOBIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………………………10
WhatRonniesaidinRunning:TheAutobiography……………………………………………………………………….10
MILESTONESANDRECORDS…………………………………………………………………………………………………11
RONNIEO’SULLIVANAMERICANHUSTLESHOW…………………………………………………………………….14
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..14
BIBLIOGRAPHY&RESOURCES………………………………………………………………………………………………16

4ARGUMENT
ItissaidbytheBritishpeoplethatweshouldfeelluckythatRonnieO’Sullivan(Figure1)lives
inthesameeraasus,thatwearecontemporarywithhim.Also,Ronnieisregardedbymanyasthe
mostnaturallygiftedplayerinthehistoryofthegame,dubbedthe“Mozartofsnooker”andheis
thefirsteverambidextrousplayer.
Figure1.RonnieO’SullivanwinMasters[1]
Despiteofalltheproblemsthathehad,problemlikethefactthathisfatherwasarrestedand
wenttojailwhenRonniewasateenageandheneededhisfatheratthattimemorethananytime,
O’Sullivanwascapabletomoveonandsucceedandbuildahappylife.Also,anotherproblemthat
heneededtofightwithisdepressionandmentalillness.Hetalkaboutthissubjectandhowrunning
helphimtopassdepression.DespiteO’Sullivan’sspellbindingtalentandunpredictablepersonality,
hehasspentalongtimefightingthebiggestbattlesofhislife…thosewithhimself.Overrecent
years,withtherighthelp,hehasbeenabletotakecontrolofhisrunawaymind,harnessitspower
andworkwithit.
OneofthemainreasonswhyIdecidedtotalkaboutthismanisthefactthatheinspiresme
inmanywaysandhecanbeconsideredarealmodeltofollow.Heissmart,alotofpeoplecallhim
agenius;heisfunny,sometimesheiscomparedwithRowanAtkinsonandpeoplesaidthatthey
looklike.But,Iappreciatethemostthefactthathealwayssaidwhathethinkandhedidn’tcare
abouttheconsequences,hedidn’tcarewhatpeoplewillsay,heexpresshisopinioneventhat

5sometimehewassuspendedorpenalized.RonnieO’Sullivanistherenegadeofsnooker,buthe’s
alsotherenegadethatthe21stcenturysportingworldneeds;he’sthemanthatcanbringtheones
sidelinedbysportsbackintothefrayandreignitetheirinterestinaworldofsportthatisviewedas
nothingmorethanawebofcorruption,moneyandselfishness.
PERSONALLIFE
RonniewasborninWordsley,(5December1975)WestMidlands,buthegrewup,andstill
livesinChigwell,Essex.Whenhewas16,hislifewastakenupsidedownwhenhisfather(Ronnie
O’SullivanSr.)wasarrestedand,later,jailed,formurder.Notlongafterthat,hismother(Maria
O’Sullivan)wasalsoarrestedandjailedfortaxevasion.Sucheventswouldhavebeendistressing
foranyteenagerandthefactthatRonniewasalreadyastarinhissportdidn’tmakeiteasierashe
hadtodealwithitallunderthescrutinyofthemedia.Ronniethoughisafighterandhassought
solutionstohisproblemsandtriedtobetterhimselfthroughouthisadultlife.Heiscurrently
workingwithDrStevePeters,thewellknowsportpsychologistwhohelpedtheBritishOlympic
cyclingteamandauthorof“TheChimpParadox”.
Asolutionofhisproblemswasrunning,hesaidthatitkeephimaliveandgivethepowerto
moveand,whenheisrunninghefeelthatalltheproblemsdisappear.Itexplainthefactthat
RonnieisakeenlongdistancerunnerandrunsforWoodfordGreenwithEssexLadies.His
personalbestover10kmis34′54”.Heinsiststhatrunninghelpshimtofindabetterbalanceandto
keepaclearhead.
Ronnielovesallsports,butisparticularlyinterestedinathletics,boxingandtennis.Hesaidthat
heisamassiveFedererfan.HelovescarsandevenparticipatedintheVolkswagenRacingCupat
SilverstoneusingaVolkswagenJettawiththecarnumber“147”.
Heenjoyscooking.Heparticularlyloves–tocookandeat–Chinesefood.He’salso“famous”
forhissavorycurries.
Ronniehasthreechildren:TaylorAnn,alreadyayoungadult,bornfromanearlyrelationship,
LillyandRonnieJrfromformerpartnerJoLangley.Hehasastronglovingbondwithhistwo
youngestchildrenandisadotingdad.Hisson,RonnieJr.isonehisbiggestsupporterandheis
alwayspresentatmajormatchesthathisfatherhave.HeisengagedtoactressLailaRouass.
Ronnieistheauthoroftwobooks,writtenincollaborationwithSimonHattenstoneand
publishedbyOrion:“Ronnie,theAutobiographyofRonnieO’Sullivan”(published2003,second
edition2004)and“Running:TheAutobiography”(published2013).

