Thirty years later and the famous Class of ’92 reside within the Top 8 of the world rankings and are still causing considerable problems for nearly all the opposition they face. In theory, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins shouldn’t be performing at the top level and still garnering the spotlight in the manner that they do, but is that because they’re still playing well, or the rest just haven’t been able to catch up?

For the 2021/22 season (prior to World Championship), the Class of ’92 have achieved the following:

O’Sullivan: 1x win, 1x final, 3x semi-finals, 2x quarter-finals

Williams: 1x win, 1x final, 1x semi-final, 2x quarter-finals

Higgins: 1x win, 5x finals, 2x quarter-finals

Considering that most expected these three individuals to be phased out as time pushes ahead, they certainly seem to continue finding their way into the business end of many tournaments. If these were freak, one-off occurrences then the argument could be made however, the consistency and level they continue to perform to reach these latter stages are a testament to their ability to adapt to the snooker eras they lived through and compete in.

O’Sullivan, Williams and Higgins have had to compete through the Hendry era of the 1990s, the Class of ’92 era during the 2000s, the Selby/Robertson/Trump era of the 2010s and now arguably the Xintong/Bingtao era of the 2020s. Where the players of past may have struggled to keep up with the next generation, the Class of ’92 seem to have found the formula to not only keep pace, but also remain at the very top throughout the decades.

The key factor to their longevity is their adaptability and continuous improvement. O’Sullivan, Williams and Higgins have been able to evolve their game to suit the playing styles of their competition through enhancing their safety play, shot selection and cueing techniques over the years, all whilst keeping to their respective strengths of break-building, single-ball potting and tactical knowledge.

A lot of the retirement claims pushed forward by some viewers fall in the matter that they are unable to convert many of the finals and latter stages of tournaments that they reach. Furthermore, in their recent ability to close out matches. This was particularly evident during the recent Tour Championship semi-final and final where O’Sullivan and Higgins fell short to Neil Robertson who, at the time, is the best in the world. Also, in a few of their recent ventures where they fell at the deciders against players they probably shouldn’t have lost to.

Having said that, I think that goes to show the level of opposition that it takes to still stop the Class of ’92 winning events. You either need to be one of the best in the world or playing out of your skin to come out the winning side against one of these three. It’s quite funny when you observe a player competing against someone who isn’t Class of ’92, and later when they do play O’Sullivan, Williams or Higgins. There’s a palpable change in tension as there’s a general rise in spectators, pressure and stakes that come along with these characters.

Like this Short? Click here to read: Snooker's Class of 1992 (1990s) - Throwback

Have an idea for a Short post? Feel free to get in touch using the social media links below! Thanks for reading!