Player: Gary Wilson
Event: BetVictor 2024 UK Open Pool Championship
Location: Telford, U.K.
Date: May 11, 2024



Debating the difficulty levels in pool and snooker has consumed plenty of oxygen over the years, but it's undeniably interesting to watch a snooker professional try his hand at the American version of cue sports. Take Gary Wilson's performance at May's U.K. Open on the World Nineball Tour. The 38-year-old snooker pro showed he belonged among pool's best by shooting his way into the single-elimination bracket of 64 and then winning his first do-or-die set.

In the round of 32, Wilson faced a daunting test against Albin Ouschan. Grabbing an early lead in the race-to-10, he saw his advantage dwindle to one, coming to the table with an 8-7 lead with the layout shown in the diagram. The angle on the 1 was too thin for a cut into the top right corner, so he opted to play safe. Plenty of balls on the table were available as blockers, but none presented a natural destination for the cue ball of the 1.

Wilson eyed the 3 ball, just a few diamonds down-table from the 1. Rolling the cue ball into the right side of the object ball, he played the speed and angle perfectly to hide the cue ball directly behind the blocker. The 1 ball rolled down-table between the 4 and the 6. A difficult defensive maneuver for an experienced pool player, this shot, with the blocking ball in the open table, shows the natural feel Wilson has for cue sports of any kind.

Despite showing the skill typical of snooker pros and the knowledge of a long-time 9-ball player, Wilson dropped the set to Ouschan in the case game, finishing tied for 17th in a field packed with rotation's most talented players. (Video clip provided by Accu-Stats Video Productions.)

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