Hendry set for return 35 years after debut
SIXTEEN-year-old Stephen Hendry stepped out for his first-round match at the Mercantile Credit Classic in Warrington in 1986 with the doubts of his fellow professionals ringing in his ears.
Hendry had been hammered 9-2 on his debut at the UK Championship the previous year by Indian amateur Omprakesh Agrawal, and prospective opponents were relishing the prospect of a relatively easy draw against the inexperienced Scot.
Thirty-five years, seven world titles, 775 century breaks and nearly £9m in prize money later, the 52-year-old could be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja-vu as he prepares to launch his improbable comeback against his good friend Matthew Selt at the Gibraltar Open this evening.
Expectations for Hendry’s first tour match since his crushing 2012 world quarterfinal defeat to Stephen Maguire are not high, with many convinced the strength in depth of today’s tour will leave the game’s most dominant player experiencing little more than embarrassment. But those who faced Hendry at the Spectrum Arena in what effectively constituted his first main draw appearance on the professional ranking tour can still recall how swiftly he shattered those initial preconceptions with his sheer ability and determination.
In his opening match, Hendry faced a 46-yearold Dubliner called Dessie Sheehan, who had hovered around the lower reaches of the world’s top 100 for a number of seasons. Sheehan, now 71 and a recently-retired taxi driver, recalled: “We were playing together at the Pontins Pro-Am and his dad drove us down to the Classic, where we happened to draw each other in the opening round.
“Straight away you could tell he was a fantastic prospect. I played against all the greats – Alex Higgins and Steve Davis, and I practised with Ronnie [O’Sullivan] – and you could just tell they were going to be world champions. Stephen was the same. He had superb cue-ball control and was a fearsome potter. But when I heard he was making a comeback I thought it was an April Fool. It’s a lot harder now and he’s going to find it tough.”
Hendry beat Sheehan 5-2, thrashed Graham Miles
5-1, then edged the previous year’s British Open winner Silvino Francisco, then firmly ensconsed in the world’s top 16 – 5-4 to reach the last 32.
His next opponent was Neal Foulds, five years older than Hendry and already regarded as one of the game’s top prospects having reached two ranking event semi-finals.
“I thought it was a good draw for me,” Foulds, who will commentate on Hendry’s comeback for Eurosport, said. “I had heard a little bit about Stephen but everyone assumed he had turned pro too early.
“I went in front but all of a sudden he had a little spell where he was knocking in nearly everything. It went to a decider and I made one of the best breaks I’ve ever made to win the match.
“He had a real swagger about him. He was immaculately dressed and he didn’t speak to anyone. He’d look you up and down and he wouldn’t say a word. There was a determination and a ruthlessness about him that I haven’t forgotten. I think it’s great to see Stephen come back. Of course the tour has changed but I wouldn’t put anything beyond him.”
Hendry’s match against Matthew Selt at the Gibraltar Open will be broadcast live on Eurosport.
TODAY Football
Premier League, Manchester City v Wolves - BT Sport 1 1930; Championship, Reading v Blackburn - Sky Sports Main Event and Sky
Sports Football 1930.
Cricket Women’s T20, New Zealand v England - BT Sport 2 0200 (Wed).
Snooker Gibraltar Open Eurosport 1 0900 and 1815. Baseball MLB, Boston Red Sox v Tampa Bay Rays - BT Sport//ESPN 1800.
TOMORROW
Football Premier League, Burnley v Leicester - Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League 1730, Sheffield United v Aston Villa - BT Sport 1 1730, Crystal Palace v Manchester United - Sky Sports Main Event and
Sky Sports Premier League 2000; Championship, Norwich v Brentford - Sky Sports
Action 1725, Sheffield Wednesday v Rotherham - Sky Sports Action 1940.
Cricket Men’s T20, New Zealand v Australia - BT Sport 2 0530.
Snooker Gibraltar Open Eurosport 1 0900.
Basketball NBA, Houston Rockets v Brooklyn Nets - Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Arena 0030 (Thurs). Baseball MLB, Chicago Cubs v Seattle Mariners - BT Sport// ESPN 2000.