Stan Moody claimed his first ever match victory at the Cazoo World Championship, beating Estonia’s Andres Petrov 10-7 in the qualifying stages at the English Institute of Sport.
Moody has been in the spotlight lately, having earned a professional tourcard with his victory at the WSF Junior Open. That was featured in a recent CBBC documentary as the programme highlighted Moody’s relationship with 2005 World Champion Shaun Murphy, who has been acting as a mentor to him.
The considerable talents of the 16-year-old were first displayed on the professional circuit at last season’s Shoot Out, where he made the last 64. He is now just three wins away from competing at the Crucible.
Moody produced an impressive display on day one in Sheffield, crafting breaks of 59, 110, 54, 86, 90 and 72. Next up he faces China’s Zhang Anda in the second round.
“I’m very proud of myself. There was such relief at potting the winning balls. I couldn’t stop shaking, I couldn’t breathe. I just tried to hold myself together and it worked,” said debutant Moody.
“It means everything. All of the practice has paid off. I came here not expecting anything and just thought I’d enjoy it. When you get to nine that all goes out of the window and you are desperate to get over the line.
“We first met Shaun a few years ago in Hull and he said he wanted to help me. It has gone on from there. In certain parts of games, he has told me what to do. It pays off in matches like this. It looked good in the documentary, it is like father and son.”
White's opponent confirmed
Martin O’Donnell earned a second round clash with Jimmy White after an impressive 10-5 win over Marco Fu.
O’Donnell recently topped the Q Tour standings to earn a two-year tour card, which starts next season. However, for now the Englishman is competing as an amateur.
Defeat for Fu means he is set to fall off the circuit following coronavirus travel restrictions which meant his first and only match of last season was here at World Championship qualifying, limiting his ability to move up the rankings.
Having first come onto the tour in 2012, O’Donnell has never appeared at the Crucible. He is relishing a second round encounter with six-time world finalist White, who himself is bidding for a first trip to the Theatre of Dreams since 2006.
O’Donnell said: “Jimmy was my idol growing up, so it is a bit of a dream come true to play him at the World Championship. I never thought that would happen and he is inspirational to be doing what he is at the age of 60. To see him still digging after all of these years is very inspirational.
“It would mean everything to qualify, but I’m still miles away so it is not worth thinking about at the moment. It would mean the world to me, as in all honesty you don’t feel like a proper snooker player if you’ve never been there.”
Ukraine’s 18-year-old Anton Kazakov earned his first ever win in the event with a 10-6 win over Egyptian Mohamed Ibrahim. Next up he faces Mark Joyce.
Dean Young is set to fall off the tour after a 10-5 loss against Haydon Pinhey, while Jamie O’Neil kept his chances of tour survival alive with a 10-5 win over Bulcsú Révész.
Fast Results
Scores
