Beating Ron won’t be the pinnacle of Hill’s career
AARON HILL will be one of 128 hopefuls chalking his cue at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield this coming week, hoping to claim one of 16 tickets for the Crucible. He isn’t the most recognisable name in the draw. Jimmy White is there, still hoping to make it to the world championships for one final shot. Former champions like Ken Doherty and Graeme Dott, too.
If there’s a flicker of recognition at Hill’s name it is because, a couple of years ago, he was responsible for one of the most heartwarming Irish sports stories of 2020.
In his first professional tournament, he was drawn against Ronnie O’Sullivan. And somehow managed to beat the greatest player to ever pick up a cue.
‘It still feels like yesterday,’ Hill said from his base in Sheffield on Friday evening. ‘It still gives me goose-bumps when I think about it, to be honest.
‘He was my childhood hero and just to get the opportunity to share a table with him, never mind beat him, was incredible. It is something I will never forget.’
Hill readily admits that he has found it tough since that first tournament, but still earnestly believes that he can reach the very top in his sport. ‘You don’t beat Ronnie O’Sullivan unless you are a good player but you can’t live up to that standard in every tournament, though, and maybe I was expected to.
‘But I have only just turned 20, so I am still very young, still a puppy in this game. And the tour is really tough, the constant travelling – it is very difficult and it takes some getting used to.
‘And the past couple of years have been about me learning about that, handling it better, but time is on my side. I still believe I have a long future in this game and that I can reach the top.’
Hailing from the northside of the city, Hill is blessed with Corkness, that indefinable quality that sets the top sports stars from the Rebel county apart, Roy Keane had it, Ronan O’Gara, Jimmy Barry Murphy and Sonia O’Sullivan, too. The belief that you should be at the very top.
And Corkness probably comes in handy in a sport like snooker, which is so much down to confidence and belief.
In a couple of weeks, the Beeb will begin their annual coverage from the Crucible and many of us will lose an afternoon mesmerised by O’Sullivan’s genius. Watching Ronnie, though, masks just how difficult a game snooker is to master, and Hill is a rare talent, having won both the European under-18 and under-21 titles.
Not bad for someone who just took up the game at 13, after his father Stephen took him to the local snooker club to cheer him up after he didn’t get selected for the Cork under-14 development Gaelic football squad.
The talent is there, but it is just taking that next step and getting established on tour that is the hardest part.
This past week, he spent between eight to ten hours on tables in Sheffield, sharpening and honing his skills for this week’s world championship qualifiers. He would enter the snooker hall at half nine in the morning and not leave it til seven at night. He practised with White on Thursday, something that still gives him a thrill.
‘I took a couple of days off this week too, because I don’t want to leave myself drained before the qualifiers. This has the potential to be a life-changing week for me.
‘If I make it to the Crucible, it will change my career. It is all I have been dreaming about all week, hearing my name being announced and walking out to the Crucible.
‘I am going to play there. My ambition is to be world champion and world number one, so I will play there. I just hope it is this year.’
If he is to make to the Crucible, he will have to go through an
Irish path. Dubliner Fergal O’Brien is a possible opponent in the second round, while Antrim’s Jordan Browne might stand in his way later on.
‘They are both good mates, have been very good to me since I came on tour, but if I do have to play Fergal and Jordan, friendship will be put to one side.’
Hill has had a difficult second season on tour and is provisionally ranked 87th. His winnings have been paltry, so he’s benefited from some outside help. He is living with his aunt and uncle in Liverpool, and has solid sponsors in Thomas Singleton of Supervalu Hollyhill and the Macau Casino.
‘Without their help, it wouldn’t be possible, because you can’t keep going back to your family for money,’ Hill said. And if his dream does come to fruition, Hill will be able to pay them back in spades some time in the future.
My ambition is to be the world champion and the world number one