O'Sullivan Hits Maximum to Complete Win

Ronnie O'Sullivan's ninth maximum in competition, beating Stephen Hendry's record of eight, was his third of the seven made at the Crucible and gave him a £157,000 bonus as it completed his 13-7 win over Mark Williams, champion here in 2000 and 2003, to go through to the last eight of the World Championship.

"A 147's special, especially at Sheffield. It's history," said O'Sullivan. "A real adrenaline buzz. I might not be everyone's cup of tea but I give value for money."

Not just the 147 but a commanding display, which also included breaks of 71, 60 and 100, from his overnight 9-7 emphasized that O'Sullivan's best is better than anyone else's and, if maintained, is likely to yield him his third world title.

Perhaps even more significant than the maximum, his long potting improved from a paltry eight per cent success rate in the opening session to virtually unerring by the end, including one to start his 147 - "a hard shot" as he described it.

Although O'Sullivan is no stranger to implosion here, it is difficult to imagine him losing his quarter-final either to Liang Wenbo or Northern Ireland's experienced Joe Swail, whom the 21-year-old Chinese leads 9-7 going into their final session this evening.

O'Sullivan is now the 6-4 favorite for the title and because maximums are by no means as rare as they used to be, the sponsors have prudently slashed the odds against three or more being compiled in this championship from 200-1 to just 20-1.

When Stephen Maguire, winner of the Northern Ireland Trophy and China Open this season, led Neil Robertson 9-0, victory with a session to spare was a distinct possibility. But the 26-year-old Scot lost his concentration and could not regain it while the Australian left-hander came to life to reel off seven of the next nine frames.

At 11-7, though, Maguire settled to a timely 100 and added a 56 clearance to complete his 13-7 win. "If I had lost from 9-0, it would have killed me," said Maguire. "But I knew even at 11-7 that if I'd got a decent chance I'd take it."Maguire is waiting for this evening's final session, which Joe Perry starts with a 9-7 lead over Stuart Bingham, to supply his quarter-final opponent.

In quarter-finals starting tomorrow, Hendry, playing his best snooker for at least two seasons, plays Ryan Day, the new Welsh No1, while Peter Ebdon, the 2002 champion, opposes Allister Carter, who emphatically eliminated the 2005 champion Shaun Murphy 13-4 in the previous round.