Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN RETURNS TO CORNWALL AND PRODUCES A MAGICAL "147"
( 22nd and 23rd February 2008 )

Snooker genius Ronnie O’Sullivan made a welcome return to Cornwall along with fellow snooker professionals Jimmy ‘Whirlwind’ White and ‘Chinese Sensation’ Ding Junhui on Friday 22^nd and Saturday 23^rd February at the Keay Theatre in St Austell.

Friday’s exhibition saw Jimmy and Ronnie play amateur players in the first half then the two legends went on to play a 7 frame exhibition match in the second half. None of the six amateur players managed to win a frame against the green baize legends but Ronnie managed to make a 108 break against Andrew Pearce.

An exciting start to the head to head saw Jimmy go into a 3 frames lead. Ronnie changed up a gear and won the match 4 frames to 3, compiling a 118 break in the fifth frame.

A thrilling Saturday evenings snooker was had by all as Ding Junhui kicked off the second day’s exhibition in fantastic form. In the first three frames against amateur players he compiled breaks of 99, 122 and 118. Ronnie ensured total domination, playing various shots left and right handed, against his three amateurs to complete the first half of the evenings programme.

The second half of Saturday’s entertainment against Ding saw Ronnie show the fans why he is the most naturally gifted player the world of snooker has ever seen. Ronnie got off to a flying start with a 101 break only to further amaze the audience in the second frame with a flawless 147 maximum break in just six and a half minutes. “During the 147 break you could hear a pin drop,” said SnookerPlus promoter David Grigg, “As the final black went into the pocket the whole 340 seat arena erupted.” Ding went on to win the third frame but barely got a look in on the next three frames as Ronnie made breaks of 78, 54, 35, 93 and 41. Amazingly, unfased by Ronnie’s superb play, Ding showed the audience why is a class act by finishing off the evening with an outstanding 121 break.

At the end of both evenings privileged fans had the opportunity to meet the professionals for photos and autographs.

“We are so privileged to be able to attract quality players to Cornwall as geographically we so far away from where players are based,” says Carole Grigg from SnookerPlus. David Grigg adds “This is Ding’s first visit to Cornwall but I am certain it will not be his last, he’s an awesome talent at only 20 years old and has gained many new fans in Cornwall.”

Players - Friday                                            Players - Saturday

Jake Stewart                                                Kevin Steed
Mark Roberts                                                Chris Timmins
Andrew Hobbs                                              Mike Harding
Jack Spalding                                              Ashley Randle
Andrew Pearce                                            John Dunn
Jason Hill                                                     Justin Waters

    RONNIE O'SULLIVAN VISITS CORNWALL FOR THE
                                          FIRST TIME
                       ( 3rd and 4th November 2006 )

The Keay theatre hosted two exciting snooker exhibitions as the legendary Ronnie O'Sullivan visited Cornwall for the very first time.

SnookerPlus - a husband and wife team of David and Carole Grigg from Roche - organised the exhibition matches in partnership with The Keay, which brought arguably the most naturally gifted player in the world to the county.

RONNIE O’SULLIVAN PRODUCES FLAWLESS147 MAXIMUM BREAK
( Friday 6th November 2009 )

Three times World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan made a welcome return to the Keay Theatre, St Austell to mesmerise his supporters with his sheer genius on the green baize.

Ronnie O’Sullivan was welcomed into the arena by an excited 300 strong audience on Friday evening as he made his third return visit to the Keay Theatre for SnookerPlus.

Ronnie started the evening steadily making breaks of 31 and 39 respectively but in the second frame the ‘Rocket’ really took off. Chris Bond was on the receiving end of Ronnie’s flawless 147 maximum break. Ronnie potted the pink ball scoring 140 leaving him perfectly placed on the black. He then proceeded to remove the balls from the pockets, without potting the black, in readiness for the next frame. The audience gasped in amazement and Ronnie strolled back to the white ball and knocked in the black for a perfect 147. What a character and entertainer.

At the beginning of the second half, MC David Grigg, announced to the audience that there was a lady who adores Ronnie who was celebrating her birthday that evening. Ronnie then presented Deborah Waugh with an enormous bunch of flowers on behalf of her family. Ronnie then suggested that everyone should sing to Deborah ‘Happy Birthday’ which everyone did, including Ronnie.

The lucky winner of the auction frame was Nirav Pattell who travelled all the way from Croydon for the exhibition. He played the first frame in the second half.

