World Snooker Championships: Champion Stuart Bingham looks to avoid history repeating itself

Stuart Bingham will be out to break the '˜Crucible Curse' tomorrow when he faces Ali Carter in the defence of his Betfred World Championship title.
Stuart Bingham celebrates with the trophy after winning the Betfred World Championships at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/PA.Stuart Bingham celebrates with the trophy after winning the Betfred World Championships at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/PA.
Stuart Bingham celebrates with the trophy after winning the Betfred World Championships at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/PA.

No first-time winner has successfully defended the title, Bradford’s Joe Johnson coming closest when he lost in the 1987 final rematch against Steve Davis.

Yesterday’s draw for the £1.5m tournament at the Crucible Theatre pitted Essex players Bingham and Carter in an early head-to-head battle.

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The latter was runner-up in 2008 and 2012, but has battled back to fitness after serious health problems, including cancer and Crohn’s disease.

Carter said: “To be back at the Crucible considering the battles I have been through means the world to me.”

Carter was forced to come through three rounds of qualifiers just to reach the Crucible, after dropping out of the world’s top 16, but has a good record against Bingham, 39, winning the last six meetings.

Bingham’s 2015 victory over Shaun Murphy was one of snooker’s greatest upsets.

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Trump will be out for revenge in his first-round meeting with Liang Wenbo, who knocked him out of the UK Championship in York earlier in the season.

Five-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan faces Tamworth’s David Gilbert, runner-up at the International Championship.

Sheffield-based Ding Junhui is another top player who has been forced to come through three rounds of qualifiers at Ponds Forge this last week.

The 29-year-old has a poor record in his adopted hometown, but will hope to improve on that when he faces Martin Gould.

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Nottingham’s Michael Holt lost in the qualifiers last year, but won his three matches this month to set up a first-round tie with Australia’s Neil Robertson.

“To play at the Crucible is what we dreamed of as kids,” said Holt, 37.

“I’ll get butterflies and I can’t wait.”

First-round draw: S Bingham v A Carter, S Maguire v A McManus, R Walden v R Williams, J Higgins v R Day, J Trump v Liang Wenbo, M Gould v Ding Junhui, M Williams v G Dott, N Robertson v M Holt, S Murphy v A McGill, M Fu v P Ebdon, B Hawkins v Zhang Anda, R O’Sullivan v D Gilbert, M Allen v M Mann, J Perry v K Wilson, M White v S Baird, M Selby v R Milkins.

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