Ronnie O’Sullivan was thankful he was able to climb 'Arthur's a***' after crashing out of the Scottish Open.
The world No.1 was edged out 4-3 by Geordie Gary Wilson in a thriller at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh. Tyneside Terror Wilson, a huge underdog, held his nerve with a brilliant break of 73 in a tense deciding frame to seal his first ever victory over the Rocket.
Wilson looked in complete control in the decider - with O'Sullivan suffering a surprise early exit before Thursday's last 16. O'Sullivan has won two prestigious invitational events at the Hong Kong Masters and the Champion of Champions this year, but his wait for his first ranking title of the season goes on.
And the unflustered 46-year-old, an avid runner, claimed he had the 'amazing' consolation of climbing Arthur's seat - the ancient volcano and famous peak of a group of hills in the Scottish capital that he mistakenly referred to as 'Arthur's a***'.
“Gary was the better player tonight, he just played better than me – and so that’s what the snooker gods dished out," O'Sullivan admitted. "He deserved to win, and it is as simple as that. Snooker can be very fickle and maybe this can be the start of something for Gary, and he can go deep in the draw.
“I am pretty neutral about winning and losing these days, that doesn’t change. I will stay here working with Eurosport until maybe late Sunday and try and get home for my birthday on Monday. At least I got to run up Arthur’s Seat, or Arthur’s a*** or whatever it’s called while I was here. That was amazing.”
Professional snooker has returned to Edinburgh for the first time since 2003 and plenty of star names have been taking in the sights that the picturesque city has to offer. And Newcastle pro Wilson will be hoping to enjoy the venue for a little longer yet as he prepares for his last 16 duel against Hossein Vafaei or Yan Bingtao.
Wilson is desperate to make the top 32 on the one-year list to make the World Grand Prix in January, meaning the brilliant victory over the seven-time world champion held even more significance. And he was delighted to get over the line with a deserved win having already knocked in breaks of 72, 83 and 82.
“It feels very good," he said. "It is a massive game, even if you try and play it down in your head as much as you can. But it wasn’t just a big game for me because it was Ronnie, but like a lot of players I am chasing points to be in the World Grand Prix.
“The way the season is working out I may have to play Ronnie in maybe two or three tournaments in succession. I felt like I didn’t have much to lose tonight.”
