Ronnie O'Sullivan enjoys World Seniors Championship glory as sell-out Crucible event provides snooker GOAT with 'great' surprise - 'Had to dig deep'
Updated 12/05/2026 at 10:17 GMT+1
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Senior moments rear their heads now and again, but snooker GOAT Ronnie O'Sullivan had every right to enjoy his after revelling in title glory at the Crucible in Sheffield, scene of his greatest moments in the sport, on Sunday night.
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After winning the final three frames from 5-4 behind against 'The Milkman' Robert Milkins to complete a taut 7-5 win in the semi-finals of the World Seniors Championship on Saturday, O'Sullivan provided a spot of light entertainment for a packed Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
”I thought me and....erm....Milkins," said O'Sullivan on Channel 5. "Sorry, my brain’s gone.
”I thought we were cueing well, we were cueing alright.
"But it is just sometimes you can fall out of position and keep chasing the balls.”
If you suggested a few years ago that O'Sullivan should try his hand at what some perceive to be a glorified exhibition that used to be for players past their sell-by date, the cynics would have mocked the idea as a complete waste of time.
A bit like, but not the same as, Novak Djokovic turning up for a knock about with Andre Agassi in a legends match.
Such is the disparity in levels of ability and basic desire between the summit of the sport and those shakily making their way down the other side of the mountain, O'Sullivan's participation, even playing with a blindfold on, did not seem right.
What could a bloke at the top of the game, who was edged out 13-12 by a vintage John Higgins comeback in the last 16 of the main event, get out of performing at the World Seniors Championship?
Well, plenty, as it turns out.
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The World Seniors event should provide O'Sullivan with some inspiration, not only for the manner in which he won the tournament, but also the level of competition he faced before a full house in Sheffield.
Crucible specialists Stuart Bingham, the 2015 winner, Ali Carter and Matthew Stevens, all failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals to illustrate the competitive edge on display.
While Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion, was brushed aside 4-1 with relative ease by O'Sullivan, who top scored with 93, in the last 16, the uncompromising Leeds professional Peter Lines provided a stern test in a match littered with one-visit snooker from both men.
Lines rolled in breaks of 69 and 93 after O'Sullivan opened with 84 before further breaks of 109, 65 and 70 completed a 4-2 win.
Milkins also put it up to O'Sullivan with three 50-plus breaks in the semi-finals before Joe Perry, like Milkins a winner of the Welsh Open in recent years, provided another tough challenge in the title match.
Perry turned professional in 1992, the same year as O'Sullivan, and once lost to him 10-7 in the 2017 Masters final, but could easily be performing on the main professional circuit after opting to retire from the weekly grind last year.
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”This has been a tough tournament. These guys are experienced competitors, so I’ve really had to dig deep. I didn’t expect that I’d have to," said O'Sullivan.
"It’s been a great week."
O'Sullivan gave the final and Perry full respect as he compiled breaks of 109, 131, 113, 81, 129 and 100 to complete a 10-4 victory after ending the first session 5-3 clear.
More importantly, it was O'Sullivan's first win in a major event since January 2024 when he defeated Judd Trump 10-7 in the final of the World Grand Prix in Leicester.
Whatever else can be said, lifting a trophy at the end of the week is priceless for any player amid such a barren spell.
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”Joe could definitely still compete on the Tour if he wanted to, but he’s enjoying his career doing punditry," he said.
"He’s been a great servant and a great ambassador to the sport.
”I just want to enjoy the game and attack the balls.
"I’ve not been playing great for three years now and my confidence has been low, but if I can gain some confidence then I’d like to finish my career on a strong note.
"That’s my ambition.”
Perry confessed O'Sullivan, who at 50 continues to score as heavily as ever, had added an odd dimension to an event that has a shot clock and a black-ball finish replacing deciding frames.
"The seniors is sort of quite low-key and the standards are not quite so good," he said.
”So you’ve got a chance. Unless you come up against the greatest of all time.
"Unless you ever get the experience of sharing a table with Ronnie, you’ll never understand what it’s like.
”You’re just under pressure from the minute you play. Even if he’s not playing that good, you are just bang under it.
”It’s always a pleasure to share a table with him and to have one more go at it was an absolute honour.”
The new 2026/27 snooker season is due to begin in earnest next month with qualifiers for three events in China, the China Open, Wuhan Open and Xi'an Grand Prix.
O'Sullivan is likely to reappear at the Shanghai Masters in July as he chases a record-extending sixth crown in the Chinese city.
Judging by his fine form in Sheffield, both at the World Championship and World Seniors Championship, he should be feeling good about the possibilities.
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