Crucible dream over for former champ Dott
Scots stumbles at final qualifying hurdle
GRAEME DOTT saw his hopes of making it to the Crucible end in heartbreak.
The Scot was sent packing 10-7 by China’s Tian Pengfei in the final round of World Championship qualifying.
And Dott’s disappointing defeat at the English Institute of Sport means it’s just the third time in 22 years the 2006 champion has failed to grace the game’s grandest stage.
Pengfei, who made his Crucible debut two years ago, roared 4-0 ahead in Sheffield.
And the damage was done by the time the first session was over as Dott finished it a staggering 8-1 down.
The veteran mustered a paltry 113 points in a session to forget as Pengfei rattled in breaks of 82, 108, 110, 78, 67 and 114.
Dott fought back when they resumed in the evening to win six of the next seven frames – with breaks of 80, 54, 56, 54 and 50 – to close to 9-7.
But world No.53 Pengfei held his nerve under immense pressure to get over the line.
It proved to be an equally bad day for compatriot Scott Donaldson as he crashed to a 10-3 defeat by Matt Selt.
The Scot lost eight of the last nine frames as his dreams of returning to the Crucible were crushed.
Selt, who beat Stephen Hendry in his first match back from retirement, had breaks of 135, 110, 107, 77, 61 and 59 to dominate proceedings.
There are three Scots in tomorrow’s first-round draw, with four-time champion John Higgins, former UK champion Stephen Maguire and Anthony McGill – a semi-finalist last season – having all qualified by virtue of being inside the top 16 in the rankings.
And Maguire admits playing in front of fans again will make him a bag of nerves.
The World Championship has been selected as one of UK
Government’s pilot events to reintroduce spectators.
And the former UK champ expects there will be extra pressure to perform with fans making their long-awaited return to indoor venues.
World No.8 Maguire said: “I’ll be really nervous going out there with a crowd because it’s been a long time.
“Nobody knows how they’re going to react to having crowds because nobody is used to it now. But players will thrive off it because some players really do – they play for the crowd. It will benefit those boys, for sure.
“You can’t possibly get up the same when there’s no crowd, it’s impossible.
“Tournaments haven’t felt the same. It has been a tough time for everybody.”
A third of the Crucible Theatre, around 330 people, will be allowed in for the first five days from Saturday.
That number will increase as the tournament goes on.