JORDAN Brown is long enough a professional sportsman to know how fine the lines really are at the top.
Exactly a year ago yesterday, the 36-year-old from Antrim had battled his way to 7-7 in his best-of-19 World Championship qualifying final-round match against China’s Si Jiahui.
A second visit to the Crucible, three seasons after his first, was tantalisingly close and had effectively boiled down to a best-of-five shoot-out.
He had not disgraced himself on his 2020 debut, losing 10-6 to four-times champion Mark Selby, but the pull to get there and improve on that, maybe even win a match or two, was, and still is, as strong as ever.
‘’To be honest it was a terrible match,’’ recalls Brown.
‘’There was so much on the line and neither of us really played well. But he wrapped it up pretty quickly from 7-7 and a few weeks later he was in the semis at the Crucible losing a big lead against Luca Brecel, who went on it win it.’’
Tomorrow, Brown goes again, determined to make up for that near-miss and the one the previous year, when he lost 10-8 to Michael White at the same stage. He faces Jenson Kendrick at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield. Victory will set him up for another all-or-nothing showdown on Tuesday.
‘’It would be amazing to get back to the Crucible and experience it all again. I’ve come close in the last few years but just fallen short.
‘’Right now I know my game is in good enough shape to get through and I’m staying focused on that. Who I play doesn’t matter. At this stage they will all be good players and all have the same ambitions as me.’’
Brown’s career took off just over two years ago when he stunned the snooker world by winning the Welsh Open as a 750/1 outsider.
He won seven matches to do it, five in deciding frames, including in the final against Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Brown admits that it took a while for that experience to sink in, but when it had his career targets needed a quick re-adjustment
‘’It took a while to come to terms with that but once I did I’ve always thought to myself since that I can win more tournaments. Why stop at one? I believe I am good enough.’’
That victory in Newport pushed him into the top 32 on the world ranking list. He starts tomorrow at number 39 and number 33 on the one-year list, thanks mainly to a run to the semi-finals of the International Championship in China last November, where he proved once again that on his day he can beat the top players.
David Gilbert, Kyren Wilson, John Higgins and Stephen Maguire were added to the scalp of Neil Robertson which he took on his way to the last 32 of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open at the Waterfront the previous month.
‘’I know I can beat the best players on my day. Now I’m just striving to find that consistency that all the top players have. That’s the difference. Getting to the semi-finals in China was great but I’d love to have backed it up with another run deep into a tournament since then.’’
Brown hasn’t played competitively since losing 5-4 to Chris Wakelin at the World Open in China in mid-March, but he’s content with his preparation, staying sharp with best-of-19s against Cork’s Aaron Hill and the now-retired Fergal O’Brien.
Hill starts his own Crucible bid today against Daniel Womersley, while O’Brien sadly bowed out after 33 years as a professional when he lost 10-8 to Mostafa Dorgham earlier in the week.
‘’Although Fergal didn’t’t get the result he wanted, he’s still a fine player and Aaron is a terrific young prospect. So playing with them has been great for me.
‘’I’ve been more than holding my own against them so it gives me a good idea of where my game is at. I’m very happy with it right now and very confident for the next few days.’’
