Leeds potter Peter Lines targets Crucible glory at LLP Solicitors World Seniors Championship

Just 48 hours after Luca Brecel was crowned world champion, Leeds potter Lines, 53, joins snooker legends like Stephen Hendry, Jimmy White and Bradford’s former world champion Joe Johnson at the iconic Sheffield theatre.

Lines lifted the World Seniors title in 2017, in Scunthorpe – beating three former Crucible champions along the way in Dennis Taylor, Stephen Hendry and John Parrot in the final – but lost out to Jimmy White last year when the tournament was held at the Crucible.

Lines - who won the UK Seniors title last year – cues off against amateur qualifier Ben Hancorn on Friday lunchtime, and had to win six qualifying games just to reach the last 16 at the Crucible.

“I played last year at the Crucible, and lost to Jimmy White,” he said

“I had to win six qualifying matches. I was pleased to get through.

“It would be nice to win at the Crucible. I have put a lot of effort in going to the qualifiers to get this far. It’s not because I just want to go back to the Crucible, I want to win the whole thing.”

Lines – who first turned professional in 1991 – still competes on the main professional Tour, alongside his son Oliver, and lost to Matthew Selt 10-7 in the qualifiers for the World Championship last month.

But he has been training for the Seniors event, and keen to put on a good show at the Crucible.

“I have been practicing because the season has only just finished for me,” he said. “I played in the World Championship qualifiers not so long ago.

“I have kept playing, because I want to try and win.

“If I don’t win I want it to be because I am not good enough, not because I am not putting the effort in.”

Wednesday’s opening games sees defending champion Lee Walker open against Gerard Greene, while Mark Davis faces Tony Knowles.

Tomorrow, former Crucible champion Ken Doherty faces Alfie Burden, while on Friday seven-times world champion Hendry returns to the scene of his greatest triumphs when the Scot plays Darren Morgan. White plays Philip Williams.

Friday sees the World Seniors Tour link-up with Sheffield City Council, Crucible Theatre and Age UK Sheffield to stage a Seniors of Sheffield day.

Around 500 people have been invited to watch the snooker at the Crucible, with research done by World Seniors director Rohit Sagoo, with Age UK Sheffield, showing the number of over 50s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by 2025/6.

Rohit said “Loneliness is likely to increase your risk of death by 29 per cent and we have a great opportunity to use our Seniors Snooker event in Sheffield to get local residents along and help them understand the support that is available in the city through Age UK Sheffield and all the other great groups.”

Jason Francis, chairman of the World Seniors Snooker Tour, said “This is the start of a project to allocate a day each year to the Senior people of Sheffield, who may be vulnerable or living in isolation.

“Many may not have been able to see snooker in the Crucible before but more importantly we will have representatives of the city’s charities on site to let people know they are not alone and there is help out there. We also want to say thank you to all the volunteers and carers out there”