Excitement for Kyren as the Crucible calls again

Kyren Wilson can’t wait to step back into the Crucible next week.

The Kettering snooker star will be making his seventh appearance at the Betfred World Championship and will be hoping he can go one better than last year’s tournament when he was beaten in the final by Ronnie O’Sullivan.

It has been another solid season on the World Snooker Tour for the 29-year-old who will head to Sheffield as the World No.6 and will begin his campaign in the first round when he takes on namesake Gary Wilson on Monday.

The Worlds have proved to be kind to the Kettering man over the years.

He has made appearances in three quarter-finals, a semi-final and a final in six visits to the historical venue.

Having been beaten 18-8 by the great O’Sullivan in last year’s final, the hope now is to take the next step and become world champion for the first time.

And he admits there is something about the tournament that really gets him going.

“I just think I suit the Crucible,” he said.

“My game suits the format, I am pretty solid all the way through and I try to make myself hard to beat. Even if I go behind in matches, I have shown I can find a way to win.

“I always enjoy the tournament. I love Sheffield. Obviously, it’s not quite the same at the moment but I love walking into the Crucible.

“You feel the nostalgia as soon as you walk through the door and you see the pictures of the former champions. It instantly gets the juices flowing for me.”

The tournament gets under way on Saturday with the clash of the Wilsons starting on Monday morning before being played to a finish that evening.