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‘I’m over the moon to win any tournament, let alone the UK Championship,’ said Ronnie O’Sullivan.
‘I’m over the moon to win any tournament, let alone the UK Championship,’ said Ronnie O’Sullivan. Photograph: Richard Sellers/PA
‘I’m over the moon to win any tournament, let alone the UK Championship,’ said Ronnie O’Sullivan. Photograph: Richard Sellers/PA

Ronnie O’Sullivan demolishes Shaun Murphy to seal UK Championship title

This article is more than 6 years old
O’Sullivan wows York Barbican with a majestic 10-5 victory in final
Win sees 42-year-old equal records held by Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry

Ronnie O’Sullivan equalled two of snooker’s great records as he landed his sixth UK Championship title in stunning fashion. The 42-year-old crushed the 2008 champion Shaun Murphy’s hopes of a second success at the tournament, pulling away to clinch a 10-5 victory at the York Barbican.

O’Sullivan racked up breaks of 75, 104, 76, 103, 86 and 59 in a session where he produced a performance of the highest quality, swiftly and majestically tying up victory and taking home the top prize of £170,000.

In triumphing for a sixth time, he also matched Steve Davis’s record for the most triumphs at this event and hauled himself level with Stephen Hendry’s all-time record haul of 18 titles at the triple crown majors – the UK Championship, World Championship and Masters. There is little doubt that a man who first landed the UK title as a 17-year-old in 1993 could claim both records outright. “The records are great,” said O’Sullivan. “To equal it … I tried my best all week and there’s nothing left. I’m over the moon to win any tournament, let alone the UK Championship. I just love playing and love competing and I can’t believe I’m still playing at 42, with all these grey hairs.”

Murphy praised O’Sullivan for taking his sixth UK title, saying: “It’s an absolute phenomenal achievement.”

Murphy had high hopes heading into the evening after pulling back from 4-2 to 4-4 by the end of the afternoon session, and having beaten O’Sullivan over the best-of-19 in the recent Champion of Champions tournament. But despite making an 80 to level at 5-5, he was reduced to the role of spectator for agonisingly long stretches. Murphy missed the seventh black in a 147 maximum-break attempt in the 14th frame, and O’Sullivan made his 86, each ball dropping into the pocket a dagger to the heart of his opponent. “It’s not the end I wanted to the fortnight I’ve had,” Murphy said.

There was no stopping O’Sullivan, who finished the match with a break of 49 before Murphy stepped forward to offer warm congratulations.

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