LIVE BLOG: Gary Wilson Vs Robin Hull

Gary Wilson 4-0 Robin Hull - Hull may have potted yellow and then fluked the green but he missed the brown which Wilson potted before playing a good safety on the blue. Hull could not match it and left an easy blue and pink combination for Wilson to finally clinch victory. Fair to say that after a strong start from Wilson that miss in the third on frame ball black turned things very scruffy in the last frame and a half. Hull could not hide his frustration because he knows he can do so much better than that, while Wilson should take the positives from the first two and a half frames into a possible meeting with Neil Robertson in the next round.

Hull does not take that opportunity but Wilson then misses two attempts at the penultimate red and Hull has now potted it. The last red is on the side cushion though and despite doubling it to the middle he does not land nicely on the black so he lays a snooker, trailing by four with the colours left.

Wilson has now had two match winning chances in quick succession but snookering himself on a red in the first and a missed black on the second mean Hull is somehow still in this match and a long pot has now given him a chance.

Hull really wasn't a happy man as he took six attempts to get out of the snooker, punching the table after attempt four. He does however get a chance at a red to middle, missing and letting Wilson in but he fouls the black to hand the opening over to Hull now. The Finn makes 14 before missing a thin red and this could now be Wilson's time to get the match won.

Frame 4 - Hull gets the first chance in frame four but only makes 13 before failing to land on the black and playing safe. Wilson then pots a red from distance and lands on the pink in the baulk end to give himself an opportunity but he fails to get on a second colour and snookers Hull behind the brown.

Frame Wilson - Hull cleared the remaining reds but then played a good snooker on the yellow. After potting yellow and green in separate visits Hull then had a great chance as Wilson played a poor safety on the brown. It came down to the black but he left it awkward and played safe. Wilson missed an attempt just but then left one for Hull with a poor safety. The mid range effort was very poor though and Wilson was left an easy black to go 3-0 up.

An unexpected miss on frame ball black by Wilson has kept this frame alive. Hull pots a decent red and then a very nice cut on his second red to give him a chance to counter. Could be a big moment in this contest.

Wilson missed again soon after but left nothing. He's dominated the safety play as well which means Hull has barely had a look in all afternoon. Wilson now in a very strong position to go one away from victory.

Frame 3 - Wilson was in first once again but missed on 6, only to fluke a snooker which would see Hull immediately present him with a second chance. One way traffic here so far and no sign of a let up from Wilson.

Frame Wilson - This match has barely been going for 25 minutes but Wilson has moved 2-0 ahead. It's one chance snooker at the moment and everything is falling perfectly for him. Every cannon landed nicely and he never looked like missing until the frame was over. A run of 83 gives Hull the chance to pot a few balls but it will be 2-0.

Frame 2 - Another missed long pot for Hull leaves the first chance again for Wilson and after the last frame it may be the only shot Hull has in this second frame. Wilson looking very sharp here early on.

Frame Wilson - One mistake was all Hull was going to be able to make in the opening frame. A couple of balls have wobbled in for Wilson but otherwise it's been solid work and a very nice exhibition of break building. An opening frame break of 96, missing the black for a century gives Wilson a 1-0 lead.

Frame 1 - The first chance of the match falls to Wilson after a missed long pot for Hull leaves a red to the middle. A decent first opening for Wilson but still plenty of work to do in these early stages.

Time for my second full live blog of the day as last year's semi-finalist and recent interviewee of mine Gary Wilson faces Finland's Finest Robin Hull.

Wilson most recently featured in the Grand Prix losing in round one to Mark Allen while this for Robin Hull will be his first competitive match of 2019. Hull needs wins to save his tour place of course making this a big match for him.

Wilson though has reached a quarter-final and semi-final in four years at this venue, though Hull reached the last 32 in his last appearance here in 2017 aided by a win over Ding Junhui.

This should be a good match up and their last meeting ended 4-3 so maybe it could be a similar story today.

LIVE UPDATES: Michael Holt Vs Mei Xiwen

This live updates section has now ended with Hull and Wilson about to start on table 7. Further updates on this match will be tweeted out @CueActionBlog

Frame Mei - A poor safety in the end costs Holt as he allows Mei back in to clear three of the four remaining reds which is more than enough to secure a 2-1 advantage.

