Blackpool's James Cahill enjoys his "perfect" day defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan in world snooker championships

Blackpool snooker sensation James Cahill admitted he could hardly stand up under the pressure at end of his Crucible cracker against Ronnie O'Sullivan.
James Cahill is congratulated on his victory by world number one Ronnie O'SullivanJames Cahill is congratulated on his victory by world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan
James Cahill is congratulated on his victory by world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan
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Blackpool amateur James Cahill pulls off snooker's ultimate upset to defeat Ronn...

Asked how he kept his composure for a matchwinning clearance in the 18th frame, the 23-year-old told the BBC: "I don't really know. I thought I was going to fall over at one point.

"When Ronnie made a break of 97 in the first frame today I knew I'd have to play well.

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"Neither of us played well yesterday, but when I went 6-5 up I felt he was under a lot of pressure. I knew he wouldn't want to lose to me.

"I thought I'd be nervous when I went out there today but I wasn't. I surprised myself because I felt really good.

"I've made pressure clearances before and I think I've shown quite a bit of bottle.

"The space is so mall out there. I knocked a water bottle over and at one point I was on Ronnie's lap. The crowd is really close."

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This was Cahill's second huge first-round scalp of the season, having eliminated Mark Selby from the UK Championship in November.

It means he is full of confidence as he looks forward to his second-round clash with Scotland's Stephen Maguire, and to his return to the professional ranks for the 2019/20 season.

He added: "I have always believes in myself and I believe I can beat anyone on my day.

"This is what I wanted to do. I've got my tour card back and I'm hoping to show what I can do.

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"You don't expect Ronnie to miss so many balls, and it sort of catches and you miss a couple. It's easy to get dragged into other people's game.

"I've been scoring really well. In the qualifiers (last week) I had more centuries than all of the pros.

"I know I can go out and perform on the big stage and I have quite a good temperament for this arena."

Cahill thanked his family and supporters.

His proud mum and former professional player Maria, at whose snooker club in Preston Cahill practises, was seen among the crowd sharing in her son's joy at the sport's most iconic venue.

"My family and supporters are everything," Cahill added. "I owe them so much. Everything is perfect today."