‘He meant it’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan fans convinced ‘fluke of the decade’ was no accident

Ronnie O’Sullivan has convinced fans that his luckiest-ever shot was 100 per cent intended. The Rocket is regarded as snooker‘s greatest of all time, but got a stroke of luck when competing in the Northern Ireland Open in November 2019. O’Sullivan was snookered by five balls as he looked to pot the yellowEurosport Facing Joe Perry in the semi-final in Belfast, O’Sullivan took control early on and realised that the snooker Gods may be shining down on him during a fortuitous shot to win the second frame. Snookered by five balls on the yellow, O’Sullivan somehow managed to spin the white ball off the cushion and squeeze the yellow into the pocket in an impossible shot. Clearly showing that the effort was accidental, the seven-time world champion apologised to his opponent Perry before continuing his game. While watching the shot, the Eurosport commentator said: “Oh you’re kidding. You are kidding me. “Wow-wee what a fluke that is. “That might be fluke of the season, it might even be fluke of the decade!” But while O’Sullivan’s effort was almost certainly a fluke, some fans aren’t convinced. Such is his level of genius, a section of The Rocket’s fans believe that the 41-time title winner actually meant it. Commenting on the clip on social media, one fan wrote: “Probably skill. Not fluke.” Another said: “Definitely planned. So, by definition, not a fluke.” His shot got a lucky bounce of the cushion and headed straight for the yellowEurosport With a fortunate spin the yellow landed in the bottom-right pocket to help him to a second frame winEurosport The Rocket looked a little bit embarrassed as he apologised to opponent Joe PerryEurosport Other comments included, “He meant it”, “Absolute skill” and “Only a fool would call it a fluke”. Another fan said: “With the pace of the cue ball he was going for the pot.” “Definitely skill as the white ended up perfect for the green which he obviously played for,” said another. “What a wonderful shot that was,” another wrote. A final supporter summed it up by writing: “Not a fluke. Just Ronnie.” Whether it was intentional or not, that effort saw O’Sullivan storm to a 6-1 victory to set up a mouth-watering final with world number one Judd Trump. Fans are now hoping to see O’Sullivan back at this year’s World Snooker ChampionshipGetty O’Sullivan’s confidence was high, but in the end it was Trump who claimed the title with a 9-7 victory to deny The Rocket what would have been his 38th title. Six years on and fans are desperate to see O’Sullivan return to action for the World Snooker Championship which starts on April 19 in Sheffield. O’Sullivan has barely featured during the current season after withdrawing from multiple events. As a result, he has failed to qualify for the upcoming Players Championship and Tour Championship. But fans will be hoping to see him in action at the Crucible in what would be a record-extending 33rd world championship appearance in a row.

Mar 16, 2025 - 13:20
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‘He meant it’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan fans convinced ‘fluke of the decade’ was no accident

Ronnie O’Sullivan has convinced fans that his luckiest-ever shot was 100 per cent intended.

The Rocket is regarded as snooker‘s greatest of all time, but got a stroke of luck when competing in the Northern Ireland Open in November 2019.

O’Sullivan was snookered by five balls as he looked to pot the yellow
Eurosport

Facing Joe Perry in the semi-final in Belfast, O’Sullivan took control early on and realised that the snooker Gods may be shining down on him during a fortuitous shot to win the second frame.

Snookered by five balls on the yellow, O’Sullivan somehow managed to spin the white ball off the cushion and squeeze the yellow into the pocket in an impossible shot.

Clearly showing that the effort was accidental, the seven-time world champion apologised to his opponent Perry before continuing his game.

While watching the shot, the Eurosport commentator said: “Oh you’re kidding. You are kidding me.

“Wow-wee what a fluke that is.

“That might be fluke of the season, it might even be fluke of the decade!”

But while O’Sullivan’s effort was almost certainly a fluke, some fans aren’t convinced.

Such is his level of genius, a section of The Rocket’s fans believe that the 41-time title winner actually meant it.

Commenting on the clip on social media, one fan wrote: “Probably skill. Not fluke.”

Another said: “Definitely planned. So, by definition, not a fluke.”

His shot got a lucky bounce of the cushion and headed straight for the yellow
Eurosport
With a fortunate spin the yellow landed in the bottom-right pocket to help him to a second frame win
Eurosport
The Rocket looked a little bit embarrassed as he apologised to opponent Joe Perry
Eurosport

Other comments included, “He meant it”, “Absolute skill” and “Only a fool would call it a fluke”.

Another fan said: “With the pace of the cue ball he was going for the pot.”

“Definitely skill as the white ended up perfect for the green which he obviously played for,” said another.

“What a wonderful shot that was,” another wrote.

A final supporter summed it up by writing: “Not a fluke. Just Ronnie.”

Whether it was intentional or not, that effort saw O’Sullivan storm to a 6-1 victory to set up a mouth-watering final with world number one Judd Trump.

Fans are now hoping to see O’Sullivan back at this year’s World Snooker Championship
Getty

O’Sullivan’s confidence was high, but in the end it was Trump who claimed the title with a 9-7 victory to deny The Rocket what would have been his 38th title.

Six years on and fans are desperate to see O’Sullivan return to action for the World Snooker Championship which starts on April 19 in Sheffield.

O’Sullivan has barely featured during the current season after withdrawing from multiple events.

As a result, he has failed to qualify for the upcoming Players Championship and Tour Championship.

But fans will be hoping to see him in action at the Crucible in what would be a record-extending 33rd world championship appearance in a row.