He's done it again. Ronnie O'Sullivan picked up his seventh World Championship title on Monday evening with an 18-13 win against Judd Trump – and he did so after using a lighter on the end of his cue.
It was another pulsating afternoon at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Trump, who won six out of eight frames during Monday's afternoon session, clawed the score back to 14-11 at one stage.
But number two seed O'Sullivan equalled Stephen Hendry's record of seven World Championship titles after winning four of the evening's first six frames.
It was a memorable performance from 'The Rocket', who provided some trademark entertainment when he briefly set his cue on fire with a lighter. But why?
Shaun Murphy and John Virgo tried to clear up O'Sullivan's antics while on commentary duty.
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"Just an interesting thing when Ronnie went back to his seat again," Virgo pointed out after the end of Ronnie's cue was briefly set on fire. "You see sometimes he's using the little bit of sandpaper... and there he is trying to burn the fibres off."
Virgo added: "There's just fibres coming off the tip. I was talking to him, Shaun, he's had the tip on four months, which is quite a long time and usually you get one ready for the World Championship don't you?"
Murphy, who won the World Championship in 2005, responded: "Well it's very rare isn't it, that you get a tip that lasts that kind of time. Weirdly, my tip's been on my cue two years. I think I was just lucky and found a good one in the box.
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"Yeah those fibres just start fraying after a while - it doesn't mean that anything is wrong with the tip.
"And you can either use a bit of paper or you know, a flame, as Ronnie was doing there - it's a very old fashioned way of trying to get the edges.
"It's just a visual thing, it doesn't affect the tip."
After picking up the 18-13 victory on Monday, an emotional O'Sullivan broke down in tears after he was "blown away" by Judd Trump's words following the final.
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"It's just a really hard tournament, just to get through the matches, it's long, drawn-out," O'Sullivan told Eurosport.
"I don't know what to say. I was so emotional. I was emotional because of the drain and the effort and to finally just get over the line.
"I just never thought it would happen and I just gave him a big hug and I'm just sobbing in his arms. He just said some such lovely words.
"What he said to me just blew me away to be honest with you. It just blew me away and I love Judd.
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"I love him, he's a good lad, he's a great lad. I didn't realise what he thought of me until then. I didn't realise how he sees me and how I've kind of helped or been part of his development.
"It's great for snooker that we've got someone like Judd, playing the way he plays. And there's a couple more coming through. It's going to be brilliant. That's my best result ever I think."
Topics: Snooker,
Jack Kenmare