After snookering himself behind the blue on his first chance, Holt forges a second after a good long red but misses the green to allow Mei back to the table but he's now snookered himself, but still leads by 26 with four reds left.

Frame 3 - First chance again to Mei in frame three but he misses the black on 31 as he goes into the reds. Nothing easy left for Holt but he makes a nice cut into the corner and lands on the green. Good chance now with plenty of reds open.

Frame Mei - The Chinese player controlled the second frame despite needing four or five chances to put it on the board. Solid safety shut Holt out and a rather old school frame goes the way of Mei to level it up at 1-1.

Frame 2 - First chance this time for Mei as he looks to level the match up. Working off the pink for now with the black near the cushion. The reds were not lining up nicely though and he ultimately loses position on 27.

Frame Holt - After various chances for both players frame one came down to the black. Mei had already missed the final red for a great chance to clear, Holt was then unlucky with a free ball there, but Mei looked like taking the frame after a long battle on the yellow went in his favour. He missed frame ball pink though playing it harder than he really needed to into the middle but knocking the black safe in the process. The frame would hinge on that final black with a poor safety from Mei giving Holt a good chance at a cut from close range which he takes to lead 1-0.

Holt's first contribution ends on 32 after missing a tough red in the middle but he's back at the table now after a lovely long red. Definitely a frame winning chance now.

Mei's break ends on 36 and after Holt misses one to the middle clipping it too thin, Mei misses a mid range pot and now Holt is at the table nicely eating into Mei's early advantage.

Frame 1 - Mei in first here after a cracking pot to get the first chance and he looks solid early on but needs to get the reds open in the next two or three shots.

Going to start the afternoon with some live updates of Michael Holt against Mei Xiwen. Hoping to get all the way through this game before the main match I'll do this afternoon which is Robin Hull and Gary Wilson in the 2pm session.

The winner of this one will face Mark Allen in the last 64 and it will be the first tour match of the year for both guys so it will be interesting to see how they go.

LIVE BLOG: Gerard Greene Vs James Cahill

James Cahill 4-2 Gerard Greene - Cahill's initial break came to an end as he wobbled the final red leading by 34 with 35 left. He'd already played an exceptional recovery shot on the black previously to come all around the table and finish nicely on the penultimate red. The red was not quite as close to the pocket as it looked because Greene missed, but did not leave it on. Some good tactical play from Greene followed but he was unable to pounce when Cahill left the red from distance and Cahill then potted it from long range instead to complete victory. A pretty good performance all around from Cahill. He was aggressive and did not back down or go into his shell at any point. His long potting was good all morning and probably the best asset of his game today. A well deserved win for the young man.

An opening has come now for Cahill as he looks to get this match won without the need for a decider. There are plenty of open reds to play for with all colours in play so this is a magnificent chance. He may need the red on the left side cushion but the rest of the reds should be negotiated comfortably.

Frame 6 - A sloppy safety from Cahill gave Greene an early opening in this sixth frame which the Northern Irishman has to win, but his failure to break the reds open brings the break to an early end. An unfortunate safety though from Cahill to pot the black and cover all the reds means Greene is back in with a free ball. He has another go at breaking the bunch, making contact this time but he finishes on nothing and plays safe.

Frame Cahill - Greene misses the colour after the free ball black, but unfortunately for him he gets position on the final red. Cahill pots it and with the colours out in the open he clears to take a vital frame and move ahead now at 3-2.

Cahill gets the next chance on the final four reds after another good long red. His play from distance today has been really good so far. He only adds 9 though before missing a black trying to go around the houses for the next red. Nothing left though and still nothing in the frame with two reds remaining. Another good long pot on the penultimate red keeps him in control of the frame just, but he snookers himself on the final red. He fouls and leaves a free ball with the black on for Greene.

Frame 5 - After an early missed green from Cahill, Greene was left nicely in but only made 31 from it before losing position on a color and having to play safe. Now though, Cahill is back in after a stunning long red, though looked to have just missed in the middle only to fluke the red. A couple of safe reds need developing though if he wins the frame at this visit.

Frame Cahill - After bringing the reds on the bottom cushion into play Cahill looked comfortable in adding a further break of 42 which was enough to leave Greene needing multiple snookers which he would not obtain. Back to all square here on table 8 at 2-2.

