Not bad for someone who has repeatedly questioned his commitment to snooker in recent years and has often talked of retirement. When O'Sullivan captured the UK championship title in 1993 he was still a week short of his eighteenth birthday. I thought I'd have won it once or twice by now. That's not being big-headed, I'm just being honest, because I know how good I was, and I know how good I can be. Although by no means on an emotional even keel this season he has finally discovered a way to convert abundant natural talent into the silverware it merits.
Second place is no consolation.
It must be the worst thing in the world to watch someone else pick up the trophy right next to you,' he said. O'Sullivan's skill, finesse and potting capabilities have never been in doubt but the same cannot be said for his mental stamina. From past experience, Dennis Taylor empathises with Stevens, who is harnessing personal grief as a motivational force. Morrell, his father, travelling companion and, naturally, fiercest supporter, died suddenly in February at the age of 48 and the success of Stevens junior has evoked emotional memories for Taylor, who found himself in a similar position 17 years ago. Taylor's mother died in September 1984.