Ronnie O’Sullivan claims that a chocolate bar and a bag of crisps will fuel his celebrations after winning the UK Championship on Sunday. The Rocket came through a tight match with Ding Junhui at the York Barbican to clinch his eighth title, moving him further clear at the top of the all-time list.
A matter of days before O’Sullivan’s 48th birthday, he became the oldest UK Championship winner of all time with a 10-7 victory over China’s Ding, three decades after first winning the title as a teenager.
Ding had made it a close contest ahead of the final session on Sunday, but O’Sullivan pulled away from 4-4 to get his hands on the tournament’s £250,000 cash prize.
There will be no wild celebrations from the Rocket, however, as he claimed before his match with Ding that any plans to mark a win would be modest and understated.
“Just a couple of Snickers bars, a bag of crisps and a Diet Coke on the motorway on the way home,” he said when asked how he would treat himself in the case of a victory. “That would be amazing.
“That’s one of my favourite things to do after a few days away on the road. I just dive into a double Snickers, a bag of cheese and onion, and a Diet Coke. Amazing. It hits the spot perfectly.”
O’Sullivan has now won 22 Triple Crown events, comprising the Masters, UK Championship and World Snooker Championship, which puts him four clear of nearest challenger Stephen Hendry. And despite admitting that age plays on his mind, the seven-time world champion claims to have no retirement plans just yet.
“Each tournament I win and play in, I take great pleasure from,” he told BBC Sport. “I had to come out and have a good head. There was a big crowd and I wanted to leave blood, sweat and tears on the table. I came out and gave it my all and I love competing.
“I always keep beating myself up because of the age thing. I keep thinking at some point you have to stop winning but I am doing alright and I will keep on going until the wheels fall off.”
It remains to be seen when O’Sullivan will next be in action as the snooker veteran claims that he could pull out of the upcoming Scottish Open in favour of preparing for an exhibition event in Macau.
