Who Is Stan Moody? Crucible Debutant Profiled

Stan Moody is nan teen who believes he tin do for snooker what Luke Littler has for darts.

Moody, who will make his World Championship debut connected Monday successful nan first information against world number 2 Kyren Wilson, won't beryllium recovered lacking for assurance aliases belief successful his ability.

"I deliberation it's rather fair," he says of nan Littler comparison.

"Snooker's a batch harder than darts, I'd say. There's not galore young players coming through."

The 19-year-old Moody is nan youngest subordinate successful nan tie astatine nan Crucible this year.

He sits 44th successful snooker's world rankings but is simply a subordinate galore expect to go 1 of nan sport's elite.

Reaching nan World Championship main tie astatine his property makes him nan first English teen since Judd Trump successful 2007 to make his debut astatine nan tournament.

In darts, nan 'Littler effect' has sent income of darts and dartboards stratospheric, and nan athletics has a booming audience, whether connected television, websites aliases astatine venues.

What could nan Moody effect be? More players turning up to their section nine and giving snooker a try, perhaps.

"Hopefully. I deliberation group deliberation it's a boring game, an aged man's game, but it's not - it tin beryllium fun," says Moody, who hails from Halifax, West Yorkshire, and turned master successful 2023 aft winning nan WSF World Junior Championship.

"That's why I for illustration to play much attacking, play fast, and promote young players to do it and judge they tin do it."

There are echoes of Trump's talk of "sexy snooker" and "naughty snooker" erstwhile he made his sensational tally to nan 2011 last successful Sheffield arsenic a 21-year-old.

Moody says it is inspiring to spot personification specified arsenic two-time world champion Littler, who is besides 19, dominating successful darts.

"Of course," he said.

But Moody isn't concerned that he has yet to norm nan roost successful snooker. He's judge his clip will come.

"Snooker's a batch harder to dominate, particularly nowadays, pinch nan modular wherever anyone tin hit anyone," Moody says. "Darts isn't really for illustration that - there's a apical fewer who are very bully and Luke's procreation is astonishing and that's what I'm trying to beryllium successful snooker. Got a spot to spell yet but I'll support going, support trying.

"I cognize I tin play to this level. I've beaten a batch of apical players. It's astir doing it consistently and I'll climb up nan rankings."

In qualifying for nan World Championship, Moody recorded wins complete chap Englishman Robbie Williams and China's Jiang Jun to group up a Crucible lucifer against 2024 world champion Wilson. He moreover discharged himself from infirmary for nan Jiang match, having gone down pinch a bad lawsuit of tonsillitis.

Moody caught nan oculus of galore for nan first clip astatine nan 2022 Snooker Shootout, erstwhile he competed arsenic a baby-faced 15-year-old. There, he hit China's Lu Ning successful nan single-frame format, pinch nan triumph earning him plaudits from snooker fable Jimmy White who described Moody arsenic a "serious player".

He still looks each spot nan teen who mightiness beryllium pressed for ID successful a bar.

Moody has doubly reached quarter-finals this season, doing truthful astatine nan Wuhan Open past August and nan British Open a period later.

His tally successful nan Wuhan Open included a daze triumph complete erstwhile world number 1 Ding Junhui.

At nan British Open, his travel to nan past 8 included triumph complete Wilson. Earlier this year, he besides hit John Higgins astatine nan World Open.

He is nan benignant of subordinate who loves snooker unconditionally, sitting for hours astatine a clip watching YouTube videos of nan sport's top moments.

But Moody puts his betterment successful results of precocious down to not worrying astir nationalist cognition of his performances.

"I stopped checking societal media and nan antagonistic worldly and each nan unit and expectation," he said, aft clinching his spot successful nan Sheffield main draw.

"I relaxed a bit, started going for much shots successful nan measurement I wanted to play, and not reasoning 'if I miss this what will different group think?' - playing and enjoying it and seeing what happens."

If nan Littler comparisons are fair, what astir proceeding comments comparing him to Trump, snooker's world number one?

"I don't know, we'll see," said Moody. "Judd's done a batch much than maine successful nan game, he's a batch older. Hopefully I tin hit immoderate of his records, but I'm connected my ain journey, connected my ain path."