Cahill will have been annoyed to lose pink ball position as early in his initial break as 20, but a miss from Greene in the middle soon after has allowed Cahill back in, though with reds nearer the bottom cushion this opening needs a bit more work.

Frame 4 - Greene opens the reds this time with an aggressive safety. Every frame so far has been similar in that sense with the reds spread well from the safety exchanges. Cahill is in first this time after a long red and he will hope to benefit from Greene's aggressive play. A lovely opening for him here.

Frame Greene - Well Greene wasted no time there. Speeding round the table which just shows how comfortable he is looking this morning and he has wrapped that frame up in under ten minutes. A very nice run of 71, just missing the last red for the chance of a century but nevertheless it's 2-1 to Greene.

Frame 3 - After a couple of early chances each, Cahill looks to fluke a red from an aggressive safety unless he spotted some sort of plant that I did not. He does not land nicely on a color though but is forced into the brown in the middle by two other reds that are over the left corner. He misses and now Greene is quickly heading to the winning line in this frame.

Frame Greene - Greene did not kill the frame in one visit missing a red on the stretch and leaving a half chance for Cahill. He though missed the green with the rest and allowed Greene back to add a further 13 to his earlier run of 44 and level this match at 1-1.

Frame 2 - An aggressive safety from Cahill could come back to haunt him here. He opens the pack up wide but leaves a red on for Greene who then lays a snooker. Cahill's hit and hope then leaves a golden chance for Greene though the black being on the side cushion makes this slightly more awkward than Cahill's in frame one.

Frame Cahill - Once that chance came you never expected Cahill to miss and in all he looked comfortable. He might be a little disappointed not to make more than 51 but Greene's attempt to play on for a snooker lasted merely one shot before Cahill potted a further red. A solid start for Cahill and he leads 1-0.

Frame 1 - After an early chance that amounted to just 11 before he lost position, Cahill is back in now after an excellent long pot. The reds are spread wide open making this a great early chance for Cahill now, just what you want in the opening frame.

First live blog of the day comes from the match between Gerard Greene and James Cahill.

The interesting element to this match is a battle for tour places. Greene presently is outside of the top 64 and not inside the top 8 on the one season list not already qualified for next season to get a new two year tour card. A win here would put him within touching distance on the latter.

As for James Cahill, he may be competing here as a Q School top up player as he has been all season but he is actually ahead of Greene on the one-year list coming into this match. So much so that victory here would temporarily put him inside that aforementioned top 8 not already qualified for next season.

Cahill of course has beaten Mark Selby this season in the UK Championship, a massive victory, as well as defeating Liang Wenbo out in China. Interestingly, the winner of this will play Shaun Murphy in the last 64 and Greene thrashed Murphy 4-0 in the last 128 in Cardiff 12 months ago.

There could be a bit of tension in this contest, especially if it goes as close as I expect it to.

LIVE BLOG: Noppon Saengkham Vs Stuart Carrington

Noppon Saengkham 4-3 Stuart Carrington - An unbelievable turnaround there for Noppon. He looked throughly down and out at 3-0 down, and Carrington had no reason to think he could clinch victory quickly and complete an early night. The maximum attempt in the fifth was the game changer for me. It left Carrington cold in his seat and really boosted Noppon's confidence. In the end a clearance of 90 came from Noppon's aforementioned excellent match winning chance and he must be a very relieved man. Carrington though might not get his head around that for a while.

Noppon misses on 14 and while he leaves nothing on at the time Carrington soon plays an excellent red from distance to get in. However he makes 23 only before Noppon is back at the table with an opening. There are a couple of open reds but he'll soon need to open the bunch up. He chooses to do it from another red and plays it to perfection. Not overpowering them just delicately nudging through them. A really good match winning opportunity now.

Frame 7 - what had been an easy evening for Carrington has become a nightmare. The decider starts in disastrous fashion as he takes on a long pot and misses, leaving Noppon in at the business end of the table with the first chance in this decider.

