Anthony Hamilton avoided becoming the answer to a quiz question with his 10-8 win over Steven Hallworth in World Championship qualifying, but feels ready to move on from his playing career despite the dramatic victory.
The 53-year-old is fighting to retain his professional status, needing wins in this event to do so and he got off to the perfect start, leading Hallworth 8-0 after the first session and looking very good.
On the resumption on Friday evening he took the first and it seemed like it would be an early night for the Sheriff’s loyal supporters watching back in Pottingham.
Not so. Pottingham soon appeared to be twinned with Shredsville and a remarkable few hours ensued during which Hallworth won eight frames on the spin.
Hamilton was fading, his eyesight troubles getting on top of him and pressure mounting. A combination of those issues saw him feather the cue ball twice during the session, with frustration setting in at the unforced errors.
With the sun shining all day in Sheffield it was red hot in the English Institute of Sport and the veteran was certainly feeling the heat as the man 24 years his junior held his toes to the fire.
‘At 9-8, 9-7, I’m coming to the end of my career anyway and I was like, you know what, I’m alright with it,’ Hamilton confessed after the game.
‘I’m gone. I can’t see anything. I’m at like 20 per cent. 40 seconds a shot and all that business. I don’t know why I’m still playing. It’s just what we do. I just didn’t want to lose.’
He was seriously struggling but the instincts of a man who has been professional since 1991 do not die easily and just as the match looked set for a decider, he was presented with an opportunity.
Hallworth had made a 58 in the 18th frame but a chance arose for the veteran and after hours of looking a shadow of himself, the old quality reappeared.
The Sheriff took one last stand and fired in a brilliant clearance of 69 to win the game, finally.
The spectre of becoming the first player to lost a best-of-19 from 9-0 ahead was looming for Hamilton and the prospect of being the answer to a pub quiz question was on his mind.
‘That was as hard as trying to get over the line in a ranking final,’ he said. ‘It’s a story that would follow you round for the rest of your life. If you lose from 9-0 you’re on quizzes and stuff. You don’t want that.
‘Fair play to him he played great. He didn’t chuck the toys out the pram and he made me go through that. Fair play to Steven. Top lad.’
Steven Hallworth reflects on an epic battle
Catching up with Steven Hallworth the day after the mammoth contest, he told Metro: ‘I feel hungover. I feel battered and bruised. I only had one pint! I was absolutely knackered.
‘Obviously 9-0 I’ve got no aspirations of winning. Me and Oliver Lines went for a Nando’s in the afternoon and I said to him: “I can’t even justify wearing a new shirt because the missus will kill me for putting another shirt in the washing for just two frames.” That’s where I was at.
‘Anyway, I put a new shirt on. But at 9-0 I’m just playing frames. At 9-3, 9-4, he started to miss a few and I thought something might be at play. I saw Oli again at the toilet at one point and he asked me what the score was and I actually didn’t know. I was just playing frames.
‘At the start you think you can’t win, but at about 9-7 I started to think I can’t lose. It was going to take something special for him to win it then and obviously there was something special from him to come. I’m just glad I could make a respectable game of it in the end.
‘My dad was there and my sponsors and I owed it to them, at 9-0, to continue to conduct myself properly. It’s just not in me to roll over. I couldn’t look them in the eye if I had. It’s respect for Anthony as well. He did me a massive favour by inviting me over for a game before I went to Turkey for the Q Tour and that sharpened me up so much. I respect him so much as a guy and a player, but I also respect myself. I work too hard to just be a d***head. I wanted to show myself that I am a professional. It was nearly the mother of all comebacks, but he just showed what a set of b***cks he has at the end.
‘I shook his hand at the end and said: “Mate, fair play, all things considered that was a great clearance!” I wished him well and said regardless of what happens I hope he keeps his tour card because he’s too good.
‘I’ve got two seasons now to look forward to on the tour. A few quid in the bank, enjoy a few weeks off and go again. I’m in a good place because I enjoyed that, I enjoyed the game and the fight. There’s going to be many more to come.’
While he got the win, it seemed to be an evening of realisation for Hamilton that he is ready to hang up his cue after this tournament.
Even if he drops off the pro tour this month, he was planning to try and bounce straight back at Q School, but that sounds less likely after that ordeal against Hallworth.
‘It’s about time I got on with the rest of my life. I’m f**king rubbish,’ he said.
‘I used to be at a good standard. Now I’m scratting around. Just retire for God’s sake. You’re 53. Stop bleating on. Get out of here.
‘I’ve not enjoyed one match since 2020. I haven’t played well once since 2020, with the eyes. I’ve won matches, but I haven’t played well once. I play well considering, but it’s no fun. It is better than work though.’
Hamilton had lens replacement surgery in 2019 which did not go to plan and everything has been very hard work since then.
‘I said to my mate at 8-0 that I’m not over the line here, my eyes are not good enough to think this is a done deal. I knew I could lose the match,’ he said.
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‘That’s weird innit? That’s not a great position to be in. It’s after two or three hours they really go, they were rubbish at the start but they get worse. I lose perspective. I can’t see distance.’
So how does he keep going and keep chalking up wins?
‘I’ve got a lot of bottle and a lot of stubbornness and it goes a long way,’ he said. ‘I can’t pot a ball but I know the game and I’m professional. I can make players play bad.’
The Sheriff will look to lay down the law again in the next round, when he takes on Matt Selt to try and keep his career alive once more. Win or not, he may well turn in his badge at the end of that shift and ride off into the sunset. It would be a sad day in Pottingham if so.
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