A heavy cold wasn’t about to stop SightRight star Stuart Bingham progressing to the second round of the World Snooker Championship this week.

Bingham battled through the bug, which came a few days before his first round win against Robbie Williams, to triumph 10-7 at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre.

His coach – SightRight inventor and owner Stephen Feeney – reckons that Bingham’s focus and determination helped him through what would be most professional Snooker players’ worst nightmare.

“Stuart has put in so much hard work over the past few years and his preparation in between tournaments this season has been fantastic,” said Feeney, the world’s number one sighting and alignment expert.

Feeney’s assessment looks to be as accurate as Bingham’s cueing this season when you consider that the Basildon ace has won more matches than any other player on the tour.

Bingham, who takes on Graeme Dott on Friday, has enjoyed a fine campaign so far having won the Shanghai Masters, Championship League and Haining Open – a trophy haul that no other player has bettered this season.

And Feeney believes that a fully fit Bingham could go deep into the Snooker’s showpiece tournament in Sheffield.

“He’s got a few days to rest now before he plays on Friday,” said Feeney. “The Crucible is the most exciting place in the world to him and Dott will be a tough game, but that just adds to the excitement. There are no easy games at the World Championship – you have to be at your best!”

The headlines may say that ten-time Ladies World Snooker Champion Reanne Evans failed in her bid to become the first female competitor at the men’s World Championship after Thursday’s defeat to Ken Doherty – but her performance suggested that failure is an extremely harsh judgment.

Evans knew the task would be tough when she was pitted against the former World Champion in the first round of the Betfred World Championship qualifiers but she came so close to progressing after an 18 frame battle at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

Evans, who has been coached for the last nine months in SightRight methods by Stephen Feeney, looked set to force a deciding frame in the gruelling contest when she led in the 18th with just pink and black on the table but Doherty got the snooker he needed on the pink and duly went on to book his place in the next qualifying round.

Evans told World Snooker: “There’s no reason why I can’t beat people like Ken if I play a bit better. If I could play in events like this more often, you never know. The ladies game is very different. I’ve got to take the positives.

“If it had gone 9-9 I think I would have won. I felt really good out there, although there were a few nerves. I just kept losing position because I’m not used to the tables.”

Her coach, Feeney, echoed those sentiments, while Doherty himself admitted that he’d been given an almighty scare.

Feeney said: “Everyone involved in snooker knows what a class act Reanne is. SightRight methods are enhancing her skill and accuracy levels across her whole game.

“Despite her success, Reanne was off line in her sighting and technical alignment when we first got together and I’m full of pride to see how far she has come in the nine months I’ve been working with her.

“We both believe that SightRight methods have given her a new edge to compete at the highest level in the game and I think she showed that she is more than capable of doing that. The future is exciting.”

1997 Crucible winner Doherty added: “If it went 9-9, I think I would’ve been a million-to-one to win. She kept me under pressure all the way through.

“She was there today because she deserves it, she’s a good player and she should be given more chances on the tour.”

While Evans’ Crucible dream may be over, it certainly looks likely to become a reality in the not-too-distant future.

SightRight pair Stuart Bingham and Martin Gould both progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix with impressive victories on Wednesday.

Bingham enjoyed a 4-2 success against Matthew Selt, while Gould dispatched of reigning World Champion and world number one Mark Selby, triumphing by the same score line.

Gould’s scalp may be regarded as the shock of the tournament so far but it came as no surprise to SightRight founder and owner Stephen Feeney, who coaches Gould and Bingham.

Feeney, the world’s leading sighting and alignment expert, had predicted a memorable week for the talented duo and his assessment has proved to be as accurate as their potting.

Feeney said: “I knew that both players were ready to do some damage this week and it is looking great for them.

“Stuart is growing into the tournament and Martin secured an absolutely huge victory. There is no better way to boost confidence than beating the world number one and world champion in such convincing fashion.”

Bingham will face Mark Davis in Friday’s quarter-finals, when Gould will meet Peter Ebdon.

Following his victory over Selby, Gould told World Snooker: “It’s a great result for me and now I’ve got to produce that again in my next match.

“I never worry about who I’m playing, I just go out there raring to go and do my job. I’ve got a day off tomorrow so I think I’ll find somewhere to play some cribbage and dominoes.”

The World Grand Prix resumes on Friday and concludes over the weekend. It is being shown live on ITV4.

