A funny old season

Paul Hunter celebrates victory in the Masters

By Saj Chowdhury BBC Sport Online

"The 2001 Embassy World Snooker champion is Ronnie O'Sullivan," bellowed the compere after the Rocket finally picked up the prize he so longed for.

An 18-14 victory over Scotsman John Higgins was the finale to a marathon season.

However, whereas O'Sullivan's victory last year was expected, and welcomed in many quarters, the outcome of this year's Championship seems rather more open.

Why? It's a simple equation.

This year, three of the four major championships have been won by three different players.

O'Sullivan clinched the World and UK crown in the same year

Stephen Lee grabbed the LG Cup, O'Sullivan added the UK crown to the world championship and Paul Hunter defended his Benson and Hedges Masters title.

Nothing unusual in that, some would say.

The snooker season began in August 2001 and for Crucible's losing finalist John Higgins it could not have started better.

The 26-year-old beat world number one Mark Williams to claim the Champions Cup, before winning the first event of his career in Scotland - the Regal Masters.

By winning the British Open at the beginning of October, it meant that he became the first player to win the opening three tournaments of the campaign.

The odds on a Higgins success were cut dramatically as the first major event of the season, - the LG Cup (a new name for the Grand Prix) - began.

But eventual champion Stephen Lee put a stop to the Scotsman's bid at the quarter-final stage.

Hendry's experience may prove to be a telling factor

Lee beat Peter Ebdon in the final, in what was deemed by some as a grudge match, following Ebdon's colourful celebrations after he defeated Lee at the 2001 Worlds.

The man from Wiltshire then went on to clinch the Regal Scottish Open at the beginning of April.

Click here for match report

Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry had had a couple of relatively barren seasons but he finally ended a 27-month drought without a ranking title by winning the European Open in November.

O'Sullivan had also gone a few months without a trophy, but that was all about to change.

The second biggest tournament of the season - the UK Championship - threw up few surprises.

The only surprise was the 10-1 scoreline that the Rocket posted in the final at Ken Doherty's expense.

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So, time for a Ronnie resurgence? Well, no.

Step up Paul Hunter. A player from Leeds whose unique preparation techniques aided by his girlfriend, helped him win the 2001 Benson and Hedges Masters.

The fresh-faced Hunter proved he was no one-hit wonder by clinching the Regal Welsh title before retaining the Masters - with a little more help from his partner.

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Higgins was in devastating form at the start of the season

Is it going to be Hunter's year?

Remember Mark Williams? World number one and 2000 world champion?

His end of season trip to Asia proved to be fruitful after picking up successive titles, the China Open followed by the Thailand Masters.

Higgins, O'Sullivan, Lee, Hunter, Williams or Hendry for the 2002 World Championship?

Or none of the above? It would take a shrewd judge to pick out an outstanding favourite.

What is certain however, is that the Crucible will produce as many thrills and spillls, shocks and surprises to keep people guessing until the compere strikes up again.