I'm part of history now and nobody can take it away from me! Kyren Wilson battled so much for so long to rule the world, now the family man opens up on his Crucible triumph

Kyren Wilson has a picture on his phone that captures the beautiful chaos of the past few days. It’s quite the sight.

Snooker’s newest world champion is still piecing together his memories from an after-party that extended deep into Tuesday morning, but the image on his screen tells a story.

‘Look at this,’ he says, and it shows him sprawled out and asleep in bed, surrounded by his two young sons, Finley and Bailey, with the addition of something shiny on his head.

‘It’s the lid of the trophy. I had no idea any of this was going on because I was out of it. But they put it there and my wife, Sophie, thought it was a good time to take a few pics.

‘I’ve got all sorts on my phone from Monday night. I got to the party around midnight. It’s funny because when I lost the final there (in 2020) I remember doing sambucas and messing around with Rob Walker (the broadcaster and master of ceremonies at the tournament). I think I put him in a headlock.

‘This time I have all these pictures and videos of Rob dancing in pink shorts because he’d split his trousers. He’s jumping around with one of my boys on his shoulders.

‘It was just a very long and very messy night. I made it to breakfast in the hotel at 7.30am on Tuesday and still had a drink in my hand.

‘Tell you the truth, this all feels brilliant. Just brilliant.’

He’s not yet landed, this son of Kettering who, at the age of 32, made the strife of his journey worthwhile with that 18-14 win over Jak Jones. There are some for whom success can seemingly come easy; there are others whose triumphs are harder won.

‘It has been tough to get here,’ he says, and it is a sentiment we can split into two parts. 

One would be the sporting struggles of a man who lost his place on the pro tour in 2011 and worried for the next two years that his livelihood might come from pulling pints. As recently as 2015, when he ignited his career with the first of his six ranking titles, he was barely earning enough to cover nappies for Finley, now nine.

The other challenges relate to the sharper traumas endured by his family. They include his father’s battle with multiple sclerosis and the subsequent difficulties of 2023, when his youngest, Bailey, the lad of six seen throwing ticker tape in his little tuxedo on Monday, was hospitalised for five days. 

Such was the stress caused by early fears that he had an abdominal problem, Wilson’s wife suffered a recurrence of epilepsy. Combined, it meant that when Wilson described Monday as a ‘win for the family,’ it carried more weight than usual.

‘We’re a family that has come from nothing,’ he says. ‘We’ve had to work very hard for every inch of success. My mum and dad have sacrificed so much — they bought a derelict house that hadn’t been lived in for 40 years just because it had space to build a snooker room. My dad saw some talent in me and wanted me to have a chance.

‘They had to remortgage so many times. I have lost count of how many old Fiat Unos my dad burnt out driving me to tournaments.

‘Even then, after making it into the game, I was living off my wife’s wage as a spa assistant in a hotel. There was a time (around 2013) that we realised this needed to work pretty fast otherwise I was going to have to get a job.

‘I was also a barman then and not a very good one — I spilled so much good beer —but we got through all that as a family.

‘Honestly, I’m so happy that after everything we have this to show for it.

‘When I got home (to Kettering, on Tuesday) I took the trophy to a local club. A little boy there was reading all the names on it — Hendry, O’Sullivan, Davis, all the greats. I just had this really nice feeling that I’m a part of history and nobody can take that away from me.’ 

It has been an amusing spin-off of Wilson’s win that he revealed he isn’t even the favourite snooker player in the eyes of his sons — that would be Judd Trump. ‘In terms of sportsmen, they prefer Cristiano Ronaldo as well,’ he says. ‘Thought I might jump up a rung but I’m still No 3.’

Incidentally, that is where Wilson has reached in the world rankings. Now, having succeeded where he fell short against Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2020 final, Wilson talks of wanting to ‘stick around at the top,’ with a hope he can break the Crucible curse — no first-time winner has successfully defended the crown.

A sub-plot there concerns the possibility of a breakaway tour backed by Chinese money. Wilson confirmed during the worlds that he received an approach. It remains to be seen how any such move away from the World Snooker Tour might impact on Crucible eligibility. 

Wilson is non-committal, saying: ‘I haven’t thought about my future. I’m so focused on being a part of history. Getting announced at venues as the world champion is something I’m really excited about.’

His view is less nuanced on the subject of whether the tournament that made his name should relocate from the Crucible.

‘I would be sad if we left the Crucible,’ he says. ‘Nowhere else can create that atmosphere and intensity.’

Time will tell on that possibility, as it will on the breakaway, because it would seem much of the sport is up for grabs. Except for its history. And Wilson’s place there is now secure for good.