Dominic Dale ‘astonished’ by World Snooker Championship return after 10-year absence

Dominic Dale will make his Crucible comeback this month after a 10-year absence after coming through World Championship qualifying in Sheffield.

The 52-year-old became the oldest qualifier since Steve Davis in 2010 by beating He Guoqiang 10-8 at the English Institute of Sport.

It has been a good season for the Spaceman, with two ranking quarter-finals to his name, and to finish it off on the sport’s grandest stage is the stuff of dreams for him.

‘I am astonished actually,’ he said. ‘I was 9-6 up and had a couple of golden chances but I wasn’t nervous. It’s been so long since I played in a match of that magnitude, not necessarily financially but to get back to The Crucible.

‘I couldn’t have dreamt at my age that I could play well enough to get there. You’ve got to play so many matches to qualify now and I sometimes wonder if I’m capable enough, but luckily tonight I was.’

Davis made a quarter-final on his last Crucible appearance in 2010 and Dale reached the last eight on his last visit in 2014, losing out in a deciding frame to Barry Hawkins.

‘I’ll tale a quarter-final!’ Dale said. ‘I’ve been to two of them.’

Former world champion Stuart Bingham also came through qualifying by beating Louis Heathcote 10-8 and giving himself the opportunity to finish a poor season off in style.

The 2015 world champ is ranked number 29 in the world after a lean spell for results and he hinted at off-table issues causing a distraction.

‘I’ve tried to clear my head away from the table but I’ve got a few things still on,’ he said. ‘I don’t feel like I’ve played that bad all season but I’ve come up against players that have played really well.

‘I remember losing 5-3 to Ishpreet [Singh Chadha] in World Open qualifying then 4-1 to Marco [Fu], my mind weren’t there, few things off the table.

‘I had near enough eight weeks off, had Championship League Winners Group, doubled in the old Chinese Hey Ball over in China, came back, got me head down, got some good practice in, played Mark Davis, Barry Hawkins and Kyren [Wilson]. I’ve come here, felt really good and got my rewards.’