Wallsend duo are on cue for the Crucible
WALLSEND will have two representatives in the World Snooker Championship’s first round after Gary Wilson and Sam Craigie both progressed through qualifying in Sheffield.
Wilson knows what it takes to play at the Crucible, having reached the semi-finals in 2019.
However, this year will provide a debut for Craigie following a testing week at the English Institute of Sport.
The 27-year-old overcame Ashley Hugill and Hossein Vafaei in bestof-11 matches before upsetting highranked Zhao Xintong in a final-frame decider.
Craigie’s reward is a firstround match with three-time world champion Mark Williams next Wednesday, giving him plenty of time to come to terms with the achievement.
He said: “It is still a bit too fresh to appreciate what I have done.
“I had to hold myself together at the end there and I was pleased with the way I got over the line.
“I have only ever been to the Crucible as a fan twice so I have no clue what to expect.
“I will have to have a look around and find my bearings before the match.
“Having fans there makes it even more special, I get to experience the venue near its best so I am really looking forward to it.
“I am not playing brilliantly so I am probably going to have to improve to have a chance against the top boys.”
Both players will have fans at their first-round matches with the Government confirming the Championship, which
starts tomorrow, as one of the test events for a return to sport.
For Wilson, meanwhile, expectation was not in short supply as one of the top seeds but reaching the Crucible still remained an achievement in itself.
Victories over Gerard Greene and Steven Hallworth sealed his progression to set up a first-round tie with namesake Kyren Wilson, which takes place on Monday.
The past 18 months have taken their toll on Wilson but the 35-yearold North Tynesider says he feels in a good place on and off the table.
He said: “The last few months I have just spent as much time practicing as I can and dedicating myself to snooker.
“It was hard to enjoy the qualifiers but you are able to do that more when you get to the Crucible.
“I am just so happy to finish this season, the worst year I have ever had, on a bit of a high with an appearance at the Crucible.”