6PROFESSIONALCAREER
RonnieisafivetimesWorldChampion.Hehaswon28rankingtitles,including5UK
Championships,3minorrankingtitlesand28invitationalprofessionaltournaments,amongthem7
Masterstitles.
Hisentertaining,fastandattackingstyleofplayearnedhimhisnickname,TheRocket,andhas
endearedhimtomillionsoffansaroundtheworld.TheepitomeofRonnie’sgameisprobablythe
famous147thathecompletedin5minutes20secondsagainstMickPriceattheWorld
Championshipin1997,thefastedmaximumeverinsnookerhistory,whenhewas22yearsold.
Alsohemadeabreaksof133inthattournamentandlostinthesecondroundwhenheplayed
againstDarrenMorgan.
Achildhoodsnookerprodigy,O'Sullivanmadehisfirstcenturybreakatage10,andhisfirst
maximumbreakatage15.Heturnedprofessionalin1992,attheageof16,andsoonearnedthe
nickname"TheRocket",becauseofhisrapidplayingstyle.Heachievedhisfirstmajorprofessional
successwhenhewonthe1993UKChampionshipattheageof17yearsand358days,whenhe
defeatedAlanMcManus,NigelGilbert,KenDoherty,inthequarter-finalRonniedefeatedSteve
Davis,insemi-finalshedefeatedDarrenMorganandinthefinalhedefeatedStephenHendry.This
madehimtheyoungestplayerevertowinarankingtitle–arecordhestillholds.Heisalsothe
youngestplayertohavewontheMasters,havingcapturedhisfirsttitlein1995attheageof19
yearsand69days.HisrecordinTripleCrowneventsnowstandsatfiveWorldChampionship,a
recordsevenMasters,andfiveUKChampionshiptitles.Hiscareertotalof28rankingtitlesputs
himinjointsecondplace(withSteveDavisandJohnHiggins)behindStephenHendry,whohas36,
andhiscareerearningsofover£8millionputhiminsecondplaceafterHendryonsnooker's
all-timeprize-moneylist.O'Sullivanhasheldtheworldnumberonerankingonmultipleoccasions,
mostrecentlyduringthe2009/2010season.HisotherachievementsincludetenPremierLeague
titlesandwinningtheNationsCupwithEnglandin2000.
Knownasaprolificbreak-builder,O'Sullivanholdstherecordforthemostcompetitivecentury
breakswith874.Healsoholdstherecordforthemostratifiedmaximumbreaksinprofessional
competition(13),andforthethreefastestcompetitivemaximumbreaks

