Up and coming: Anthony McGill is ready to break into the big time

Published on Saturday 25 April 2009 19:52

WHEN HE has had some free time from work commitments Anthony McGill has tried to take in as much of the snooker World Championships as possible.

As he sits glued to the television he clutches a betting slip with the name Stephen Maguire penned across it. With 5 on at odds of 15/2 he knows there is no windfall coming his way, but as any typical snooker fan would tell you, he is merely heightening the once-a-year experience by giving himself someone to cheer for. What separates McGill from the average snooker fan is that his work is the constant practising and playing of snooker. It is something he does in the expectation that he will one day be part of the action from the Crucible.

National champion at under-14s, 16s, 19s and 21s while holding the number one ranked position at all those age groups, McGill is a teenage star in the snooker world. While many young talented potters can still only pray that one day they will make a name for themselves in the sport, for McGill the realisation of a lifetime ambition is already within touching distance.

"To get to the professional tour I will have to qualify first," says the 18-year old. "One of the ways of qualifying is if you finish number one in the Scottish rankings. This season I am currently number one with one tournament to go and if I'm still number one after that tournament then I'll be professional. If I manage that it would be achieving what I have been aiming for ever since I was nine years old."

There is little to explain McGill's enthusiasm and talent for snooker, the two just seem to fit together naturally and have ever since he can remember. His love of watching the world's best players on television soon turned into a passion for playing and an unrelenting drive that has constantly made him determined to improve on his game.

"I just love winning. When I first started out I didn't win very often and I just got sick of losing so I just practised harder. Even now if someone ever beats me it really gets to me so I always make sure I practise harder and I'm ready for the next tournament.

"I feel that I've got a great chance in every tournament I enter. I look forward to every match that I play in. If I ever get any nerves then it's usually in the match, like if I'm getting close to winning, but before the matches I'm just really looking forward to playing and enjoying it. I just try to be myself, to play my own game and just do what comes naturally to me."

Doing what comes naturally has propelled him into an astonishing number of accomplishments for such a young age. And earlier this month he made that extensive list even longer by winning the Scottish Open Amateur Championship, beating Bonnyrigg's Michael Leslie in the final. "I was delighted because there must have been about 80 players entering, so to come through that field was terrific. And to win the final so easily was great because Michael is a great player. I played all right in that game, but it wasn't the best snooker I've ever played."

McGill's determination to continually be the best snooker player is the reason he has become the undeniable young talent that exists today, but the extensive practice that improved his game might never have occurred had it not been for the full backing of his very supportive parents."They made sure when I was younger that I made it to every tournament, they would always take me everywhere. They would just do anything for my snooker. There is an extension built at the back of the house that's got a table in it, they built that especially to put a snooker table in it for me. I'm not sure how much that cost, but it must have sent them back a bit. They would just do anything for me."

The dream hasn't been achieved yet, but there is little chance that McGill will let complacency slip into his game. He was quick to stress that he still needed sponsorship so he could try to raise the money to compete in the World Amateur Champions in order to improve his game even further. Still, even if didn't get a chance to excel in that tournament, you have to expect that at many a World Championship event for years to come there will be punters closely viewing the action with the name Anthony McGill written on their betting slip.

FACTFILE

NAME: Anthony McGill

DATE OF BIRTH: 5/2/1991

AGE: 18

BORN: Glasgow

KEY MOMENT: Getting to the U19 European Championship finals

INSPIRATION: My parents. Because they've lived life and know how hard it can be and told me it could be a lot easier as a professional snooker player.

ASPIRATION: To be world champion