October 30th 2024.
When Stuart Bingham first stepped foot in the Crucible in the year 2000, he left quite an impression. He was just 23 years old and had already made a name for himself as a skilled snooker player. Bingham's debut at the prestigious tournament was off to a perfect start, as he managed to defeat number one seed and defending champion Stephen Hendry with a score of 10-7 in his opening match.
This impressive win earned him a spot in the last 16, where he would face another snooker legend, Jimmy White. Despite putting up a good fight both on and off the table, Bingham ultimately lost to the six-time finalist, also known as the Whirlwind. In a recent episode of his podcast, The Ball Run, Bingham recalled one particularly funny moment from that match.
He revealed, "I remember during my first Crucible appearance, after I beat Hendry, I played Jimmy and I accidentally let out a fart! I think the people sitting in the first two rows could smell it. The referee, Eirian Williams, caught wind of it too. I remember going back to my chair, farting, taking a shot, and then it was called a foul and a miss. I turned around and saw Jimmy moving away from his chair. He looked at me and asked, 'Was that you?' I apologized and then the referee moved to the other side. It was one of those silent but deadly ones!"
Although Bingham may have lost to White that day, he has since gone on to achieve great success in his snooker career. In 2015, he became the Crucible champion, and now, 24 years after his debut, he is still determined to climb back up the rankings. Despite recent losses to impressive opponents, such as Shaun Murphy at the Northern Ireland Open, Bingham remains confident in his abilities.
He explained, "I feel like my form is there, it's just that my opponents have been playing exceptionally well. In last week's match against Shaun Murphy, I was leading 3-1 after making two centuries, but he managed to come back and force a decider. Even though I made a 60 in the final frame, Shaun pulled off a great clearance to win. It's been a bit of a trend lately, playing well but still losing to someone who plays better on the day."
Bingham's next match is at the International Championship in Nanjing, China, where he will face off against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh on Monday. Despite recent setbacks, he remains determined to keep playing at his best and hopes that his luck will soon turn around. As he said, "I just have to keep riding the wave of playing well, and hopefully it will all click for me soon."
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