Ashley Hugill made his Crucible debut in 2022 and was living his snooker dream, but two years later he dropped off the professional tour and the following months were some of the hardest of his life.

Things can change very quickly in a sporting career and that’s what happened to the Yorkshireman, who also reached a first ranking quarter-final in 2022 and received praise from Ronnie O’Sullivan in the same year.

But by the end of the 2023/24 season he finished one place too low in the rankings, just one match win away from retaining his tour card.

Then came a scrap to regain professional status, but there was a period of dealing with the change after losing his livelihood and his identity.

‘I was sat thinking that two years ago I was at the Crucible and I’ve worked so hard since then and

See Full Page