Ricky Walden is determined to qualify for snooker’s Pukka Pies UK Championship and continue his bid to break into the official top 16.
The 27-year-old from Flintshire is back into full-time practice having recently run in the New York Marathon, and has his sights set on his qualifying match at Pontin’s in Prestatyn on November 30. Victory would see him through to the International Centre in Telford next month to face Betfred.com World Champion John Higgins.
“I really want to qualify and get through to Telford. There’s a lot riding on the match in terms of the ranking points,” said Walden, who is officially ranked 20th but stands 13th on the provisional list and is bidding to break into the top 16 for the first time.
“It took me a while to recover from the Marathon because I had a few days in Las Vegas afterwards, but I’ve got my head down now and I’ll be living on the table until the UK qualifiers.”
Walden, last season’s Roewe Shanghai Masters champion, completed his first marathon in four hours 17 minutes, raising £1500 for Teenage Cancer Trust. “It was even more difficult than I thought it would be,” he said. “There was a point where I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but I managed to run all the way.
“At the end I felt very emotional, I couldn’t believe I had finished it. I was just delighted to show that I could do it as I am not a natural runner. I’m going to keep the fitness going by doing a lot of running and gym work, but I won’t be taking on another marathon for a while.”
At the recent Grand Prix in Glasgow, Walden suffered a set-back with a 5-4 first round defeat to Mark King. He led by 31 points on the brown in the deciding frame but gave away two fouls and his opponent stole the match on the final black.
“I was gutted for a few days after that, it was as low as I’ve been,” admitted Walden. “My head wasn’t right going into it and I was disappointed by the way I handled myself. I still managed to virtually win the match - but then somehow gave it away. But I’m not worried about it any more and the next tournament is the perfect time to bounce back.”
The Pukka Pies UK Championship qualifiers run from November 23 to 30 at Pontin’s in Prestatyn. Top players such as Jamie Cope, Liang Wenbo, Judd Trump, Ken Doherty, Steve Davis and John Parrott will all be aiming to book their place in Telford.
The final stages of the Pukka Pies UK Championship run from December 5 to 13 at the International Centre in Telford, with the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Stephen Hendry and Neil Robertson competing for the title. For tickets call 01952 561 700 or visit www.worldsnooker.com/uk
·leeroy on November 16 2009 12:40:33 ·
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