71993/1994season:FirstUKChampionship
Inthe1993/1994seasonO'SullivandefeatedHendry10–6inthefinaloftheUK
Championshiptowinhisfirstrankingtitle.Attheageof17yearsand358dayshebecamethe
youngesteverwinnerofaprofessionalrankingtournament.HefacedHendryagaininthefinalof
theEuropeanOpen,butlostwithascoreof5–9.HewonhissecondrankingtitleattheBritish
OpenbydefeatingJamesWattana9–4inthefinal.Havingstartedtheseasonrankednumber57in
theworld,heendeditrankednumber9,infrontofsomeplayerslikeAlexHiggins,JohnHiggins,
PeterEbdonorMarkDavisandwasnamedtheWPBSA'sPlayeroftheYearfor1994.
1994/1995season:FirstMasterstitle
O'Sullivandidnotwinanyrankingtitlesduringthe1994/1995season,butturnedin
consistentlystrongperformances,reachingthequarter-finalsoftheGrandPrix,theUK
Championship,andtheWelshOpen;thesemi-finalsoftheDubaiClassic,andtheEuropean
Open;andthefinalsoftheThailandOpen,andtheBritishOpen.HecapturedhisfirstMasterstitle
bydefeatingJohnHiggins9–3inthefinal(healsodefeatJohnParrott-worldnumber6,Terry
Griffiths-worldnumber12andPeterEbdon-worldnumber10)becomingtheyoungestplayer
evertowinthetournamentattheageof19yearsand69days.HealsoreachedhisfirstWorld
Championshipquarter-final,butlost8–13toHendry.Bytheendofhisthirdseasonasa
professionalO'Sullivanwasrankednumber3intheworldbehindHendryandDavis,butinfrontof
AlanMcManus,JimmyWhite,JohnHigginsorJohnParrott.
1996/1997season:Firstmaximumbreak
Inthe1996/1997seasonO'Sullivanwontworankingtitles,theAsianClassicby
defeatingBrianMorgan9–8inthefinal,andtheGermanOpenbydefeatingAlainRobidoux9–7in
thefinal.InFebruary1997,hereachedhisthirdconsecutiveMastersfinal,wherehefacedDavis,
buthelostwithascoreof10-8.On21April1997,whileplayingMickPriceinthefirstroundof
theWorldChampionship,O'Sullivanmadethefastestevercompetitivemaximumbreakin5
minutesand20seconds,anaverageofoneshotevery8.8seconds.ThiswasalsoO'Sullivan'sfirst
maximumbreakinprofessionalcompetition.MickPricesaidaboutthismatch:"Ionlyrealizedthe

8guywashumanwhenhetookabreathbeforethegreen-andhetoldmelaterthathestartedgetting
abitnervousatthatpoint.”.Also,Ronniecommented:"Itisstillmyfavoriteframe.ItistheoneI
getaskedaboutthemost.ToscorearecordmaximumattheCruciblewasanamazingthingand
remainssomethingveryspecial.”
2000/2001season:FirstWorldChampionship
Duringthe2000/2001seasonO'Sullivanwonsixtournaments(ChampionsCup,Scottish
Masters,ChinaOpen,IrishMasters,PremierLeague,WorldSnookerChampionship)andreached
thefinalofonefurtherevent.HewentontoclaimhisfirstWorldChampionshiptitlewithan18–14
victoryoverJohnHiggins.
2003/2004season:SecondWorldChampionshipTitleandworldnumber1
Inthe2003/2004season,O'Sullivanreachedthreeranking-eventfinals(BritishOpen,Masters
andWelshOpen-hewonbydefeatingSteveDavis).Also,in2004wontheWorldChampionship
Titleforthesecondtimeinhiscareerandhededicatedhisvictorytohisjailedfather,Ronnie
Senior."Iwentallemotionalduringthematchaswellandwhenitwentto14-8Iwasthinkingof
mydadwatchingthefinalontelevisioninprison.Iwasthinkingofhimquitealot.He'llbesitting
inhiscellchuffedtobitsnowandI'dliketogoandseehimsoon.Thisone'sforhim……Ijustwant
togoandseemydad,chattohimandbeinhiscompany.That'sthemostimportantthing.",Ronnie
said.
2016/2017season:UKChampionshiprunner-upandrecordseventhMasterstitle
O'Sullivanbeganthe2016/2017seasonlate,attheShanghaiMasters(19-25September2016).
Also,hewaspresentatEnglishOpen,ChampionofChampionandheendedtheyearparticipating
attheScottishOpen.Also,RonniewaspresentattheEuropeanMasters,atCircusGlobusin
Bucharest,Romania(countrythathevisitedtwiceandsaidaboutitthatitisoneofthebestcountry
thathehaveevervisited)wherehelostinthefinalagainstJuddTrump.
AttheUKChampionship,Gallivantproduceddominantdisplaysinthefirstthreematches
beatingBaritoneKeewatin,PhysClarksandMichaelGeorgia.ThenhebeatMatthewStevens,
MarkWilliamsinthequarter-finals,MarcoFuinatensesemi-final,winingthedecidingframewith

