The Premier League kicked off last Thursday with a brilliant display of snooker - and there was no doubt about who was the star of the show.
I though Ronnie O'Sullivan was absolutely sensational in his 4-2 win over Marco Fu.
He knocked in three century breaks in a row - playing alternate shots right handed and left handed for one of them. It was snooker from a different planet!
Ronnie: Described his display as 'alright'
If you could go back in time 25 years and show the top players of that era Ronnie playing ambidextrously they wouldn't believe their eyes.
He thrives on the atmosphere of a capacity crowd and the way he played against Fu would have won him a match against any other player in the world.
He is the most talented player on Earth but, Ronnie being Ronnie, he is never happy - you can almost predict what he would say in the post match interview.
"If you could go back in time 25 years and show the top players of that era Ronnie playing ambidextrously they wouldn't believe their eyes."
Neal Foulds
Quotes of the week
Thu, 17 Sept, 7.30pm, Sky Sports 2
He said he played 'alright', that the score 'flattered' him and that the table played easily. Well, I don't think he was fooling anyone - you just can't get better than that: three centuries in a row and a brilliant performance.
Ronnie is a great guy but I do think the way he speaks after matches is disappointing.
I wish after a performance like that he could be a bit more upbeat. He drives a hard bargain for his game and he is an absolute perfectionist, but he played a lot better than he would have you believe.
He's not entirely happy with his new cue but from what I've seen he looks in pretty good shape for the forth coming season.
There wasn't an awful lot Marco could have done in that match. He has a better than 50% head to head against Ronnie and has beaten him a lot but he just had to sit and watch.
He will be slightly concerned because the Premier League is tough and if you get a demoralising defeat like that it can make things difficult later on. But he has got the most difficult match out of the way, so maybe he can improve from here.
Trump v Neil Robertson
The other game of the evening saw Australian Neil Robertson beat Judd Trump 4-2.
Young Judd started the night terrifically with a 139 break in the first frame. We thought he might start nervously but he started brilliantly.
However, he's not the finished article and Robertson - who looked in very good form - used his experience to open up a 4-1 lead.
Judd didn't do an awful lot wrong, though. He had a pretty bad kick in frame three which Robertson cleared up from and that was a real turning point in the match.
Trump is a talented player and even though he is still a kid anyone who saw him must have been impressed.
He still has plenty of chances to get the points to finish in the top four, though, as with Marco Fu, if you do fall behind trying to find that first win can become a bit of a nightmare.
But he's a real prospect, a box office player who people want to watch and still has a good chance of making the semi-finals.
He faces Stephen Hendry next time out and, although Hendry is an absolute legend of the game he is better suited to the usual format, and this is the format Judd is most likely to beat him in.
Finally, Neil Robertson will be delighted to seal that first win with an excellent performance. The last time he was in the Premier League he only managed two points, and that was thanks to two draws. He now has the victory under his belt and he will be very pleased to get off the mark.
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Comments (3)
Peter Ostrowski says...
Ronnie is the most complete player there has been in the history of the sport. The reason why he is so critical of himself is that no man is greater than himself . Dont be too hard on yourself Ronnie the fans absolutley adore you and thank god for your prescence.
Posted 10:11 5th October 2009
Gurdi Chumber says...
ronnie is in a league of his own & a joy to watch!
Posted 01:40 8th September 2009
Mazher Qureshi says...
ronnie is a world class player he should be beating eeryone evrytime. he isin a league of his own playing shots with left and rigt hands.
Posted 15:24 7th September 2009