Fergal O'Brien's break of 48 with which he clinched his 5-2 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan to reach the Northern Ireland Trophy semi-finals in Belfast last night was one of the finest I have ever seen.
Although the context of the match was different, it would not be overstating things to compare it to Alex Higgins's match-saving 69 in the 1982 World Championship semi-finals against Jimmy White.
When Fergal came to the table the only colour on its spot was the yellow. Various other colours and sundry reds were on cushions.
He fashioned a perfect run to secure victory and reach his first semi-final for eight years.
Well done to him. Just because he didn't make the break in five minutes does not mean it wasn't excellent snooker.
There is a common misconception about Fergal: that he is a grinder; a tactician.
In fact, he is an attacking player who plays at a measured pace.
He has made 90 centuries in his career, placing him 28th on the all time list. This is not the record of someone always keeping things tight.
Fergal loves snooker. It runs in his blood. If he wasn't playing he'd be watching.
Good luck to him this weekend.
2 comments:
Is there a link anywhere to the list of centuries by player that you refer to?
Fergal is also a gentleman and a great ambassador for all that is good in the game of snooker.
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