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.

Dominic Dale has qualified for the world championships for the first time since 2014Getty

He has reached the quarter-finals on two occasions in the pastGetty

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.

“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 Nick Metcalfe 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.