Qualifiers kill ex-champ’s chances
losing at Ponds Forge. I’ve had that before and it’s not a nice feeling.
“It’s the tournament everybody wants to play in. Even at the start of the year when you’re just practising you’re still thinking about wanting to be at the Crucible. So to not be there would be devastating.”
Only fel low Scots John Higgins and Stephen Maguire have qual if ied by right for snooker’s most prestigious tournament by virtue of their top-16 ranking status.
But gone are the days where Scots dominated the field, with seven- times winner Stephen Hendry retired and compatriots Alan McManus, Jamie Burnett and emerging talent Anthony McGill, as well as Ross Muir, Scott Donaldson, Rhys Clark, Eden Sharav, Dylan Craig and Fraser Patrick all having to win a series of hard qualifying matches just to get to the venue.
Even former UK champion Maguire left his qualification until the last minute, forced to get to at least the China Open semi-finals last month to regain his top 16 place.
Dott said: “Stephen Maguire did great, he needed the semis and got to the semis.
“I’ve done that myself so I know exactly what it’s like just to sneak in from doing well.
“He did well and he deserved it. There was a lot of pressure on
Dott, left, doesn’t rate his chances but Maguire has made it through him. But there’s a lot of pressure on us all these days because the standard is so high – and the qualifying format is so hard.
“The thing is with these qualifiers it’s really hard to pick a winner. I played Brandon Sargeant, who’s only a teenager and not really won any matches of any significance. I’ve had to play pretty well and I’ve only beaten him 10-8. So it shows you how hard it actually is.
“You never know, if Scott Donaldson plays pretty well it wouldn’t be a major surprise if he qualified.
“But you’ve still got Anthony McGill, and Ross Muir has won his first ranking match so you never know – if you’re in there you’ve got a good chance.”