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 Ronnie
O'Sullivan celebrated his recent elevation to the position
of world number one by taking the 2002 Daily Star Premier
Snooker League title at the Rothes Halls, Fife.
For the
'Rocket' it was a successful defence of the title he won last
year as he convincingly brushed aside the challenge of John
Higgins to claim a 9 - 4 victory.
O'Sullivan,
who takes home a cheque for £68,000, was naturally delighted
at the outcome: "I hadn't played at all since Sheffield
but to be honest, that didn't make much difference because
I'd been practising solidly in the build up to the World Championship,
he said.
"I
really wanted to win this one though because to win the League
you need to beat the very best players and I've proved that
by beating Jimmy White in the semi-final and now John.
Both
players had enjoyed good semi-final victories and a close
finish was anticipated but O'Sullivan's superior potting was
to prove crucial over the two sessions of the final.
With
eight frames played out over the afternoon, it was the 26-year-old
from Chigwell who took the advantage as he lead 5 - 3 going
into the evening session. Centuries in the sixth and eighth
frames were the highlight for O'Sullivan who also recorded
three further frame-winning breaks over 60 to leave Higgins
trailing.
A break
of 70 in the first frame of the evening session left Higgins
looking at a three frame deficit and although he rallied in
the next with a run of 76, there were never any doubts as
O'Sullivan wrapped up the match by taking the next three frames.
"John's
a top quality player; that goes without saying, but at this
level there's a fine line between winning and losing and I
just had the edge here, O'Sullivan said. "This is my
third Premier Snooker League title now and I'm very much looking
forward to defending it next year. I've got a few exhibitions
lined up in the next couple of weeks, then I intend to take
a few weeks holiday and get ready for next season."
Higgins,
who banked a runners-up cheque for £30,000 admitted:
"I didn't play well. I let Ronnie get away from me and
there's no player in the game better at making the most of
that than him.
"I
played great in the semis but once he stamped his authority
on the game I just fell away. It's a disappointing way to
end what has been a good season but that's the way it goes
in snooker sometimes
 Play-Off
Results
Sat
May 11
Semi Final 1 - John Higgins bt Mark Williams - 6-1
75
(65) - 33 (30), 68 - 55, 59 - 23, 126 (126) - 0, 0 - 81 (81),
112 (85) - 6, 1 - 76 (72), 73 (60) - 0
Semi
Final 2 - Ronnie O'Sullivan bt Jimmy White - 6-2
93
(77) - 6, 37 - 67 (37), 70 (62) - 20, 79 (57) - 0, 108 (91)
- 17, 69 (41) - 9, 62 (60) -9
Sun May 12
Final - Ronnie O'Sullivan bt John Higgins - 9-4
109
(46,60) - 6, 45 - 56, 75 (72) - 42 (42), 5 - 78 (55), 73 (68)
- 0, 115 (109) - 19, 43 - 66 (35,30), 111 (110) - 14, 70 (70)
- 0, 38 (38) - 89 (76), 95 (95) - 30 (30), 63 (39) - 14, 106
(37, 62) - 16
Prize
Fund
Winner:
£68,000
Runner-up: £30,000
Semi-Final Losers: £20,000
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