Ronnie O'Sullivan wins World Snooker Tour Player of the Year award for the third time

Ronnie O'Sullivan has capped off a memorable season by winning a hat-trick of gongs in the annual World Snooker Tour awards.

Even by his own remarkable standards, the 2023/24 campaign was a special one for 'The Rocket' as he claimed five titles, including record-extending eighth UK Championship and Masters crowns. Across the term he pocketed in excess of £1.2 million in prize money, comfortably more than anyone else.

O'Sullivan has now been recognised by the snooker fraternity for his superb efforts, winning the Fans' Player of the Year, Journalists' Player of the Year, and the blue riband award, the WST Player of the Year.

It is the third time that the Englishman has collected the accolade under the WST banner, but the first time in a decade (2014). Since these particular awards began in 2011, O’Sullivan now draws level with fellow three-time POTY winner Judd Trump as the joint-most successful player ever in the top category. The 48-year-old previously won POTY awards in the sport before the WST introduced them, though.

In the remaining categories, newly crowned World Champion Kyren Wilson won the Performance of the Year for his victorious displays at the Crucible earlier this month.

Shaun Murphy takes the Magic Moment of the Year award for his unprecedented maximum 147 break under shot-clock conditions at the Shoot Out, while Chinese cueists Zhang Anda and He Guoqiang respectively won the Breakthrough of the Year and the Rookie of the Year prizes.

He has had an incredible debut term on the sport's top flight having won over £68,000 in prize money and reached a quarter-final and made two further last 16s at ranking events.

Zhang has been a revelation this campaign. Having spent all his career in the mid to lower ranks, he burst into life on some of the sport's biggest stages, making three ranking event finals and recording his first title at the International Championship on home soil, compiling a maximum 147 break in the final, too. His contributions have propelled him into the elite world's top 16 for the first time in his career.

Two further players have been added to the Hall of Fame: 2023 World Champion Luca Brecel, and Daniel Blunn, the most decorated player in the history of World Disability Billiards and Snooker with 16 titles.