“Everybody outside of the Lines household would absolutely love it” - Father and son on course for UK Championship clash
“Everybody outside of the Lines household would absolutely love it.”
That’s Peter Lines, the 56-year-old snooker veteran from Leeds, after the draw for this season’s UK Championship qualifiers opened up a mouth-watering prospect of a match with his son, Oliver Lines.
The duo – who who are based at the Northern Snooker Centre in needs – have never played each other on the big stage.
But they could meet in round two of the qualifiers, looking to earn a place in the main draw for the York Barbican, at Leicester.
If Peter – a former world and UK champion on the seniors circuit – can beat Oliver Sykes in next Sunday’s first round, he will then come face-to-face with Oliver, 31.
Ever since Oliver turned professional, it’s a match-up the snooker world has been waiting for.
For Peter, he will be torn between being a proud father – and Oliver’s biggest supporter – and a snooker player, who has grafted out a career which spans several decades.
“I am not really sure how I will feel myself, until we play,” Lines told The Yorkshire Post.
“Hopefully, we do play. Until I walk out there, I just won’t know.
“This would be the biggest match between us.”
While the duo train alongside each other at the Northern Snooker Centre, they rarely play each other on the practice table.
“To be honest, we don’t really play a right lot,” said Lines, who reached the UK Championship quarter-finals in 2009, and the fourth round at the Barbican in 2021.
“I was saying to two of the young lads in the club yesterday, ‘If I was you two, I would be asking Oliver to play every day’.
“If he wasn’t my son, even now, I would be asking to play him every day because playing the best player there, is how you learn and get better.
“I would be pestering him to death, ‘can I play, can I play?’,” said Peter, who is in Vienna this weekend, competing in Q Tour as he looks to regain his Tour card for next season.
“It’s just awkward. I want to see him playing well. And whoever I play, I want to win. When I play Oliver, I want to win. If I am playing, and he isn’t, I don’t like that. I want to see him playing well. It’s just awful.”
A number of Yorkshire players will enter the UK Championship qualifiers – held over four rounds – in Leicester, which cue off next weekend.
Rotherham’s Ashley Hugill is first in action, on Saturday afternoon, when he faces Aaron Busuttil in the first round.
York’s Ashley Carty opens against Bai Yulu, Peter Lines faces Sykes, while Leeds duo Sanderson Lam and Daniel Boyes - also based at Northern Snooker Centre - play Florian Nuessle and Reanne Evans, respectively.
Oliver Lines, Leeds’ David Grace and York’s Liam Pullen enter in the second round, while Halifax’s Stan Moody joins in the third round.
All players outside the world’s top 16 will be battling for coveted spots in York. Star names include three-time UK champion Ding Junhui, Jack Lisowski, Luca Brecel, Jak Jones, Stuart Bingham, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Stephen Maguire and Jimmy White.
Up for grabs is 16 spots at the Barbican, when the UK Championship returns to York on November 28.
Mark Selby won the title for the third time last year, beating Judd Trump 10-8 in the final.
The Leicester cueman begins his defence on the opening afternoon against a qualifier.
York schedule: Saturday November 28, 1pm: Mark Selby v Qualifier, Mark Williams v Qualifier. 7pm: Kyren Wilson v Qualifier, Chang Bingyu v Qualifier. Sunday November 29, 1pm: Neil Robertson v Qualifier, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Qualifier. 7pm: Judd Trump v Qualifier, Chris Wakelin v Qualifier. Monday November 30, 1pm: Wu Yize v Qualifier, Ali Carter v Qualifier. 7pm: Shaun Murphy v Qualifier, Barry Hawkins v Qualifier. Tuesday December 1, 1pm: Zhao Xintong v Qualifier, Mark Allen v Qualifier. 7pm: John Higgins v Qualifier, Xiao Guodong v Qualifier.
Tickets are available from £30, at www.wst.tv