Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Joe Perry with five-century blitz to secure World Seniors Championship title at the Crucible

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Ronnie O'Sullivan has fought bigger battles at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield during his storied career, but a title is a title and a World Championship one at that. Adding to his seven world crowns on the main tour, the 50-year-old O'Sullivan made his maiden appearance at the World Seniors Championship a winning one with victory over Joe Perry in the final.

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Rocket dazzles Crucible with first Seniors trophy

Ronnie O’Sullivan took the 2026 World Seniors Championship title on the back of a sensational five centuries to beat Joe Perry 10-4 on his debut in the event.

The 'Rocket' was just ahead coming into the second session at 5-3, with Perry fighting back after a series of errors from O’Sullivan.

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The 'Gentleman' continued to push hard, and picked up the first frame of the evening after further mistakes from O’Sullivan.

But the seven-time Crucible king would regain his confidence and world-class form as he ruthlessly took the next five frames to seal the title.

Sheffield was wowed by another two century breaks of 129 and 100 - the latter in the final frame for the cherry on top - in addition to O’Sullivan’s impressive safety play that squeezed foul after foul from Perry in the 13th frame.

It was a well deserved crown for O’Sullivan, perhaps a different one than he is used to at the Crucible, but it was a true resurgence for the 'Rocket'.

Perry 4-10 O'Sullivan

Five spellbinding centuries will mark a glorious first win in the World Seniors Championship, Ronnie O'Sullivan nets 100 to a rapturous Crucible Theatre!

Perry 4-9 O'Sullivan (0-79)

O'Sullivan pulls out a nifty left-handed shot on a red to the right corner to keep his break alive. He breaks a half ton and the seven-time world champ shows absolutely no sign of stopping! Championship ball - a blue - and he nails it to thunderous applause! He earns his first World Seniors crown on debut, and he couldn't have had a much better evening.

Perry 4-9 O'Sullivan (0-23)

Perry will break for a crucial frame. It's all or nothing for him as O'Sullivan sits one away from the title. The Rocket pots first, and with a spread of reds for the taking, this is certainly a big chance. He frees up the black for both corner pockets and Perry will hope for a miracle here.

Perry 4-9 O'Sullivan

It's alarm bells for Perry as he leaves the door open for O'Sullivan on the green. The Rocket will pot that, and with Perry conceding, he's just one away from his maiden World Seniors Championship crown!

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (41-67)

O'Sullivan earns himself a foul in return as he slips the cue ball behind the brown. Perry's attempt flies past the yellow and hits the blue. He picks a different line for his second attempt and it's a miss again. With the frame on the line, Perry must hit it now - and it appears that third time's the charm.

For his efforts, O'Sullivan rewards him with another diabolical snooker, this time tight against the black. The Rocket will take the shot on the yellow this time, but he then fails to sink the green!

One snooker needed for Perry.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (41-52)

O'Sullivan's shot pulls applause from the arena, he snookers Perry with the black. He plays well to hit that and he doesn't leave it on.

But his next shot isn't so good, and he leaves the yellow next to the green pocket! Perry's singular hope is it's proximity to the cushion, and O'Sullivan fails to pot.

Perry leaves the yellow on the top rail shortly after, and O'Sullivan's attempt at thin contact is a foul.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (37-52)

Perry misses his next blue and O'Sullivan is back up! It's tense here at the Crucible as it's one scrappy visit after another. One more red and black, then the yellow is in a very tough spot for the clearance right against the baulk cushion. He plays the safety.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (36-33)

It's a terrible split for Perry, and he'll send the cue ball to the baulk cushion. He wins an opportunity from that safety, and he'll lead again in this frame.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (25-33)

Another short visit for Perry as he halts on 21. O'Sullivan tries a difficult long red that sits near the cushion, and it's a miss. Perry pots again to keep whittling down the deficit.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (16-33)

Frustration again for O'Sullivan as he misses the black this time into the left corner! Perry steps up now to pot, he will be desperate to put a frame on the board to keep some margin between O'Sullivan and the title.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (8-17)

Shouts of 'go on Ronnie!' ring out now as Perry leaves a red right in front of the left corner. He scoops it up easily, but a miss sees only eight from him as well!

Perry goes for a risky shot, and it doesn't pay off as it comes to stay near the same pocket he gifted his opponent just minutes ago. O'Sullivan pulls ahead.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (8-0)

O'Sullivan will attempt a red first, it's a miss and he nearly rolls the cue ball into the right middle! Perry will pot but he only gets eight before going back to a safety.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan (0-0)

It's rowdy in here as we return from the interval. O'Sullivan is up for the break off on this 13th frame.

