Ronnie O’Sullivan marked his 1000th career century break in style, with ‘The Rocket’ choosing to play left-handed for the crowd’s entertainment.

Two years on from recording his 1,000th century break, O’Sullivan remains the only snooker player to achieve the feat.

The Rocket headed to Preston in March, 2019, to defend his Coral Players Championship title, and entered the tournament with 994 centuries to his name.

It’d be a tough ask for O’Sullivan to reach 1,000 over the week of the event, but after rolling in a 101 break during the opening frame of his first round match with Barry Hawkins, excitement started to build.

O’Sullivan then swiftly added number 996 and 997 during his quarter-final showdown with John Higgins, but stalled in his semi-final whitewash, leaving him requiring three centuries in the final against Neil Robertson.

The Englishman sunk two early on in the afternoon session to leave fans on the edge of their seats, but after racing to a 9-4 lead, O’Sullivan found himself just one frame away from victory.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - APRIL 26: Ronnie O'Sullivan of England reacts during the Betfred World Snooker Championship Quarter Final match between Ronnie O'Sullivan of England and Stephen Maguire of Scotland at Crucible Theatre on April 26, 2022 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

However, the crowd were eventually rewarded for their patience, with Ronnie producing a masterful final frame to win his 35th career ranking title. After hitting 99, O’Sullivan began to tease fans by pausing and swapping to his left hand to pot the red and achieve his 1,000th century.

O’Sullivan went on to record a 134 break as the Preston crowd erupted in applause for the legendary snooker player.

The 46-year-old went on to add a further two World Championships to his name, matching Stephen Hendry’s record. He also now boasts an astonishing 39 career ranking titles.

And when it comes to century breaks, no one comes close.

As of today, O’Sullivan boasts 1,170 century breaks, although we’re fairly confident his 1,000th in Preston will be right up there with his favourites.

O’Sullivan’s fun in Preston didn’t end there either. As if becoming the first ever snooker player to record 1,000 centuries wasn’t enough fun already, he bizarrely adopted an Australian accent for the post-match interviews, claiming that the finale was an “all-Australian showdown”.