Dale thrilled to be back in the spotlight in Sheffield

DOMINIC Dale will have his own French fan club when he returns to the Crucible for the first time in 10 years at the Cazoo World Championship.

For the 52-year-old came through the qualifiers at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport, beating He Guoqiang 10-8 on Judgement Day, to secure his place at the famous Sheffield theatre.

The Welshman is the oldest qualifier since Steve Davis in 2010, and Dale explained why his results on the table have improved.

"I couldn't dream at my age that I could play well enough to get to the Crucible," admitted Dale.

"I am astonished. It has been so long since I played a match of that magnitude.

“My new girlfriend Anne has made a big difference to my life because her dad Jean, who lives in France, loves watching snooker on Eurosport.

“Before she met me, Anne wouldn't have known what a snooker ball was but now she knows all about it. Between them they have convinced me to practise harder and I have done that this season, and had more focus in matches."

World No 17 Jack Lisowski, former world champion Stuart Bingham and Stephen Maguire also came through the qualifiers.

The Crucible draw will be made on Thursday morning at 8.45am on BBC Radio Five Live, with Luca Brecel openi ng his defence of the title on Saturday.

Sheffield-based Chinese duo Lyu Haotian and Si Jiahui – who train at the city’s Victoria’s Snooker Club – are also in the draw after wins over Jenson Kendrick (10-7) and Wu Yize (10-4).

Iran’s Hossein Vafaei returns to the Crucible after beating China’s Jiang Jun 10-5.