Gentle Ben Takes Starring Role

Woollaston deserves his moment in the spotlight

It was just gone midnight when Big Ben struck and the bell tolled for Mark Selby.

Ben Woollaston’s 10-8 victory over Selby was the coupon-busting shock of the first round of this year’s World Championship. Kyren Wilson’s defeat to Lei Peifan was unexpected but surrounded by all the talk of the Crucible Curse and the fact it was on the opening day.

Few if any tipped Selby, a four time Crucible champion and one of this season’s form men, to fall to Woollaston, who was making only his second appearance in the final stages­ – 12 years after his first. It represents the best win of his career, 21 years after he first turned professional.

In recent times, Ben has been the second most visible Woollaston on tour after his wife, Tatiana, who has become a much respected referee. He brought their two sons, Edward and Henry, to Sheffield last year to watch her take charge of her first semi-final there.

But this is a step into the spotlight for a player who has enjoyed some highs during his career but also plenty of challenges.

Growing up in Leicester, Woollaston had access to a thriving junior scene, with the best young players in the country descending on Willie Thorne’s in the city where future rivalries were cemented. His mother, Joy, was always a loyal support and was proud to see him earn professional status in 2004 at the age of 17, but he had a lot to learn and was relegated after a season.

Woollaston won the European junior title and returned to the circuit in 2006, was relegated again and earned a third promotion in 2009. He was still young and by this point had seen his friend Selby start to win big titles.

Woollaston himself made a breakthrough by winning a PTC title in 2011. This was the year he met Tatiana at the Paul Hunter Classic. Personal contentment seemed to help him take a step forward as he reached the 2015 Welsh Open final, beating Mark Allen, Ali Carter, Gary Wilson and Mark Williams before losing to John Higgins.

He had already qualified for the Crucible in 2013, losing 10-4 to Carter, and got himself up to 26^th in the world rankings.

Woollaston remained a member of the top 40 for the next few years but his life changed in 2020 when he was struck down with chronic fatigue, he believes as a result of an adverse reaction to the Covid vaccine, although doctors have been unable to pinpoint the exact problem.

He struggled to even stand up for extended periods and was spending 16 hours a day in bed asleep. Understandably, his snooker was affected and his ranking suffered.

Woollaston is not completely over these issues but has come through this ordeal with his career intact. He had some near misses in World Championship qualifying in the last 12 years and nearly failed to make it this year, scraping past Mark Davis 10-9 on the black in the penultimate round.

When he was drawn against Selby, it looked a tall order. The former champion has won two ranking titles this season and seemed in confident mood ahead of the championship. Indeed, Selby opened the match with a century but was at times outmanoeuvred during the long safety battles – nine of the 18 frames were of at least half an hour’s duration.

Woollaston steadfastly refused to buckle and held his nerve to complete a famous victory, one which blows the top half of the draw wide open.

Many will be pleased for him. Ben is one of those humble, likeable characters in snooker who doesn’t get much media coverage but who has loyally turned up, played the game and done his bit. He loves snooker through and through, becoming a member of the WPBSA Players Board, a coach and a commentator at the Championship League.

He’s a classic member of the game’s rank and file. Richard Osman, a great snooker fan, gave one his characters the surname Woollaston in his recent novel We Solve Murders, a nod to diehard fans who get the reference.

Now his name is known to many more sports fans whose only exposure to snooker comes during the annual April/May Crucible marathon.

Woollaston deserves his moment in the spotlight, all the sweeter for the difficulties he has faced.