Ronnie O’Sullivan wins prestigious snooker award for first time in a DECADE despite World Championship horror show

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN has been named the WST Snooker Player of the Year for the first time in a decade.

The award comes after The Rocket scooped up five titles across the season.

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O’Sullivan has been named Snooker Player of the Year[/caption]

It comes despite a disappointing performance at the Snooker World Championships, where he crashed out in the quarter-finals to Stuart Bingham.

O’Sullivan scooped up wins at the Masters, The UK Championship, Shanghai Masters, World Grand Prix and Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker.

It’s the first time he’s won player of the season since 2014 and testament to his unbelievable longevity in the game.

The Rocket is still going strong after turning pro in 1992.

The cueist also won the accolade for Fans’ Player of the Year and Journalists’ Player of the Year at the WST awards.

Elsewhere, Kyren Wilson won the award for Performance of the Year for his showing in the World Championship Final this week.

It was Wilson’s first ever World Championship title.

He had reached the final before, in a Covid-impacted 2020 World Championship.

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He lost that one 18-8 to O’Sullivan but managed to fulfil his life ambition of winning the world title this season.

O’Sullivan’s disappointing performance at the Crucible this year has seen him fall down the world rankings however.

The Rocket is now listed as the fifth best player in the world, having spent the previous two years as number one.

Mark Allen, 38, is the new number one, with Judd Trump second and newly crowned World Champion Kyren Wilson at three.

Luca Brecel has climbed above O’Sullivan to be ranked fourth.