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Ssb - new faces at the crucible
There will be two Crucible debutants this year, taking the number of players to have competed at the famous Sheffield theatre since the World Championship moved there in 1977 to 179.
Andrew Pagett won four matches to qualify, beating Andrew Higginson 10-6 in the final round.
Pagett practises with - and is relentlessly teased by - Mark Williams. He will become the 16th Welshman to play at the Crucible.
Jimmy Robertson, a former English amateur champion, won all seven frames in the evening session to beat 1997 Crucible winner Ken Doherty 10-6.
Robertson's story is an interesting one. He was a supremely talented junior who originally qualified for the professional circuit at the age of just 16.
But he was too young to know what he was doing and won only one match before being relegated.
His career went backwards and he took on part time jobs, such as stacking shelves in a supermarket, to provide the money to continue practising.
But there were greater problems than merely financial. Robertson came to realise he was shaking while on the shot and that it was not just nerves.
His condition was believed to be dystonia, a disorder which causes involuntary muscle spasms.
He consulted a specialist and, thankfully, the condition improved.
Professional snooker is a precarious way to make a living. Its cut-throat nature means that most of the tour don't earn fortunes. Some hardly earn a penny.
With this in mind, Robertson as become the owner of a snooker club in Bexhill which his parents help to run.
He is a member of Paul Mount's 'pink ribbon' brigade and, at last, has made a big and meaningful breakthrough.
I'm disappointed for Ken because he's a good guy and popular player but he has won the world title and tonight's defeat doesn't take any of the shine off that.
But what a night for Robertson and what a month in prospect as he and Pagett get ready for the greatest snooker show on earth.
Having spent years watching it on TV, they are going to be part of it.
For a snooker player, it doesn't get any more exciting than that.
More...
Andrew Pagett won four matches to qualify, beating Andrew Higginson 10-6 in the final round.
Pagett practises with - and is relentlessly teased by - Mark Williams. He will become the 16th Welshman to play at the Crucible.
Jimmy Robertson, a former English amateur champion, won all seven frames in the evening session to beat 1997 Crucible winner Ken Doherty 10-6.
Robertson's story is an interesting one. He was a supremely talented junior who originally qualified for the professional circuit at the age of just 16.
But he was too young to know what he was doing and won only one match before being relegated.
His career went backwards and he took on part time jobs, such as stacking shelves in a supermarket, to provide the money to continue practising.
But there were greater problems than merely financial. Robertson came to realise he was shaking while on the shot and that it was not just nerves.
His condition was believed to be dystonia, a disorder which causes involuntary muscle spasms.
He consulted a specialist and, thankfully, the condition improved.
Professional snooker is a precarious way to make a living. Its cut-throat nature means that most of the tour don't earn fortunes. Some hardly earn a penny.
With this in mind, Robertson as become the owner of a snooker club in Bexhill which his parents help to run.
He is a member of Paul Mount's 'pink ribbon' brigade and, at last, has made a big and meaningful breakthrough.
I'm disappointed for Ken because he's a good guy and popular player but he has won the world title and tonight's defeat doesn't take any of the shine off that.
But what a night for Robertson and what a month in prospect as he and Pagett get ready for the greatest snooker show on earth.
Having spent years watching it on TV, they are going to be part of it.
For a snooker player, it doesn't get any more exciting than that.
More...
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