Yesterday was an eventful day at the EIS in Sheffield. As usual when they reach this stage, the World Snooker Championship qualifying rounds delivered drama and heartbreaks.

Here is the report by WST on what happened on day 5:

Hamilton Avoids Historic Collapse With Best Ever Break

Anthony Hamilton halted a sensational fightback from Steven Hallworth, who had trailed 9-0, crafting a momentum defying clearance to win 10-8 at Halo World Championship Qualifying.

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Click here for day five as it happened

Former German Masters winner Hamilton needed to win today’s game to stand a chance of remaining on tour. He looked set to be coasting home when he moved one frame from the whitewash. In the end he required a break which he described as his best ever, in the circumstances, to edge over the line.

Nottingham cueman Hamilton has struggled with his eyesight in recent years, after a lens replacement procedure went wrong. Following the game this evening, he revealed that his vision deteriorated as the match went on.

That was partly down to the fact he couldn’t put opponent away, when he first saw the winning line. Things turned dramatically and Hallworth showed remarkable resolve to claim eight frames in a row and make it 9-8.

No player has ever won a best of 19 match from 9-0 down and with Hamilton in disarray, Hallworth appeared to be on course for history when he led 63-0 in the 18^th frame. The match looked set for a final frame, when Hamilton summoned a nerveless clearance of 69 to win on the black and seal avoid a decider.

“That’s as hard as trying to get over the line in a ranking final. It’s a story that would follow you round for the rest of your life. If you lose from 9-0, you’re on quizzes and stuff. You don’t want that,” said 53-year-old Hamilton.

“He was gone in the first session, I was gone there. It was a proper match of two halves. And when I say gone, I mean gone. It’s not like golf where you can have a little walk around. You are gone. You’ve been playing all these years and can’t make eight. So that was definitely the best break I’ve ever made.

“He was bossing everything. You see that scoreboard ticking and you are all over the gaff! I said to my mate at 8-0 I’m not over the line here, my eyes are not good enough to think this is a done deal. I knew I could lose the match.”

Jamie Jones held off a valiant fightback from Belgium’s Julien Leclercq to prevail 10-7.

Welshman Jones is well acquainted with success here, having negotiated the Crucible qualifying gauntlet six times. Last year he defeated Neil Robertson in the final round to earn his place at the Theatre of Dreams.

He came into this evening’s session holding a hefty 7-2 advantage. However, Leclercq came firing back by claiming the first four frames tonight to make it 7-6. Jones regained control of proceedings and got over the line to seal victory. He now faces Xu Si.

“I was all over him in the first session,” said 37-year-old Jones. “Tonight was just mental. I was making 40s and 50s, not getting over the line and before you know it, I’ve lost three black ball games and it is 7-6. You have to be kind to yourself out there and stay strong.  

“You can be 9-0 down out there, but you loosen up then. When you have that lead you only need to lose a couple of frames and you start doubting yourself. It is hard. It is a mental game more than anything.”

Ashley Carty overcame legendary ten-time ranking event winner Jimmy White 10-5 to reach round three. He now plays China’s Pang Junxu. White will need either another invitational tour card or a trip to Q School to remain on the circuit, after suffering relegation.

Jamie Clarke was relegated from the circuit after a 10-8 loss to Allan Taylor, while Louis Heathcote will need results to go his way to stay on tour following a 10-9 defeat against Iulian Boiko.

It was a “mental” day indeed, in many ways. It was a day were mental fortitude was of essence in many matches and a day of crazy fightbacks. It brought joy and huge relief to some, heartbreak and bitter disappointment to others.

I know that a few people really dislike Anthony Hamilton. I never understood why. Yes, he’s a bit peculiar but he’s a very interesting character, he’s clever, he’s humble and has a wicked sense of humor. He’s also a very, very good player, well respected by the professionals of his generation, including by Ronnie who “rates” him very high.

Julien Leclercq had left himself far too much to do but showed a lot of heart. This season has not been great for him and he will need to get results next season to stay on tour. But the fightback today is an encouraging sign even if it was to no avail eventually.

I didn’t expect Iulian Boiko’s win but I’m very happy with it. That he’s been able to win that type of match, a “hard graft” type of match as opposed to a scoring fest, is a sure sign that he’s maturing as a player. They only had four breaks over 50 between them, the highest break of the match was 69.

I will always support players from mainland Europe, not because I “hate” the Brits – I absolutely do NOT hate any person for their nationality as hard nationalism makes absolutely no sense to me¹ – but I support them because I want to see “World Snooker” truly earn the “World” in what they call themselves and they have some work to do on that for sure!

Jamie Clark’s relegation will sadden many fans, me included. He’s a lovely guy and a better player than his results show. He’s one who, I think, would benefit from the support of a “mental coach”.

1. I was born a Belgian, with Spanish/Jewish ancestry on my father’s side, French ancestry on my mother’s side.I grew up in Brussels, a cosmopolitan city where the “local dialect”, Brusseleer, is a mixture of Flemish, French, Hebrew and Ladino. I’m married to a Greek. I speak French, Nederlands, English and Greek (almost) fluently, German to a very basic level but I do understand it reasonably well, and I also understand Ladino. I’m a citizen of Europe in its diversity, and a citizen of the world. ↩︎