Most people with restricted nocturnal habits expected to wake up yesterday morning to hear Fergal O'Brien had won the British Masters. For so long he had been in control, and for so long his nerves appeared unlimited.
Yet after a 19-frame marathon with Paul Hunter, the title finally slipped. A couple of missed balls at a couple of crucial moments was the only difference. C'est la vie. Back in Dublin yesterday, O'Brien, reflected on the events in a remarkably positive manner.
"Well, I'm not going to shoot myself. Of course it's disappointing, and of course you are thinking about what could have been. I put myself in a position where I could win, and to be a ball or two away from that and then miss is hard.
"But you'd be surprised. It's much easier to get over this than it is a first round defeat. It was still a great week for me and I beat a lot of good players. And I have to be happy about how well I am playing at the moment."
Anyone who did burn the midnight oil to witness the decisive 46-minute frame with Hunter would have felt some of the pressure that was cramped into the Wembley Centre. Hunter, at 22, was new to the pressure himself having previously won just a single major title. But O'Brien, ranked number nine in the world, had no shortage of chances to claim a title last brought to Ireland by Denis Taylor in 1987. Three to be exact. Once when attempting a black, then an easy green, and finally the blue on a free ball. Hunter didn't need to be asked again and took the frame 77-44 - along with the £175,000 first prize.
"The pressure in a situation like that is very hard to describe," O'Brien said. "You have to experience it to understand it. And it was definitely the biggest pressure that I've ever had. But that will now stand to me, and if I want to win the bigger tournaments then you can expect to face that kind of pressure again."
In many ways the game was decided on who made the last mistake. As long as Hunter didn't put the game to bed, O'Brien always believed he had his chance. But he's not laughing at the £88,000 runner-up prize. When he won the British Open two years ago he got only £60,000, so it's still his biggest pay-day.
"There are a lot of positive things to take out of this tournament. I could have gone out 10-8 but came back again for another chance to win. After that you are in a position to win or lose and you can't ask for more than that. The goal was to win and I didn't quite get there, but I'll get over it."