Perry 4-8 O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan charges on, but it won't be a century this time. The Rocket takes the frame in two visits, and he leads by a commanding four frames. See you after the interval!

Perry 4-7 O'Sullivan (9-47)

Perry pots one before handing it back to O'Sullivan, but the shot clock is stopped as the referee sorts out an issue. Both players miss one each before O'Sullivan sinks a red into the left corner pocket.

Perry 4-7 O'Sullivan (8-40)

O'Sullivan runs out the shot clock to foul, and Perry will let him play on. Laughs ring out in the Crucible now as O'Sullivan continues to take his time. He lines up a long red to the yellow corner, but it's a miss.

Perry 4-7 O'Sullivan (0-40)

Just 40 for O'Sullivan, he frowns after the cue ball is unlukcy to find nothing among the pack. Safeties for both now, who will break the stalemate?

Perry 4-7 O'Sullivan (0-16)

O'Sullivan pots first after a lengthy safety fight, he picks out the corner of the pack and splits it well as a bonus.

Perry 4-7 O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan nails the clearance and he will go three clear of Perry! One more frame to come before the final interval.

Perry 4-6 O'Sullivan (0-102)

O'Sullivan is running away with this frame, could we see a fourth century from the Rocket today? It'll be no mean feat, and the miscue has seemed to have no effect on his play. O'Sullivan pots the last red, and with the brown, he takes yet another spellbinding century! 129 possible on the table - can he do it?

Perry 4-6 O'Sullivan (0-40)

O'Sullivan gives his cue a good look as he gets poor contact on a red, it skips and he frowns as he brings the cue tip up to his eyes. He's potting well nevertheless and he'll push on.

Perry 4-6 O'Sullivan (0-18)

O'Sullivan knocks in another splendid red to start. It's slow going so far with the pink tied up and the black only going to one pocket, but O'Sullivan will calmy clear the latter now. With a good split, he looks comfortable on the table, could this be another O'Sullivan frame?

Perry 4-6 O'Sullivan

Perry can only watch on from his chair as O'Sullivan will pull away again. 6-4 to the Rocket!

Perry 4-5 O'Sullivan (36-65)

Perry puts the cue ball above the brown, and O'Sullivan's first attempt skims past by a couple ball lengths. He fixes his line though and it's a good second go. Perry leaves the door open, and O'Sullivan will pot.

He sinks the yellow into the right middle, and tries to bounce the last red up. It's not pottable, and he snookers Perry by tucking the cue ball behind the black on the same rail. Perry fouls, and O'Sullivan will pot off that opportunity.

Perry 4-5 O'Sullivan (32-57)

Nice little push by Perry to knock one red away, and he'll need to have another think now. One more on the top rail, and one red up on the right side. It seems like he was angling for a possible double, but his cue ball goes too far and he'll play a safety.

Perry 4-5 O'Sullivan (19-57)

It's not quite a half ton for O'Sullivan, it's a miss that you'd never anticipate from the Rocket! Perry has a shot now, but two reds are stuck along with the black on the top rail. How will he navigate those?

Perry 4-5 O'Sullivan (0-12)

Perry will break. They're trading some lovely safety shots right now, but Perry fouls as he tries to block off the right corner pocket with the cue ball. It goes back, and oh he fouls again! He is given a warning by the referee - it's not a snooker and he must hit a red lest he give away the frame!

O'Sullivan gets a chance off his shot but it'll be better than just handing over the frame.

Perry 4-5 O'Sullivan

Perry is gifted a long red and he looks set to take this now. The pink and black are stuck together near the pink spot, but the brown and blue will do it! The Gentleman takes a step closer to O'Sullivan.

Perry 3-5 O'Sullivan (52-36)

A miss from Perry lets O'Sullivan in again. He manages to manuver the cue ball along the cushion for a red, but it stays out! He hasn't managed to catch Perry again.

Still a fair few errors from both of them, O'Sullivan misses a long red. Perry sinks a red, and ends up on nothing. O'Sullivan will eye up a left-handed shot into the left corner pocket for the penultimate red, and in it goes! He adds just the brown though and he plays the safety.

Perry 3-5 O'Sullivan (51-8)

Perry executes a couple of good splits, but disaster strikes just as the table is starting to open up. The black is caught in the jaws and O'Sullivan will pounce. It's not a big visit though, and O'Sullivan chooses the safety after ending up poorly.

Perry 3-5 O'Sullivan (35-0)

Perry takes the first point after O'Sullivan misses a long red, then sinks an excellent cutback on the black. The blue has drifted up next to the yellow, and so has one red. It's a decent table.

Perry 3-5 O'Sullivan (0-0)

Here we go.

Welcome back!

We're prepared to get back underway with the second session of this final between O'Sullivan and Perry, who will take the crown tonight?

