Bolton amateur Craig Steadman went into the recent World Amateur Championships with a few titles already under his belt this season, but things were not to go his way in Wels. Click below to read his thoughts…
To view the article in full, please click here to visit The Bolton News.
On the IBSF World Championship:
“I didn’t do as well as I thought,”
“It took me a lot of time to get used to the place.
“They used different tables over there and the lighting was poor. By the time I had adjusted I was knocked out.
“I also had some misfortune with the draw. I was top of my group, but my frame average suffered because of a no-show by a player that had been beaten 4-0 by everyone else in my group.
“That meant I was seeded a lot lower than my form in the group deserved and I was pitted against better players earlier on.
“I didn’t have a problem with that because to win these things you have to beat the best players at some point, but in hindsight it didn’t do me any favours.
“In the match I was knocked out, I missed three shots purely because the table was so uneven.
“I’m gutted, but I just have to deal with it.”
On his PIOS season so far:
“Until I have qualified I won’t rest on my laurels,”
“If I was another player looking at my position I would think I have done enough, but because it is my name up there I won’t take anything for granted.
“There are three tournaments left and I only need to get to the quarter-finals of one of those to mathematically guarantee my place, so I want to do that as soon as possible.
“If I lost in the first round of the first two tournaments I will put myself under too much pressure in the final one.
“I am in a good position now and I don’t want to blow that.”
It is a shame that Craig could not do himself justice at the IBSF Championship due to circumstances that seemingly were out of his control, but if he secures his main on the main tour via the PIOS, hopefully it should not affect his long-tern career prospects in any way.
With victory in the fourth event of the PIOS season against Mike Hallett in the final, as well as a quarter-final run in event two where he lost to eventual winner Xiao Guodong, Craig is very well placed indeed to secure a main tour spot next season. With 490 points to his name, he currently sits second in the rankings, 160 points ahead of ninth placed Lee Page which is an excellent position to be in with just three events to go.
Having consistently performed well both nationally and internationally as an amateur, it will be good to see him take his place on the main tour if that is how it turns out and hopefully he will be able to make the most of his opportunity.