KYREN WILSON has promised there will be no more dad dancing on the Road to the Crucible.
The reigning world snooker champion boogied into the Telford International Centre on Friday night ahead of a 6-5 semi-final win over Neil Robertson at the Players Championship.
Kyren Wilson showed off his dance moves before his Players Championship semi-final win over Neil Robertson[/caption]
The 33-year-old tried out something different during his walkout[/caption]
It was a moment of levity for the crowd, who were then treated to a classic – Wilson trailed 4-1 but then responded with breaks of 116, 57, 89 and a match-winning 134.
Yet Wilson has assured SunSport there will be NO repeat of his dance moves in Sunday’s final and over the next six weeks – as he aims to break the Crucible Curse.
Wilson, a father of two, said: “I was trying to have a bit of fun, it’s a Friday night, people pay good money to come and watch us play.
“I want people to tune in and laugh and smile at my expense. I don’t mind making a fool of myself every now and again.
“In today’s world, social media is such a massive platform and that’s a viral dance. Some snooker players could do that more, help to get a younger generation watching on TV.
“I know for a fact there are people who are not necessarily snooker fans but who tuned in to watch that.
“It was inspired by a viral moment by American rapper Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl. My brother and I decided I should do it.
“Friends and family had also egged me on to it as my walk-on. But I am quite capable of switching off from funny mode to serious mode.
List of all-time Snooker World Champions
BELOW is a list of snooker World Champions by year.
The record is for the modern era, widely considered as dating from the 1968-69 season, when the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) took control of the sport.
The first World Championships ran from 1927 – with a break from 1941-45 because of World War II and 1958-63 because of a dispute in the sport.
Joe Davis (15), Fred Davis and John Pulman (both 8) were the most successful players during that period.
Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan share the record for the most titles in the modern era, with seven each.
- 1969 – John Spencer
- 1970 – Ray Reardon
- 1971 – John Spencer
- 1972 – Alex Higgins
- 1973 – Ray Reardon (2)
- 1974 – Ray Reardon (3)
- 1975 – Ray Reardon (4)
- 1976 – Ray Reardon (5)
- 1977 – John Spencer (2)
- 1978 – Ray Reardon (6)
- 1979 – Terry Griffiths
- 1980 – Cliff Thorburn
- 1981 – Steve Davis
- 1982 – Alex Higgins (2)
- 1983 – Steve Davis (2)
- 1984 – Steve Davis (3)
- 1985 – Dennis Taylor
- 1986 – Joe Johnson
- 1987 – Steve Davis (4)
- 1988 – Steve Davis (5)
- 1989 – Steve Davis (6)
- 1990 – Stephen Hendry
- 1991 – John Parrott
- 1992 – Stephen Hendry (2)
- 1993 – Stephen Hendry (3)
- 1994 – Stephen Hendry (4)
- 1995 – Stephen Hendry (5)
- 1996 – Stephen Hendry (6)
- 1997 – Ken Doherty
- 1998 – John Higgins
- 1999 – Stephen Hendry (7)
- 2000 – Mark Williams
- 2001 – Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 2002 – Peter Ebdon
- 2003 – Mark Williams (2)
- 2004 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (2)
- 2005 – Shaun Murphy
- 2006 – Graeme Dott
- 2007 – John Higgins (2)
- 2008 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (3)
- 2009 – John Higgins (3)
- 2010 – Neil Robertson
- 2011 – John Higgins (4)
- 2012 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (4)
- 2013 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (5)
- 2014 – Mark Selby
- 2015 – Stuart Bingham
- 2016 – Mark Selby (2)
- 2017 – Mark Selby (3)
- 2018 – Mark Williams (3)
- 2019 – Judd Trump
- 2020 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (6)
- 2021 – Mark Selby (4)
- 2022 – Ronnie O’Sullivan (7)
- 2023 – Luca Brecel
- 2024 – Kyren Wilson
Most World Titles (modern era)
- 7 – Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O’Sullivan
- 6 – Ray Reardon, Steve Davis
- 4 – John Higgins, Mark Selby
- 3 – John Spencer, Mark Williams
- 2 – Alex Higgins
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“I won’t do it for the final, absolutely not. I like dancing in nightclubs but just won’t do it for the final.”
And although he knows that fans at home will have loved his moves, he’s well aware that former rival and friend Stephen Hendry would have been a little less impressed.
Asked what Hendry would have thought of the dancing on ITV, Wilson replied: “Oh he would have slaughtered me. Slaughtered me.”
Wilson, who is chasing a £150,000 jackpot on Sunday night, has won the past four ranking finals he has contested – and that includes his maiden world title success last May.
Though he did lose in the finale of the Masters – an invitational – to Shaun Murphy at Ally Pally in January.
If he gets the better of Judd Trump or John Higgins over the best of 19 frames in two sessions, he will draw level with cult cueist Jimmy White on 10 ranking titles.
The Warrior, 33, said: “I have goals I want to tick off in my career.
“And one of them is to get to 10 ranking titles. I want to go further than that. I won’t be happy unless I achieve a minimum of 20.
“To draw alongside a legend like Jimmy White would be amazing.”
WIlson reckons Stephen Hendry would have been less than impressed with his dancing[/caption]