O'Sullivan leads Perry 5-3 after drama-packed session

Ronnie O'Sullivan leads Joe Perry 5-3 at the end of the first session in a matchup not seen since 2008.

O’Sullivan got off to a blistering start with back-to-back centuries to open the afternoon, but Perry efficiently punished his errors in the third frame to get on the scoreboard.

The Rocket wouldn’t be fazed by his efforts, nailing a third sensational century in a show of his world-class quality to go into the interval two up.

Coming back, O’Sullivan would play another brilliant frame just short of a century to go three ahead. But the Gentleman then rallied to snatch the next two frames, winning an edge-of-your-seat battle over the final black that saw a multitude of misses from both in frame seven.

The final frame started with yet another back-and-forth, but it would be O’Sullivan who came out on top to stop Perry from tying it up.

The battle resumes at 7PM tonight where one of them will be crowned the 2026 World Seniors Snooker Champion!

Perry 3-5 O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan is faced with two remaining reds on the top cushion, and with a lovely cannon off the black he knocks one loose to give himself the perfect line. He doesn't manage the yellow, but he's done enough to secure the frame. Despite it taking a few scrappy attempts, O'Sullivan will end the afternoon ahead of Perry 5-3!

Perry 3-4 O'Sullivan (24-37)

Well it's good news for Perry as O'Sullivan only gets 36.

O'Sullivan picks out a red, but with a lot of pace it slams into the jaw and ricochets out. Perry will go for the rest shot now, and successfully sinks a red into the right corner pocket.

Dangerous shot now as Perry has to find the thinnest angle on the pink, he nails it but his delight will be short lived as he misses his following red.

O'Sullivan hops on the chance that Perry leaves to pot right after.

Perry 3-4 O'Sullivan (13-14)

Ah what a shame. Perry just gets a bit too distracted and his visit ends on an attempt on the blue. He's not opened up the reds too much though, and O'Sullivan will also have a wayward black to deal with among the cluster.

Perry 3-4 O'Sullivan (12-0)

The safety battle continues with not many attempts bring played. O'Sullivan takes on a long shot - another miss for the Rocket! Perry cuts a red into the middle pocket to start his break. He'll have work to do on the reds now but he goes ahead first in this frame.

Perry 3-4 O'Sullivan (0-0)

Here we go for the final frame of this afternoon. Can the Gentleman tie it up?

Perry 3-4 O'Sullivan

The arena breaks out in whistles and applause as Perry finally knocks it in! It was an intimidating long shot that O'Sullivan left him, but he's only one down now with one more to play in this afternoon session!

Perry 2-4 O'Sullivan (63-68)

Perry needs the clearance as he pots the yellow, green, and brown. His hopes now rest on a difficult black, and he catches the jaw!

The Crucible crowd are caught in a roller coaster of emotions as both men miss the black again and again, who will it be?

Perry 2-4 O'Sullivan (43-68)

O'Sullivan misses the red twice and the battle continues. Perry regains the advantage and tucks the cue ball right behind the green, and he earns a foul!

He then pots the red, not what he wanted at all, and is forced to take on a thin cut for the black to middle - it's in! Perry misses the yellow though and O'Sullivan's response is off by millimetres. The fight will go on!

Perry 2-4 O'Sullivan (31-68)

Perry looks frustrated as he returns to his chair after missing a straight red. O'Sullivan wastes no time as he goes on the attack again, netting a nice little double in the process. It was an unbelievable miss from Perry and now this could spell trouble.

O'Sullivan misses the last red, and Perry will try and earn the one snooker he needs.

Perry 2-4 O'Sullivan (7-10)

O'Sullivan gets unlucky with the split, and his shot just catches the far jaw of the pocket. Perry will pot that, and gets a nice kiss off a red to line up on the pink.

Perry 2-4 O'Sullivan (0-10)

Perry has a tricky shot open to the right corner pocket, but it's off by a mile. O'Sullivan will then cut a red into the opposite side to put the first point on the scoreboard!

Perry 2-4 O'Sullivan

Perry finally seals the frame as he pots the yellow and green! This time O'Sullivan will concede, it's a massive frame for Perry to recover and halt O'Sullivan from running away with a big lead.

Perry 1-4 O'Sullivan (67-41)

Oh dear. The Rocket puts the red on the baulk rail, Perry misses it and hits the black!

The Gentleman then fails to pot a double, and O'Sullivan will scoop up that effort and pot the black too. It's drama here at the Crucible as O'Sullivan then misses the yellow, it's not over yet!

Perry 1-4 O'Sullivan (67-26)

Perry ends up a little off on the red he wanted, but recovers well to sink it and he's on perfectly for the penultimate red, which will be match ball. He misses the pink directly after and O'Sullivan will come back to challenge for two snookers.

