by elliott west
Gary Wilson
“I knew that even though I didn’t play to my full potential I was good enough to make a living out of the game. As long as I do that, whatever else comes, comes”.
History was made today when another qualifier reached the semi-finals. Like Terry Griffiths, Joe Johnson and Shaun Murphy before him, Gary Wilson impressively won his match against Ali Carter, beating him 13-9. Wilson, a former taxi driver from Wallsend, is a player that has been bubbling to the surface for sometime and like his fellow player Mark Williams has adopted a very laid back and non-phased attitude. If you watch the whole snooker season like I do, Gary often goes deep into the tournament but never quite makes it to the end. He reminds me a lot of Kyren Wilson when he first started doing well but having thought very highly of Wilson my enthusiasm has become somewhat deflated and so it’s refreshing to see a player like Gary doing well.
Wilson bases his serenity on a diet of the X Box and lashings of Gogglebox episodes. Having previously fallen off the tour for six years, Gary had a mountain to climb when qualifying for the Crucible. He had to play three qualifying matches and the competition was fierce but he made it! If he thought that was enough, he had to get past Luca Brecel and Mark Selby; not a mean feat to overcome. The 33 year old is now guaranteed a staggering £100,000 for reaching the quarter-finals, the biggest pay cheque in his career to date.
Gary has been playing snooker since the age of eight and has learnt the hard way to reach the top of his game. Like all players he spent a lot of his time scrimping to pay for plane fares to foreign climates playing matches that often ended in early defeats. Staying in cheap hotels and sharing a room with other players Gary used to laugh off his struggles by acting the fool, always cracking jokes and doing funny dances.
Labelled by the press as a “career resurrection”, Wilson has put his heart and soul into this tournament because he feels that if he doesn’t succeed now then all his efforts will be in vain. Wilson whose previous appearance at the Crucible ended two years ago after he was defeated by Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first round, has now mastered the skills to remain calm and in the zone when in play. All the components to his game are there and that is the key to success in the game of snooker. When you can pot a red from the baulk cushion or escape from an impossible snooker you are on the path to become a Crucible champion!
Gary is in touching distance of raising the trophy this year but still has many mountains to climb before he reaches the heady heights of Bank Holiday Monday. He knows he has to keep a cool head and remain focused because the Crucible never lets you win easily, it will set traps for you and attempt to snare you until you’re able to overcome everything it throws at you and then only will you be crowned as the deserved Crucible champion.
