PRICE IS RIGHT
It can be expensive practising with star Scots duo but McGill is reaping the Crucible rewards
ANTHONY McGILL has been happy splashing the cash in his quest to land snooker’s greatest prize.
The Glaswegian kicked off his maiden World Championship semi-final against Kyren Wilson in Sheffield in fine form, holding a 6-2 lead after yesterday’s first session.
And the ambitious Scot has revealed that bruising practice sessions with compatriots John Higgins and Stephen Maguire have left him at the peak of his powers for an assault on the £500,000 first prize.
‘I’ve lost a hell of a lot of money to them both,’ admitted McGill. ‘But so would anyone playing John Higgins or Stephen Maguire every day.
‘We played for tenners and for lunch, you’ve got to do that because you can’t just hit balls all day.
‘There’s got to be something on the line to make it worthwhile, but I’ve made it all back, so it’s all been worth it.
‘I’d quite happily shell out £10 every day for the rest of my career to be able to practise with them. I’m basically having a lesson with the best.
‘Scotland has had a lot of really good snooker players — and I’m lucky enough to practise with two of them.
‘I’ve been trying to take as much knowledge from them as I can.
‘I’m trying to become one of the tightest all-round players like the Scottish boys have been over the years.’ McGill has pocketed a guaranteed £100,000 for his progress so far at the Crucible having battled his way through qualifying just to make sure of a place in the prestigious event.
One more victory, this time over the best-of-33 frames, would take him a tantalising step closer to following in the footsteps of Scottish greats Stephen Hendry, Higgins and Graeme Dott.
The trio share a staggering 12 Crucible crowns among them — and McGill would savour joining such an illustrious dynasty. ‘There is a lot to follow, but I don’t consider myself in the same mould as guys like John Higgins and the great Scottish players,’ he said. ‘I don’t feel any pressure from that point of view, following in their footsteps, but if Scotland is going to have any good players then I suppose it’s up to me and Scott (Donaldson), who are both doing alright, to push on and see what we can achieve.
‘It’s a great feeling to have reached the semis, it’s the arena and one-table situation you dream of playing in as a kid.
‘I’m going to make sure I enjoy it and give it my best shot. Hopefully it could inspire kids in Scotland to play, but I don’t know, the world is different now.
‘I’m not sure there’s that young generation who are that interested in snooker anymore.
‘When Hendry came on the scene, it was big, but I don’t see anything like that happening again in Scotland. But you never know.’
McGill (left) dropped just two frames in his two qualifying matches and has beaten Jack Lisowski, Jamie Clarke and Kurt Maflin to reach the business end of this year’s tournament.
He trailed Clarke 8-1 in the second round but kept his cool to clinch a courageous win.
‘I don’t really care if things go wrong or I don’t get too excited if things go right,’ said McGill.
‘My temperament probably suits the longer matches.
‘I probably wouldn’t have expected to get to the semi-finals, so I’ll make sure I enjoy the occasion because I might never get back there again.
‘It’s a special place and I’ve got to really savour it.
‘I’ve got to make sure I don’t get too nervous and carried away with it.’
McGill certainly looked ice cool in yesterday’s first session. Wilson, who knocked out defending champion Judd Trump, in the quarters, was out of sorts and the Scot pounced.
The world No39 charged into a 3-0 lead as the Englishman struggled to find his range on the baize. Wilson, nicknamed the Warrior and world No8, nicked the frame before the mid-session interval but McGill claimed the next two.
Wilson grabbed the seventh frame but a break of 92 gave the Scot a 6-2 lead going into this morning’s second session.
In the other semi-final, meanwhile, five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan leads three-time world champion Mark Selby 5-3.