Stephen Hendry withdraws from 2022 UK Championship qualifying due to schedule clash, Andrew Pagett to receive bye

Stephen Hendry has withdrawn from the qualifying rounds for the UK Championship qualifiers due to a schedule clash.

Hendry is back on the professional circuit as he continues an attempted a comeback after retiring in 2012. Nine years later he decided to return but has struggled to find anything like his best form.

The 53-year-old is regarded as one of the finest players to have ever taken part in the sport and for two decades was a feared opponent.

However, he has rarely got out of the qualifiers for the events he does attend, with his best achievement since his comeback being a second-round appearance in the 2021/22 season’s British Open.

The Scot is a seven-time World Championship winner and had been due to play Andrew Pagett in the first round of qualifying at Ponds Forge on Saturday in Sheffield.

Hendry has won the UK Championship five times – in 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, and 1996 – but will have to wait for another chance to add to that record.

Now though his Welsh opponent will get a bye to the next round, and will play a second round-match against Xu Si on Sunday.

Hendry has played just two matches so far this season, losing them both. He lost 5-0 to Mark Joyce in the qualifiers of the German Masters, and also lost in the qualifiers against Zhang Anda, who won by a comfortable 5-1 margin.

The former world No. 1 is currently undertaking punditry and commentary duties this week for the Champion of Champions, and will be working the Saturday he was due to attend the qualifiers. Therefore he has chosen to withdraw from the qualifiers in order to provide commentary for Saturday’s action.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Just a quick explanation as to why I had to pull out of UK qualifier.

“They scheduled my matches for this weekend when I’m working at the COC for ITV.”