Ronnie ‘The Rocket’ O’Sullivan

Ronnie O’Sullivan, nicknamed ‘The Rocket’, was born in the West Midlands in 1975 and grew up in Essex, where he was soon making his name in the snooker halls. This video of his first televised match, with praise by the great Steve Davis, shows his extraordinary talent at just 14 years of age:-

He became a professional two years later and in 1993 won the UK Championship a few days before his 18th birthday, the youngest player ever to do so. He has gone on to win more than 70 titles to date, including 7 World Championships, and an unequalled 8 Masters and 8 UK Championships, also becoming the oldest player to win those competitions! He is widely regarded as the best snooker player in the history of the game and has been officially ranked no.1 six times.

His playing style is flowing, fast, beautifully precise and attacking and he holds the record for the fastest 147, at 5 minutes 20 seconds. In March 2019 he became the first player to reach one thousand centuries, playing the 100th point with his left hand (he is right-handed!). Ronnie Antonio O’Sullivan is quite a character and attracts many appreciative fans. He has written three crime novels and co-written a cookbook, all popularly received.

(Top image: DerHexer at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0)