Climbing ‘Arthur’s a***’ consolation for Ronnie O’Sullivan after Scottish Open defeat to Gary Wilson

Ronnie O’Sullivan said having the opportunity to run Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh was consolation for crashing out of the Scottish Open at the second round stage to Gary Wilson.

Wilson made very few errors and some big breaks to be on the front foot for most of the high-quality match.

It’s the earliest O’Sullivan has been eliminated from the Scottish Open since the event’s revival in 2016.

O’Sullivan was naturally disappointed to have lost but was glad to take the chance to see some nature in the Scottish city.

However, the 47-year-old wasn’t sure if he had visited Arthur’s Seat or ‘Arthur’s a***’.

“He deserved to win, and it is as simple as that. Snooker can be very fickle and maybe this can be the start of something for Gary, and he can go deep in the draw.

“I am pretty neutral about winning and losing these days, that doesn’t change. I will stay here working with Eurosport until maybe late Sunday and try and get home for my birthday on Monday.

“At least I got to run up Arthur’s Seat, or Arthur’s a*** or whatever it’s called while I was here. That was amazing.”

Meanwhile, Wilson’s journey continues as he meets the winner of Yan Bingtao and Hossein Vafaei in the last 16 on Thursday.

“I just tried to stay as calm as I could, in the moment,” Wilson said in the Eurosport studio. “I felt like I didn’t have much to lose because I’ve been in that situation quite a bit.

“With Ronnie you can break off and lose the frame. I was expecting the worst but not in a bad way.

“I thought if he pots all the balls and wins the frame it’s nothing new, if he misses, happy days and I’ll see what I can do when I get my chance. That’s all you can ask for.”

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