Bingham aims to get ‘job done’ and return to Crucible

STUART Bingham is dreaming of a Crucible return after surviving a huge scare in the Cazoo World Championship qualifiers.

The 2015 world champion – who has appeared at the famous Sheffield theatre every year since 2010 – looked set to fall in the third round of qualifiers at the English Institute of Sport, when he trailed Stuart Carrington 7-3.

But Bingham showed the appetite for a scrap – “it just takes my back being against the wall to get the best out of me” – as he battled back to clinch a 10-9 win and claim a place in Judgement Day.

Today and tomorrow, 32 players will enter the final qualifying round with the 16 winners earning a coveted place at the Crucible, when the tournament cues off on Saturday.

“Every player wants to finish their season at the Crucible,” said Bingham, who reached the semifinals in Sheffield in 2021. “Having tasted victory there before it would have been very disappointing to bow out.

“I’ve got one game left. It is going to be another tough game and I’ve got to be on top of my form to get through.

“In 2021, I beat Luca Brecel to qualify and I was confident going into the Crucible. Being sharp helps. It is every player’s dream to play at the Crucible so it would be nice to get the job done and be there this season.”

Against Carrington, he won seven out of nine frames to secure victory, firing in breaks of 55, 73, 85, 55, 91 and 68.

“It hasn’t been a good couple of seasons for me,” he admitted. “It was a big match to still be in the tournament. I was fearing the worst all day, getting a bit impatient and frustrated. I don’t know where it has come from. It is still in there. I’ve hardly missed a ball in the last three frames."

Standing in Bingham’s way today of a Crucible return, is Louis Heathcote.

Another former world champion, Neil Robertson, also looked set to reach Judgement Day. The Australian led Zak Surety 7-2 after the opening session, needing three more frames for victory when their match concluded on Monday night.

But York’s Ashley Hugill was denied a place at Judgement Day, losing 10-7 to Stephen Maguire.

While Leeds’ Sanderson Lam trailed 8-1 against Xiao Guodong when their best-of-19 match resumed on Monday night.

Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham scored a maximum 147 in his 10-5 win against Andy Hicks. Jackson Page beat Graeme Dott 105, while Iran’s Hossein Vafaei beat Marco Fu 10-4.