9adecisivebreakof130.Unfortunately,helostinthefinal,MarkSelbybeingtheonewhowonthe
UKChampionshiptitle.
Inthenewyear(2017),O'SullivanreturnedtotheMastersasthedefendingchampion.He
defeatedLiangWembo,NeilRobertson,MarcoFuandinthefinalhedefeatedJoePerrytowinhis
seventhMasterstitle,settingtherecordforthemostnumberoftitlewinsatthetournament.Also,
thisyearRonnieparticipatedatGermanMasters,PlayersChampionship,WorldGrandPrix,Welsh
Open,ChinaOpenandWorldChampionship.Despitethefactthathescoredthetournament’s
highestbreaka146,Ronnielostinthequarter-finals,defeatedbyDingJunhui.Followinghisloss,
O'Sullivanstatedthathehadnointentionofretiring.
RONNIEO’SULLIVANRECIEVESOBE
Thethreemostwell-knownawardsrepresentdifferentranksintheOrderoftheBritishEmpire.
ThehighestrankingofthethreeisaCommanderoftheOrderoftheBritishEmpire(CBE),
followedbyOBE(Officer)andthenMBE(Member).
AnOBEisawardedforhavinga“majorlocalroleinanyactivity,includingpeoplewhosework
hasmadethemknownnationallyintheirchosenarea”.
RonnieO'SullivanenjoyedaroyalwelcomewhenhecollectedhisOBEatBuckinghamPalace,
supportedbyFootballersWivesactressandgirlfriendLailaRouass.
TheRocket,afive-timeworldchampion,washandedhisgongbyPrinceCharlesattheformal
investiture,havingbeennamedontheNewYearHonourslistinDecember.
O'Sullivan,whosaidin2014thathewasnotdeservingofsuchanaward,woreadarksuitand
blacktietotheeventonabrightandwarmafternooninLondon.

10
Figure2.PrinceCharlesconductedtheOBEinvestitureatBuckinghamPalace,whereTheRocket
receivedhisgong[2]
RUNNING:THEAUTOBIOGRAPHY
RonnieO’Sullivanisanemotionalcharacterwhoprovokesextremereactions.Someseemto
thinkheisalivingdeity,othersanuisancewhoshouldbedrummedoutofsnooker.
Theinterestingthingabouthisnewautobiography,Running,isthatitwillprobablyconfirm
andentrenchyourpre-existingviewofthefivetimesworldchampion.Ifyouthinkheisasensitive,
misunderstoodsoulinneedofahugandcupofteaorifyouthinkheisamillionairesportsman
whiningonaboutthebadchoiceshehasmade,therewillbemuchheretobringyousuccor.
WhatRonniesaidinRunning:TheAutobiography
Butlifeisn’tblackandwhite.Likesnooker,itisplayedincolor.ThetruthisO’Sullivanisno
oneperson.Likeanyone,heisamassofcontradictions.Morethanmost,hisstoryisworthtelling.

11“ThroughoutSheffield2013peopleaskedmewhyI’dquit,whyIwasback,andthoughdribs
anddrabsemergedIknewIcouldn’ttellthestoryproperlyinafewsoundbites.Someofthem
soundeddraftorunconvincinginan“Ah,that’sjustRonnie”way-whenIsaidI’dcomebackto
paythekids’schoolbillseverybodylaughedandsaidhowcouldyounothavemoneyforthat.They
thoughtIwasjoking.ButIwasn’t.Sothisbookistosettherecordstraight.“-Ronniesaidinhis
book.
“Running,”hesays,“gavemeasenseofprofessionalismandpurpose.Itmademewanttoget
outofmybedinthemorning;itmademewanttotakecareofmyappearance;itmademehavea
bitofrespectformyselfandthatallhelpedmysnooker.”
“WhatIwanttodoistogiveaninsightintoasportsman’slife,andshowhowdifficultitcan
betobalancefamilyandprofessionallife.Don’tgetmewrong,Iain’taskingforyoursympathy-I
knowjusthowluckIamtobegifted,tohaveahugefollowingandtobeabletomakemoneyand
traveltheworldplayingthegamethatIlove(whenI’mnothatingitthatis).Andyes,inonewayto
itisaveryglamorouslife.Butsometimes,ifthingsdon’tworkoutasyou’dhopedinyourprivate
life,itbecomesimpossibletokeepahappybalancebetweenfamilyandwork,andsometimesyou’re
forcedintochoosingoneaheadoftheother.”-O’Sullivanwriteinhisbook.
O’Sullivan’stumultuouslifeseemedattimestobeveeringwildlytowardsdisasterbuthehas
foundanequilibriumanditappearshiscareer,likehim,hasalongtimelefttorun.
MILESTONESANDRECORDS
Ronnieisknownasa“record-breaker”.Hereissomeoftherecordthat“TheRocket”hold.
Becametheyoungestplayertowinarankingevent(17years,51weeks)atthe1993UK
Championship(12-28November1993).
Quickestplayertoreachonehundredcenturybreaksand£1millioninprizemoney;then200
centurybreaksand£2millioninprizemoney.Wentover£3millionthreeseasonsago,£4million
twoseasonsago–andover300centuriesduring2002/2003season.
Compileroffastest147inhistoryatfiveminutes,20seconds–1997worldchampionshipin
thefirstroundagainstMickPrice.ThereissourceswhosaidthatRonniemadethebreakfasterbut
inthehistorybook,itremainedfiveminutesand20seconds.
Holdsrecordwith38consecutiverankingeventmatchwins–infacthisfirst38matchesasa
professional.
Wonworldunder21championshipasa15year-old,compiledfirstcenturyat10,wonhisfirst
pro-amat12.

