David Lilley Interview

Being the number one player on the Q School order of merit is a strange honour to have. Falling agonisingly short of gaining a place on the main tour, but likely to compete in most of the season's ranking events due to non-entries.

This season the man with that curious 'honour' is David Lilley and so far he has made the most of it. Coming into the UK Championships he has won his last 128 tie in five of the six complete ranking tournaments that he has entered.

If he adds another victory to the list in York, Lilley will have caused a major upset by defeating 2011 UK champion and recent Northern Ireland Open winner Judd Trump in what is Lilley's first ever appearance at the UK Championships.

"This may sound a little over the top but it's kind of like a dream come true. I never thought I would get the chance to compete in any professional events a few years ago, never mind the UK Championship, as I thought I'd left it too late, but hard work has paid off and I can't wait to play on Tuesday night", Lilley exclaims. 

His first appearance at the UK Championship brings with it the honour of playing in the main arena at the York Barbican on one of the two main tables against one of the game's greats so it's a world of new opportunities for Lilley. 

"It's my first time, I've never even been in the York Barbican before so there are new experiences all round". 

Not only that but one of Lilley's leading memories from recent York UK Championships features his opponent Trump in one of the classic finals back in 2014.  

"The 2014 final between Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan that finished 10-9.  It was a big fightback from Trump before losing the decider. There was some crazy potting and I love it when it goes close and twitchy. I much prefer the twitchy play than the all the centuries and big breaks flying in". 

While he is a well-known name in the game and among die-hard fans who follow every snooker event and the amateur scene, the UK Championships offer Lilley and other lesser known players a chance to really make a name for themselves on a bigger stage.  

"For me personally the BBC events are all huge. Prize money amount doesn't always dictate the “size” or “importance” of the event.  Doing well in BBC events raises your profile especially in the UK. The crowd sizes also appear much bigger and more passionate which adds more to the twitchy play". 

With only 127 players currently holding tour cards (with three of those players currently suspended) Lilley will be able to enter any event he wishes throughout the remainder of the season, despite not actually having professional status, but the chance to play and the experience that comes with that is something the 43-year-old has relished.  

"I've loved it. I wish I was on the main tour and I'm working hard this year to try and achieve that for the next two seasons. I will be entering every event I can apart from those that clash with the European Amateur Championship (which is in Israel in 2019) or the WSF Championship (in Dubai) both of which the winner gets a tour card. The pro and amateur calendars clash quite a bit so I need to take a close look to ensure I don't miss out on any opportunities". 

As mentioned above Lilley has certainly made the most of the opportunities given to him so far. He has won just under 50% of his games played so far this season, with a best finish of the the last 32 of the International Championship. In all he has picked up £19,000 and is 56th on the money list for this season so far, level with Anthony McGill and just behind Shaun Murphy. 

"There have been some ups and downs when looking at individual games but on the whole I'm delighted with the season to date. My goals are to achieve a tour card for the 2019/2020 seasons either by achieving that through the one year list (if World Snooker retain that as a qualifying criteria) or via the international events. There a few different ways, I've just got to keep focused on the goal". 

In that period Lilley has completed victories over former International Champion Ricky Walden and Ben Woollaston in the International recently, on top of a win over Tom Ford in the English Open, but he insists that every win is pleasing in it's own right.  

"I honestly don't have a stand out win. I played well in all of those games and I've deserved the wins. It’s so difficult to get over the line when the games are so close and I’ve been good, at times, in closing out games.  That's what I think I've been happy with the most". 

The possible catalyst for some of this form may have come as early as two years previously, when Lilley competed at the 2016 Indian Open. In that tournament he picked up wins over Tian Pengfei, Mike Dunn, Mark Williams and Robert Milkins to make the quarter-finals before losing narrowly to Shaun Murphy.
 
"Financially it was huge, I received £9,000 which basically paid off the Q School debts (that were put on a credit card) for that preceding season, and it also contributed to my snooker expenses over the last 18 months. I've always been quite a confident person and I've tried not to look at who my opponent is and what their reputation is. I remember at the time just telling myself to play the table and not the person. Getting to the quarter-finals in my first ever pro competition gave me so much belief and confidence and I keep going back to those memories when I've got a pro qualifier coming up". 

