147

I managed to see Ronnie O’Sullivan’s latest 147 break (on TV, obviously, rather than ‘live’) last night, and I do think it’s a joy to watch when someone is that on form. The entire frame was just about perfect.

But it also annoys me – because O’Sullivan really is a stunning player when he’s on form, but when he’s not on form he’s a spoilt brat who storms off in temper tantrums, ‘retires’ on a regular basis, and really is just a pain in the arse.

I know there’s all the clichés about ‘fine line between genius and madness’ and so on, but still, I just wish he’d be more stable when he’s on a bad streak, and use that amazing talent to come back from bad streaks rather than succumbing to them.

Still, it was a fantastic frame, and a pretty stunning way to end a match, too. (I would think that the £157,000 prize for a 147 break came through as a pretty good motivator as well, of course.) I think O’Sullivan’s a fantastic player – I’d just prefer it if he also wasn’t quite such a complete cock.