O' Sullivan win record, 7th Uk Snooker Championship title.

Ronnie O’Sullivan ripped up snooker’s record books on Sunday night after winning the Betway UK Championship. 

In the week the five-time world champion suggested a Champions League-style breakaway snooker tour, O’Sullivan proved to be in a league of his own with a stunning 10-6 win over Masters Champions Mark Allen. 

Not only did the 43-year-old’s victory at the York Barbican complete the ‘Magnificent Seven’ – breaking Steve Davis’s previous record of six UK victories – but he also surpassed Stephen Hendry’s record haul of 18 Triple Crown trophies. Last night’s win – coming 25 years since the then 17-year-old Chigwell potter first claimed his opening UK title – also saw O’Sullivan pocket £170,000 to swell his prize money earnings to over £500,000 from just five tournaments this season. 

World Snooker chief Barry Hearn claims no individual is bigger than the sport, but O’Sullivan – who has already claimed Shanghai Masters and Champion of Champions trophies this season – comes as close to that distinction as is humanly possible. 

At 43 he is still pure box office, snooker’s poster boy, and it seems only a matter of time before O’Sullivan wins another three ranking titles to break Hendry’s record haul of 36. Victory yesterday was never in doubt, after he reeled off six successive frames to come from 2-1 behind to lead 7-2. 

Northern Ireland’s Allen was never likely to roll over and make it a formality, but O’Sullivan was not to be denied as he celebrated victory with a huge fist-pump to the packed Barbican crowd. 

He said: “(To create) history is amazing, I can’t beleve it. “It’s great to create history, great to beat the Nugget’s record, amazing to beat my hero’s record – Stephen Hendry, who was the ultimate player – but I have still got eight world titles to get, I will be chasing that.” 

 Yesterday afternoon’s opening exchanges were of the highest quality. Allen nudged into a 2-1 advantage before being swept aside as O’Sullivan reeled off the next five frames to take a 6-2 lead into last night’s final session in their best-of-19 contest. 

The first frame saw O’Sullivan take the advantage, but Allen – in his second UK final, after losing to Judd Trump in 2011 – engineered a snooker on the final red to pinch the frame. 

If that was a chance for both players to sound each other out, they came out punching with some quick-fire punches to head into the mid-session interval locked at 2-2. 

O’Sullivan knocked in a 101 break – his 986th career century – Allen responded with 74. Before his opponent rallied with an 85. All three breaks were founded on glorious long-range opening reds, warmly applauded by the sell-out York crowd. 

Tickets for next year’s tournament had gone on sale hours earlier, but those inside the Barbican were witnessing pure snooker magic.

World No 7 Allen produced a rare mistake, missing the black off its spot when attempting to open up the pack of reds.