From there he was so close to taking the next step and earning his pro card at this summer's Qualifying School in Burton. In the three events he lost in the penultimate round each time, first to Sam Craigie, then Micthell Mann (both of whom had just dropped off the tour) and then to Simon Bedford, but Lilley believes it did not take much getting over.  

"It didn't hurt too much as I thought I would still get through (until the last event of course).  It took me about an hour to get over it as I try not dwell on things.  I think I went for a beer with my wife after the drive home from Burton, and tried to think of the positives, such as being number 1 on the order of merit and getting the chance to compete in some events. I didn't beat myself up too much". 

Losing to two players that had just dropped off the tour raises the question once more of how much of an advantage players in that situation have over other amateurs, because of the familiarity with the tables and playing conditions, a point which Lilley backs up. 

"This year I've learned that playing and competing regularly on the STAR tables is a massive advantage to those that aren’t.  That's the biggest difference I think. From an ability perspective I don't think there is that big of a gap between those dropping off and those trying to get on. 'Know how', self belief and adapting to the pressure situations is what makes the difference". 

The next target for Lilley though is to make his experiences of playing on Star tables this season count by securing his tour card before or during the 2019 Q School. 


"I'd like to think so but I'm hoping not to have to endure Q School. I'll be trying my socks off to achieve a tour card beforehand but if I have to go through Q School again then so be it. Its a tough gig and not an easy place to compete. The warm weather last year made the playing conditions really difficult". 

Lilley has also filled the gaps between pro competitions by playing in anything he can and that has included some appearances on the newly formed Challenge Tour, which as well as offering two tour cards after the last of 10 events this season, also provides valuable playing time to non-tour players, in an attempt to bridge the gap between the pro and amateur circuits. 


"From a competing perspective I don't think it can bridge the gap as the Challenge Tour is still amateurs against amateurs just like the Q School. There is a massive gap when you play on the main tour there's no doubt about it, but at the moment the only way to bridge the gap is to learn on the job when you’re on the main tour and hopefully try to get a few wins early to get the confidence up. Then take it from there". 

From the Challenge Tour events that Lilley has been involved in, he has managed to pick up one of the titles and the £2,000 first prize that goes with each event. With victories over ex-tour pros in Mitchell Mann and Sydney Wilson over the quarter and semi-finals, before a victory in the final against Brandon Sargeant (who has made at least the semi-finals in five of the seven CT events this season) Lilley claimed victory in the fifth event of the Challenge Tour run. 


"I was delighted with the win and I’m aiming to try and win each of the last three events to ensure I get automatic tour qualification. It's not unachievable but it will be difficult to win all three. I'm kicking myself I missed three events earlier in the season". 

Another tour which Lilley is a part of is the English Amateur tour, where he won the first event in the EA season, before finishing as a runner-up in the second to Simon Bedford. With criticism in the game that English amateur players are not coming through at the same rate as their Chinese counterparts, it was interesting to get Lilley's insider opinion. 


"I haven't really heard statements like this but I do see lots of young men and women getting coaching in the local clubs which is great to see. The EASB are doing their best to encourage grass roots snooker which is there for all to see too.  There are coaching clubs all over the UK but I don't think I could name any young players as I'm not that close to it.  From a challenge tour perspective I think Brandon Sargeant is a young lad doing well". 

Finally, Lilley has outlined his goals for the rest of the season and his masterplan to finally gain a full professional tour card.  

"My plans are to continue to practice and compete in every event I can. My target is to achieve a tour card whether that be via an international comp (European Championships or the WSF Championship), the Challenge Tour, by my performances on main tour or Q School. One last thing I’d like to mention are my sponsors GoSkippy Insurance and Gateshead Snooker Centre. I wouldn't be able to compete in these events without their support and I want to say a big thanks to them for helping me out and giving me this opportunity". 

I'd like to wish David all the best for his upcoming match against Judd Trump in the last 128 of the UK Championship which is coming up on Tuesday November 27 at 7.30pm UK time and will be available to watch live on the Eurosport Player, as Lilley aims to pull off an upset.