World Championship snooker: Stuart Bingham wins thriller to keep Crucible dream alive – 'I was fearing worst all day'

ByEurosport

Updated 15/04/2024 at 07:26 GMT

Stuart Bingham showed the fighting qualities that saw him win the world title in 2015 as he fought back from 7-3 behind to complete a dramatic 10-9 win over Stuart Carrington to move one win away from earning a Crucible spot this year. Qualifying for the tournament began on April 8 and runs until April 17. The main tournament itself will be held at the Crucible between April 20 and May 6.

Funny moment as Bingham offers to give glasses to fan after missed red

2015 world champion Stuart Bingham remains on course to return to the scene of his greatest triumph following a dramatic 10-9 win over world No. 93 Stuart Carrington in the penultimate round of World Championship qualifying in Sheffield.

The Basildon potter looked on the brink of a shock exit trailing 7-3 and 9-7, but managed to win seven of the closing nine frames to secure a meeting with Louis Heathcote on Tuesday with a spot in the final stage on the line at the English Institute of Sport.

Heathcote edged Elliot Slessor 10-8 to book his spot in the fourth qualifying round.

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"It hasn’t been a good couple of seasons for me," said world No. 29 Bingham, who produced breaks of 55, 73, 85, 55, 91 and 68 to complete the great escape.

"It was a big match to still be in the tournament. I was fearing the worst all day, getting a bit impatient and frustrated. I don’t know where it has come from. It is still in there.

"I think it just takes my back being against the wall to get the best out of me. I’ve hardly missed a ball in the last three frames."

Bingham – who defeated Shaun Murphy 18-15 in the final nine years ago – produced a rousing run when he qualified for the Crucible in 2021, defeating Luca Brecel and DIng Junhui on his run to the semi-finals where he was edged 17-15 by Mark Selby in a Crucible epic.

“Every player wants to finish their season at the Crucible," said Bingham on WST. "Having tasted victory there before it would have been very disappointing to bow out. I’ve got one game left. It is going to be another tough game and I’ve got to be on top of my form to get through.

“In 2021, I beat Luca Brecel to qualify and I was confident going into the Crucible. Being sharp helps. It is every player’s dream to play at the Crucible, so it would be nice to get the job done and be there this season.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, it was a day to forget for James Cahill – who famously stunned seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-8 in the first round in 2019 – as he was whitewashed 10-0 by world No. 21 Zhou Yuelong, who produced six 50-plus breaks to set up a meeting with 2023 Crucible quarter-finalist Jak Jones, who ran out a 10-6 winner against Jamie Clarke.

Meanwhile, Hossein Vafaei will resume 6-3 clear of former world semi-finalist Marco Fu in the third qualifying round on Monday afternoon at 14:30, while 2006 world champion Graeme Dott trails Jackson Page by the same scoreline before they play to a finish.