Kyren Wilson got very honest about his frustrations with his cue despite pulling off a brilliant comeback to dash teenager Stan Moody’s Crucible dreams. Wilson trailed 6-3 against the 19-year-old, the first British teen to make their World Snooker Championship debut since Judd Trump in 2007, but reeled off seven frames in a row in a one-sided evening session to progress to the last 16.

Moody had opportunities but failed to make them count and was visibly devastated afterwards. Yet world No.2 Wilson, the world champion in 2024, confessed that he “absolutely hates” his cue and fears it could prevent him from winning a second world title because of the mental block it puts on him. Speaking to the BBC panel of Seema Jaswal, Joe Perry and Ken Doherty, Wilson reacted: “Just dug in, really dug in. I say I didn’t fancy it, I did, but I just knew I was struggling and I knew I couldn’t win in one visits like I normally would. I’m having a lot of cue issues, a lot of tip issues.

“I changed my tip for this evening’s session so thank you very much Paul Curran at Northern Ireland Cuefix. He really helped me out tonight. I’m going to get my good friend Kev from Cue Care Corner to come and put me another one because I can’t keep playing like that. I just hate my cue. I absolutely hate my cue.

“It’s too flexible at the top. I’ve got no control. I’ve got no feel in my hand. I’m just fighting all the hard. I’m changing cue after this tournament, I’ve got a new sponsor that are kindly making me a few new cues. I’m just trying to dig it out at this one! The remedy is I won the Masters with it so I know I can win with it.

“I can’t reach my full potential, I don’t think, with the cue. Unfortunately it’s the position I’m in but I will fight for every single frame, every single point and make myself very difficult to beat and hope that at some point it can inspire me somehow. I don’t know how! If you’ve got any advice, let me know.”

Former World Championship semi-finalist Perry then offered: “I’ve got my cue with me, I don’t use it anymore!” And Wilson added: “My friend Ross Patrick, he brought me a cue up this afternoon ready to play with this evening. I hit a few balls with it at 5.30pm and just struggled with it so carried on with my one. It’s just torture but I’m trying.

“I know I can do it, because I’ve won the Masters with it. I’m fighting my own mind all time. Everybody around me knows what I’m going through. It is what it is. It’s the position I’m in. I’ve just got to keep fighting, it’s the World Championship!

“It’s purely down to my mindset. I’ll adapt the right mindset on every single shot and even if something goes wrong, I’ll try not to show too much emotion.”

Yet Wilson was also keen to praise his adolescent opponent, saying: “But putting all that to one side, Stan started so, so well. He started like a train against me. Really impressed. It reminded me of my debut. I got off to a flyer against Ricky Walden then I was like a rabbit in the headlights and the adrenaline just left me.

“I kind of knew the frame to go 6-3 was a big one. I felt going into tonight, he might lack that adrenaline. I won two big momentum swingers. When I cleared up, the re-spot to go 7-4. I potted an unbelievable yellow, the green to swing it round, the brown, then a long black. And then I needed three snookers at 7-6 down. I should be going 8-6 behind.

“Played some real snookers and made a dogged clearance. They’re the ones that hurt your opponent.” Next up for Wilson is Mark Allen, the Northern Irishman he has a 10-8 head-to-head record against having won their last two match-ups.

The Warrior added: “I think we’re in very similar positions. I think he’s having cue issues. He’s had a few tough results this year, maybe lacking a little bit of confidence. But we’re both very experienced. We both know what it takes to win big tournaments. Hopefully it’ll be a good game.

“I’m going to go and have a few drinks 1776740414 I think. Hopefully probably try and get back to the family tomorrow and spend a bit of time with them and just reset.”

While Moody told the BBC after his defeat: “I just lost too many bad frames. Had the match won at 7-3, missed the red to go 8-3. Then it turned around when I lost the frame with three snookers. I’m gutted.

“I felt comfortable out there. To lose bad frames like that, it hurts. I’ll go away and practice and come back stronger. It’s completely different, a good experience so hopefully I’m back here next year. I’ll just try to learn what shots to play at the right time and try to miss less balls!”

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer no longer believes Eddie Howe will remain as head coach of the Magpies next season. The scrutiny surrounding Howe’s position intensified further on Saturday following United’s 2-1 home defeat to his former club Bournemouth, effectively extinguishing their hopes of securing European football next season.

It marked an eighth home loss in 11 fixtures and a fifth defeat in their previous six home Premier League matches, leaving them stranded in 14th position in the table with just five fixtures remaining. Howe had accumulated considerable goodwill after steering Newcastle to their first silverware in 56 years last season, alongside a second Champions League qualification in three campaigns.

While they progressed to the Carabao Cup semi-finals and the Champions League last 16 this term, their league performances have been dismal, and for the second consecutive league home fixture, Howe’s side were jeered off the pitch at full-time.

It promises to be a challenging summer for Newcastle as they seek to reset and rebuild, with one of the most successful periods of their modern era poised to draw to a close.

Several key players are poised to depart and while Howe continues to enjoy the support of those within St James’ Park for the time being, doubts linger over whether that confidence will endure should their current struggles persist until the season’s conclusion.

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And while Newcastle’s record goalscorer, Shearer, criticised the club’s players in the loss to the Cherries, accusing them of abandoning Howe. He also conceded that he cannot see Howe remaining in charge next season.

“Did you watch it?” Shearer asked fellow Rest is Football podcast hosts Gary Lineker and Micah Richards when questioned about his views on the Magpies’ latest setback. “I was going to say I was lucky enough but I sat and watched it and the players were terrible.

“As tough as it is for Eddie, I don’t know what is going to happen with him. I listened to his interview afterwards and I watched him on the touchline and I just think is he going to want to go again? Is he going to get the chance to go again?

“There are so many moving parts with it for him. If all things are equal then, yes, I would like him to [stay]. But does he feel as if he is going to have the chance? Does he want to do it again? Are Newcastle going to have to sell?

“If he has money to spend and he doesn’t have to sell then, yeah. But I looked at the players yesterday and if that was what they call fighting for their manager because he is under huge pressure. Whether you like it or not. They were terrible. They chucked him under the bus, the players. The performance was c–p from every single one of them.

“It is a tough situation, a tough summer for Newcastle coming up. They have got some big decisions to make. As I am sat here, I don’t see Eddie in charge of Newcastle next season, unfortunately.

“I look at his interview after the game and I am not sure the fight is there. It is a very different club now to the one that he would want to go forward. He doesn’t look in a good position.”

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