Snooker World Championships 2015: Hard to split the pack as erratic Ronnie O’Sullivan faces challengers aplenty
All eyes will be on Ronnie O’Sullivan at this year's World Championship
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Your support makes all the difference.All eyes will be on Ronnie O’Sullivan at this year's World Championship which starts here in Sheffield on Saturday; they always will be, of course, for The Rocket is widely-regarded as the most gifted player to ever pick up a cue. Whether the five-time world champion is potting balls right or left-handed, the sport’s most colourful character has been there and got the T-shirt on the biggest stages and is seen as the one to beat.
However, this year’s tournament looks to be one of the most widely contested for a long time as a string of top players head to Sheffield, unusually high on confidence after winning titles this season.
The favourite O’Sullivan is back and looking to equal Steve Davis’ mark of six Crucible titles, but top names such as Mark Selby, the defending champion, Judd Trump, John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui will all fancy their chances of success at this year’s event.
To make things especially interesting, all 16 of this year’s qualifiers have three matches under their belts ahead of their first-round encounters. It will be intriguing to see whether that added match-sharpness will help the qualifiers or the extra miles on the clock will hinder them.
It is also a nice anniversary for the World Championships: it is 30 years ago that Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor contested that legendary 1985 black ball final which gripped 18 million viewers and did wonders for the popularity of the game.
Standards have improved aplenty in the 30 years that have followed that 18-17 victory for Taylor, and Davis admits he finds it is too hard to predict a winner for this year’s event.
“This year is the best year to sit on the fence,” said Davis. “Ronnie O’Sullivan is obviously the favourite, he always is, but there’s so many players who could win the title. It really is just too hard to call the winner.
“Ronnie is a great player, but the other players are getting better and closer to him. It’s good for the game.”
It is a view shared by the World Snooker chairman, Barry Hearn, who said: “It’s been the toughest qualification process in the history of snooker, so those 16 qualifiers walk out with their heads held high. It’s been brutal and horrible, but those guys have earnt it. They’ve earnt the right to play on the biggest stage.
“The qualifiers will go there hot having played three matches. It’s going to make the first-round matches brilliant to watch.”
O’Sullivan has won titles this season, but by his own admission he has lost his cool on a number of occasions with press photographers and referees despite a few years of relative calm. He’s also been highly critical of a new tournament and a lack of prize money in the modern game.
“I haven’t worked as much with [psychiatrist] Steve Peters as I was at the beginning, and have maybe taken my foot off the pedal in that respect,” admitted O’Sullivan, who lost to Trump in this season’s World Grand Prix final. Was that the start of the changing of the guard? Only time will tell.
O’Sullivan added: “I still use the principles of [Peters’ Chimp Paradox] model, and I am aware of it when it is falling apart a bit. I am very competitive and, of course, I want a sixth and even a seventh world title. But only I will know, and not until I get there, just how hard I am prepared to fight for it in Sheffield.”
No first-time winner has ever defended their crown, but if anyone is capable of doing it, then Selby is. He showed his true fight and determination to beat O’Sullivan in last year’s final.
Is O’Sullivan finally vulnerable to losing his crown as the best player on the baize? We will know in 17 days’ time.
FRONT OF THE CUE: FIVE TO WATCH
Kurt Maflin
London-based Norwegian has won three gruelling qualifiers just to qualify for the Crucible. Could be handful on his debut.
Judd Trump
Widely-regarded as the future of the sport, the potting sensation plays a similar brand of attacking snooker to that Jimmy White used to.
Ding Junhui
Former Masters and UK winner, the Chinese player is trying to become the first Asian to win snooker’s biggest prize.
Anthony McGill
Young Scot with a lot of potential. Tipped by John Higgins, the four-time World champion, to be a star of the future.
Mark Selby
No first-time winner of the competition has ever retained their crown, but if anyone is capable of breaking the famous ‘Crucible curse’, then the Leicester man is.
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