Rocket 3-10 for title after hitting Stevens for six

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN was 3-10 on Friday night to win a fourth Crucible crown on Monday after establishing an 11-5 lead over Betfred.com World Championship semi-final rival Matthew Stevens at the end of their second session in the afternoon.

The Rocket, 1-50 to reach the final, needs to win six of the eight frames due to be contested on Saturday morning to claim his place in the last two with a session to spare. Stevens is 25-1 to fight back and reach a third final and 66-1 to win the event for a first time.

Resuming at 5-3 up, Stevens drew level at 5-5 and had chances to go 6-5 up. But from that point on O'Sullivan knuckled down to it and pulled away from the two-time finalist for the second time in the match when winning six frames on the trot.

After a century-free Thursday in the semi-finals on a cloth described as an ice rink, O'Sullivan posted two tons yesterday and Stephen Maguire had one in the morning second session of his semi-final with Ali Carter.

However, anyone who has bought O'Sullivan ton-ups on the spreads will be pulling their hair out because it seems pretty clear that  the world No. 15 is letting his match-play do the talking in Sheffield this year and is not that interested in posting the really big scores. That may change, of course, if it happens that the Rocketis going along comfortably in the final.

Carter, who lost 18-8 to O'Sullivan in the 2008 final, is 4-1 for a first Crucible crown after finishing the third session of his battle with Maguire 14-10 ahead. And he is now 1-5 to win the match.

Maguire is 4-1 to overhaul Carter on Saturday afternoon and 14 for glory.

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