Frame Noppon - Well it was a chance that Noppon just could not fail with as long as he kept his concentration and did not take it for granted. He had certainly delivered and Carrington will really be wondering what has happened because he has not had much of a chance since going 3-0 ahead. Noppon though is certainly the favourite in this upcoming decider after another good break of 102. 3-3

Frame 6 - Having completely written off his comeback chances earlier that looks an awful call now. Carrington leaves Noppon right in here with the reds spread like a practice session and if he can mind his work he won't ever have a better chance to win a frame this season.

Frame Noppon - A quick kill in frame five for Noppon as he takes the frame out in one visit. The drama in the frame came from his attempted 147 break. He was cruising until the 13th red when he lost position and had to cut one in the middle coming around the table for the black. A great shot though that was he left the black awkward and missed it. A run of 97 nonetheless means he's definitely in with a fighting chance now and must be growing in confidence. 3-2 now to Carrington.

Frame 5 - Noppon is in first again in the fifth and this time he looks like he's growing in confidence a little and with a few open reds to go at this is another good chance to put some pressure onto Carrington

Frame Noppon - Finally Noppon takes one of his chances in full with a break of 62 to get a frame on the board. It was certainly the easiest run he has had in the match so not quite justification for talk of a possible revival but he's hanging in there.

Noppon is back in again now with an opportunity that he would usually eat up for breakfast. He certainly needs to be taking these chances or he can say goodbye to his hopes in Cardiff this year

Frame 4 - Well the only way Noppon can get back into the match here is to try and get in first and take his opportunities. He's done the first part here in the fourth frame but the second part has been much more difficult for him tonight. Already in this break of 24 he's needed a good recovery pot on the green so he will be hoping to tighten his positional play up. He soon loses position totally and plays safe on 26.

Frame Carrington - With the chances that have come and gone tonight for Noppon it's get difficult to see any possible way he can get back into this. Carrington has not even been at his best but he's cruising ahead. The miss playing a red onto the red over the corner costs the Thai as an additional 42 makes it 3-0 to Carrington

Carrington wobbles a red and leaves it over the corner allowing Noppon back in but he has a little bit of a nightmare trying to play a red onto the one over the corner and Carrington is off the hook again.

Carrington was on just 14 when he fired into the pack from the blue, only to go in off in the corner. Noppon misses a red from range though and leaves the red for Carrington to pick back up where he left off.

Frame 3 - The opening red from Carrington in frame three is the best shot I have seen today. Digging down on the cue ball he fires in an excellent red from long range and lands perfectly on the blue. Certainly worthy of the first chance and he deserves to make plenty from a shot like that.

Frame Carrington - That miss from Noppon has proved to be very costly. No problem at any point in the clearance for Carrington and he's definitely taken control of this match. Noppon is going to need to find his form from 12 months ago to get back into this. With a 65 clearance it's 2-0 Carrington.

Noppon gets the reds nicely open but leaves one from mid range on 34 and jaws it to let Carrington off the hook. A pretty good chance now as he looks to double his advantage.

Frame 2 - First chance for Carrington this time in the second frame but he only makes 20 before losing black ball position and misses a thin cut to allow Noppon to the table. He'll need to get into the reds early here though if he's going to make anything of note.

Frame Carrington - The last red is decisive as Carrington misses the pink in the process of bringing it out, only for Noppon to miss the red into the middle pocket. Carrington gets it and does enough to take the opening frame.

The frame has continued to be pretty slow going but Carrington now has a great opportunity after rolling a nice red in from distance, finishing on the black. One red on the side cushion could be problematic as he looks to win the frame at this visit.

Very much caught me by surprise that Noppon misses a red near the bottom cushion on just 23. Whatever the reason, it has left Carrington in but he loses ideal position and misses a red of his own on 14. A scruffy start but Noppon is back at the table now having been let off big time.

Frame 1 - Noppon has the first chance here in the opener and the way these two score whoever gets in first the most tonight could be the winner. This is a good early opening on this occasion for sure.

My live blog of the evening will be the match between Noppon Saengkham and Stuart Carrington.

Both of these guys have been semi-finalists this season. Carrington at the Riga Masters, while Noppon did so at the World Open and was also in the last four of this event last year. Carrington meanwhile made the last eight here two years ago so this really is a great match up.

Thanks to their good starts to the season both players competed in last week's World Grand Prix, with Carrington falling just short in round one against eventual champion Judd Trump. Noppon meanwhile picked up a really good win against John Higgins before losing in the last 16 to Mark Selby.