As the evening progressed, Ronnie displayed his enviable talent for playing shots left and right handed. In the eleventh frame of the evening he made an 86 break left handed. Changing up a gear in the next frame Ronnie made a 106 break against Looe Social Club player Neil Bassett.

Ronnie ended the evening by meeting all his fans for autographs and friendly banter.

When asked if he thought the evening was a success, promoter David Grigg said ‘Definitely. There is no one that plays the game like Ronnie. He is a remarkable talent, a one off genius. David goes on to say ‘It has already been agreed that Ronnie will return to the Keay Theatre in the future subject to my wife, Carole, providing him with home made Cornish pasties.’

During the evening it was also announced that snooker legend and seven times world champion Stephen Hendry will appear alongside Welsh number one Ryan Day at the Keay Theatre on Friday 12^th March 2010. Tickets will go on sale Monday 7^th December.

When asked for his thoughts on the evening Ronnie said ‘I love coming to Cornwall, the Cornish audience is so enthusiastic and appreciative of the way I play. It gives me satisfaction knowing that everyone has enjoyed themselves. I would definitely like to return to Cornwall in the future.’

A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all.

Scores

Ronnie O’Sullivan (85)   v Tony Farrant (16) Belgrave, Plymouth
     “               “         (147) v Chris Bond (0) St Dominic
     “               “         (104) v Alex Wills (20) Illogan Highway
     “               “         (76)   v Kieran Lynch (17) Illogan Highway
     “               “         (89)   v Nathan Strick (10) Breage Social Club
     “               “         (90)   v Dean Williams (24) Porthleven)

2^nd half

Ronnie O’Sullivan (64)   v Nirav Pattell (7) Auction frame winner
      “              “          (109) v Terry Kempe (8) St Day
      “              “          (100) v Barry Mcintosh (12) St Blazey Football Club
      “              “          (86)   v Richard Lloyd (1) Bude
      “              “          (107) v Neil Bassett (0) Looe Social Club
      “              “          (121) v Mark Gregory (6) Mark Gregory

Ronnie O’Sullivan breaks

147, 106, 88, 86, 79, 54, 53 (3), 52, 49, 39, 31, 30

Ronnie at the Keay Theatre, St Austell

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John Latham, CEO & Principal of Cornwall College commented: "Ronnie is such a gifted player who seems to really capture the public's imagination. The facilities are fantastic at The Keay and people have been delighted with the venue and the buzz in the theatre."

Over three hundred people packed the theatre for each exhibition with Ronnie O'Sullivan receiving a rousing reception on both occasions. David Grigg, Master of Ceremonies for both exhibitions announced the arrival of Ronnie to the expectant crowd: "Ronnie the rocket has landed" to a standing ovation in The Keay.

Ronnie has enjoyed his first visit to Cornwall: "It's been brilliant, I've heard so much about Cornwall before. It's absolutely stunning - a beautiful part of the country. I've been really surprised about the reception I've got here." He went on to talk about the exhibition matches and The Keay: "I think I played really well tonight and I gave it my best. The Keay is fantastic - better than some of the ‘pro' event venues! It's rare you get to play snooker in a theatre now. The acoustics were amazing and it was a real treat to play here."

Ronnie played spectacularly on both nights, playing 12 frames against 12 local players. On Friday Ronnie's performance was outstanding, with only one local player - Steve Courts from St Neots, having the skills to beat Ronnie. On Saturday Ronnie improved his performance further to hit two 147‘s! On each night, 2 members of the audience also got the chance to bid in an auction to play a frame against Ronnie, with significant amounts of money bid on both nights. A Cornwall College St Austell Catering student, Ashley Randle, 18, from Newquay, paid £280 to play a frame against Ronnie on Friday night. When asked why he paid so much for just a few shots Ashley said: "I love the guy. It's one thing to watch Ronnie but another to play him. He's amazing."

So what about the future - will The Keay be hosting any more exciting sporting events? David Grigg of SnookerPlus said: "SnookerPlus have already confirmed another exciting snooker exhibition at The Keay, with Steve Davis taking to the floor to show his skills on 9^th and 10^th March 2007. In the future we plan to diversify and bring other top class professional sports people to Cornwall so watch this space for more details!"

For more information on the next snooker exhibition match at The Keay, keep your eyes peeled for the next Keay events brochure or go to www.thekeay.co.uk For more information on SnookerPlus contact Carole or David Grigg: 01726 890394.

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