TEEN sensation Stan Moody was left heartbroken as he was downed by Kyren Wilson in a late-night Crucible fight-back.
Rookie Moody, 19, was aiming to become the first person under the age of 20 to win in this special venue since in 1995.
Stan Moody was left heartbroken as he was beaten by Kyren Wilson Credit: 2026 PA Media
Wilson won seven frames in a row against Moody Credit: 2026 PA Media
But the Halifax star, who last week welcomed , lost his grip on a sizeable lead over the 2024 world conqueror on day three of the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
When he was 7-3 up on the reigning Masters champion, he was only three frames away from becoming the sixth teenager to celebrate a victory in this South Yorkshire theatre.
The Yorkshire lad would have joined the likes of , O’Sullivan, Chris Small, Dean Reynolds and John Parrott in the record books as teenaged match winners.
Had he managed to move into the second round, it would have been one of the greatest upsets in the competition’s history.
However, the lack of experience and nous at this top level was exposed as he was crushingly knocked out by the dad-of-two, 15 years the senior man, who won SEVEN frames in a row.
– who was on a course of antibiotics due to a bout of tonsillitis – said: “I lost too many bad frames.
“I missed a red to go 8-3 up. I’m gutted. To lose bad frames like that hurts.
“I felt comfortable out there. I will go back and practice and come back stronger.
“It was a good experience. I hope I am back here next year. I am still young. This is hard to take now. Next time I will try to miss less balls.”
In the 10am session, Moody had opened up with an 84 in his first frame and then a 91 in frame three as he raced into a 3-0 lead.
, 34, closed the gap to 3-2 and then the younger rival won the next three frames with breaks of 110, 55 and 101 to move 6-2 ahead on table two.
Frame 11 on Monday evening was a key one, which Wilson won on a respotted black, to close the gap to 7-4.
Had Wilson gone 8-3 up, and he was only red away from achieving that, then it is likely he would have romped into the second round on his debut appearance.
Wilson’s battling qualities came to the fore in frame 14 when he came from three behind to level up at 7-7.
For the first time in the contest, Moody looked nervous and edgy, less reassured about the accuracy of his potting, and Wilson wrapped up the result 10-7.
The way he lost it on the final black of frame 17 summed up the disappointing manner in which he exited.
On the ranking list, Wilson is defending £500,000 in prize money, which he earned two years ago when he beat Welsh cueist Jak Jones 18-14 in the final for his maiden triumph.
The Warrior, 34, had missed the John Virgo memorial service and Champions’ Dinner last Thursday because his wife Sophie had major surgery.
It has been a difficult time for him and his family and the last thing he would have wanted is to have gone out in round one for the second Spring on the trot.
Wilson will now take on Mark Allen across three sessions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Moody – who came through two rounds of qualifying – will now have to go away, reset and try to take the positives out of this chastening experience.
Moody welcomed comparisons to darts prodigy Luke Littler Credit: Alamy
Moody looked to become the first person under the age of 20 to win at the Crucible since Ronnie O’Sullivan Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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