“I looked like a complete idiot out there” as Leeds potter David Grace fails screen test at Scottish Open

David Grace crashed out of the 19.com Scottish Open but believes the disparity between life on a television table and elsewhere was a reason for his demise.
David Grace.  Picture by Simon HulmeDavid Grace.  Picture by Simon Hulme
David Grace. Picture by Simon Hulme

The Leeds potter went down to a crushing 4-0 defeat to world number 14 Jack Lisowski, struggling to adapt to life in front of the Eurosport cameras as the 2019 China Open finalist composed majestic breaks of 100 and 59 at the Emirates Arena.

But the world number 96 was quick to point to the conditions of the table, believing the difference between life in front of and behind the cameras was comparable to playing completely different sports.

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“Everything went wrong out there - it’s hard to describe when you don’t play snooker, but going from the outside tables to the television tables is like playing a different game,” the 34-year-old said.

“I looked like a complete idiot out there, and that change can make you miss absolutely anything - I never knew where the white ball was going, and it just feels like a different world.

“I think it’s the lighting that makes the difference - my eyes just weren’t adjusting and I was hitting it where I thought I should be hitting it but it just wasn’t even hitting the jaws, I was that far away from it.

“It’s the same for everyone - when you’re playing the top boys they’re more used to it, but they’ve had to find a way to get to that stage, and that’s all you can do, just try and get on there more often.

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“Obviously if you’re at Wimbledon and you’re on an outside court going onto centre court it’s different, but it’s not the cameras and it’s not the crowd that I’m bothered about - you just get on those TV tables and everything looks different and I can’t suss it out.”

Birthday boy Peter Lines was another Leeds-based potter in action, avoiding the television cameras but having his big day ruined by world number eight Kyren Wilson.

The world number 121 had enjoyed a confidence-boosting 4-2 first round victory over Germany’s Simon Lichtenberg, but failed to cope with the fluency of Wilson’s cueing that saw him notch a century break in frame two.

“I was hoping he’d take it easy on me, because a win would have been the perfect present,” the experienced 50-year-old said.

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“Against the players I’ve been playing I haven’t been getting enough chances to win, and that is mainly because I haven’t been playing well enough and it’s tough.”

*Watch the Scottish Open live on Eurosport, Eurosport Player and Quest with studio analysis from Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White