Northants potter Wilson sees off Dott to set up quarter-final shot against Trump

The world No.4, who training base is at Barratts Club in Northampton, had shown his class with a maximum 147 break in his first-round win over Ashley Hugill before seeing off Mark Joyce and Kurt Maflin en route to a clash against Dott with a quarter-final spot at stake.

The fine form continued for Kettering's Wilson as he raced into a 4-0 lead at the mid-session interval with two half-centuries in tow, before seeing the contest off 6-1 with a break of 82 in the final frame.

And following his latest convincing win at the first Triple Crown event of the season, the 2020 World Championship runner-up revealed he has had to shelve his plans for today (Friday) with a last-eight tie against world No.1 Judd Trump to come this evening.

“I was supposed to be moving house so I’m glad I got out of that one,” said the 28-year-old. “My wife will be spewing at home knowing she’s got to do it herself!

“I feel like I’ve been really solid all week and I’ve shown it again there. I knew I had to be because Graeme’s one of the best match players there is.

“Even at 5-1 I couldn’t write him off so I wanted to keep him under pressure. I tried to keep it tight and when I got opportunities for long shots I tried to punish him as much as I could, and I’m delighted to get the win.”

Standing in Wilson’s way of a place in the semi-finals is Trump, who the Northants potter got the better of in the Championship League final back in October.

And with four ranking event titles now to his name as well as final appearances at the Masters and the Crucible, Wilson believes he is ready to finally get over the line at one of snooker’s most prestigious events.

He added: “I’ve played on the TV more or less every game this week and I feel like I belong there. The more you play the more you feel comfortable and I’m feeling good.

“You can’t fall over the line against the best players and I know it’s going to be tough against Judd.

“We’ve played each other a lot but that’s going to happen. We’re similar ages, we’re both at the top end of the rankings.

"It’s good for the game and I’m looking forward to going out there and giving it my best shot.”

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