Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump among key names to watch out for as snooker’s ultimate showcase nears

The qualifiers have an eco-system all of their own. They are played a few miles away from the Crucible at the English Institute of Sport where eight tables in tiny cubicles serve as a stark contrast to the glitz and glamour of the final stages.

To qualify means you are part of snooker’s greatest show. Failing to get through ends your season in anonymity and disappointment. For some, the stakes are even higher as the qualifiers will also decide who keeps their tour card and who has to try and win it back at Q School.

This year, the matches have reverted to best-of-19 frames throughout, as befitting the status of a tournament which stands far above any other. The World Championship is the only professional event which pre-dates the television age. It was first staged in 1926/27 and the same trophy Joe Davis won nearly a century ago is presented to the winner today.

The qualifiers are enlivened by the presence of ghosts of Crucibles past. Stephen Hendry, who won seven world titles in the 1990s, will face James Cahill on Wednesday, the same time that Ken Doherty, who beat Hendry in the 1997 final, takes on 12 times women’s world champion Reanne Evans.

Jimmy White, six times the runner-up in Sheffield, enters in round two on Wednesday afternoon against Marco Fu or Martin O’Donnell. Graeme Dott, the 2006 champion, is among the players coming in at the third-round stage.

Stephen Maguire, Joe Perry, Anthony McGill and Ricky Walden have all played in World Championship semi-finals while Barry Hawkins, the runner-up to O’Sullivan 10 years ago, is required to qualify for the first time since 2012 after dropping out of the top 16.

Ryan Day, who won the £100,000 first prize at the British Open earlier this season, has also been sucked into the qualifying quagmire.

As well as the established names, there are 16 invited amateur players from various parts of the globe. They include Baipat Siripaporn, the new women’s world champion and one of five female players – the highest number in 31 years – to be represented in the draw.

Hai Long Ma, the 19-year-old recent winner of the world amateur title, also gets his chance, as does Stan Moody, the 16-year-old newly crowned world junior champion.

Bulcsu Revesz, 16 from Hungary, is rewarded for winning the European under-18 title with a place in the game’s premier event. Latvia’s Filips Kalnins and Iulian Boiko from Ukraine are also in the field.

In the 46 years since the championship moved to the Crucible, only two qualifiers have won the title. Terry Griffiths did so in his first season in 1979, albeit when there were far fewer professionals. Shaun Murphy was the second in 2005, beating the likes of John Higgins, Peter Ebdon and Matthew Stevens along the way.

Given the standard at the top of snooker, it would be hard to see a qualifier going all the way again. They would have to beat a succession of leading players over increasingly long matches.

When Murphy won, he had already been in a semi-final that season and was clearly a rising star. Although there is greater strength in depth these days, beating the likes of O’Sullivan or Trump over 25, 33 or 35 frames seems like the tallest of orders.

Which players could cause problems for the seeds at the Crucible?

Joe O’Connor has demonstrated considerable poise this season, first in beating Neil Robertson to reach the Scottish Open final and then in defeating Mark Allen and Luca Brecel on the way to the Players Championship semi-finals.

O’Connor’s cool demeanour would be a plus in the pressure cooker surroundings of the Crucible, but if he does qualify he will be making his debut, and many a future legend has struggled to settle on their maiden appearance.

Hossein Vafaei found it tough on his debut last year but could spring some upsets if he qualified again. The Iranian beat Mark Selby in the UK Championship and Masters this season and seems to relish the limelight.

Another dangerman could be Pang Junxu, who recently reached his first ranking final at the WST Classic. The 23-year-old possesses a steely nerve, with maturity beyond his years, and is improving all the time.

White, of course, would be the most popular qualifier as he starts out on a record-breaking 43rd World Championship.

The Whirlwind made his first appearance in 1981 and is responsible for some of the Crucible’s most memorable – and heartbreaking – moments. At 60, age should be against him, but he has had a strong season, reaching the last 16 of the German Masters, qualifying for the UK Championship and beating Trump at the WST Classic.

White’s last Crucible appearance came back in 2006. He would need to win three tough best-of-19s to make an emotional return. It seems unlikely, but his many fans still believe and, purely on form, this is his best chance for years.

This is a time of the season when all players are dreaming. A bad campaign can be rescued by a good World Championship. Entire careers can come to be defined by what happens over the next month in Sheffield.

So here we go again… It’s been an unpredictable season on the table and there have been many challenges away from it. But the World Championship offers the chance for snooker to put its best foot forward. It’s our sport’s ultimate showcase and the ultimate prize.

Good luck to all and may the best player win.

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