I’m snooker star who flew 6,000 miles for World Open only to find they wouldn’t let my cue on three-hour train journey

KYREN WILSON endured a “nightmare” trip to the World Open as his cue took the Long Road to China.

The Warrior, 32, flew from the UK into Shanghai, one of his favourite cities, and then jumped on a three-hour bullet train for the Yushan Sports Center.

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Kyren Wilson was unable to get on a train with his snooker cue[/caption]

Yet snooker cues are not allowed on public transport – so equipment had to be driven separately for 480 kilometres (299 miles) for more than five hours.

World No.11 Wilson said: “The only problem with this event is it’s a bit of a nightmare travel-wise.

“We used to be allowed to have cues on the bullet trains. There used to be no problem with it.

“I don’t know if there isn’t quite enough room to take massive ski tubes on. I don’t know. It’s a little bit frustrating.

“After flying into Shanghai, there’s a bus that picks up a load of our cues. There are quite a lot of us on this flight. I pray I see them at the other end.

“Listen, we were advised to travel into Beijing and then get an internal flight to Yushan. I’d rather reduce flying time as much as I can.

“I like jumping on the bullet train. We have to put our fate into their hands and hope it turns up.

“But the cue is not the be-all and end-all for me. I feel like I could pick up another one if it goes wrong.”

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Wilson faces fellow Englishman David Grace on Monday in the first round in a purpose-built 4,000-capacity venue for billiards and snooker events

He has a good record in the city as he made the final there in 2017 – he was beaten 10-3 by Ding Junhui – and reached the semi-finals in 2019 before the Covid pandemic spread globally.

The winner next weekend will bank £170,000 and give themselves ideal preparation for next month’s Snooker World Championship.

Wilson, a 2020 world finalist, said: “Can I win the event? Absolutely. I always feel like when I isolate myself and it’s just about the snooker, that’s when I get the best out of myself.

“Having two young children, being a part-time dad, it’s hard to solely focus on this game.

“So when I do go out to China, it’s just pure snooker, that’s it, nothing else distracts me. It tends to bring out the best in me.”