History against Selby and his Crucible defence

No first-time world championship winner has returned to the Crucible and successfully defended his crown in over 30 years.

Greats like Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan all saw their defence of the crown crumble at the first attempt. Bradford’s Joe Johnson – the only Yorkshireman to have won the world title at the Crucible – came closest when defending his 1986 title only to lose 
18-14 in the following year’s final to Davis. Irishman Ken Doherty also reached the final, 12 months after his 1997 success, but bowed 18-12 to John Higgins.

Now the challenge lies with 31-year-old Selby, who triumphed 12 months ago against O’Sullivan.

Selby believes the marathon challenge of simply winning in Sheffield – a tournament which stretches over 17 days – and the mental knowledge that no first-time winner has defended his crown have combined over the years to thwart his predecessors.

“Going there with the pressure of being world champion, I think that is in the back of everyone’s minds when they return as champions,” Selby told The Yorkshire Post.

“It’s a hard tournament to win anyway, it’s irrelevant whether you have won it five times or have never won it before.

“It will be in the back of mind, but at the same time I am just going to try and go there and enjoy it. I will try to take in the atmosphere, and enjoy it while I am the defending champion.

“It would be nice if I am still standing again at the end, holding the trophy aloft.

“It will be a great feeling walking into the Crucible arena as world champion. Because I have won the world title, you want to win it again and again. It would be nice to become the first player to defend the crown having won it for the first time.”

Adam Duffy’s hopes of becoming the first Sheffield player to reach the Crucible stages hangs in the balance. The 26-year-old trails Jamie Jones 5-4 in his final qualifying match. They resume today, and he is the only Yorkshire player left in qualifying.