Ronnie sees red on yellow

Ronnie O'Sullivan was a bad-tempered semi-final loser to Marco Fu in the Hasseroder Premier League play-offs in Sunderland.

The 2001 world champion lost his self-control after being snookered behind the yellow early in the third frame of his 6-4 defeat at the Crowtree Leisure Centre.

He made one genuine escape attempt but, when the cue ball was replaced for a second, he lashed both cue ball and yellow into the reds and told the referee Paul Collier: "Try putting those back."

The jibe referred to the tricky task facing a referee when a "miss" is called and he has to replace any balls moved in their original position.

After his defeat O'Sullivan hurried away without attending either the contracted press conference or signing autographs for waiting fans.

Fu took advantage of the Londoner's lapse at the table by building a commanding lead on his way to a 2-1 advantage and ultimate victory.

O'Sullivan, when trailing 5-3, 60-0, compiled a potentially match-saving 67 clearance. However, after Fu cleared from last red to blue to lead by 19 with only 13 on the table in the 10th, O'Sullivan chose not to pursue the one snooker he needed to tie.

Mark Williams, picking up his cue for the first time since regaining the world title last Monday, beat Peter Ebdon 6-2 in the other semi-final. Williams said: "I played so many frames at the Crucible that I thought I could risk a few days off."

The break included going on stage with the trophy at a Tom Jones concert in Cardiff. It was the Tom Jones hit Delilah which Williams sang to himself to maintain concentration in the world final.

Alex Davies became, at 15 years 10 months, the youngest winner in 87 years of the English Amateur Championship by beating Ben Woollaston, one month his senior, 8-7 in Plymouth.

The previous youngest champion was David Gray, winner of last month's Regal Scottish Open, who won the title at 16 years four months. Jimmy White won it at 16 years 10 months.

In the junior championships the under-13 title went to Jack Lisowski, who is only 10, and the under-15s to Judd Trump, already backed by Ladbrokes to win the world title in the next 10 years.

England's junior captain, Gary Wilson, won the under-18 final 8-4 against Jamie O'Neill, who recently recorded a 147 maximum in competition.