O'Sullivan seals quarter-final place in style with his third Crucible 147

'Sullivan, twice world champion, conjured snooker's perfect break in a magical finale to his 13-7 victory over Williams to follow maximums against Mick Price in 1997 and Marco Fu in 2003.

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But he led only 9-7 overnight and admitted: "My bags were packed. It was one of those games where Mark could skip away from me and I didn't want to be looking for pants and socks under the settee."

Instead Williams, twice champion at Sheffield, led the applause. He said: "Only Ronnie can make it look so easy. I knew he'd go for it as soon as he potted the first red."

O'Sullivan, favourite for the 888.com £250,000 first prize next Monday, earned £147,000 for his 8min 47sec maximum, plus £10,000 for the highest break, and has banked £491,000 for his hat-trick of 147s.

But he insisted: "It's not about the money. When I'm out running next I'll have a think about some good causes. My heart was beating. A 147 at Sheffield is fantastic and to have three is a bit of history.

"The first red was a hard shot but once it went in I'd made my mind up. I should probably go home now. I won't unpack. I didn't pack my dress shirts, just in case. I hope I can go all the way now."

O'Sullivan, 32, still faces disciplinary action for his lewd behaviour at the China Open last month. He said: "I might not be everybody's cup of tea but I give the fans excitement and a bit of value for money."

Williams, the world No 1 as recently as 2004, will drop out of the elite top 16 next season and must qualify for the Crucible, but he made his exit in more optimistic mood than when he talked of quitting in January.

He said: "Although there was no stopping Ronnie in those last four frames, in the first two sessions I could have been a long way in front."

Stephen Maguire completed a 13-7 win over Neil Robertson, who admitted that his horrendous start, where he lost the first nine frames, came after he rushed into the arena from watching Chelsea play Manchester United on TV.

Robertson said: "I completely lost my focus. Watching the football I went from being nice and relaxed. I was caught off-guard and I was absolutely gutted to lose a session 8-0.

"But I wasn't playing for pride. I still fancied my chances if I could win the first couple and he was missing a few balls."

Maguire said: "I knew he hadn't given up when he clenched his fist at finishing 11-5 down on Sunday. I was trying not to let him win a frame. At 9-0 up, you'd have to break a leg to get beaten."