Nothing but good memories for Kyren after run to the world final

It might not have ended in world title glory but Kyren Wilson has nothing but good memories to reflect on after an incredible couple of weeks at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Indeed, the very fact that the Betfred World Snooker Championship was able to go ahead in the current climate was seen as a bonus to the Kettering star.

Wilson returned to his home in Kettering on Monday with plenty to show off, not least a raging hangover after a heavy night following the completion of the final on Sunday evening.

The 28-year-old reached the final of the competition for the first time but ran into the great Ronnie O’Sullivan, who completed a comfortable 18-8 victory to clinch his sixth world title.

Wilson’s effort pocketed him a cool £200,000 in prize money while he has also jumped from number eight to number six in the world rankings as a result.

But it was his performances on the way to the showpiece that pleased him the most.

Having received a bye in the first round after Anthony Hamilton pulled out due to health concerns, Wilson defeated Martin Gould 13-9 to set up a quarter-final clash with then-defending champion and world number one Judd Trump.

The ‘Warrior’ produced one of the best displays of his career so far to win 13-9 as he moved into the semi-finals where he faced qualifier Anthony McGill.

And there was no shortage of drama in a match that swung one way and the other before it came down to an incredible deciding frame in which both players went through all the emotions before Wilson emerged as a 17-16 winner.

As he reflected on the tournament, Wilson said: “It was all a bonus, even having the event on with the current situation in the world.

“That was the way I was viewing the whole thing in general.

“I had a fantastic run, I thought I played some really good snooker throughout and it just wasn’t meant to be in the final.

“I beat the defending champion at the time and had a really good match with Martin Gould.

“I think people are calling the semi-final one of the best they have ever seen so to be part of matches like that and make a bit of history is great to have been part of.

“The amount of messages I had saying that I owed people a new television after the semi-final was quite extreme! Thank God I made the final so I can afford all of them!

“It was a brilliant match and although the deciding frame was horrible to play in so many ways, I am sure it made really good viewing.

“It probably just showed how much pressure you can feel in a moment like that for two young lads who want it so badly.

“The things that were happening in that frame were just incredible, I couldn’t believe what was going on and it completely threw me.”

Indeed, it seems that epic semi-final played its part in what happened in the final itself.

The final got under way less than 24 hours later and a hangover of a different kind was clearly on show as Wilson looked out of sorts when falling 6-2 behind to O’Sullivan after the first session.

The Kettering man showed his battling qualities the same night when fighting back to trail 10-7 going into the final day but O’Sullivan was somewhere close to his magical best on Sunday as he ran away with it in the afternoon before needing just one frame to wrap it up in the evening.

But Wilson is in no doubt that the semi-final possibly took too much out of him.

“Unfortunately, I have learned over the years that you can’t go through emotions like I went through in the semi-final and bounce back straightaway,” he said.

“I know that sounds a bit strange but when you go through something like I went through, it’s hard to come back down to earth.

“To put it into context, the way I came through against Judd it was a solid performance without anything crazy happening so it was easy to get on with it the next day.

“Sometimes, when you have a crazy time like I had in the semi-final it can throw you and in the first session of the final I was just all over the place and I think that was down to what happened the day before.

“I was trying to fight to get back to what I was doing and it was tough.

“The evening session of the first day of the final, I thought I came back well and maybe, for a bit of luck here and there, it might have been a different scoreline.”

Nonetheless, reaching the final of the World Championship is just the latest step in the right direction for what appears to be a blossoming career.

With three ranking titles and consistency aplenty, Wilson has become one of the best players in the world.

The new season is due to get under way next month but, for the time being, he will be focusing on the most important thing in his life - his family.

Wife Sophie and young sons Finley and Bailey were all at the Crucible to see the conclusion of the final on Sunday night.

And they will be getting Wilson’s full attention for the next couple of weeks, even if the prize money can’t be spent on a family holiday abroad.

“We have been looking at it and what we are going to do,” he added.

“We haven’t got as long as we thought and, to be honest, I wasn’t even sure what date it was after the final. I lost track.

“We will assess it, especially with the quarantine rules for going abroad, but I am just glad to be back with family now and I will be chilling out for the next couple of weeks.”