Kyren Wilson destroys Dominic Dale at Crucible to reach the second round

Wilson potted 11 reds and blacks in the final frame but ran short on a mid-range red as he aimed to repeat the 147 he had fashioned against Ryan Day at the same stage last year.

Former Crucible runner-up Wilson, speaking to BBC Two said:

"It's no disrespect to Dom but it's not often you find yourself in that position where you can just have a free shot at it [a 147].

"My family - my wife and my kids - came up for today's session so I thought it might be nice! They watched my last 147 at school in this tournament last year so I thought it might be nice to try to do one for them live.

Nevertheless, the 32-year-old won the two frames required on Wednesday morning to wrap up a 10-1 win, the most comprehensive victory at the Crucible since Mark Selby’s win over Kurt Maflin by the same score in 2021.

It marked a welcome return to form for Wilson, who has failed to reach a tour final this season and candidly admitted to off-field struggles involving illnesses to his wife and son.

Dale, at 52 the oldest qualifier since Steve Davis in 2010, was no match for the 12th seed, although he did compile an impressive 120 clearance in the fourth frame of the match.

Wilson, who moves on to a second-round meeting with Mark Selby’s conqueror Joe O’Connor, compiled half-centuries or better in all but one of his winning frames, including a break of 123 in the fifth frame.

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