Kettering potter Kyen Wilson says game in good shape as he heads to Sheffield

The 32-year-old 12th seed begins his tilt for a first world crown next Tuesday when he plays his first round match against a qualifier.

Runner-up in 2020, Wilson has also reached two semi-finals and three quarter-finals in the past, and he can't wait to return to Sheffield for another go at claiming the biggest title in world snooker.

Refreshed after a family holiday to Portugal, Wilson has been back at his training base at Barratts in Northampton to prepare for what's in store over the next couple of weeks in south Yorkshire.

But it is an experience he is now well used to, having first competed at 'the worlds' in 2014.

"I have been working pretty hard just trying to get my game together for the Crucible," said Wilson. "It's always special to go there.

"I think this is going to be about my 10th appearance, so although I am pretty young in terms of the top players in the world, I feel like I have gathered quite a lot of experience there now.

"But every year I go back and play there it is really exciting, and great to be a part of. I always stay at the same place. I stay at Kenwood Hall and I always get looked after, and I always enjoy going there."

It has been a season of some frustration for Wilson to date, although he feels his game is in better nick than some of his results suggest.

"In practice, my game is really strong," he said. "It has been a bit of a hit and miss season for me really, but in terms of some of my statistics I am still up there with the very best of them.

"You just need a bit of a run of a ball at the right time, and you need to take out the clearances at certain moments that make all the difference."

A key thing for Wilson about the World Championships is that the matches are played over a longer format, with the first round matches the best of 19 frames.

"I sort of warm into games, and I have done it all at the Crucible over the years," said Wilson. "I have come from miles behind to win, I have defended big leads, I have sort of picked away and gone back and forth in matches, so I have done it all.

"I feel I have had every situation thrown at me and kind of handled every one, so it is about enjoying it.

"The good thing about the long format matches is just that, you have time.

"In the shorter matches you are kind of under pressure from the off, whereas with the longer games you can settle into them.

"Whoever comes out on top at the end of the World Championships, you can't say they have fluked it, they have definitely earned it, being the best player after 17 days."

Wilson will discover his first round opponent on Thursday when the draw is made following the completion of the qualifying tournament at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on Wednesday.

There are some big names battling to reach the Crucible, including the likes of Stuart Bingham, Neil Robertson and Stephen Maguire, but Wilson admits he isn't concerned about who he ends up being drawn against.

"There are lots of good players going through qualifying, but to be honest I don't really take too much notice of it," he said.

"To be the world champion you have to beat the very best players in the world, so it kind of doesn't matter.

"But in terms of draws, I have had horrible draws the past couple of years.

"I played Ding Junhui in 2022, and then last year I played Ryan Day, so they don't come much tougher than that."

The past two tournaments have seen Wilson bow out at the second round stage, having reached at least the last eight for six years on the spin from 2015.

Wilson, who still made his mark last year as he made a 147 in his first round win over Day, isn't too concerned about those early exits though, and points to the fact that Belgian outsider Luca Brecel came from nowhere to win the title last year as proof that the tournament is wide open.

"The past couple of years I have lost to former world champions," he said.

"I lost to Stuart Bingham and last year I lost to John Higgins, so there is no shame in losing to those guys. It is a long, long tournament over 17 days, and you just need a little bit of luck along the way.

"Somebody like Luca Brecel winning it last year has probably inspired a lot of players. It's fair to say not a lot of people would have tipped him to win that tournament, but he did and it just goes to show you it can happen."