Veterans of the Game Continue to Shine at the Crucible
The Class of 92, comprising Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams, and John Higgins, are showing no signs of giving up their dominance in the world of snooker. On the eighth day of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible, these three legends of the game continued to roll back the years with impressive performances.
According to a report by The Guardian, Higgins had to mount a late comeback to finish his gruelling last-16 tie with Xiao Guodong, leading 12-11 when they ran out of time at the end of their morning session. Xiao won the first frame when they resumed, forcing a decider, but Higgins held his nerve to win 13-12 and secure a quarter-final spot against Williams, as reported by The Guardian.
The Scot, currently ranked world No 3, has enjoyed a fine season, which included winning the Tour Championship two weeks prior to the World Snooker Championship. In his post-match comments, Higgins stated, "The three sessions – I really enjoyed them because it’s an unbelievable venue to play in. You play some good minutes, the pressure is on you and the crowd are all getting involved. You can’t replicate playing here," as quoted by The Guardian.
Higgins also expressed his delight at regaining his inner belief, saying, "Winning some of the big events has given me an inner belief I can get over the line. Even going into that last frame there. Am I a believer again? Yes," as reported by The Guardian. He also praised Williams and O’Sullivan, describing them as "three special players."
Williams secured his place in the quarter-finals with a 13-10 victory against Hossein Vafaei. The Welshman, a three-time champion at the Crucible, extended his two-frame lead at the start of the session to 11-8, but Vafaei fought back to get within one frame of level pegging before Williams wrapped things up with a break of 115, according to The Guardian.
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan took control of his match against Pang Junxu, finishing the first session with a 6-2 lead. The seven-time winner claimed each of the first four frames, with breaks of 58, 91, 50, and 63, before Pang registered the contest’s first century break, making a 119. O’Sullivan swiftly hit back to secure frame six, and after Pang took frame seven, O’Sullivan concluded the session by re-establishing a four-frame advantage, as reported by The Guardian.
The marathon clash between Higgins and Xiao could not be decided within three sessions. Facing a race against time to complete the match before the afternoon action commenced, Higgins won two frames in a row after the mid-session interval but was frustrated by Xiao with the winning post in sight. As the world No 14 battled back to make it 12-11, just over four hours after the session began, Higgins eventually emerged victorious, winning the deciding frame to secure a 13-12 victory.
In other matches, Luca Brecel produced a display of superb attacking snooker to take a 7-1 lead against Ding Junhui. Zhao Xintong leads his Chinese compatriot Lei Peifan 10-6 after winning the morning session 5-3. Chris Wakelin, who has already beaten two fancied players in Neil Robertson and Mark Allen, lies in wait for the winner in the quarter-finals.
The Guardian also reported that Si Jiahui took a 5-3 advantage over Ben Woollaston on Saturday evening. Si led 4-3 and seemed to have the final frame in his grasp, but Woollaston gained two snookers with only pink and black on the table, only for Si to sink the pink along the cushion to win the frame.
These results mean that the Class of 92 will continue to feature in the competition, with O’Sullivan, Williams, and Higgins all progressing to the quarter-finals. Their performances will undoubtedly be closely watched by fans and pundits alike as the World Snooker Championship continues to unfold.
As noted by The Guardian, Williams, Higgins, and O’Sullivan have won 14 world titles between them, and their continued success has raised questions about their enduring dominance in the sport. Despite their advanced ages – Williams is 50, while O’Sullivan and Higgins are both 49 – they continue to demonstrate a level of skill and resilience that belies their years.
The World Snooker Championship will continue on Sunday, with the quarter-finals set to get underway. With the likes of O’Sullivan, Williams, and Higgins still in the running, fans can expect more thrilling performances from these legends of the game.
This article is based on a report by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/apr/26/ronnie-osullivan-and-mark-williams-stand-firm-as-class-of-92-battle-on.