Perry 1-4 O'Sullivan (16-26)

What a shame, O'Sullivan catches the pink on his attempt to split the pack and his visit ends there. Perry responds with a beautiful snooker just behind the yellow, and what a chance now! O'Sullivan avoids the foul but lines a red up on the top rail for Perry, who will happily take that invitation.

Perry 1-4 O'Sullivan (0-19)

O'Sullivan is in first yet again with a stunning long shot on a red near the black. He pots the yellow to bring the cue ball down the table. It's going to be a little tricky, he's not got many loose reds at all and the pink has been respot under the pack.

Perry 1-4 O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan is forcing the referee into a speedwalk around the table as he starts potting quicker and quicker. He's down to an average time of 12 seconds per shot now as he takes a three frame lead!

Perry 1-3 O'Sullivan (9-8)

A chance opens up for Perry now - and he pots. He chooses not to open up the black, but he misses on the pink!

O'Sullivan is up now and he will start his charge.

Perry 1-3 O'Sullivan (0-0)

We're back! O'Sullivan to break off.

Perry 1-3 O'Sullivan

The Rocket looks to be in a league of his own as he wows the Crucible crowd with a third century for his third frame! He regains his two frame lead with a break of 113 as we head into the interval.

Perry 1-2 O'Sullivan (0-59)

O'Sullivan picks up another half ton as he opens up the table, he's playing faster and faster now. Wonderful positioning work from the seven-time world champ.

Perry 1-2 O'Sullivan (0-25)

It's an exchange of safeties to start, but O'Sullivan soon finds a gap among the scattered pack to slip a red into the left corner pocket. The pink is tied up but he's playing well on the black.

Perry 1-2 O'Sullivan

Perry makes the clearance and his second visit was a half ton of 57. Lovely work to punish O'Sullivan's errors.

Perry 0-2 O'Sullivan (91-22)

Only a break of 16 for Perry on this visit, but O'Sullivan hasn't been able to capitalise off any of his safeties so far. A miss from the Rocket leaves Perry an easy shot right in front of the right corner pocket and he'll cut O'Sullivan's lead back down to one!

Perry 0-2 O'Sullivan (46-22)

Perry plays a cannon off the black and ends up terribly unlucky not to end up on anything. O'Sullivan's response leaves Perry an option into the left middle - it sails in smoothly and he's back on!

Perry 0-2 O'Sullivan (8-22)

It's a mediocre safety from Perry, and he allows O'Sullivan another long red. He gets a reprieve though as the Rocket nets only 22. He picks up a long red himself for his first pot of the afternoon.

Perry 0-2 O'Sullivan

It'll be another brilliant century break for O'Sullivan, what a start! He leads the Gentleman two to nothing.

Perry 0-1 O'Sullivan (0-80)

Five minutes into this second frame and O'Sullivan has already picked up a half ton. He secures this one too and against the Rocket in this sort of form, Perry might be in real trouble.

Perry 0-1 O'Sullivan (0-36)

O'Sullivan plays a wonderful shot to start his visit, he cuts a red up to the right middle pocket. He shows no sign of being bothered by the 30-second shot clock as he stretches his lead again.

Perry 0-1 O'Sullivan

It's an utterly dominant start from O'Sullivan as he takes the first frame. But he doesn't end well on the black and there goes any hope of a 147. He picks up one blue to break the streak, and picks up a foul as he plays before the referee can respot the ball but it's a fantastic start nonetheless with a century break!

Perry 0-0 O'Sullivan (0-49)

Nice little cannon by O'Sullivan to break the pack open, it's been all reds and black so far and a maximum could be on the table. What a boost that would be early on!

Perry 0-0 O'Sullivan (0-1)

O'Sullivan will break to get us underway. O'Sullivan misses his attempt on a long red, but Perry's response is lackluster and he fails to capitalise.

O'Sullivan misses another long red, and Perry's rest shot stays in the jaws to allow the Rocket to finally make the first pot.

Perry 0-0 O'Sullivan (0-0)

We are minutes away from the final of the World Seniors Championship, can debutant O'Sullivan take it all the way? Or will it be 2025 British Seniors Open winner Perry who fends him off? He hasn't beaten the Rocket since 2008.

The players are out, here we go!

Afternoon!

The action is set to kick off at 12:30PM, and it'll be an interesting one today over a possible 19 frames. O'Sullivan went three on the bounce to beat Robert Milkins 7-5, while Joe Perry charged from 3-0 down to advance to the final against Craig Steadman yesterday evening.

Last time these two saw each other was at the Championship League, where O'Sullivan dominated 3-0.