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.