Teenage snooker star Stan Moody makes Crucible statement against Kyren Wilson

2 hours ago 4

Halifax teenager Stan Moody announced himself on the World Snooker Championship stage with some superb play for a 6-3 first-session lead over No 3 seed Kyren Wilson.

The 19-year-old Crucible debutant discharged himself from hospital after suffering from a serious bout of tonsilitis to enable him to qualify for the tournament. But it was 2024 world champion Wilson left feeling under the weather as Moody – the first teenager since Judd Trump in 2007 to make their debut at the Crucible – showed no sign of nerves during an aggressive display of snooker.

Moody, ranked No 44 in the world, took the first frame in under eight minutes with an 84 break as Wilson failed to get a point on the board. A missed red cost Wilson dear in the next as Moody made a 33 clearance before a smooth 91 break gave him a 3-0 lead.

Wilson stopped the rot by winning scrappy frames either side of the interval as the Masters champion managed to disrupt Moody’s fluency. But Wilson was far from his best and, after running out of position in the sixth frame, he threw his chalk up in the air in frustration.

Moody responded with a first Crucible century break of 110 after getting into the balls by potting a red and making the cue ball jump off the table to get on to the black. The teenager then won a safety battle ahead to set up a 55 break and added a second century with a 101 clearance. Wilson, however, showed admirable composure with a 77 break to cut the gap to three frames before the evening session.

Former world No 1 Ding Junhui secured a last-16 showdown with Chinese compatriot and reigning world champion Zhao Xintong by completing a 10-5 victory over David Gilbert. The Englishman won three of the first four frames to eat in to a 7-2 overnight deficit, aided by Ding misjudging a plant that allowed him to pinch the 13th frame by a point. But Ding – who on Sunday became the eighth player to record a century of centuries at the World Championship – replied with breaks of 106 and 61 to close out victory.

“I still have a bit of pressure and between the matches I try to put myself on the shots and concentrate on each one,” Ding told the BBC. “It looks like it’s working good, but I’m not quite enjoying it.”