Top Ten: Moments of 2013/14 (Part Two)

It's regularly said that the quality of snooker is getting better and better, and if ever you needed a case to try and prove this point, look no further than the 2013/14 season. With so many memorable matches, brilliant breaks, terrific tournaments and marvellous moments, this article was very difficult to write - trying to whittle last season down to ten moments is about as easy as stopping an in form Ronnie O'Sullivan. Here's the second part of the top ten moments of last season.

5) The Rocket thrashes Ricky Walden in London

Often referred to as a genius, Ronnie O'Sullivan wowed even the harshest of critics with his performances at Alexandra Palace in January, and in particular, his match with Ricky Walden in the second round. The Rocket produced arguably his best career performance to thrash Walden 6-0. After taking the first frame with a break of 79, he caught fire and won the next five frames, scoring 556 unanswered points. Walden didn't score a point in five and a half frames, such was O'Sullivan's insane dominance. The fourth frame in particular was jaw-dropping, a 134 total clearance which included a fabulous shot from pink to black. His run of 556 points was a new snooker record. The six frame match took just 58 minutes, leaving the BBC with four hours spare to try and cover. The punditry team eulogised over O'Sullivan's breathtaking display, with Ken Doherty describing it as 'probably the best performance I have seen from anybody in all the years I've been coming to the Masters'. The win set the Rocket in motion to win his fifth Masters title - he dropped just seven frames all tournament.

4) Super Selby crowned King of the World

It takes a superhuman effort to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan (just ask Ricky Walden) but it takes even more of an effort to beat the Rocket in a World final, when behind. However, that is exactly what Mark Selby did to become the 2014 World Champion and end O'Sullivan's Crucible hegemony. Selby was stunned as he was quickly 3-0 behind, but he rallied to trail just 5-3 at the end of the first session. However Selby could only manage two of have first seven frames of the evening session, and was 10-5 behind. This looked irretrievable - O'Sullivan was in inspired form. Selby's mindset didn't change though, and he took the last two of the session to trail 10-7 overnight, a score he could certainly work with. After a day of being battered by O'Sullivan, he only trailed by three. Despite the score, Selby would be much the happier player overnight. But it was Monday when Selby would really come into his own. He adapted his game to the situation, and his tactical awareness was first class, this really paid off in the first frame of the day, which O'Sullivan led until an error let Selby in. Incredibly, Selby took the next three frames as well, to lead for the first time, at 11-10. His lead was short lived, but the final frame of the session was so pivotal. It took over forty minutes to decide, both players missing simple balls. O'Sullivan looked to have stolen a lead, but inexplicably missed a pink into the middle, allowing Selby to lead 12-11. The evening session commenced, and Selby increased the lead to 15-12. The Rocket hit back to take two frames, which included a magnificent yellow down the cushion, to narrow the score to 15-14. Selby was not rattled though and won two in a row, including a delightful 127 break. The last frame was titanic, O'Sullivan missing frame ball, allowing Selby to achieve a nerve-jangling clearance and be crowned World Champion. Whilst he may not have won the title in the style of O'Sullivan, the effort and intelligence that went into Selby's tactical play meant that he thoroughly deserved his first world title, and a return to the top of the world rankings.

3) Ding Junhui's remarkable run of titles

To win any tournament is a great achievement, but in the 13/14 season, winning became an almost daily event for Ding Junhui. Anyone with any doubts about Ding's talent were put aside during a remarkably successful season for the 26 year old. He ended up claiming five ranking titles in one season, equalling Stephen Hendry's 1991 record. He started off by winning his home event, the Shanghai Masters, in a historic final which saw him beat Xiao Guodong 10-6, the first ever final to feature two Chinese players. He won the Indian Open with ease, smashing Adhitya Mehta 5-0 in the final, he was now on two in a row. Probably his most impressive tournament victory though was the International Championship, also in China. Ding thrilled his home fans with a series of super displays, eventually beating Marco Fu 10-9 in a classic final. This was now three ranking titles in a row, a new snooker record. He would have to wait a few months for his next title, but it was worth waiting for. The German Masters is one of the most popular tournaments on the calendar, and Ding exhibited his fighting qualities in the final, coming from 4-2 down to defeat Judd Trump 9-5. His final win of the season would also be a special one, close to home again as he conquered the China Open. He ended the hopes of Mike Dunn in the semi final before a clinical 10-5 win over Neil Robertson in the final. This was his third win on home soil just in one season, and his fifth ranking title of the season to match the record. An unbelievable season for Ding, confirming his place amongst the greatest players in snooker right now.

2) Robertson hits 100 centuries in one season

Break building is a quality every snooker player longs to have, and Neil Robertson has this attribute in abundance. Probably the best break builder in the sport right now, Robertson affirmed this status with a season-long achievement which has never been done before and maybe never will be. He hit 100 century breaks in a single season, obliterating the previous record of 63. The possibility of a century of centuries was being mooted as early as Christmas, by which time he had hit 58. Robertson certainly took full use of the Championship League, in which he made 22 century breaks. However, 2014 saw the centuries dry up a little, with him 'only' making 13 outside of the Championship League. Going into the World Championship, he had made 93 centuries and needed seven more. He hit four in his first round encounter before another two against Mark Allen in the last sixteen. He agonisingly missed a black off the spot in the final frame on 94 against Allen though  delaying the moment. It looked like it would never come though, when he broke down on 70 in the 21st frame of his epic tussle with Judd Trump. Finally though the moment had come. The decisive break was probably one of his toughest. He started with a clever plant, but for a while, baulk colours were all he could yield. A world class positional shot on the brown set him up to clear the reds, and after converting the yellow to be on 98, it was all down to the green. No mistake this time. 101 was how the break finished. The crowd gave Robertson a standing ovation and he celebrated with joy, as if he'd made a maximum. A season-long effort was over, and a feat achieved which may never happen again.

1) O'Sullivan wins Welsh Open with impeccable 147

Any of the moments on this list could've made the number one spot, but for me, this was unbeatable. Ronnie O'Sullivan was in imperious form throughout the Welsh Open and had reached the final with ease. He finished the first session 7-1 up and the evening session saw him lead at 8-3, just one frame away from victory. No-one could have imagined what was about to happen. He had to overcome several difficulties to make the maximum, including the black ending on the blue spot, talking in the audience, and a red getting into baulk. However he was unfazed, and by about 48 it looked very good. He made it look easy but it was anything but. By 73 he had won the frame and the tournament, and played some stunning positional shots, making sure he was high on every ball to give himself every chance of the maximum. Finally he came to the difficult red in baulk. He left everyone speechless, playing a left handed deep screw, from baulk, to end inch perfect on the final black. That shot brought the house down. The blue was off its spot but the colours didn't trouble the Rocket, who even played the last black with his left hand. Why? Because he can. This break confirmed his well-earned status as a genius and the best player in the world, making a maximum to win the tournament, in probably the last ever frame at the Newport Centre to send the crowd into delirium.

Do you agree? What would be your top ten moments of the season? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Daniel Daykin