Stuart Carrington Q&A

Focus on the 24-year-old who enjoyed the best season of his career in 2013/14, reaching the last 32 of both the International Championship and the UK Championship.

Stuart, you must be pleased with the progress you’ve made over the last year?

Last season was good for me and I’ve started this one well. I just missed out on qualifying for Shanghai, losing 5-4 to Michael Holt in the last round, which was disappointing. But overall things are going well. I’ve been working a lot on my break-building, because I’ve always been able to create chances through my safety, but that’s no good if you don’t capitalise. It’s coming together now.

What are your targets this season, and longer term?

My main priority is just to stay on the tour and try to get into the top 64. I’m only a few places away from it at the moment so it’s within reach and that’s what I’m concentrating on. I’ve always known that I’m good enough. It takes time and it is frustrating but hopefully now I can kick on. Over the next few years I want to climb as high as possible in the rankings.

What are your views on the structure of the tour?

The flat draws and the money list give players like myself a much better chance of moving up. If you can string a few good tournaments together it can happen quite fast and your confidence is sky high. You only need to win one match to qualify for most venues, which helps us gain experience.

Do you enjoy seeing the world as a snooker player?

Yes I love travelling to the European Tour and ranking events and going to different countries and venues. It can be a struggle on the financial side but I did quite well last year so that helped.

Where do you practise, and who with?

At a club in Grimsby, mainly with Steven Hallworth and Ian Glover. Being from Grimsby, I’ve known Mike Hallett and Dean Reynolds for years, they’ve given me tips and I still speak to them.