Expecting some more big scoring tonight as these two guys make breaks for fun at their best so it should be a great match up.

LIVE BLOG: Liang Wenbo Vs Liam Highfield

Liang Wenbo 4-3 Liam Highfield - in the end that's a very fine win for Liang as his break of 74 in the decider proves more than enough for victory. Highfield threw plenty at him which if anything will make that a big boost for Liang to win it after struggling this season. A perfectly fine display from both players but on the day Liang comes through 4-3.

Frame 7 - After a long delay while the scoreboard was fixed Liang eventually gets the first chance in this decider floating in an excellent long red to hold for the black. With reds open this is a very good early chance here for Liang.

Frame Highfield - Another beautiful break from Liam Highfield and in around about 20 minutes he has fought from 3-1 down to 3-3. Once again in this break he looked in complete control and never looked like missing. Back to back centuries with a 108 sees this game going all the way and Liang must be wondering what has hit him. 3-3

Highfield secures a beautiful split on the reds and now this game definitely looks like heading to a decider as Highfield is in the groove here.

Frame 6 - An excellent long pot gets Highfield in first once more and he really has found his best game here now. If he gets a good split on the bunch in a few shots time we could be going all the way in this match.

Frame Highfield - Another quick kill in this frame for Highfield and another frame lasting less than 10 minutes overall before snookers are required. This really has been the perfect response from Highfield with a really confident break, striding round the table on the way to a stunning break of 140 to keep himself in the contest but still trailing 2-3.

Frame 5 - A missed long red from Liang this time leaves Highfield with the opening chance in the fifth frame and it is certainly a good early opportunity to get back into this match.

Frame Liang - It certainly wasn't plain sailing to the line in this frame for Liang as his break went on to feature an excellent long pink followed by a missed long red which would end up falling in the opposite corner. Highfield played on for a snooker this time but again no inroads were made and Liang is one away from victory now at 3-1.

Liang then has another chance after potting a long red but fails his attempt on the blue to the yellow pocket, only for Highfield not to take advantage. That allows Liang back but he loses position again after the opening red, but pots a great recovery pink with the rest and now has an excellent chance to regain his two frame advantage.

Frame 4 - Liang gets the first chance in the fourth frame straight from the break off as Highfield leaves a red to the middle. However, he loses position on just 10 before playing safe.

Frame Highfield - Another quick frame comes and goes as Highfield makes a break of 72 to leave Liang needing snookers in just a few minutes. Liang plays on for the snookers in an exercise that takes longer than the period prior to him needing snookers, but Highfield still ends up taking the frame to reduce the deficit at 1-2.

Frame 3 - Highfield is in first this time round after a good long red sees the cue ball stop just in time to leave him a cut on the brown. A good red to run through the bunch on 19 now makes this an excellent opportunity to get a frame back.

Frame Liang - After a longer opener the second frame in it's entirety only took eight and a half minutes as a good break of 76 from Liang sees him look very comfortable in doubling his lead. A good start for Liang as he moves 2-0 up.

This is turning into a golden chance now for Liang as he heads into the forties on this break with further reds opened up. He'd be disappointed not to double his lead from here.

Frame 2 - When Liang misses a long pot at the start of the second he leaves a half chance for Highfield, though the Englishman misses the black and has now let Liang in with a good early opportunity.

Frame Liang - Liang was looking good for the opener until landing the wrong side of the blue, over hitting his position for the pink and missing it into the middle. In the process though he flukes a snooker and when Highfield misses he concedes the frame. 1-0 Liang.

Highfield plays safe on 27, not happy with the angle he left on the red on the bottom cushion. Slightly surprised he didn't play it and with Liang knocking a long one in now he could be punished.

After another good safety battle, a snooker from Highfield sees Liang leave a red over the corner and allow Highfield back in. The table has opened up quite a bit now but two reds near cushions do not make this an easy frame winner here.

Highfield misses a testing red trying to hold for the black and that has left Liang in now with a decent chance. If he can clear the two reds closest to the black then it will make the break a lot easier. He just runs out of position slightly though and misses a red on 13.

