Ronnie O'Sullivan almost made his sixth career 147 maximum break during his LG Cup second round defeat of Anthony Hamilton in Preston tonight.
O'Sullivan removed 15 reds, 15 blacks and the colours up to the pink before breaking down in sight of a £25,000 cash bonus. “I'm really sick,” said the former world champion. “I just went a bit wonky at the end…As soon as I got to the green I really didn't think I could miss. I cannot remember the last time I missed clearing up the colours,” he added. O'Sullivan also fired in runs of 85, 56, 52 and 43 on the way to a 5-2 victory, earning him a meeting with Aussie Quinten Hann or Michael Holt.
Meanwhile, John Higgins has slammed the decision of the legendary Alex Higgins to attempt a comeback at the Benson and Hedges Championship in Mansfield later this month as "a terrible thing for snooker". The Scot let rip after joining O'Sullivan and title-holder Stephen Lee in the last 16 in Preston.
"Personally I think it will be terrible for snooker…Alex Higgins has had his day. Maybe if he came back fit and healthy it would bring some help to the game. It's just a shame snooker isn't in that sort of state where we have to celebrate a sick man coming back into the sport," said Higgins after his 5-0 second-round whitewash of Anthony Davies.
Glaswegian Alan McManus will provide the next opposition for holder Lee. He whitewashed England’s Shokat Ali. But there was no success for a third Scot, Graeme Dott, beaten surprisingly 5-1 by Gerard Greene. Greene next faces world champion Peter Ebdon or Irishman Fergal O'Brien who are in action tomorrow.
Filed by James Boylan.
