Kettering's Kyren so grateful for the support

Kyren Wilson was centre stage at the weekend as he competed in the final of the Betfred World Championship at the Crucible. Pictures courtesy of World Snooker Tour

Kyren Wilson has expressed his appreciation for the support he received from his hometown of Kettering after his best-ever run at the Betfred World Snooker Championship.

The 28-year-old reached the final at the Crucible in Sheffield for the first time in his career after a memorable run, which saw him defeat world number one Judd Trump before sealing his place in the showpiece with a dramatic semi-final success over Anthony McGill.

That set up a showdown with the great Ronnie O’Sullivan but it proved to be a step too far for the ‘Warrior’ as the ‘Rocket’ secured an emphatic 18-8 success to clinch his sixth world title.

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Kyren Wilson pose for the camera ahead of the final

Nonetheless, Wilson’s performance certainly seemed to catch the imagination of his hometown, something he saw for himself when he arrived back in Kettering on Monday.

“I try to stay off social media as much as I can while I am in such a big event like that so I haven’t been on there much,” Wilson, who has now moved up to number six in the world rankings, said.

“But my wife Sophie and my brother (Taylor) have been telling me some of the things that have been going on.

“Sophie’s been telling me about pubs that have had me on big screen televisions in their beer gardens and getting people outside watching the snooker.

“I have had my old school (Kettering Buccleuch Academy) wishing me well and it’s lovely, people really get behind me.

“As we came back down our cul-de-sac when we were coming back from Sheffield everyone came out of their houses and clapped us down the street, which was very nice.

“The support from the town has just been awesome.”