Stan Moody runs on empty in Crucible’s marathon, as Liam Pullen battles back
“Stan is a credit to the younger generation, my kids are often supporting him.”
That was Kyren Wilson’s reaction, tinged with relief, after surviving a World Championship first-round shock exit to Halifax teenager Stan Moody.
The 19-year-old – on his Crucible debut – looked set for a sensational victory against current Masters champion Wilson when he led 7-3 in their best-of-19 contest.
But Wilson, the 2024 world champion, reeled off seven successive frames to secure a second-round spot against Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.
“It was really tough, at 7-3 I had to keep going to the well,” said Wilson. “I wasn't playing great but I made some dogged clearances and I had to keep doing the right things. I knew I had more experience than Stan here and that was bound to be a factor.
“He was very impressive this morning and I am sure he will learn from this experience, it won't be the last time you see him here. I won a couple of big frames which must have sapped the energy out of him.”
The relief from Wilson after securing victory on the black ball in frame 17 was clear to see, punching the air in delight.
It was a celebration more suited to a semi-final or final success, which shows how dangerous an opponent Moody – who had to win two qualifying matches to earn his Crucible spot – had proven to be.
The first British teenager to make his Crucible debut since Judd Trump in 2007, Moody was 6-3 in front after the opening session. The scoreline did not flatter a player who has long been tipped for success, having lifted the 2023 World Junior Championship.
A doubled red to the centre set Moody on the way to make a 48 break to extend his advantage to 7-3 in the first frame of Monday’s evening session.
It saw bookies slashing his odds from 150-1 to 20-1 to go on and be crowned world champion, as punters tipped him to be the ‘Luke Littler of snooker’.
Moody had already beaten Wilson in this season’s British Open, 4-2 in a best-of-7 contest. But the Crucible – unlike every other tournament – is more of a marathon than a sprint, and the Yorkshireman was in new territory.
The first crack in Moody’s armour came when he missed a red along the top cushion, as Wilson cleared the table to level the scores before pinching the frame on a respotted black. A break of 63 – amazingly just one of two 50-plus scores for Wilson in the entire contest – helped Wilson claw back another couple of frames to trail 7-6.
Then came the turning point in the match. Moody knocked in what looked a frame-winning break of 68, but somehow Wilson conjured up the three snookers he needed to steal the frame. Wilson kept chipping away, but when world No 44 Moody missed a tough final black, it was to prove his last contribution to an enthralling match.
York’s Liam Pullen – like Moody, one of the rising stars of his generation and one of four players making their Crucible debuts this year – resumes his first-round meeting with world No 13 Chris Wakelin on Wednesday morning, trailing 5-4.
The 20-year-old was the stronger break-builder, knocking in scores of 57, 63, 97 and 58.
Trailing 3-1 at the mid-session interval, Pullen – who won four matches to qualify for the Crucible – came out on top after a huge safety battle to cut the deficit when they resumed.
Twice, Wakelin restored the two-frame gap, with breaks of 66 and 82, but Pullen refused to be shaken off, heading into Wednesday’s concluding session.
In an all-Chinese affair, Wu Yize was a 10-2 winner against Lei Peifan on Tuesday.
Next season’s prize money for the World Championship will increase by 25 per cent, to £3m. The winner’s cheque will rise from £500,000 to £625,000.
The UK Championship in York will jump to £1.5m, with a top prize of £312,500.