Dale crashes out at the first hurdle
COVENTRY’S Dominic Dale admitted he fell the wrong side of a game lacking quality, as he agonisingly crashed out of the Betway UK Championship at the first hurdle.
The 47-year-old former top-20 star eventually went down 6-5 to Chinese potter Liang Wenbo, with both players failing to find their best in a topsy-turvy match at the York Barbican.
Dale steamed into the lead with a break of 66, but despite having taken the advantage on four separate occasions couldn’t get over the line against his 32-year-old opponent.
And he admitted that while he went into the first Triple Crown event of the season encouraged with his form on the practice table, he was frustrated with his inability to transfer that to the match arena.
He said: “My practice game’s great, and maybe Liang’s is, but we both really struggled. We can both play a heck of a lot better than that.
“We both seemed very tense. When you play a match, you’re quite calm on the outside, but on the inside, there are all sorts of things going on.
“I never gained a good level of focus or concentration throughout the whole match. I was always playing silly mind games with myself on shots and I think that can be just put down to pressure.
“I’ve got great respect for Liang, but I think I threw that away to an extent. I had terrific chances but just couldn’t close the game out.”
Dale has cut down his practice time in recent years and the now world number 89 is focused on optimising his work-life balance to ensure he retains his love for the game.
And having beaten the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui this season, he is hopeful of causing another upset at the Scottish Open next month.
“I don’t practice as much as I used to,” he said. “I tried my best but if things just don’t go your way then so be it.
“I’ve got a two-year tour card but that means I suffer very difficult draws. I’m never going to have easy matches and I’ve had some very tough ones this season. I play Ronnie again in Scotland next and I’m looking forward to that.
“The practice can be tough, and I only do about two and a half hours a day now, but I still enjoy travelling and playing matches so hopefully I can continue to pick up results.”
Watch the UK Championship snooker LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player. Analysis from Jimmy White and Ronnie O’Sullivan.