World Championship: Emotional Peter Ebdon reaches Crucible once more as Yorkshire's David Grace earns debut

England's Peter Ebdon at the table during the World Championships at the Crucible, Sheffield. (Picture: Nick Potts/PA Wire)

The 2002 world champion was thankful to be back at snooker’s most famous venue but left “numb” by his performance in sneaking a 10-9 win over Michael Holt in the final qualifying round.

Ebdon, 46, was close to tears as he weighed up his latest successful bid to reach the Betfred World Championship, which begins in Sheffield on Saturday.

The 40th anniversary of the Crucible first staging the tournament makes it especially poignant for Ebdon, who said: “It means everything.

“It’s always great to be introduced as a former world champion, it’s really, really special.”

David Grace reached snooker’s biggest stage for the first time, and then raised fears it may not be big enough.The 31-year-old from Leeds earned a debut with a 10-3 win over Thailand’s Akani Songsermsawad.

The trouble for Grace is that at 6ft 5in, his proportions do not lend themselves to the tight two-table set-up in the Sheffield theatre. And world No 51 Grace said: “Being a big guy, I might be banging into the furniture.”

Chinese 17-year-old Yan Bingtao became the first player born this century to earn an appearance, with a 10-4 win over Alexander Ursenbacher. Belgium’s Luca Brecel, still the youngest player to reach the Crucible after his 2012 debut, won 10-5 against Welsh veteran Dominic Dale.