The Natural, a title that the general public bestow on those individuals that seem to possess that something extra that sets them apart from their sporting peers. Ask people who they think of when the they hear the phrase, and you will be told names like Babe Ruth, George Best, Michael Jordan, John McEnroe.
These are names that have the ability to split public opinion, you could describe them as “Marmite” characters, you will either love them or hate them, whichever one you will do it with a passion, there will be no middle ground. These sportsmen also possess a sense of artistry, that makes what they do look easy and not the result of hard work and training.
I am sure you can all think of many other names, but I am going to present one name here, that I believe best captures all those thoughts both positive and negative and in my humble opinion is the best representive of the title, The Natural.
Without any further ado, I present the name of Ronnie O’Sullivan. Known by the nickname The Rocket, he is the next in a list of characters, Alex “Hurricane” Higgins, Jimmy “Whirlwind” White and now Rocket Ronnie O’Sullivan. Hurricane, Whirlwind, Rocket are names that suggest speed, and they were nicknames given with good reason. Just watch Ronnie’s maximum 147 break from the World Championship a few years ago, when Ronnie cleared the table in just under 6 minutes.
Those of us that have played a frame or two, will know just how difficult that is. Think of successful snooker players, you will likely think of Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, maybe Ray Reardon or Cliff Thorburn. There is no doubting the success of these names, but also these are names that play a game more familiar with the average club player, they display more caution and show more consideration before attempting their shot.
Ronnie though sees a snooker table as appears to know exactly what he wants to do and as a 5 time World Champion has the skill set to pull off the shots. His last World Championship victory, 2 years ago came after Ronnie had taken a year off following his growing disillusion with the Sport combined with different priorities in life, Ronnie had to be given the ok to even compete against the season long competition hardened players, but after a fortnight in Sheffield it was Ronnie who walked away with the prize.
Due to the complexities of the Ranking system and the time away from the Sport, Ronnie was ranked at 32. Although he committed to actually playing some tournaments, was a lot more selective about which tournaments he would play, averaging one competition per month rather than the every other weekend of most tour pros. Even allowing for this Ronnie won 4 tournaments and once again made the World final, this time it took a superblative performance from World No 1 Mark Selby to beat him.
Due to his chosen schedule he will not be No 1 again, but is regularly described by the other players as the best break builder in the game and the most feared opponent, if he can continue to keep the inner demons in check that threatened his continued involvement in the game, then more success is inevitable. There is no doubt about it, Ronnie O’Sullivan, The Natural.
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