Barry Hawkins has an unwanted reputation as snooker’s nearly man. But he insists he’s not gutted about how his season has panned out, despite two final defeats.
Losses at the German Masters and UK Championship to world championKyren Wilson and world No.1 Judd Trump mean that the Hawk has now lost out in 13 finals – winning just four. But he insists that the standard of his game is what keeps him upbeat when it would be easy to be feeling sorry for himself.
And Hawkins is determined to make an impression at this year’s World Championship at the Crucible after crashing out before the third round for the last six years straight – having enjoyed back-to-back semi-final appearances in 2017 and 2018. Speaking to WST ahead of the World Open in China, he said: “It was tough being so close again (in Germany) and knowing that Kyren missed a few and that I let him off in some frames.
“I didn’t really get much of a chance in the last frame. It was another great experience to play in the final in front of all those people. I can’t really complain about how the season is going though. I’ve been to two finals. I have been three frames away from an unbelievable year. It could have been two trophies.
“I’ve been really consistent. There are still some big tournaments to come, so I need to keep my head down and keep the good form going. In the last few years I’ve been beaten early on at the Crucible and lost at qualifying. I’ve guaranteed my place there as a seed again and that was my main aim at the start of the season.
“I’m looking forward to being there again and hopefully I can get back to performing well there. The banana skins coming through qualifying now is ridiculous. It can be tough being a seed as players you are facing are match sharp.”
And Hawkins revealed that, regardless of how he does at the World Open, he’ll be staying at the tournament for the duration to cheer on a close friend who goes in as one of the favourites. He added: “I spend a lot of time on the tour with Mark Selby. We’ve agreed that if someone gets beat and the other is still in the competition, we are going to hang about and wait for the other person.
“I’m hoping we can both win a few matches. I’ve got a tough game but it would be nice to not be the one hanging about. It is always tough to play Jamie. He has a lot of experience and isn’t afraid to play anybody. It is going to be difficult, that is for sure.”