Even though he’s a three-time ranking event winner, you suspect that Ricky Walden’s most treasured memory from his snooker career so far was a run to the World Championship semi-finals in 2013.
The Cheshire potter led Barry Hawkins 12-8 in a race to 17 back then, but unfortunately let the advantage slip as ‘the Hawk’ rallied to take a 17-14 victory.
A decade has passed and Walden has rarely hit those heights since, and odds of 125/1 in the snooker betting markets for the 2023 World Championship are evidence that the 40-year-old is struggling to recapture his best form.
Ronnie O’Sullivan, seven years Walden’s senior, seems to be maturing like a fine wine and will be the 4/1 favourite for the flagship event at The Crucible, which runs through until May 1.
Walden will be hoping that the carrot of a place at the Sheffield venue will be a catalyst for improved fortunes on the baize, coming at the end of a campaign in which he’s made just one ranking event quarter-final – the Scottish Open, where he was downed by the impressive Joe O’Connor.
As he is ranked outside of the top 16 players in the world – 24, to be precise, Walden will have to qualify through the gruelling play-in tournament, which sees the lucky few advance after playing dozens of frames in little over a week.
𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗦 🤝
2013 Crucible semi-finalist Ricky Walden books his place in the final qualifying round with a 10-6 win over Ian Burns, firing in three centuries along the way!#CazooWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/nVWjemQAoq
— Live Snooker (@Livesnooker) April 8, 2023
Enjoying a bye into the third round of the qualification event, Walden defeated Ian Burns 10-6 and will now be hoping he can continue that form all the way through to the last 16 – he will be guaranteed a place in the World Championship draw if he can achieve that.
That would be a timely reminder of the talents of a Cheshire cueman who was one good session away from reaching the pinnacle of the sport just a decade ago.
Rocket Fuelled
If Walden can qualify for the tournament proper, he will of course have to defeat the best in the business to make it through to another semi-final at the very least.
Despite battling an elbow injury, O’Sullivan should be fit and raring to go as he looks to win an eighth world title – that would see him surpass Stephen Hendry as the most decorated champion of the modern era.
Like Walden, Judd Trump has not had the best of seasons, but he served up a timely reminder of his talents when winning The Masters in January.
It remains something of a mystery as to how the ‘Ace in the Pack’ still only has one world title to his name – that’s an anomaly the former world number one will be looking to rectify in 2023.
𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗕𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡! 🏆
Mark Selby wins the inaugural WST Classic, making three centuries in a 6-2 final win over Pang Junxu 👏
£80,000 and a place in the Tour Championship secured, a great week for the Jester. #WSTClassic pic.twitter.com/IKesrqwcAz
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) March 22, 2023
Mark Selby, who will head to The Crucible as the third most likely winner according to the betting odds, has endured personal problems away from the baize in recent years but looks to be approaching something like his best form, winning the English Open and the WST Classic.
And then there’s Shaun Murphy, a former world champion who has roared back into form in recent months, winning the Players and Tour Championship.
So whoever triumphs in the World Championship in May – be it Walden or anybody else – they will have certainly earned the trophy.
(pic under creative commons licence by Benutzer:Bill da Flute)
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