The next few weeks could be memorable for Stuart Bingham and Martin Gould according to their coach, SightRight supremo Stephen Feeney.

The pair both made a strong start to the World Grand Prix with victories on Monday, progressing to the last 16 and kick-starting a pivotal time in the Snooker season.

World number nine Bingham and fellow SightRight ambassador Gould have had a productive year and Feeney believes that they are both ready to enjoy success at the business end of the season, which sees this week’s World Grand Prix in Wales followed immediately by the Players Championship in Thailand.

“Both Stuart and Martin are in good shape and I believe they can both have really good runs in the next couple of tournaments,” said Feeney, who is also focused on preparations for next month’s World Championship.

“We are at a very important time of the year for Snooker now and with two big tournaments back to back we will start to see who the runners and riders are for the Crucible.

“I know that their preparations for these two tournaments have been excellent and that was shown in Monday’s performances. “Both are capable of going a long way in these events and then we will start gearing up for the big one. It will be a busy few weeks to me but I am really looking forward to it.”

After the Players Championship, Bingham will head to Beijing for the China Open, taking advantage of a busy schedule over the next few weeks.

Feeney is also coaching ten-time World Ladies Snooker Champion Reanne Evans as she bids to become the first female player to qualify for the World Championship, while the SightRight guru will also be helping multiple Crucible finalist Jimmy White with his preparations. Bingham and Gould can be seen in action at the World Grand Prix this week on ITV4.

The World Snooker Championship starts on Saturday 18 April, with the qualifiers taking place immediately before.

16/03/2015 20:35: @SightRightUK boys @Stuart__Bingham & @GouldyBalls147 at the World Grand Prix (Pics by WS) #TeamSightTech @RileyBCE pic.twitter.com/mKh1HdMLKu

SightRight ambassador Reanne Evans hit the headlines this week after it was announced that she could be appearing in the World Snooker Championships at The Crucible.

10-times Ladies’ Champion Evans, who is coached by SightRight supremo Stephen Feeney, has accepted an invitation to take part in next month’s qualifiers, meaning she is just three wins away from becoming the first female player to appear in the main televised stages of snooker’s showpiece tournament.

Evans has been working with Feeney and SightRight since signing with her manager Jason Francis, creator of the Snooker Legends Tour, last June. She is also mentored by the legendary Jimmy White.

Feeney said: “This is a hugely significant moment for Reanne but also for Snooker.

“She deserves the opportunity to be part of the sport’s biggest event and I have no doubt that she can more than compete with the men. She is there on merit and ability and is relishing her next big challenge.”

Evans told the BBC: “I’m thrilled that I’ve been invited. It is fantastic news.

“You are obviously going to get your critics saying that it is only because she is a woman that she got the invite. I feel like I’ve paid my dues to the game and this is a little payback that I’ve been rewarded with this invite.”

Seven-time snooker World Champion Stephen Hendry has singled out Stuart Bingham, Semi Finalist in the UK Championship for a second consecutive year, as an example for fellow professionals, citing his work with coach and SightRight owner Steve Feeney as a catalyst for his recent success.

In an article in the Daily Mail, Hendry praised Bingham along with Ronnie O’Sullivan, who won the UK Championship on Sunday, for their approach towards the game and their effort and professionalism behind the scenes.

The Scotsman, a notorious practiser in his extremely successful playing days, said of Bingham: “He has worked very closely with his coach Steve Feeney, and sometimes you just need one thing to trigger it or kick-start things for you. Just something, anything, whatever it is that does it for you as a player or gives you some belief.”

Hendry urged other players to look toward the likes of Bingham and O’Sullivan, who he believes enjoy success through dedication and working hard on their game and don’t just rely on their natural ability.

SightRight owner and inventor Steve Feeney, who has been working with Bingham for 4 years, commented: “Stephen’s comments are flattering and it is always nice to receive recognition, especially from someone like him.

“I agree entirely with his sentiments about the advantages of having a coach or looking for an edge. I believe that SightRight coaching methods provide that edge for Stuart Bingham, who works tirelessly on getting his game right. Since we got together he has won a multitude of titles and is now ranked in the top 8 in the World.

“A wise man once said that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard and I think that is where Stephen is coming from with his comments. It is nice to see that Stuart’s efforts are not going unnoticed, together we are working harder than ever and that, combined with his immense talent, is showing in his results.”