I knew I had to change when I ended up at stranger’s home at 7am after a party, admits snooker champ Kyren Wilson
He revealed what opportunities have come his way since his maiden World Snooker title
KYREN WILSON knew he was “off the rails” when he ended up in a stranger’s house following an all-night party.
The Warrior, 32, bottled up a lot of his emotions, positive and negative, when he won a maiden World Snooker title in May following a 18–14 final victory over Jak Jones.
Yet during the off-season, the dad-of-two let his hair down, attending more showbiz events, drinking more than he normally does and generally forgetting about snooker.
It was only when he sobered up in an unknown property after a late-night boozy session did he realise he needed to stop following a destructive path and knuckle down for this season.
Wilson told SunSport: “I was mostly enjoying a few late nights. I did not know when to rein it in and stop celebrating.
“I knew I had a very, very busy schedule coming up so I wanted to keep celebrating.
“You get that opportunity only once of being a first-time world champion – so I wanted to enjoy it as long as I could.
“I ended up at a few late-night parties. Drinking far too much.
“My wife Sophie turned to me and said: ‘It’s time to rein it in now. Stop searching for the high through alcohol – and instead get that high by winning again.’ “I’ve got my head back in the game now.
“At one point, I ended up at a house party until 7am and I didn’t even know the person (who owned it). I was there on my own.
“That was a bit of an eye-opening moment – you need to get your life in order.”
Wilson put down the pints and returned to the baize and within weeks, he was lifting silverware again.
In August, he pocketed £177,000 when he won the Xi’an Grand Prix in China, his first ranking tournament success of the new season.
At present, he is positioned second in the world behind Judd Trump and the race to finish top of the rankings will be one of the thrilling stories on the Road to the Crucible.
Wilson added: “I have had so many wonderful opportunities off the back of being world champion, parading the trophy at Chelsea.
“We went to Aston Martin at Silverstone. We were invited back to their headquarters and partied with them while watching England at the Euros, which was an amazing occasion.
“There were Aston Martins dotted around left, right and centre. I enjoyed myself in those situations.
“Stephen Hendry came and filmed at my house for his Cue Tips YouTube channel. I picked his brains and said: ‘What were you like after you’d won your first of seven world titles?’
“He’s a totally different sort of animal. He was like: ‘I was straight back to the practice table, I couldn’t wait for the next season and next event.’
“You know, I’m not quite that sort of animal. I’ve had a fantastic upbringing with a good social background, good friends that I see regularly.
“So, I just wanted to get around with those and celebrate for as long as I could.”
The rules of snooker
THE aim of snooker is to clear the table of all balls - and achieving it in an incredible 147 break is the ultimate goal.
The rectangular table features green baize, a baulk line and semi-circle, known as the D.
It has six pockets, four in each corner and two midway down both long sides.
There are 15 red balls which are arranged in a triangular shape.
There are also six colour balls, and the white cue ball.
Each colour sits on its own designated spot at the start of the game.
While red balls are worth one point when potted, the colours all have a different value.
In ascending order these are:
- Yellow – two points
- Green – three points
- Brown – four points
- Blue – five points
- Pink – six points
- Black – seven points
The first player will cue off and must hit at least one of the red balls in the triangle.
If they pot a red, they can then continue by potting a colour.
However, if no red is potted then their opponent will play the next shot – going for a red first.
Each player must first pot a red ball when it’s their turn to play. If nothing is pocketed it is the other player’s turn at the table.
After each red is potted they must then follow with a colour, then a red, then a colour, and so on.
Whilst there are still red balls on the table, the potted colour balls are returned to their designated spot.
Once all the red balls are pocketed, the player at the table must pot the colours in the order as outlined above.
If they miss then their opponent will have the opportunity to clear the table.
A 147 is a maximum break when all reds are potted by one player in one stint at the table.
In order to achieve 147, the player must pot all 15 reds with 15 blacks for 120 points.
They must then clear all the colours, concluding with the black for 27 points.
During play the rules state that the cue must only touch the white cue ball.
The cue ball also must hit the correct colour ball – reds or colours in order.
If it hits the incorrect colour then a foul is called.
If the cue ball fails to hit any ball or is pocketed it is also a foul.
The player’s turn at the table ends if they play a foul shot.
Players are also penalised if they touch any ball on the table with their person.