Ronnie O'Sullivan is relishing his return to Telford after making history at last season's Maplin UK Championship. The world champion begins his defence of the UK title with a first-round match against Rory McLeod, a qualifier, on Saturday.

Last year O'Sullivan produced a stunning maximum break in the final frame to win his semi-final against Mark Selby, a possible quarter-final opponent this time, and then coasted to a 10–2 win over Stephen Maguire in the final.

O'Sullivan's 147 in Telford was the eighth of his career, matching Stephen Hendry's record, and he went on to post a ninth at the World Championship later in the season.

"Winning the UK was a big moment for me last year," said the 33-year-old. "It's one of the events I target at the start of the season. I remember the 147 in the last frame of the semi-final — that was a great buzz. The atmosphere at Telford was fantastic. I'm looking forward to going back this year and trying to play some good snooker again."

O'Sullivan, as world No1, has won the Northern Ireland Trophy this season but was denied back-to-back titles when Ricky Walden shocked him in the final of the Shanghai Masters in September.