Kyren Wilson avoided a massive upset against Stan Moody in the first round (Image: BBC)
Kyren Wilson got very honest about his frustrations with his cue despite pulling off a brilliant comeback to dash teenager Stan Moody’s Crucible dreams. Wilson trailed 6-3 against the 19-year-old, the first British teen to make their World Snooker Championship debut since Judd Trump in 2007, but reeled off seven frames in a row in a one-sided evening session to progress to the last 16.
Moody had opportunities but failed to make them count and was visibly devastated afterwards. Yet world No.2 Wilson, the world champion in 2024, confessed that he “absolutely hates” his cue and fears it could prevent him from winning a second world title because of the mental block it puts on him. Speaking to the BBC panel of Seema Jaswal, Joe Perry and Ken Doherty, Wilson reacted: “Just dug in, really dug in. I say I didn’t fancy it, I did, but I just knew I was struggling and I knew I couldn’t win in one visits like I normally would. I’m having a lot of cue issues, a lot of tip issues.
“I changed my tip for this evening’s session so thank you very much Paul Curran at Northern Ireland Cuefix. He really helped me out tonight. I’m going to get my good friend Kev from Cue Care Corner to come and put me another one because I can’t keep playing like that. I just hate my cue. I absolutely hate my cue.
“It’s too flexible at the top. I’ve got no control. I’ve got no feel in my hand. I’m just fighting all the hard. I’m changing cue after this tournament, I’ve got a new sponsor that are kindly making me a few new cues. I’m just trying to dig it out at this one! The remedy is I won the Masters with it so I know I can win with it.
“I can’t reach my full potential, I don’t think, with the cue. Unfortunately it’s the position I’m in but I will fight for every single frame, every single point and make myself very difficult to beat and hope that at some point it can inspire me somehow. I don’t know how! If you’ve got any advice, let me know.”
Former World Championship semi-finalist Perry then offered: “I’ve got my cue with me, I don’t use it anymore!” And Wilson added: “My friend Ross Patrick, he brought me a cue up this afternoon ready to play with this evening. I hit a few balls with it at 5.30pm and just struggled with it so carried on with my one. It’s just torture but I’m trying.
“I know I can do it, because I’ve won the Masters with it. I’m fighting my own mind all time. Everybody around me knows what I’m going through. It is what it is. It’s the position I’m in. I’ve just got to keep fighting, it’s the World Championship!
“It’s purely down to my mindset. I’ll adapt the right mindset on every single shot and even if something goes wrong, I’ll try not to show too much emotion.”
Kyren Wilson celebrates pulling off the comeback against Stan Moody (Image: Getty)
Stan Moody admitted he was “gutted” after his World Championship exit (Image: PA)
Yet Wilson was also keen to praise his adolescent opponent, saying: “But putting all that to one side, Stan started so, so well. He started like a train against me. Really impressed. It reminded me of my debut. I got off to a flyer against Ricky Walden then I was like a rabbit in the headlights and the adrenaline just left me.
“I kind of knew the frame to go 6-3 was a big one. I felt going into tonight, he might lack that adrenaline. I won two big momentum swingers. When I cleared up, the re-spot to go 7-4. I potted an unbelievable yellow, the green to swing it round, the brown, then a long black. And then I needed three snookers at 7-6 down. I should be going 8-6 behind.
“Played some real snookers and made a dogged clearance. They’re the ones that hurt your opponent.” Next up for Wilson is Mark Allen, the Northern Irishman he has a 10-8 head-to-head record against having won their last two match-ups.
The Warrior added: “I think we’re in very similar positions. I think he’s having cue issues. He’s had a few tough results this year, maybe lacking a little bit of confidence. But we’re both very experienced. We both know what it takes to win big tournaments. Hopefully it’ll be a good game.
“I’m going to go and have a few drinks 1776726003 I think. Hopefully probably try and get back to the family tomorrow and spend a bit of time with them and just reset.”
While Moody told the BBC after his defeat: “I just lost too many bad frames. Had the match won at 7-3, missed the red to go 8-3. Then it turned around when I lost the frame with three snookers. I’m gutted.
“I felt comfortable out there. To lose bad frames like that, it hurts. I’ll go away and practice and come back stronger. It’s completely different, a good experience so hopefully I’m back here next year. I’ll just try to learn what shots to play at the right time and try to miss less balls!”