I played Ronnie O'Sullivan on my UK Championship debut at 16 years old

11/21/2024 03:47 AM

Jackson Page has booked his spot at the Barbican for the UK Championship seven years after making his debut as a 16-year-old against Ronnie O’Sullivan.

It was a crazy occasion for a schoolboy to experience, playing in front of a full house in York against the sport’s greatest icon.

The Welshman was beaten 6-3 but made an impression on the Rocket, who liked what he saw from his opponent.

‘He’s a fantastic talent and a raw talent with a great temperament,’ O’Sullivan said of Page at the time. ‘The kid has something about him.’

Page enjoyed a couple of good wins in qualifying to head back to the Barbican this year, beating compatriot Jamie Clarke 6-4 and then scoring a fine 6-2 win over Iran’s Hossein Vafaei.

After booking his return to the main stages of the UK Championship, the memories of playing O’Sullivan immediately sprung to mind.

‘I do like York as a venue, the place in general is quite nice. I remember when I was 16, my first time there and I played Ronnie, it was packed right to the top. It was good,’ he said.

‘It was great. I was only a young kid then, I lost 6-3 to Ronnie but even after the match there was a big crowd there for me to sign autographs.

‘As a 16-year-old kid it was a bit like, wow! But it was great there, I’m looking forward to it again.’

Page was playing as an amateur back in 2017 and has been professional since 2019, but does not feel like he has kicked on as he would liked.

This season has been encouraging, reaching his first ranking final at the Championship League and a quarter-final at the recent International Championship, results which he hopes and expects to see more of.

‘It’s been quite disappointing for me for a few years but hopefully now I can establish what I can do and get better,’ said the world number 41.

‘I think everyone feels the same, especially because I was winning everything as a junior. Not that no one could beat me, but I didn’t lose many games. All of a sudden you get on tour and you’re losing all the time, it’s like “Oh my God!”

‘It’s just hard work, but a couple of results go your way and it’s the greatest sport in the world so you’ve just got to take the good when it comes.’