Dominic Dale's professional snooker career ends following World Championship qualifying defeat

Dale made, and expressed his decision to retire from the sport's top tier at the end of the season several months ago. 'The Spaceman' explained that injuries, not wanting to face the mental strains of performing anymore, and hopes to increase his commentary work were the reasons why he has resigned his player membership.

The 53-year-old had a fantastic campaign last season - his best for several years - reaching the quarter-finals of two ranking events and qualifying for the televised stages of the World Championship at the Crucible for the first time in ten years.

On his return to snooker's grandest stage, Dale compiled a break of 120, but it was in the only frame he won as he bowed out to eventual champion Kyren Wilson 10-1 in round one.

This season has been less fruitful, although Dale did reach the last 16 of the Xi'an Grand Prix near the start of the term, defeating Shaun Murphy along the way.

Dale went into his final World Championship as the world number 48, meaning he required two victories to qualify for the Crucible for the 11th time in his career.

His opponent Wells was ranked just one position lower than him, and the player who stopped his aforementioned run in Xi'an.

After the opening two frames of the match were shared, Dale showed that he still has the class of a professional when he compiled a break of 131 in frame three.

The players went into the first mid-session interval level at 2-2, and on resumption, Dale deposited frames five and six to establish a two-frame advantage. However, those would be his final winning contributions on the pro tour.

Wells won the final three frames of the morning session, and when the players returned several hours later in the evening, the 36-year-old strung together another five consecutive frames - helped by efforts of 64, 61, 81, 73 and 58 - to reach the target of ten.

In the final qualifying round, Wells will face Gary Wilson. World number 17 Wilson - the highest ranked player who needed to attend these qualifiers - crushed Hammad Miah 10-1 elsewhere at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

For Wells, it is the fourth time that he has made the final qualification hurdle, although he has yet to reach the Crucible phases.

Dale can look back on a long and successful professional snooker career, having been an ever-present on the circuit since 1992.

A former World Amateur Championship finalist, Dale became one of the sport's unlikeliest ranking event champions in 1997 when as the world number 54 he won the Grand Prix after defeating John Higgins 9-6 in the title decider.

A decade later at the inaugural edition of the Shanghai Masters in China, Dale claimed his second ranking trophy when he won eight successive frames from 6-2 down to deny compatriot Ryan Day, 10-6, in the final.

A minor-ranked PTC event title arrived for Dale in 2010, and in 2014 he kept his cool at the chaotic Snooker Shoot Out in Blackpool to scoop further gold.

Although Dale's hopes for snooker's blue riband event are now over, he can still look forward to a date with the Crucible as he is in the 16-player draw for next month's 2025 World Seniors Snooker Championship.

Joe Perry bows out of the professional ranks

Another multiple-time ranking event champion played his last match as a professional on Saturday night in Sheffield, as Joe Perry’s World Championship dream was ended by Yuan Sijun.

Former world number eight Perry had also declared that he would be retiring from the World Snooker Tour at the end of this season several weeks ago.

The 50-year-old won his opening qualifying match earlier in the week against Dylan Emery 10-6, but his hopes of making the main draw and the Crucible were stopped by world number 33 Yuan.

Perry made a break of 104 in frame three but it was Yuan who led 3-1 at the first mid-session interval. The next four frames, though, went to Perry as he established a 5-3 lead.

However, Yuan claimed the final frame of the first session, and then won six consecutive frames in the evening (breaks of 109 and 62) to set up a final qualifying round meeting with fellow Chinese countryman Zhou Yuelong. In the same session, Zhou eliminated India's number one Ishpreet Singh Chadha, 10-5.

Like Dale, though, Perry will star at the World Seniors in May as he too makes his debut in the event.

Zak Surety was another player to book his spot in next week's final qualifying round after he defeated Jack Lisowski, 10-8.

Lisowski withdrew during the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong last month following the sudden death of his father. Playing in his first match since that tragedy, the world number 25 struck a 133 break in the opening frame.

The 33-year-old also crafted a 105 as he won the first session 6-3. Lisowski later led 8-5, but recent World Open semi-finalist Surety reeled off five frames in-a-row, registering runs of 100, 80, 64 and 103 in the process for victory. Surety also made a 139 earlier in the tie.

Surety is now one more win away from a Crucible debut, and so is Ireland's number one Aaron Hill who dispatched 2020 semi-finalist Anthony McGill, 10-5.

A Crucible semi-finalist last year, David Gilbert began the long journey back with a 10-5 win over Gong Chenzhi.

The final result of the day was an incredible one that went all the way, with Ricky Walden getting the verdict.

Walden trailed Mitchell Mann 7-1 before battling back and forcing a deciding frame where he needed a snooker on two occasions. The three-time ranking event winner got the penalty points he needed and went on to win the tie on the final black ball, 10-9.

For all the results and the full draw for the 2025 World Snooker Championship qualifying rounds, please visit our information centre here.