12FinallyclaimedworldtitlehisnaturaltalentsorichlydeserveswhenhebeatJohnHiggins
18-14in2001final.Inall,hecapturedsixtitlesthatseason.ChampionsCup,ScottishMasters,
ChinaOpen,IrishMasters,PremierLeagueandWorldSnookerChampionship.
JoinedSteveDavis,StephenHendry,JohnParrottandJohnHigginsasonlythefifthplayerto
completetheWorldandUKChampionshipdoubleinthesameyearwhenhewonhisthirdUK
ChampionshipatYorkinDecember2001.
HecompiledthethreehighestbreaksoftheEuropeanOpeninMarch2003:142,140and139.
Also,inanequallyhighqualityfinalhebeatJohnHiggins10-9tobecometheIrishMasters
championandonlytheninthplayerinthesport’shistorytowinback-to-backrankingevents.
InApril2003,duringhisfirstrounddefeatbyMarcoFuintheEmbassy,O’Sullivanbecame
thefirstplayertocompiletwo147’sattheCrucible.Healsobecamethefirstplayertomakea
maximumthereandlosethematchinquestion.
InJanuary2004ralliedfrom8-5downtobeatSteveDavis9-8inagrippingfinaloftheWelsh
OpeninCardiffthenfinishedofftheseasoninfinestylebywinningtheEmbassyWorld
Championship.
Ronniehasearnedmoreprizemoneyandmademorecenturybreaksin2003/2004&
2004/2005(bestseasonsofhisentirecareer)seasonsthananyoneelse.
InOctober2004completedacleansweepofrankingtitlesbywinningtheTotesportGrandPrix
atPrestonGuildHall(defeatedIanMcCullochinthefinal).Hehasnowwoneveryoneoftheeight
worldrankingtournamentscurrentlyonthecalendaratleastonce.
Won2005MasterstenyearsaftercapturinghisfirsttitleatWembley,finishingoffwitha134
totalclearance,thenbeatMatthewStevens10-8inthefinaloftheIrishMasters,clinchingvictory
withamemorable69clearancetostealtheclosingframeontheblackfrom68adrift.
Duringthe2005IrishMastersbecameonlythesecondplayer,afterStephenHendry,to
construct400centuriesinprofessionalcompetition.
DuringtheNorthernIrelandTrophy2007becamethefirstplayertowinabestof9frame
rankingmatchwith5centuriesincludingamaximumbreak
InthesemifinaloftheUKChampionships2007beatMarkSelby9-8witha147inthe
decidingframe.
Inhis2008WorldChampionship(tournamentwinningbyRonnie)last16matchagainstMark
WilliamsRonniecompiledhisrecord9th147.ThiswasRonnie'sthirdattheCrucible.
Attheendofthe2007/8seasonRonniebecamethefirstplayertoregaintheWorldNumber1
spotforathirdtime.
InDecember2008RonniewonthePremierLeague(11September-7December)titleforthe
5thconsecutivetime,andthe8thintotal,beatingMarkSelbyinthefinal7-2.

