I fully expected it to be close and I think the scoreline came as a shock to everybody, including myself. I wanted to give a good account of myself and knew I was playing well.

He had it over me at that time and wins against him were few and far between. He is one of the best players we have ever seen, so to go up against him in a repeat of a match I was previously hammered in, was a tough prospect. It was a repeat of the first Masters final to be played at Alexandra Palace in 2012, when Neil beat me very comfortably.

For me that is one of the best matches, if not the best match I’ve ever played. Having really gone through the memory banks and thought hard about it, I’d have to go for my 10-2 win over Neil Robertson in the 2015 Masters final. I don’t want to come across big headed by picking one I have won, but I suppose that is the name of the game. It’s very difficult to come up with one as there have been so many. We are delighted it has started so well for him and it is the beginning of a new chapter in his life.īack on the snooker, I know that WST are doing a series of features asking players what they deem to be their greatest matches and I was asked whether I could have a think about which match I would choose. Elaine and I have protected him for five years since he came into the world, but school is something we all do. I went through the wringer and left at the age of 13. Of course without being too morbid, I had an up and down experience at school myself and didn’t like it. Every Sunday night he is excited to get back there and we are so happy that is the case. When he got there he absolutely loved it. If I am the best dressed player on tour, then Harry is definitely the best dressed kid in school. It was like watching me get ready for a match. He loved getting his trousers and shirt ready. Thankfully some of his friends from crèche were in his class, so he already knew some people. You never know what you are going to get, how he is going to react and whether he will like it. As a parent that is quite a big and proud moment. On the family front it has been quite a significant time for us.

Snooker world cup