Frame 1 - After a long period of safety to start the opening frame, Highfield has picked out a beauty of a long red and landed on the black to give him the first real chance. Quite a few reds are open but the pink and black are awkward at this early stage.

Second live blog of the day comes from the 1pm session and a good looking match up between Liang Wenbo and Liam Highfield.

Highfield reached the last 16 in Cardiff last year while Liang is a former Home Nations event winner.

The best result Liang has had this season is a couple of last 16 appearances, though the last of those was in early October so he's not had the best of times in recent months.

Highfield meanwhile has only gone beyond the last 64 once all season but both players are capable of doing a lot better on the day than their recent results demonstrate. Expect a pretty attacking contest between two aggressive and heavy scoring players.

LIVE BLOG: Mark King Vs Sam Craigie

Sam Craigie 4-0 Mark King - Have to say that was very good today from Sam Craigie. A player who is good enough to make a break through when he puts it all together. King though was nowhere near his best and did make life pretty easy for Craigie at times, though the young man's scoring and ability to severely punish those errors is why it was such an easy morning. He's the first man into the last 64 here in Cardiff with an impressive whitewash win.

Having built a lead of 51 with five reds left Craigie loses position and has to play safe. King is now firmly at last chance saloon stage but again fails to do any damage after getting in with a good red to middle. Craigie is now about to wrap this up.

After a period of safety play that King was controlling he earns his chance only to miss the opening red and leave Craigie in yet again. Hard to see any way back for King playing as he is today and he may have already played his last shot. Good opening here for Craigie to score heavy again.

Frame 4 - Craigie is making very light work of this today even if King is not quite on top of his game. Craigie certainly is and he is back in amongst them here. His pack split attempt on the brown fails to make contact though and he's going to have to run for safety this time on just 16.

Frame Craigie - It looked for a second like Craigie had lost position on frame ball red but he keeps the break going with a good pot and has really taken control. He looks really confident and calm out here today and goes on to clear the table for an excellent break of 103 to lead King 3-0.

Craigie is still going strong here. A nicely judged plant kept his break going and he played another nice red after opening the bunch up so this is now a chance to really stretch his lead in this match.

King just is not firing so far today having been largely shut out by Craigie in the opening stages. He misses a red to middle on 24, then after Craigie misses to the same pocket he fails with a red to the green pocket and allows Craigie back to the table with an opportunity once again

Frame 3 - This could be just the let off that King needs. Craigie gets in first with a great red, just running through an inch to get on the black but misses a tricky second red into the green pocket, allowing King his first really good opening of this contest.

Frame Craigie - After a short battle, Craigie ends up getting King snookered and his failure to escape leads to the frame concession. So in the end that break of 65 from Craigie was enough to clinch the frame. 2-0

A break of 65 from Craigie was certainly well made but a miss on frame ball red gives King at least half a chance. He needed blacks with every red though and fails to get around the table from the first red so lays a snooker, needing two to have any chance of winning the frame.

Frame 2 - Craigie is in first again in the second frame as he looks to take charge. He goes into the pack from the blue in the twenties of the break and gets a nice split so he will definitely back himself to win the frame from here.

Frame Craigie - Craigie took his opportunity comfortably and never looked in any trouble in the break of 57 that gave him the opening frame. The shot to get in behind frame ball red into the middle was probably the pick, but he was never out of position. Feel like it was important to win that first frame like that and set his stall out. 1-0 Craigie.

King again gets the next chance but after potting a thin black he leaves the next red from distance, misses and leaves Craigie right in amongst them with an excellent opportunity.

Frame 1 - King had the first chance in this opening frame after a loose safety from Craigie, but only made four before missing a red to middle. Craigie does not take advantage though, missing on seven but fortunately he leaves nothing for King who has to play safe.

The first live blog of the week here in Cardiff comes from this morning's contest between Mark King and Sam Craigie.

For me this is by far the best match on the outside tables in the 10am session. King will go in as favourite and rightly so but Craigie is a dangerous player and a heavy scorer wheb on top of this game.

While Craigie has had some good wins so far this season he has not gone beyond the last 64 in any event, though he has lost a number of close games.

That bodes well for King as his best finish this season was a semi-final in Lommel in October, helping him qualify for last week's World Grand Prix. Craigie meanwhile is one of many players here this week playing for the first time since Christmas but hopefully for his sake that lack of match time does not impact today's outcome.

