Kyren Wilson destroys Dominic Dale in World Snooker Championship opener

Kyren Wilson started the World Snooker Championship in near-perfect fashion, hammering Dominic Dale 10-1 in the opening round.

It was a brilliant performance from the Warrior as he knocked in a string of big breaks and got 88 points into a maximum attempt in the final frame before breaking down.

That had followed efforts of 52, 75, 123, 96, 50, 77, 73 and 65 in a bit of a romp over the veteran.

The 52-year-old Dale did get the chance to show off his own scoring skills in the one frame he won, knocking in a break of 120.

On his 147 attempt in the final frame, Wilson told the BBC: ‘It’s no disrespect to Dom, but it’s not often you find yourself in that position where you almost have a free shot at it. It’s nice to play with freedom out there.’

He added on a quiet season so far: ‘It’s been really frustrating, my stats and scoring would suggest I’ve been one of the top performers of the season but my results haven’t shown that.

‘But I know my game’s always been there, if you’re scoring you give yourself a chance.’

Next up for the 32-year-old is Joe O’Connor in the last 16, the conqueror of Mark Selby who stunned the four-time world champion in the first round.

Wilson revealed: ‘He contacted me for a game just before his qualifiers, we had a bit of practice, so pleased to see him get through.

‘He’s obviously had to play well to beat Mark Selby. A great champion here.’

On the home of the World Championship and responding to recent criticism, Wilson said: ‘I love it. It’s always exciting coming here. I can confirm it smells beautiful, the Crucible. I just love it.’

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