Kyren Wilson is excited to be back on the table after an eventful summer (Picture: Getty Images)
Kyren Wilson begins the defence of his European Masters title on Tuesday and is glad to be at full strength again after an unusual early-season injury.
The Warrior played at the Championship League earlier this summer and had something of a limp around the table, along with an impressive tan.
It didn’t seem to be hampering him as he won all three of his games in his first group stage and two of three in the second group, something he was very pleased with.
‘It was nice because I’d just got back from a stag do three days before, so I was pleased with how I performed,’ Wilson told Metro.co.uk.
‘I should have had a max [missing the final pink]. I just missed out on the final group, but they’re four-frame matches, they can go either way. A slice of luck can end the match, so I wasn’t too hard on myself. I was quite pleased with how I played considering how rusty I felt.’
A notable limp a few days after a stag do suggests there could be an interesting story to tell, and Kyren has done just that.
‘Yeah…I got a little bit worse for wear on the Albufeira strip and a policeman kindly treated my leg to his baton!’ Wilson explained. ‘So I had a bit of a limp, it was sore for a few days. It was just a bit of a misunderstanding, but it is one to remember.
‘I was very much worse for wear, as you’re supposed to be on a stag do. I was best man as well so it was my job to make sure the groom was well intoxicated.
‘There was a bit of a dispute over a kebab, one of my friends was over charged, which we weren’t happy about. The police came and before I said a word he wrapped his baton round my leg! All good now though.’
Wilson has no lasting damage from his Portuguese dust-up (Picture: Getty Images)
Wilson looked in good form at the Championship League but has not been in action on the main tour since, getting back into the swing of things in Nuremberg on Tuesday against Dean Young.
The 31-year-old picked up his fifth ranking title last season and is looking for more in the campaign to come, with high hopes of enjoying what’s ahead of him.
‘I’m just trying to win as many titles as possible,’ he said. ‘I feel like it’s going to be a fun year of snooker for me.
‘I’m finally not tinkering, I’m happy with my set-up, with my cue and I’m looking forward to a busy calendar. I thrive on back-to-back competitions, so I’m going to enjoy it.
‘I picked up my old cue the night before we left for the European Masters last year, so I wasn’t expecting anything but I went on to win it! So that was amazing.
‘Then I went into the old spiral of not being happy, I must have gone through six or seven cues, that led to a bit of inconsistency.
‘But after the Masters I found the cue I have now and I haven’t looked back. Multiple semi-finals and beyond, a 147 at the Crucible, so there was a lot of positive signs and I feel like I’ve already taken it into the new season at the Championship League. I feel like I’m settled.’
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‘There was a bit of a dispute over a kebab…’