Gary Wilson hoping for bigger things ahead of the Welsh Open

When you think of players that have a good record at the Welsh Open, Gary Wilson probably is not automatically at the top of your list, but in the last four years this event has been the scene of his maiden ranking quarter-final in 2015 and another semi-final 12 months ago.

The first of those runs set up his best week yet back in April 2015 as he reached the China Open final and now well established at world number 34, Wilson is hoping to go one step further and win his maiden ranking title.

It would almost be fitting for Wilson if such a feat were to be achieved at the Welsh Open, an event that has already offered career highlights as well as memories from a much younger age.

"I grew up watching the Welsh Open on Sky and remember Paul Hunter winning it. As an event it's better than the other Home Nations events and feels more like a stand alone ranking event as I would not put the others in the same bracket as it yet. For me, it should never leave the calendar it is that good an event and it would be sorely missed if there was no event in Wales", Wilson exclaimed.

All good runs have to start somewhere and Wilson's 2019 Cardiff campaign gets underway on Tuesday afternoon when he takes on Finland's Robin Hull, with Hull winning their only previous tour meeting 4-3 back in 2016.

"He's a tough player. Always a tough player. He's not been playing much through illness but you can't go into a game thinking about whether a player is fit or not. You have no idea what's going on and he could bit as fit as a fiddle for all I know, so it's just another game on tour".

The two runs that Wilson has had in Wales since the tournament moved to the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff back in 2015 may be entirely coincidental, but the 2018 semi-finalist does believe he is more relaxed in the Welsh capital.

"It's a very good venue and having the BBC surrounding it makes it feel like a proper event, especially if you get to play on the main match table. I do seem to feel more relaxed in Cardiff. It's walking distance from the hotel to the venue and everything's on your doorstep which just makes everything easier and means there's no messing around getting a taxi everywhere. So maybe subconsciously that helps me to relax".

That 2015 run specifically was a big moment for Wilson at the time, overcoming the likes of Joe Perry and Neil Robertson to make his maiden ranking event quarter-final and Wilson remembers it fondly because of what it would lead to.

"That run felt like a stepping stone to go on and reach the China Open final. I don't know if I would have been able to do one without the other. It gave me the confidence that I could reach the latter stages without even playing that well. Before the event I remember a technical change I made. I had held the cue the same way for my whole career and about three or four days before the event I decided to flip it so that the arrows in the grain were facing upwards, how most players have them. It may only be a small change but it completely changes how the cue plays. I had really been struggling for a while so was desperately trying anything to turn my game around. It may be a little change but it made a big difference".

For Wilson that technical change may have also been a career changing one as it took just two months for him to go on and reach a ranking event final, beating Ricky Walden, Liang Wenbo, Barry Hawkins and Ding Junhui in the 2015 China Open before losing out to Mark Selby. Like the Cardiff quarter-final though, Wilson still feels that he did not play that well for much of the run.

"I'm obviously really proud of it but it has not led to as much as I had hoped. I don't really feel like I have kicked on as much as I thought I would. I only felt I played well against Ding in the semi-final, I had been playing solid stuff but no better than normal, I had just been getting through. I didn't even play that well against Hawkins and thought that one good performance in the semi's could get me into a final and that was exactly what happened".

While progress in the seasons since then may have been slower than Wilson himself anticipated, he has still had some good moments and last year's Welsh Open was another as he reached the last four before losing out to eventual winner John Higgins.

"There are not many tougher semi opponents that John Higgins. It had been a good while since I had been in the latter stages. It did not feel like I had been playing with true form. There was a good run here or there because I was bound to have one eventually as I definitely feel like I'm good enough. I still don't feel like I necessarily played that well to make the latter stages that week".

Believing as he does that the best is yet then Wilson could well one day be a ranking event winner and with a number of first time ranking event winners coming through in recent years, like Jimmy Robertson in this season's European Masters, then you feel that there is still plenty of time for him to make it happen.

"I do believe that I can win one. I have struggled quite a bit but I think I am very capable of winning. It's just getting everything to click altogether. Getting to the latter stages as I have done without playing well shows I can do it. Seeing Jimmy Robertson win, having grown up playing against him and getting on well with him, it feels like there is no reason why I can't win either".

