Ben Woollaston finally returned to the sport's grandest stage by qualifying for the Halo World Championship at the Crucible earlier this year, the first time he reached the Theatre of Dreams since his debut back in 2013. He scored a sensational 10-8 win over fellow Leicester cueman Mark Selby in the opening round, before losing out 13-10 to Si Jiahui. We've caught up with Woollaston to reflect on Sheffield and discuss the season ahead...
Ben, first of all how did it feel qualifying for the Crucible and being drawn against Mark?
“I almost don’t remember the first time. I wanted to at least put in a better performance than that occasion (lost 10-4 to Ali Carter). I’m not sure I was even thinking of winning. I knew I would be better prepared. The first time was more nerve wracking, but there were nerves attached this time though as I didn’t expect the gap between appearances to be so long.
“In the last decade he’s arguably been the best player there. I’ve grown up with Mark and I know his game. He made a century in the first frame and at that point I was thinking this could go the wrong way. I responded well and managed to come out of the first session in touch. From there I knew I had a chance to win the game. I feel like I’m a pretty good safety player myself. Mark is the best at that, but I hung in there in that department. A lot of players don’t do that.
“In a way, the win is my most special moment in snooker, even considering I made the final of the Welsh Open. I think it was made extra special that my children were old enough to take it in and watch it. To beat Mark at the Crucible is something I will remember for the rest of my life."
How do you reflect on your second Crucible experience as a whole?
“We don’t play anywhere when the crowd is that close to you. It makes it a lot more intesnse. You can’t believe how close they are in the front row when you are playing a shot. You hear it all the time, but it is true that if you are playing well it is the best place in the world and if you are struggling it is a nightmare.
“Losing to Si in the next round was disappointing. I played alright in the second half of the match but I threw too many frames away in the first half. The winner went on to play Ronnie O’Sullivan. It was disappointing to miss out on that as it doesn’t get much better than playing him at the Crucible. It wasn’t to be."
What was it like to be there as a family, with your wife Tatiana working as a referee?
“It was a special week for the family. My oldest son Edward watched all of the sessions against Selby. The only frame he watched apart from that was going in to watch Tatiana refereeing and Mark Allen made a 147 so he was lucky to see that as well! It was special for him. He went in to watch his mum and she gets to be involved in a maximum break.
“She’s normally at tournaments for longer than me to be honest! The aim is to be there longer than her and that means I’ve had a fantastic tournament. She is doing fantastically well, she was proud of me and I was proud of her. There haven’t been too many highs for me in recent years. It was a great way to finish the season."
You've qualified for the final stages of the Wuhan Open and the British Open already. How are you feeling for the season ahead?
“I do believe now that my game is in the best position it has been for three or four years. I’m hoping to build this season. The aim is always to win a tournament, but to start I want to try and get in the top 32 and have at least as good season as I did last year.”
We know you are a coffee enthusiast. Where on the tour does the best coffee?
“China isn’t great for coffee. However, Riyadh had some amazing coffee shops. I’m hoping Jeddah will be the same. Because it is so hot, I was going out for a coffee in Saudi at 11pm, which seemed a bit crazy. In England every coffee shop is closed by 5pm. I’m looking forward to going to Jeddah. I think the nicest beans I’ve had are from Honduras, maybe we can get a tournament out there! I’m not really limited to one country or a favourite one though really.”
