Wild hoping for a smoother passage on professional tour

MICHAEL WILD . . . hoping for a successful year after a mixed 2015.

Snooker: AS if he needed reminding, 2015 was a rocky ride for Moorside snooker star Michael Wild.

Flying back from a two-week holiday in the Dominican Republic, the 34 year old and his girlfriend Emma endured a frightening 40-minute ordeal.

“The turbulence was awful,” said Wild. “Apparently, we caught the edge of the storms they were getting over in America. The captain even told the stewardesses to get back into their seats and put their belts on.”

But the flight from a Carribbean paradise to this country’s murky skies provided a parallel with the snooker professional’s fortunes last year.

It began well as Wild finished top of the rankings in the England snooker and billiards regional competitions, which set him up for a crack at the European Open in Prague. Success there earned him a two-year stint on the professional tour.

The early signs were good and Wild produced the best display of his life to thrash Judd Trump 6-0 in the qualifying round for the International Chammpionship in China. But he was himself beaten 6-0 in the Far East by Sanderson Lam. Another whitewash followed at the hands of Dominic Dale in the UK Open at York.

Wild, struggling for form and with a new tip on his cue, needed a lift. Though he lost 5-3 to World No. 24 Anthony MaGill in the qualifying rounds of the German Masters in Wigan, Wild is convinced he is back on an upward curve.

He said: “Even though I lost, I played really well. I actually thought I played better than him despite the scoreline. My display has given me confidence; I’m now looking forward to playing an exhibition match against world champion Stuart Bingham back in Prague next month before the PTC event in Gdansk, Poland.”