Lockdown beers played big part in Stevens’ early exit
MATTHEW Stevens reckons too much drinking and not enough snooker caused his first-round World Championship exit.
The Carmarthen potter lost 10-5 to four-time champion John Higgins at the Crucible after struggling for consistency in both sessions, continuing his mixed season at the table that’s seen him reach just a solitary ranking quarter-final.
The world No. 31 swapped beers for balls in lockdown and admits that may help explain his belowpar performance behind closed doors.
“I wouldn’t say I feel refreshed as I was drinking every day and not playing snooker,” the 42-yearold said.
“It’s the same for everyone, really. I was just, like everyone else in the house, watching box sets and Netflix and that’s about it.
“I don’t think there’s anything left I can’t watch. I was just watching everything really, but it will be nice to have a little break now, for a month. Obviously I haven’t worked at all over the lockdown period, and I’m quite pleased I got this far. I’m not really bothered about the pressure of the audience and that’s what makes you play better, I think.
“It wasn’t nice and it’s not nice for everyone, but that’s the world we’re living in at the minute and it’s the same for everyone.”
Stevens made world No. 5 Higgins battle for his triumph, but lack of a clinical edge cost the Welshman, as he struggled to follow up his break of 138 in the 10th frame as the second session unfolded.
The fine effort reduced the deficit to 6-4, but visits of 61 and 53 from 30-time ranking event winner Higgins – who is bidding for his first Crucible crown since 2011 – proved enough to book his place in the last 16.
Stevens is a two-time World Championship finalist so knows what it takes to go all the way in Sheffield, but is aware his best cueing days are behind him as he enters the twilight of his career.
But the motivation to improve still burns brightly and he says he’ll be back with a bang when the globetrotting circuit begins next season.
“I’m going to put my cue away for a month and start again in about six weeks’ time,” he added.
“I made one or two too many errors today, and when you’re playing someone like John he does pounce on you, and that’s why he’s one of the all-time greats.
“I’ve been okay in patches this season – out there today I wasn’t brilliant, but I felt okay in patches so I can build on that.”
Meanwhile, Mark Williams says he’ll never retire from snooker after keeping his hopes of a fourth World Championship title alive.
The three-time king of the Crucible eased past the evergreen Alan McManus 10-5 on Saturday after winning all six of the frames in the session, having trailed 5-4 overnight against the world No. 53.
World No. 3 Williams has been there and done it all and reckons he’s got nothing to prove, so will continue to pot balls for as long as he can.
“Lockdown has made my mind up that I’ll never, ever retire from snooker,” said the 45-year-old from Cwm, who reigned supreme in Sheffield in 2018.
“I’ll play until I drop off the tour and I’m never retiring. I’m just going to play now, and I’d be interested to see where I am in five years’ time, whether or not I’m up in the rankings, off the tour or down the bottom.
“I’m going to be practising and it will be interesting to see what happens. After the 2018 win I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone and if there were any doubters out there, then they can’t really doubt that any more.
“I’m just going to enjoy however far I get. If I win some more tournaments, brilliant, and if I don’t, it’s not going to be for a lack of trying.
“Through lockdown, I had months without even looking at my cue and I started to miss it and fancied playing. I just wanted to practise even though we didn’t know what was going to happen, and I was actually looking forward to getting my cue out.
“I practised hard for the last two months and from now on, for the rest of my career, I’m going to practise as hard as I can and see where it takes me.”
Williams, a winner of 22 ranking events, took to social media on Friday night to vent his frustration at going 5-4 down, having hit breaks of 70, 68 and 60, but going into Saturday’s second session behind. But he sparkled under the Crucible lights to turn the tables and book his place in the last 16.
■ Live snooker returns to Eurosport and the Eurosport app. Watch the World Championship from July 31 to August 16 with analysis from Jimmy White.