World Championship: Ashley Hugill relishing his Crucible debut

When Yorkshireman Ashley Hugill walks down the steps on his Crucible debut this afternoon it will be reward for years of hard graft.
Ashley Hugill set for his Crucible debut tonight. Picture: Zheng Zhai/World SnookerAshley Hugill set for his Crucible debut tonight. Picture: Zheng Zhai/World Snooker
Ashley Hugill set for his Crucible debut tonight. Picture: Zheng Zhai/World Snooker

For the 27-year-old swapped his family home in York to move to Sheffield nearly four years ago.

In distance, York to Sheffield may not compare with China to the Steel City – the trek the likes of Ding Junhui, Yan Bingtao, Zhao Xintong and Lyu Haotian have made – but Hugill, and his game, has prospered all the same. All five players, who call Sheffield their home town, reached the Betfred World Championship flying the flag for their adopted city.

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And today, world No 77 Hugill – who along with Yan Bingtao, Zhao Xintong and Lyu Haotian trains at Victoria’s Academy in Sheffield – makes the short journey from Hillsborough to make his Crucible debut against former world champion Neil Robertson.

“It was one of the reasons why moving to Sheffield was such a good idea,” said Hugill, who has the luxury of sleeping in his own bed, rather than out of a suitcase at a hotel. “Not only for the training, but the biggest tournament of the year is here as well.

“There’s not much snooker in York, the training facilities in Sheffield were great.

“After a certain amount of time, it just didn’t make sense to keep commuting, so I got a little place here.”

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Inundated with ticket requests – “It’s been pretty manic with that” – the Hugill family will also be out in force today.

“My family are buzzing,” said Hugill, who had to win three qualifying matches just to reach the Crucible. “In some ways I think it’s almost bigger for them than it is for me.

“I knew I was going to play at the Crucible one day, maybe they weren’t sure.

“I knew it was going to happen, I had worked too hard, and was too good not to play at the Crucible one day.

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“Maybe some of my family weren’t actually sure, it probably feels more amazing to them. It is amazing, but it’s not like I can’t believe it, I have been visualising this for the last few years. Now it’s here, it’s my time.

“I know the World Championship suits my style, the longer format matches, the big pressure matches I feel is when I am at my best.”

Hugill does not lack confidence, but admits today will mark the culmination of a tough apprenticeship.

“I am not surprised that I haven’t reach the Crucible before,” he admitted. “It’s all been a culmination moving towards this.

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“I have been working really hard with (manager) Ian McCulloch and Matt Andrews – he has been my sports psychologist for a couple of years now – building up, and slowly getting better and better over the years.

“Getting my mind better, my body better, my game better. This just feels like a culmination of that.

“A few years ago my head wasn’t in the right place.

“I didn’t have that confidence or self-belief, that I have now,” he said.

“When you get those setbacks and are constantly going back to the drawing board and having to think what can you can better, what you need to change, what you need to learn, you do improve more quickly.”

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One player who has improved beyond recognition is fellow Sheffield-based potter Zhao.

The 25-year-old Chinese cueman won the UK Championship in December, before adding the German Masters title to his CV, and Zhao made easy work of his first-round match at the Crucible yesterday, beating Welshman Jamie Clarke 10-2.

“This is my first win at the Crucible so I’m very happy,” said world No 7 Zhao.

“I need more confidence for the next match, so this win is very important to me.

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“In the second session I didn’t want to lose frames because Jamie is a great player, so I had to concentrate on my shots. Now I feel better.”

He said: “It is not easy, it’s very difficult.

“Even when I was 9-2 up I still felt pressure and I needed to finish the match quickly so that the pressure didn’t build.

“Hopefully I can win, I am confident but I don’t know what will happen in the future so I will try my best.”

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