Ken Doherty joined Off The Ball on Saturday with fellow former World Snooker Champion Dennis Taylor, on what would normally be the closing weekend at The Crucible.
Doherty told a story about how Ronnie O'Sullivan helped him in practice for his World Championship win in 1997.
The pair had known each other for many years with the young Doherty practicing with the very young O'Sullivan.
"I used to practice with Ronnie when I first moved to England," began Doherty, "I was 18, Ronnie was only 12. He used to have a snooker table down the end of his garden.
"His father used to send a taxi for me to come and play with him. When people ask me who was the best player you ever played with, was it Stephen or Ronnie?
"I say 'I used to beat Ronnie all the time,' now he was only 12 at the time, but it still counts in my book."
Ken Doherty on differences
Several years later, the pair used the same club to practice in - although the atmosphere between the pair was not always completely cordial.
"Ronnie and I used to play in the same club," says the Dubliner, "Ilford Snooker Centre in Essex.
"Over the years when we were professionals, we had our differences and we wouldn't always play together. We sort of blanked each other for a while.
However, in the run-up to what would be the biggest tournament of Doherty's career, the pair came together for a series of intense practices.
"For the World Championship in 1997, we put our differences aside and practiced together for the two weeks coming up to the World Championships," recalled Doherty.
"Every day we'd have one or two 'best of 19' (frame matches) on the table in Ilford and it sharpened us up no end. Ronnie O'Sullivan, the same year I won in 1997, made that 147 in five minutes and 20 seconds.
The practice worked for Doherty in particular and he remains grateful to The Rocket, who had to wait unitl 2001 to win his first Crucible title.
"He lost in the quarter-finals that year to Stephen Hendry," Says Doherty, before reminding listeners, "and I went on and won it.
"I have Ronnie O'Sullivan to thank for both of us being so sharp going into that World Championship."
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