13InJanuary2009RonniebrokeHendry’srecordnumberof41centuriesmadeintheMasters
whileplayingMaguireintheSemiFinal.Henowholdsthenewrecordwith49centuriesinthe
competitionagainst43toHendry.
InSeptember2010,duringhisWorldOpenlast64matchagainstMarkKing,Ronnie
completedthetenthcompetitive147inhiscareer,settinganewalltimerecord.
RonnieO’SullivanwontheinauguralPowerSnookerTournamentheldatIndigo,theO2Arena,
Londonon30October2010,beatingDingJunhuiintheFinalwithascoreof572-258.
InNovember2010RonniewonthePremierLeagueSnookerandsetanewrecord:hebecame
theonlyplayertowinaprofessionalevent9times,beatingSteveDavis’s8IrishMasterswins.
InNovember2011hebetteredthatrecordbybringinghisPremierLeaguetallyto10titles.
Bywinningthe2013WorldChampionshipRonniebecamethefirstplayertodefendhisWorld
crownsinceStephenHendryin1996.HejoinedHendryandDavisintheexclusiveclubofplayers
whodiddefendaWorldcrown.Also,anewmemberofthisexclusiveclubisMarkSelbywinning
inMay2017.Thefeatwasallthemoreremarkablebecausehehadonlyplayed,andlost,one
competitivematchallseason,alowprofilelast128inaPTC.Ronniealsobrokeafewotherrecords
duringthattournament:hebetteredHendry’srecordof127centuriesattheCrucible,bringingthe
newtargetto131.Healsobecametheonlyplayertohavecompiled6centuriesduringaWorld
Final.
InhisquarterfinalsmatchintheMasters2014,RonniebeatRickyWalden6-0in58minutes
andscored556unansweredpoints,anewrecord.Hebrokeanotherrecordonthenextdaywhenhe
bookedhisplaceintheFinal,his10thinthistournament,morethananyoneelse(StephenHendry
has9finalappearancesinTheMasters).Ronniethenwentontowinit.
Ronniemadehis12thmaximumbreakinthefinalframe,oftheFinaloftheWelshOpen2014,
goingonebetterthanStephenHendryandsettingupanewrecord.Itwasalsothefirsttimethata
maximumbreakwasmadeinthefinalframeofarankingfinal.
Ronniemadehis13thmaximumbreakinthefinalframeofhislast16matchagainstMatthew
SeltattheUKChampionship2014,betteringhisownrecord.Hecouldbeatthisrecordwithanother
twomaximumbreakin2016and2017butherefusedbecauseheconsideredthattheprizewasto
small(17,700$).
InthelastframeofhisfirstroundmatchattheMasters2015,onJanuary13,2015,Ronnie
madea116,his775competitivecentury,equallingStephenHendry’srecord.Thatwashisbirthday
presenttoStephenandthefactthatitwasaidedbyamassiveflukeonthelastyellowwasthe
cherryonthecake.Twodayslater,heeffectivelybroketherecordwhenhemadea101inthefirst
frameofhisQFmatchagainstMarcoFu.Hewonthatmatchandbydoingsohebrokeanother
record:itwasRonnie’s43thwinattheMasters,betteringHendry’s42.

