Wild aims to show his true colours

TOUGH TIMES . . . Michael Wild admits it has been a difficult return to the professional snooker tour.

MOORSIDE’S Michael Wild believes there were no redeeming characteristics to his display as he was swept aside in the UK Snooker Championship first round in York.

After losing a tight first frame 69-66 to Welshman Dominic Dale, things went from bad to worse for Wild as he eventually lost 6-0, scoring only 38 more points after the opener.

That result is indicative of the 34-year-old’s season as a whole, which has seen him exit both the Shanghai Masters qualifiers and the International Championship after being whitewashed.

He is back on snooker’s main tour for the first time since 2003/04 after winning the EBSA European Open last term.

Wild has had one spectacular result this campaign when he dispatched current world No.6 Judd Trump 6-0 during the International Championship qualifiers, but concedes he didn’t remotely show that sort of form against Dale.

“It was a shocking performance from me and I just struggled out there from start to finish really,” said Wild. “I think it’s a case of putting in the practice now.”

Wild’s qualification for the main tour at the end of last season means he has a two-year card, so he cannot lose his place this term. He has not found the transition back to professional snooker easy, but he will have plenty of chances to rectify that in the coming weeks.

“It’s changed a lot since the last time I was on it back in 03-04,” he said. “It’s definitely a lot better now, so I want to start picking up some results. There’s loads of tournaments, so I’ve got loads of chances but it’s just hard when you get beaten like that. It’s a real struggle.”