If you’re looking for Britain’s snooker star of the future, look no further than the vastly talented Kyren Wilson.
The Northampton potter landed the gold medal at this weekend’s World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland. Albeit not the most prestigious prize in the sport, his 3-1 win against two-time Crucible finalist Ali Carter in the final, further underlines his impressive winning mentality.
The 25-year old is still considered to be in his youth when it comes to snooker pedigree, but he is already proving he can mix it with the big boys.
He bagged his first ranking title in 2015 at the Shanghai Masters with impressive wins over Ding Junhui, Mark Allen and Judd Trump from the last eight onwards. He has reached back-to-back quarter-finals at the World Championship and has broken into the world’s elite top 16 with a ranking high of 11 earning him a visit to The Masters.
These achievements so far have given him excellent experience on the big occasion, meaning he now possesses a knack of knowing exactly what it takes to play the big stars in front of the big crowds. It doesn’t appear to phase him either. Instead, he relishes it and looks totally at home.
Bright potential in the game of snooker comes in many different shapes and sizes, of course and talent has never been a ticket to assuring success.
The qualities that Wilson shows more than most players his age are mental strength, belief and unwavering ability to produce the goods under pressure. These are the ingredients that almost every great champion has needed in abundance.
To be demonstrating this kind of game so many years before he turns 30, it proves he is ahead of the curve and on course to really make the most of his peak years still to come.
Wilson, nicknamed The Warrior, is an exciting British prospect. But perhaps more importantly, it’s not the flair in which he plays the game with which captures the imagination most. More importantly, Kyren appears to be made of remarkably stern stuff. He isn’t afraid of the hard work required to reach the very top and is quickly building an aura in and around the game.
Watch this space. Kyren could well be the next big thing to come from the British shores.