14Hereachedthe800careercenturiesmark,onJanuary5,2016,duringhislastgroupphase
matchoftheGroup1oftheChampionshipLeagueSnooker2016.
OnJanuary16,2016,heplayed(andwon)his62thmatchatTheMasters,anewrecord:Jimmy
Whitewasthepreviousholderwith61.Onthenextday,RonniejoinedStephenHendryonsix
Masterstitles,21yearsafterwinningitforthefirsttimeasateenager.At40,healsobecamethe
secondolderwinnerafterRayReardonwholastwonitat43.
On21February2016,RonniewontheWelshOpen,bringinghisrankingeventstallyto28,on
parwithSteveDavisandJohnHiggins,secondonlytoStephenHendry.Thiswasalsohis4th
WelshOpentitle,sharingtherecordwithStephenHendryandJohnHiggins.
On22January2017,RonniewontheMastersforarecordseventhtime,onebetterthan
StephenHendry.
RONNIEO’SULLIVANAMERICANHUSTLESHOW
ItisafourpartdocumentaryaboutAmerica’s300yearshistorywithpoolgame.
ThisprogrammerisatraveloguewitheachepisodetakingRonnieandhisfriendMattSmithto
adifferentU.Scitywheretheycanexploreandplaypool.Halfoftheepisodeis“TheRocket”
playingpool,withmatchesinalocalclubsbeingcompressedintoafewminutes.Therestofthe
episodeisatourofsomehighlightsofthecity,somethingincludingthingsrelevanttopoolsuchas
factoryorsupplier.
Ronniefacesaseriouschallengeashetakesontheiconsofthesportforbraggingrightsand
nationalpride.“ThePearl”,“TheKidDelicious”,“TheBlackWidow”,“TheFreezer”arethe
playerswhoplayspoolagainst“TheRocket”.
Animportantthingintheshowisthefactthatevenifsnookerisnotthesexiestormost
glamorousofsports,Ronnieprovessnookerplayerscanbecoolandfunny.
RonnieO’SullivanAmericanHustlecanbewatchedonHISTORYChannel.
CONCLUSION
Tosumup,RonnieO’Sullivanisaninterestingcharactertowatch,notonlyatthesnookertable,
hispersonalitymadehimtobedifferent,heisthattypeofguythatthe21stcenturysportingworld
needs.Throughouthislife,hehasneverbeenbotheredbytherecordsortitle.Healwayswantthe
bethebesthecan,buthebasicallyplaysnookerinthesamewayhedidasakid,justtryingtopull
offgoodshot.

15Itcanbefunnythatthemosttalentedsnookerplayerever,didn’tchoosetoplaysnooker.”I
neverreallychosetoplaysnooker;mydaddidthatforme,andIwishhehadn’t.WhenIwasakid,
Ijustwantedtohavealaugh,pottingtheoddball,butI’dprobablyhavebeenhappierplayinggolf
orfootball,ordrivingcarsforaliving–somethingoutside,withanadrenalinbuzz.”,hesaid.
Figure3.RonnieO'SullivancelebrateswithhismotherMaria(left),sonRonnieandsisterDanielle
[3]
Inmyopinion,RonnieO’Sullivanisoneofthethegreatestplayerofsnookerofalltime,an
nobodycanbeasgoodasheis,heamazesmeeverytimeIseehimplay.Also,heisagreatwriter
andhisinterviewsaresofunnytowatch,especiallywhenheisinaconflictwithWPBSA(World
ProfessionalBilliardsandSnookerAssociations).
WhenyouthinkaboutRonnieO’Sullivan,hisabilitytoplaysnookerisunquestionable,making
thegamelookridiculouslyeasy.AsIsay,heisthebestandalwayswillbe.

16BIBLIOGRAPHY&RESOURCES
[1]http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker/ronnie-osullivan-says-snooker-trouble-3174762
[2]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3577207/Ronnie-O-Sullivan-poses-partner-Laila-
Rouass-collects-OBE-Prince-Charles.html
[3]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-2453073/Ronnie-OSullivan-accuses-World
-Snooker-trying-stop-winning-title.html
[4]http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/snooker/ronnie-osullivan-receives-obe–7094524
[5] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3379340/Ronnie-O-Sullivan-changes
-mind-snooker-star-awarded-OBE-Queen-s-New-Year-s-Honours-list.html
[6] http://www.eurosport.com/snooker/world-championship/2016-2017/ronnie-osullivans-
fastest-maximum-in-history-was-faster-than-official-time_sto6146498/story.shtml
[7]http://en.espn.co.uk/snooker/sport/story/263413.html
[8]O’Sullivan,Running:TheAutobiography,PublishingOrion,London,2014
[9]http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18682641-running
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_O%27Sullivan#1993.2F1994_season:_first_UK_
Championship_title
[11]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_O%27Sullivan#1994.2F1995_season:_first_Masters_title
[12]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_O%27Sullivan#1996.2F1997_season:_first_maximum_
break
[13]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_O%27Sullivan#2000.2F2001_season:_first_World_
Championship_title
[14]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_O%27Sullivan#2003.2F2004_season:_second_World_
Championship_title_and_world_number_1
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_O%27Sullivan#2016.2F2017_season:_UK_
Championship_runner-up_and_record_seventh_Masters_title
[16]https://ronnieo147.com/about/ronnies-profile/
[17]https://ronnieo147.com/about/ronnies-career-milestones/
[18]https://ronnieo147.com/about/ronnies-career-statistics/