Snooker: O'sullivan Hurries to Season's Fifth Title

Ronnie O'Sullivan whitewashed both Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams to win the £50,000 first prize in the BetFred Premier League play-offs at the International Convention Centre and afterwards elaborated for the first time on the physical problems that have been troubling him.

O'Sullivan has recently spoken of "being in pain" and that it was "physically impossible" to continue in his present state but such remarks were taken to refer to the longstanding manic depressive condition for which he is to receive treatment throughout the summer.

O'Sullivan has now said he is suffering from mysterious pains in his shoulder, back and knee. "It's not muscular. It's a sort of narrow pain. I don't know what it is," he said, not ruling out the possibility that his pains were psychosomatic. "It's the reason I started playing left-handed so much."

As a snooker player's stance is not a natural position, some form of repetitive strain injury could be involved.

O'Sullivan made breaks of 78 and 121 to beat Hendry 5-0 in 65 minutes on Friday and of 75, 134, 71 and 95 to crush Williams 6-0 in 73 minutes on Saturday.

"None of those slow frames with people falling asleep," he quipped in reference to the 25-seconds per shot time limit in force during the event and to his 13-11 quarter final defeat by the painstaking Peter Ebdon at the Crucible.

O'Sullivan ends the season having won five events, topping the money list with £380,250.