The 2018/2019 season itself started strongly for Wilson as he made it through to the quarter-finals of the World Open in China in the summer and based on previous seasons, it was a flying start to the campaign.

"I have never felt like I'd had a good start to the season for the last 5 or 6 years so it was a little boost straight away making a quarter-final. Making that quarter-final was really the only reason I was in the World Grand Prix. It was probably the best I had played since China in 2015. I was just trying my best and it started coming together. When I beat Judd Trump I did not give him much and won a lot of frames in 1 visit to not give him a shot".

That run was as Wilson mentions the large contributing factor as he qualified for the recent World Grand Prix, after results went his way during the German Masters a week earlier and because of that Wilson sees it as a bonus.

"I was having a look at the results but that's just me, I like to know what is going on. I was just looking mainly because of the short turnaround so that I could sort a hotel and plan a bit. Getting in was a bonus and if I would have missed out it did not feel like I would have deserved to have made it. The game against Allen was an embarrassment. A real embarrassment. I let myself down on TV there but I just have to go home and start again for the Welsh".

Soon following the Welsh Open is the controversial Snooker Shoot-Out, an event that divides public opinion, particularly since it gained ranking status in 2017. While Wilson has no problem with it being a ranking event in theory, the actual practice of the world ranking system is something he believes should be addressed.

"My opinion on the Shoot-Out has a few factors. It all revolves around whether you have a points or money ranking system. Now we have a money ranking system and it needs rectifying because it isn't the best way in my opinion. I have no problem with the Shoot-Out being a ranking event, every tournament can be as there is so many now. It does need scaling though so there's not ridiculous gains for the players. There should really be 3 or 4 tiers of ranking events so it is fair for everyone".

It's not just the rankings Wilson thinks could be changed though as the current seeding system in certain tournaments delivers confusion, with events like the Welsh Open having the top 16 seeded, while the Chinese events have the top 64 seeded and other events are completely unseeded.

"The seeding structure is different for a lot of tournaments now. You want a bit of variance so I can see that viewpoint. It seems daft from a playing perspective but seems good business wise. I think they should pick 1 way for all tournaments and stick with it. The ones that are completely unseeded need looking at because that does not seem right at all. The rankings need to mean something. It does for the top 16 so why should it not for everyone?"

Also on the horizon is the World Championship and Wilson made his Crucible debut back in 2017, coming through the qualifiers before losing out to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 32 and for Wilson this was a major moment.

"I said this at the time but to me that was better than reaching the China Open final. To finally do that is what snooker players dream of and I was really happy to get there. It was the dream draw against Ronnie so I was really happy, it was just missing the icing on the cake which would have been pushing Ronnie a bit more. I played solid in the qualifiers. I made a 147 and three tons against Josh Boileau and made eight tons overall. All three rounds I felt I was playing solid".

While this is not a worry now, back in 2017 Wilson would have fallen out of the top 64 had he lost the deciding frame of his first qualifier against Boileau and the World Championship qualifiers do bring a unique level of nerves and tension.

"My first round match against Boileau saved my tour place to stay in the top 64, otherwise I would have had to start again from 0 on the ranking list the following season. It was very nervy for me at some points and I fell apart in the middle of the match (had led 5-0 and 7-2 before Boileau fought back). I didn't have a shot for a couple of frames and then had to make a break in the decider to win it. It was a proud and very nervy moment as a defeat could have changed my whole career. John Astley and Elliot Slessor who I know well were in the same situation last year and it all must go through a players head in these qualifiers".

Now Wilson is able to aim a lot higher though and he does so with his two goals for the remainder of the season, admitting that he has had these targets for a while.

"My goals are to win an event and to make it back to the Crucible. I used to have ranking related goals but because of the seeding structure the rankings are not as important so there's no real target there".


Whether or not Wilson goes on to achieve his big goals and dreams in the future remains to be seen but playing more consistently and sitting in a stronger ranking position these days he should certainly be a lot more hopeful.

Thanks to Gary Wilson for giving up his time to do this interview and I would like to wish him all the best of luck for next week's Welsh Open and the remainder of the 2018/2019 season.