World Championship 2012 (the qualifiers) - the last day

Hendry back at the Crucible

Put tension, excitement and pressure in a ball and mix them. The result will definitely be: the last day of the World Championship qualifiers. 

The last stop before the Crucible or getting back at the practicing table and waiting for the next season to kick off put the players in a very tough position: give it your best, otherwise you'll have to wait one more year to see your Crucible dream turned into reality.

However, for eight more players the dream became a reality already, amongst them finding the names of legend Stephen Hendry who denied Yu Delu a place at the Crucible, youngster Luca Brecel who beat Mark King to qualify for the first time in the World Championship, David Gilbert who defeated the Irishman Fergal O'Brien in the process of getting a place next to the stars, but also Peter Ebdon who didn't let his opponent, Alfie Burnen cash not event a single frame and cruised straight towards victory.

The Crucible first-timer, Luca Brecel

We won't see the likes of Steve Davis or Jimmy White performing this year at the Crucible, but we are definitely going to see Ken Doherty and Stephen Hendry, the Scotsman managing to win 10-6 over a very tough opponent, the Chinese Yu Delu, player that had already saw off Patrick Wallace, Michael White and Matthew Selt.

Not to worry though for we have enough Chinese players very well capable to perform upsets, after Cao Yupeng and Liu Chuang’s Saturday victories  coming the ones of Liang Wenbo, who won 10-9 over Marcus Campbell (even though the Scotsman made a great effort to make a comeback from being lead 8-2 down and force a decider), while Marco Fu regained some of that winning-form that got him in the final of last year's Masters tournament to beat Joe Jogia 10-4.

Luca Brecel, "the new kid on the block", Belgium's best and a great entertainer of the green baize who's only 17 years old, continued his great run and knock down another snooker gladiator, Mark King, with a well-fought 10-8 scoreline, in the same way that David Gilbert obtained a 10-4 victory in front of Ireland's Fergal O’Brien to book himself a place at the Crucible after a five-year absence.

Great cue action from Ebbo

Dominic Dale got a well deserved place also after beating Ben Woollaston 10-3, next in line being his pink comrades, Barry Hawkins, who won 10-4 over David Morris and Joe Perry who applied a 10-8 treatment on Jamie Burnett.

Peter Ebdon recorded a magnificent 10-0 scoreline over Alfie Burden in his way to the Crucible, while Andrew Higginson beat Ebbo's namesake, Peter Lines 10-4 to join the winners-gang.

Below you can check the last day list of results:


So, with a complete draw of qualifiers, what's next? Oh yeah, the draw for the 2012 world Championship first round matches. Scroll down my dearest snooker loopies and be amazed about how this year's mega World Championship tournament is going to make its debut:


 See ya on April 21^st at the Crucible!