Stan Moody is coming for snooker’s big names and he intends to do it his way.
The 19-year-old made a memorable Crucible debut this year, losing in the first round but making an impression on snooker’s biggest stage.
The teenager became the youngest British debutant at the Crucible since Judd Trump in 2007 and looked made for the big stage as he took on world number two Kyren Wilson.
Moody made two centuries as he took a 6-3 lead in the opening session, but at 7-3 up things went badly wrong, losing a number of tight frames and ultimately the match 10-7.
It was a bruising second session, but one he is intent on learning from and Moody is taking the positives from an eventful debut.
‘I enjoyed it,’ Moody told Metro. ‘Loving the crowd, the atmosphere, just fully zoned in.
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‘The arena were a bit different to what I thought, probably bigger, but the crowd were class. A Yorkshire crowd cheering me on, wanting me to win. It was good, a good laugh.
‘The venue didn’t really affect me. I still loved being there even when I were losing. It was just the match that were doing my head in a bit.
‘I lost some bad frames, but I learned a lot and hopefully I’ll get back there next year and do better.’
The Yorkshireman was obviously left frustrated that he could not kill off the match when he had built such a lead, but is pleased that he had a former world champion in serious trouble.
On dealing with the gap between sessions, he said: ‘I were excited about the first session. I just thought, if I go and do what I’ve done this morning, I can’t really lose. That weren’t an overconfidence thing, that was just what was happening.
‘I missed a red to go 8-3 and it’s completely changed the match. If that red goes in, I’d probably win 10-3 because Kyren were gone. He couldn’t make 30.
‘But I took a lot from that. I know he were saying about his cue and whatever else, but if he were winning, he probably wouldn’t have been saying that.
‘It were a chance missed, but I took a lot of confidence from it. Shutting out the world number two for all that time and making him go. That was probably the most positive thing I took from it.’
Moody has a long way to catch Wilson in terms of achievements, but there could be a rivalry brewing, given what the teenager thought of the Warrior’s celebrations after the match.
After completing the comeback, Wilson pumped his fist before shaking hands, then continued to celebrate as he left the arena, which Moody was not impressed by.
‘The celebration at the end, I thought it were a bit disgusting, to be honest,’ he said. ‘A world champion, world number two, I think it were a bit out of order, but it is what it is.
‘I think Shaun Murphy said that he’s got every right to do that. He has got every right to do it, but I think a lot of people looked at that and said he shouldn’t really be doing that.
‘I wouldn’t have done that at his stage against a young lad, first time there, but everyone’s different, you know? It obviously, meant a lot to him to beat me, so good on him.
‘I’m not bitter at all. He got to 10 first and it is what it is. Classy player and I’ll try to beat him next time.’
Moody is treading the fine line between learning when to turn shots down, but not curb his attacking instincts, with the defeat to Wilson a key teaching experience.
‘I’m just learning what shots to take on at the right time. But still, if I fancy a shot I’m going to go for it,’ he said.
‘In my first season [on tour] I was trying to play too much safety and playing scared. Then in my second season I attacked a bit more and then last season I attacked even more and it definitely helped.
‘I think you’ve just got to play the shot you fancy at the time. If you get it wrong, you get it wrong. But that’s how I enjoy playing and having fun.
‘Kyren said in one of his interviews that I were going for ridiculous balls and getting them. In my head, they’re not ridiculous shots. They’re shots that I know I can get. I didn’t really understand when he said that, but everyone’s different. Every player is different and everyone sees the game differently.
‘That’s how I see the game at the minute. I might change as I get a bit older, but that’s how I enjoy playing. I think if they go in, it scares your opponent and that’s how I like to play.’
The world number 40 is looking to show that it is not just the brilliant young Chinese talents in the game who can blast the more experienced players off the table.
Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize have won the last two world titles with thrilling brands of snooker, while Moody reckons world number one Judd Trump has lost some dynamism and that could have cost him tournaments of late.
‘That’s how Xintong plays and look at what Xintong’s won,’ he said. ‘I’d say Judd’s gone quite negative. Maybe that’s why he’s not winning as much. Who knows? But Xintong, Wu Yize, obviously I’ve not won what they’ve won, but I think I play a similar way to them.
‘I wouldn’t say they’re reckless shots. They’re not stupid. There’s some thought going into them. Obviously, you’ve got to find a good balance. You can’t go all out attack or you just get beat.
‘But if you find a good balance like Wu and Xintong, then you’d be very hard to beat.’