Swail and Wild hoping practice makes perfect

ON CUE . . . Joe Swail (left) and Michael Wild get another session under way at Tara Leisure in Shaw.

Snooker:

OLDHAM’S snooker scene has been given a double shot in the arm by two of the sport’s brightest stars.

Tara Leisure in Shaw is the new practice base for dual world championship semi-finalist Joe Swail and the improving Michael Wild — who is hoping to emulate his good friend by making an impact on the professional tour.

Swail (43), from Belfast, reached the world semi-final at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in 2001 and 2002.

Since those heady days Swail hasn’t been able to make as big an impact: “To be honest, I wasn’t enjoying my snooker,” he said. “There are so many tournaments and the travelling is so tiring.

“So I made the decision to come back over here; this club is fantastic for practice. Being here enables me not only to practice properly, but also to get to tournaments and qualifiers more easily.

“Michael and I practice for five or six hours a day and I have been gaining a lot more confidence.”

Swail reached the final of last year’s Paul Hunter Classic in Germany, which he lost 4-1 to world number one Mark Selby.

He faced a qualifier for China’s Wuxi Classic today, and tomorrow sees a similar test for the Australian Masters. He is also earmarked for next month’s first Players’ Tour Championship in Bulgaria, a tournament which will see Moorside ace Wild pitched against Ronnie O’Sullivan.

“Providing Ronnie decides to play in Bulgaria — and the signs are that he will, judging by what he has been saying to snooker fans — I will have nothing to lose,” said Wild.

“I just have to relax and play my game, try to get used to the bright lights and adapt to playing in front of the television cameras. With Ronnie in action, it is almost certain to be shown on Europsort.”