Can Kyren Wilson crack the Crucible Curse? World champion says it 'had better watch out for me' in Sheffield
By Dave Hendon
Updated 17/04/2025 at 19:40 GMT+1
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The Crucible Curse has claimed countless victims since John Spencer crashed out in the first round of the 1978 World Championship. Kyren Wilson is determined to keep his name firmly off the Curse's kill list, but can he outrun history? David Hendon follows the trail of destruction left by the mysterious record haunting first-time champions to see whether the current holder has any chance.
The Crucible and Sheffield, the home of snooker
Video credit: TNT Sports
The first thing to say about the Crucible Curse is that it does not actually exist. No malevolent spirit decided one day to put a hex on first-time champions defending the world title. They probably have better things to do.
Nevertheless, like any supernatural entity, if you believe in it, then it may as well be true, and for snooker players, the Curse is real.
Kyren Wilson is the latest to try and defy its unrelenting grip, the 23rd debut winner at the Crucible attempting to retain the title.
The omens – and this story is all about omens – are good. Wilson has enjoyed an outstanding season. He has become an even better player than the one who triumphed in Sheffield last year. Many first-time champions feel the pressure their new exalted status carries. Wilson has been the opposite, revelling in it.
He has won four ranking titles during the campaign. Only Stephen Hendry, who won five in the 1990/91 season, and Judd Trump, who scooped six in 2019/20, have fared better as maiden world champions.
And yet, for all his inner confidence, he will not know how he truly feels being back at the Crucible until he walks into the arena on the morning of April 19th. This building does things to people no other venue can. The weight of history, of expectation, hangs heavy in the air. As Steve Davis once said about starting out on day one, "The first shock hasn’t happened yet, and it could be you."
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'Tears are flowing!' - Wilson clinches Crucible glory with emotional celebrations
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Even if Wilson makes a good start to the morning, it is the evening session where the tension could really descend. In longer matches, apparently winning positions can soon be overturned. Even the very best have found themselves utterly befuddled as the walls of the Crucible seemingly close in on them.
It is not clear exactly when the Curse gained currency. Davis was thrashed 10-1 by Tony Knowles in the first round in 1982 but this was only the sixth World Championship staged at the Crucible. Hendry’s defeat to Steve James in the 1991 quarter-finals may have been the first real moment the statisticians of the time realised what was happening.
Hendry then won five world titles in a row, so it wasn’t until 1998 that the Curse had a chance to wreak more havoc. In fact, Ken Doherty came close to breaking it, losing 18-12 in the final to John Higgins. Joe Johnson had also reached the final in 1987, getting even closer by only going down 18-14 to Davis.
But they still came out on the wrong side and, like snooker’s own Grim Reaper, the Curse relentlessly gathered more and more victims, most recently Luca Brecel, who was beaten on the opening night last year.
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'Maybe he was burdened by it' - McManus explains Brecel's shock World Championship exit
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Wilson has been hearing about it pretty much ever since he potted the winning ball last May. In fact, I messaged him the day after the final to offer my congratulations and added, ‘Watch out for the Curse next year.’ His response was, ‘The Curse had better watch out for me.’
Certainly, his bullish demeanour marks him out as a strong candidate to end this hoodoo once and for all. Wilson did not just want to be world champion, he always believed that he would be. An early influence was Peter Ebdon, who won the title in 2002 - the Curse felled him in the quarter-finals the following year. Ebdon was known for his mental resilience and utter self-belief and Wilson is very similar.
He should be commended for the way he has represented himself and the sport during his 12 months as champion. He clearly decided early on to embrace the experience, to accept the extra scrutiny and enjoy having a target painted on his back.
Wilson had long complained about being shunted away to outside tables but has played most of his matches during the season front and centre. And he has played some brilliant snooker. He won a title early in the campaign, the Xi’an Grand Prix in China, and added the Northern Ireland Open, German Masters and Players Championship trophies to his collection. In the last year he has doubled his career ranking title tally to ten.
It has been profitable, too, for a player from a humble background. If he reaches the quarter-finals in Sheffield he will pass the £1 million prize money mark for the season.
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‘Crucible is made for him’ - O’Sullivan backs Wilson to win at least four world titles
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Wilson will play Lei Peifan in the first round and is seeded to meet Jak Jones in the last 16 in what would be a rematch of last year’s final. Jones made a slow start to that, going 7-0 down, but has collected a string of big-name scalps at the Crucible during the last two championships, including Ali Carter, Neil Robertson, Zhang Anda and Judd Trump.
Robertson or Mark Allen could be waiting for Wilson in the quarter-finals and he is currently in the same half of the draw as Ronnie O’Sullivan, who exclusively revealed to TNT Sports he will play at the tournament.
If Wilson were to reach the final, he could face Trump, John Higgins, Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy or any number of other danger-men.
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In many ways, the first day feels like the biggest of all. There is such a build-up to the World Championship, and so much of it will rightly centre on Wilson. There is a special champions’ dinner two days before play begins, to which every living world champion has been invited. Wilson has chosen the menu.
He will be much in demand the next day when the top 16 attend a round of media interviews. Then, before you know it, Rob Walker will be calling him into the arena ready to get the 17-day marathon underway.
Wilson is a hard worker and his game is in great shape, but this is a challenge he has never faced before.
If he does last the course to be reunited with the silver trophy on May 5th, he will be celebrated as a multiple world champion, joining one of snooker’s most elite groups.
And just as notably, he will be remembered as the man who finally confined the dreaded Crucible Curse to the history books.
Watch and stream top snooker action, including the World Championship, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
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