English snooker wonderkid Moody discharges himself from hospital to qualify for Crucible debut

The 19-year-old Englishman will be the first British teenager to make his Crucible debut since Judd Trump in 2007.

Moody’s big day at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield was thrown into doubt the night before, though, as he was admitted to hospital with tonsilitis.

Medical staff even advised Moody to stay in to continue treatment, but the youngster discharged himself in order to play.

The world number 44 came through his opening match at the preliminaries earlier this week with a 10-5 win over three-time ranking event semi-finalist Robbie Williams.

Booking a spot in ‘Judgement Day’ for the first time in his fledgling professional career, Moody faced 20-year-old Jiang Jun who was also aiming for a debut outing on snooker’s grandest stage.

An unorthodox player from China, Jiang reached the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open in February, and in the penultimate qualifying round a few days earlier dispatched world number 20 Elliot Slessor.

Jiang began the match well, making breaks of 138 and 69 in establishing a 3-1 mid-session interval lead before Moody strung together four consecutive frames - registering runs of 53, 71 and 51 in the process - to move 5-3 up.

The Chinese took the final frame of the opening session (53 break), then the first two on resumption a few hours later to nudge ahead, 6-5.

Moody - who broke new personal ground earlier this season with quarter-final runs at the Wuhan Open and British Open - responded in style, crafting efforts of 71, 70 and 113 in a three-frame burst for an 8-6 lead. However, momentum shifted again as Jiang secured back-to-back frames to restore parity at 8-8.

It was Moody who reached the hill first, though, as a 127 put him 9-8 up. The English youngster was then within a few pots of qualification in frame 18 but scuppered his opportunity, allowing Jiang to conjure up a steely clearance to pinch the frame on the final black and force a grandstand finish.

And it was Jiang who got in first in the deciding frame by potting the opening red, but having seemingly deliberated too long on playing the subsequent yellow, he missed it.

It would be Jiang's final shot of the Championship, as Moody showed his class, fully punishing his opponent with a match-winning break of 104 - his third century of the evening.

World Snooker Federation Junior Champion in early 2023, Moody is only in his third season on the professional circuit. It was a fine achievement for the youngster to keep his tour card after his initial two-year stint as he broke into the world’s top 64, and he has built on that very solid foundation this term.

Speaking to Rob Walker immediately after his win, Moody explained his far-from-ideal preparation for one of the biggest matches of his life.

“I can hardly talk now with tonsilitis!” said the youngster.

“They said (hospital staff) ‘we know you’re going to say no, but we want you to stay in’. And I said ‘no, I’ve got a match to play tomorrow’. I’m glad I did it.”

Understandably, both players got animated towards the end of the match with so much at stake, and Moody admitted to feeling pressure like he’d never experienced before.

“I’m normally good under pressure, but I’ve never felt pressure like that in my life. I’m just so happy.

“I don’t really know what to say, I’m just happy. It’s been a dream of mine since I started playing and to do it so young I’m over the moon.”

Moody puts his name in the hat for the main draw that will take place on Thursday morning. He will be randomly drawn against one of the top 16 seeds for round one.

To view the full draw, results, schedule, and other information from the 2026 World Championship qualifying rounds, visit here.