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The former Grand Prix semi-finalist from Kent looks back on last season and ahead to the new one.
How would you sum up last season?
From a snooker point of view, not very good. I won a lot of first round matches but never went much further than that. I moved up the rankings but the rest wasn’t that great. The new rankings will change things, if you get off to a good start you’ll move up quite quickly. The other side is that if you have a bad start you can suffer, but there’s more incentive to do well.
Were there any low points?
I played Shaun Murphy at the Crucible and after the first session I was 8-1 down - that was a low point. That hurt quite a lot, I got off to a bad start. I’ve been there five times and played like a wally every time. I played well in the second session and did well to come back, though I lost in the end 10-7. It’s a hard place to go and play, you always get a tough game. It is the biggest tournament of the year and you have to put that aside. I've struggled to do that so far but I’ve got plenty of years left.
What are your targets for the new season?
If I get a good start I’ve got a chance of sneaking into the top 16 if I play well. I need to get to the venues and when I do, make sure I bring my A game.
What are you up to this summer?
I’ve been playing some golf, but there isn’t much time off with the PTC tournaments having started. I’ve been practising a couple of hours each day, then playing a bit of golf and catching up with the boys. The golf isn’t going bad, I’m about a 12 handicap. I haven’t played for about four years so I’m just getting back into it really.
Have you been watching the World Cup?
I watched all that rubbish from England! I’ve had a bet on Spain to win so that’s good enough for me. I don’t think Brazil are that good although they played well to beat Chile 3-0. There isn’t one team that has been outstanding.