BBC commentator, 52, ‘astonished’ after qualifying for World Snooker Championship 10 YEARS after last appearance

DOMINIC DALE has qualified for the World Snooker Championship for the first time in a DECADE at the age of 52.

The Welshman has become the oldest qualifier since Steve Davis in 2010 thanks to a 10-8 win over China's He Guoqiang.

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His victory at the English Institute of Sport means he will return to the Crucible having not appeared at the famous venue since reaching the quarter-finals in 2014.

And Dale, who also works as a snooker commentator and presenter for both the BBC and Eurosport, stunned himself after reaching the world championships for a 10th time.

Following his landmark victory, he said: "I am astonished actually.

"I was 9-6 up and had a couple of golden chances but I wasn’t nervous.

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"It’s been so long since I played in a match of that magnitude, not necessarily financially but to get back to the Crucible.

"I couldn’t have dreamt at my age that I could play well enough to get there.

"You’ve got to play so many matches to qualify now and I sometimes wonder if I’m capable enough, but luckily tonight I was."

Dale's first appearance at the world championships came all the way back in 1997 when he beat Tony Drago, before he was eliminated in the second round by John Higgins.

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Journalist pointed out Dale's first-round win over Drago came one week before Tony Blair beat John Major in a landslide victory at the 1997 general election.

His best results at the Crucible were in 2000 and 2014 when he reached the last eight on both occasions - losing to Joe Swail and Barry Hawkins.

And Dale, nicknamed the Spaceman, would be more than content with another run to the quarters.

He added: ‘I’ll take a quarter-final. I’ve been to two of them.";

The 2024 World Snooker Championship gets underway on April 20 and will conclude on May 6.