2005-2006 Snooker Form Guide 1. Ronnie O'Sullivan Few would argue that defending world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is the finest natural talent the game of snooker has ever seen. The fact he has been known to play left handed, combined with his stunning speed and accuracy, underlines his dazzling ability. The 'Rocket' beat Graeme Dott 18-8 in 2003, to win his second Crucible crown and currently heads the world rankings. 2. Stephen Hendry Not a lot more can be said about the multiple world champion. Stephen Hendry dominated snooker in the 1990s and claimed a record seventh world title in 1999, when he beat Welshman Mark Williams. After a slight form dip in the early part of this decade, Hendry won has risen to world number two. 3. Stephen Maguire Stephen Maguire continued to develop his reputation as one of snooker's bright lights with a superb 2005 campaign. The highlight of career came at the UK Championship when he annihilated the opposition to take snooker's second most prestigious ranking title. He even opened by pushing aside Ronnie O'Sullivan, leading the Rocket to suggest the young Scot could "rule the game for the next ten years." 4. Matthew Stevens Last year's beaten finalist, Matthew Stevens will be looking to go one better this time round. Even before his heroics in 2005, the Welshman had a good World Championship pedigree, having also reached the final in 2000 where he lost to fellow countryman Mark Williams. Stevens also reached the semi-finals of the Crucible event in 2001 and 2004, losing an epic battle 17-15 to Scotsman Graeme Dott. 5. Paul Hunter Paul Hunter was always a crowd favourite, but the man from Leeds is respected even more after displaying amazing bravery and courage to carry on playing despite being diagnosed with cancer. That kind of determination helped him to move up to fourth in the world rankings. Hunter's best performance at the World Championship came two years ago when he reached the semi-finals. He lost 17-16 to Ken Doherty in one of the great Crucible matches. Hunter won his first ranking title in 1998, when he claimed the Regal Welsh. 6. John Higgins Both Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan believe John Higgins is one of the best players to have emerged in the last 10 years. Higgins won the world title in 1998 and the UK Championship in 1998 and 2000. The Scot however disappointed at the Crucible since winning, bowing out in the second round last year. 7. Peter Ebdon The 2002 world champion Peter Ebdon has been consistent rather than dominant during his 15 years as a professional. The Wellingborough player beat Stephen Hendry 18-17 in one of the greatest finals ever staged at the Crucible. It was sweet revenge for 34-year-old Ebdon, who had lost 18-12 to the Scottish legend in the 1996 final. Last year will no bring such fond memories for Ebdon though. The English player beat world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals, only to lose to eventual winner Shaun Murphy at the final hurdle. 8. Jimmy White Jimmy White has reached six World Championship finals, but still has the game to grab that elusive win at the Crucible. After recovering from testicular cancer, White has become a gritty player in recent seasons, and the new approach reaped benefits. He has vast experience playing longer-frame matches and handling the intense atmosphere of the Crucible Theatre. White memorably made his one and only 147 maximum at the World Championship in 1992, against Malta's Tony Drago. Others to watch: Shaun Murphy Last year's winner, the youngster from Rotherham amazed everyone when he snookered the likes of Peter Ebdon, Steve Davis and eventually Matthew Stevens in the final to take the coveted trophy. Shaun Murphy became only the fourth qualifier to reach the World Championship final and the first since Terry Griffiths in 1979. The Northamptonshire player jumped up from 48 to 24 in the World Rankings as a result and will enter the Crucible as the defending champion. Ken Doherty Ireland's greatest snooker export of the last decade's best performance on the green baize came in 1997 when he beat Stephen Hendry 18-12 to win the World title. By doing so, Ken Doherty became the first player from the Republic of Ireland to win the championship. Apart from the Crucible crown, the 36-year-old has enjoyed success in the Regal Welsh, Grand Prix and Thailand Masters. Steve Davis Despite having won six world titles, one of Steve Davis' most enduring contributions to snooker was his final defeat by Dennis Taylor 20 years ago. Last year he surpassed all expectations by reaching the quarter-finals, before bowing out to eventual winner Shaun Murphy. Davis' list of triumphs and records makes him one of the greatest and most popular players in the game's history. The Nugget has won 28 ranking events in total, including four UK titles. Mark Williams Having won the Crucible title in 2000 and 2003, it seemed as if Mark Williams would be tussling with Ronnie O'Sullivan for the major honours this decade. But while O'Sullivan has gone from strength to strength, the Welshman has faded over the last two seasons. In 2003, Williams became the first player since Stephen Hendry in the early 1990s, to hold all four BBC televised titles - the LG Cup (Grand Prix), UK Championship, Masters and World Championship.