Scott in the mood for more trophies
It was his first professional snooker title and Scott Donaldson revealed he will now have more confidence to go on the attack.
The Perth cueman has been reflecting on a memorable Championship League victory in Leicester, defeating the likes of Judd Trump and Graeme Dott en route to grasping hold of the trophy.
Former Perth High School student Donaldson, who is ranked number 24 in the world, is now determined to keep his form at peak level through to the end of the season.
There has been little time for rest and he was penned in to begin his quest for more glory at the Gibraltar Open this week.
“I’m really delighted,” said Donaldson, having had a few days to mull over his first pro win. “Now that I’ve actually won something, I can put a trophy up in the club.
“I played some good stuff and thankfully I got over the line. I know it is a smaller event but there is no feeling like winning and I don’t care what anyone says.
“I’m not going to win every tournament I play in now, that is not how it is going to work.
“But when I get into the latter stages I’m not going to be as tentative. I don’t know if that is the right word, but I’m going to be a little more aggressive and go for my shots.
“I know I can beat anybody I play because I know what level I can play at. It is just the consistency that lets me down sometimes. I’m always trying to work on it.
“You just need to take the good times and bad times as one. You win and lose, but when you win you need to make sure you enjoy it.”
The line-up in Gibraltar is a strong one but Donaldson will again just be focusing on his own game.
“I’m going to Gibraltar this week and hopefully I can hit the ball well,” he said.
“If I can get to the quarters and semis, I’ll feel good and like I could probably win the event. But getting to that stage is obviously a hard thing to do and there are a lot of good players. I think all of the big guns are playing.
“I need to worry about my own game. Snooker is a very individual sport so you need to make sure you are on the ball, rather than anyone else.
“If I do win, it would be unbelievable but I know how difficult it will be and I’m under no illusions about that. I’m just looking to continue my form.
“If I’m going to move up the rankings, I’m going to have to do well in the big tournaments rather than the smaller ones.”
Talking of big tournaments, the
World Championships is just around the corner and Donaldson would love to return to the Crucible.
“The World Championships is the biggest tournament of the year and your whole season could be defined by that one tournament,” he said.
“I want to find a bit of form going into it. If I get to the Crucible again, I would be absolutely over the moon.
“It was my first time there last year and I really got the taste for it. If I can qualify, it would be great and I’d really enjoy being back.”