Kyren Wilson was spotted biting the tip of his cue during a bizarre moment in Thursday’s World Snooker Championship clash with Mark Allen. Wilson had faced problems in his first match against teenager Stan Moody and was paired against one of the pre-tournament favourites, Allen, in round two.
It was when he was walking out of the arena that the television cameras pictured Wilson having a nibble on the tip of his cue. It continued for a good 15 seconds or so before the 34-year-old retired to the dressing room.
Wilson appeared to have troubles with his cue throughout the match, having previously been seen smacking it against the floor to try and firm it up. It didn’t appear to have the required effect at first, given he found himself 5-0 down at one point, but a late rally has kept alive hopes of progressing into round three.
Cue issues have plagued Wilson for some time now, with the world No.2 saying after his win over Moody: “I knew I was struggling, and I knew I couldn’t win frames in one visit like I normally would.
“I am having a lot of cue issues, a lot of tip issues, and I changed my tip for the evening session. I hate my cue, I absolutely hate my cue.
“It is too flexible at the top, I have no control, I have no feel in my hand, and I am just fighting all the time. I am changing cue after this tournament, I have a new sponsor and they making me a few new cues, and that is at the back of my mind, so I am just trying to dig it out for this one.”
He added: “I won the Masters with this cue, so I know I can win with it, but I can’t reach my full potential with the cue. Unfortunately, that is the position I am in, but I will fight for every single frame and every single point, and I will make myself very difficult to beat.
“And I just hope that at some point it will inspire me. It is torture, but I am trying. I know I can do it, because I did win the Masters, so I am just fighting my own mind with it all the time.”