Chatteris snooker ace Joe Perry fed up with Milton Keynes
Joe Perry believes the coronavirus pandemic is depriving snooker players of the globe-trotting highlight of their calendar, writes WILL JENNINGS.
The Chatteris potter, reared in the snooker halls of Wisbech, slumped to a 4-2 defeat against world number101 Allan Taylor in his second round match at the Northern Ireland Open in Milton Keynes.
The behind closed doors Marshall Arena is the venue being used for all ranking events this season, with visits to Belfast, York and Glasgow being swapped with the monotony of a Buckinghamshire retail park and the sound of silence at the table.
World number 18 Perry resents the lack of travelling and longs for the day when he can return to his favourite haunts around the British Isles once more.
“It’s sad to miss all the tournaments and normally on the tour this is a really good time for us,” said Perry (46), who is now ramping up preparations for next week’s UK Championship.
“I’m getting a bit older now and not many things excite me when it comes to snooker any more. But you’re looking for things to motivate you and this time of the year is normally really good.
“Belfast is a great tournament and a great city and then we go from there to York, which is always a buzz, then Glasgow, so we’re missing out. But we’ve got to be so thankful that we’re actually working and playing snooker at all.
“It’s going to be difficult to tell myself it is the UK Championship and it’s going to seem like every other tournament we’ve played in the same few months.
“It’s going to be hard to tell yourself it’s one of the major tournaments of the year, but that’s where you’ve got to be professional, get your head down and get on with it.”
The 2015 Tour Championship winner Perry struck breaks of 59 and 52 against his lowly opponent but Taylor, returning to the professional tour after a year out last season, delivered a gutsy performance to get over the line.
The result continued a turbulent season for the former world number eight since snooker returned after the first lockdown, having won both his matches in German Masters qualifying but falling to premature defeats at the European Masters and English Open.
Next up is a clash against Maltese potter Alex Borg in the UK Championship and Perry reckons he’s peaking at the perfect time ahead of the prestigious Triple Crown event.
“I’m happy with how it’s going – I’m getting some good practice and I’m enjoying the practice, which helps,” he added.
“I’ve put a few more hours in and it paid off this week, and this is probably as good as I’ve played since we first came out of lockdown.
“Hopefully it’s a turn in form and it will just get better from here. A few wins will bring me more confidence and that always helps you play better stuff.”
Watch the Northern Ireland Open live on Eurosport, Eurosport app, and stream on discovery+
