Business as usual after O’Sullivan marks Crucible return in fine style

That was how returning maestro Ronnie O’Sullivan described his comeback at the Betfair World Championship on Saturday after a 10-4 first-round win over Scotland’s Marcus Campbell.

A keen runner himself, and on the weekend of the London Marathon, it was a timely analogy for the four-time world champion as he played his first competitive game of snooker since beating Ali Carter 18-11 in last season’s Crucible final.

But from the moment he was counted into the arena, with the relaunch of ‘The Rocket’, and strutted into the famous old theatre it felt like the 37-year-old had never been away.

Campbell made mistakes, admittedly, but O’Sullivan cruised into a 7-2 lead after the first sesson, scoring heavy with breaks of 82, 62, 71, 85, 85 and 58.

The Essex potter returned with clearances of 102 and 90, before Campbell reeled off two frames, but O’Sullivan and his adoring public were not to be denied as he clinched a second-round meeting with either Carter – last year’s losing finalist – or rookie Ben Woollaston.

“It was nice to be back,” said O’Sullivan. “The journey has been exciting ever since I announced that I was coming back and playing. It gave me something to do. I have spent the last five weeks preparing so the journey has been enjoyable, it is like the icing on the cake playing in an event like this.

“I hit the balls okay. In general my play was not as slick and sharp as what I would have liked. That is all to have been expected when you have not played for a year. You lose that tightness, you need to get in there and compete. I need to get through matches but ultimately it is just a bit of fun for me

“I think everybody feels nervous before any match. I was not sure how the match was going to pan out and how I was going to compete. I came here just as an experiment in some ways, I did not know what to expect so it is quite interesting.

“I have always had a good relationship with the fans. They have supported me over the years and it was nice to come back for the diehard snooker fans.

“In a way it is like trying to get fit for a marathon the day before it starts. Trying to get match fit during a tournament might not happen. It could take one, two or three tournaments, a couple of beatings. You kind of need that to toughen you up mentally.”

O’Sullivan admitted he regretted spending so long away from snooker, and claimed he had been badly advised to take a sabbatical.

“I have got a book coming out in October so you will be able to read what my journey has been about,” said O’Sullivan. “You will find out the reasons why I took a break and you will all be able to draw your own conclusions. It was never my intention to take a break. I always wanted to carry on playing but I was advised not to.

“If I had sat down with Barry (Hearn) immediately I would have started playing from the first day of the season. There are a lot of regrets because I put myself in not a great position and at this stage of my career I have probably not got that many years left.

“I have not got any sour grapes, I have had a great career and I have four world titles. That moment with my son last year was the most special I have ever had. Maybe I would not have won the world title the way I did last year if I did not have it in my head that I was going carry on playing. Maybe that was the motivation.”

One former champion who failed to progress from the opening weekend though, was two-times winner Mark Williams after he suffered a surprise first-round exit to fellow Welshman Michael White.

The Neath potter made a century break as a nine-year-old and was the talk of his primary school, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

Now, at the age of 21, he is braced for wider acclaim after beating one of the greats of the modern game. He swept aside Williams in style, turning a 5-4 overnight lead into a 10-6 victory.

The 21-year-old said: “It means everything to me. I always looked up to Mark as a youngster growing up and it was a privilege to play him.

“It’s hard to take it all in at the moment, but I’m over the moon, delighted,” he said.

“I knew I had a lot to do today but I scored heavily today when I had the chances. It’s brilliant.

“These are the things you dream of.”

Williams was generous in his praise, saying: “He probably outplayed me in every department. Talk about the young players coming through and he’s one of the best of them.

“People keep mentioning Jack Lisowski and people like him. He’s up with them, if not better.”

Lisowski, also 21, was bundled out on his Crucible debut as he lost 10-3 to Barry Hawkins.

The Gloucestershire youngster, who came through a cancer battle as a teenager, is expected to develop into a leading player but the Crucible experience proved chastening.

Lisowski said: “It was just not meant to be this year.

“I learnt what the venue is like, that the crowd is really close, and your concentration has got to be 100 per cent or you can’t really compete.”

Four-time champion John Higgins faces a battle to stay in the tournament after slipping 6-3 adrift of Mark Davis, who beat him at the UK Championship in December.

Higgins has shown little form since the start of the year, but Crucible pedigree often sees him through such tests.

His last three world titles came in 2007, 2009 and 2011, but the sequence is in danger of coming to an end.

Chester’s Ricky Walden tied up a 10-1 win over Nottingham’s Michael Holt, earning his first World Championship win at the third attempt.

The 2005 champion Shaun Murphy made a solid start, beating Martin Gould 10-5.

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