Kyren Wilson still doesn’t believe in curses - even after seeing his World Championship defence wrecked at the first hurdle. The Warrior rocked up in Sheffield in April after a stellar season as world champion, looking ready to consign the so-called ‘Crucible curse’, which has seen not a single maiden victor at the famous theatre defend the title at the first attempt, to history.

However, China’s Lei Peifan had other ideas, knocking Wilson out after a 10-9 cliffhanger on the opening weekend. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the 33-year-old. “It hurt, it really hurt,” reflects Wilson six months on. “I was meant to do some work with the BBC after I lost but I turned to the producer and said, ‘Look, I just can’t be here.’ They were very understanding with that. I went to Dubai and

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