ST HELENS snooker professional Wayne Brown was brought crashing back to earth in the Liverpool Victoria UK Championships in Bournemouth.

He suffered a 9-2 beating at the hands of World number four Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 32.

But it wasn't before Sutton-Manor based Wayne had enjoyed another career highlight.

Only two weeks after defeating Thailand's James Wattana in the Benson & Hedges Championships, he once again beat Asia's number one for a place in the last 32.

With the victory chorus still ringing in his ears, Wayne faced the in-form O'Sullivan.

The game however did not fully reflect the scoreline.

Snooker pro and TV pundit Willie Thorne said: "On this performance Ronnie looks unbeatable, but I feel a little sorry for Wayne, he is a very good player, and today we did not see half of what he is capable of".

These thoughts were re-iterated by Brown himself. He quipped: "This was certainly a bad day at the office. When Ronnie plays like that nobody can live with him. But I have learned a lot from this match and can now concentrate on the next tournament in China".

Wayne leaves for the Orient on December 12 for a last 16 match against London's Paul Sweeny, and hopefully a quarter final tie against O'Sullivan again.

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