RONNIE O’SULLIVAN raced into the second round of the U.K. Championship as he made three centuries in a 6-0 victory over Thailand’s Boonyarit Keattikun.

    When the action began he dashed into an early lead before showing his authority in the second frame with the highest break of the contest, a 129, which included a terrific long-range red. The 40-year-old missed to leave Keattikun in a good position among the balls to score in the next, but a poor shot put O’Sullivan back on the table and he produced a break of 80 to race into a 3-0 lead.

    Keattikun got another opportunity with the reds scattered around the table in frame four, but he could only muster a break of one before the Essex potter took control with a 90 break, arming himself with a 4-0 interval lead inside 45 minutes.

    The onslaught at York’s Barbican Center continued as O’Sullivan fired 103 and 106 on the resumption to seal victory.

    Ronnie O’Sullivan said he no longer feels “trapped in a prison” and played down retirement talk after the dazzling win in York.

    O’Sullivan said: “This is like a bit of a hobby. Getting my cue out is a bit of a pleasure whereas before, when that’s all I had to do, I felt I was trapped in a prison. Now I feel like it’s a bit exciting and I treat it as a bit of fun.”

    (SD-Agencies)