Ashley Hugill on painful reality of losing snooker pro status as he fires back to form

Ashley Hugill made his Crucible debut in 2022 and was living his snooker dream, but two years later he dropped off the professional tour and the following months were some of the hardest of his life.

Things can change very quickly in a sporting career and that’s what happened to the Yorkshireman, who also reached a first ranking quarter-final in 2022 and received praise from Ronnie O’Sullivan in the same year.

But by the end of the 2023/24 season he finished one place too low in the rankings, just one match win away from retaining his tour card.

Then came a scrap to regain professional status, but there was a period of dealing with the change after losing his livelihood and his identity.

‘I was sat thinking that two years ago I was at the Crucible and I’ve worked so hard since then and now I’m here in Q School, what is going on?’ Hugill told Metro.

‘It was really hard, it was one of the hardest times of my life. Obviously you look at other things going on in the world and you think, what are you on about? It’s only a game snooker, but those six months after falling off the tour…not knowing where you’re at with the game and even if you want to continue playing.

‘Then you’ve got the financial pressure. On the amateur circuit even if I do well I’m only going to cover my costs at best and I didn’t even achieve that. You’re watching your money going down. It is stressful, it was really stressful.

‘For six of the last seven years, I’d been a pro and you’re proud of that and it feels like it’s a big part of your identity. You’ve applied yourself to it so much and been doing it since you were 12 years old and then it’s taken away from you, you kind of lose yourself. You’ve got to get your head around that.’

Hugill took his time to get his head round it and had a disappointing season on the amateur circuit, but did rediscover the drive to get back to where he wants to be in the game and finished third in the Q School rankings this year, meaning he is still competing as an amateur but is enjoying invitations to most pro events.

‘I think it took me probably four to six months to accept that I wasn’t on the tour and I had to try and get back on, because I didn’t want to play for quite a while,’ he said. ‘I thought about getting a job but my parents talked me out of it.

‘I got the hunger back for playing, I accepted where I was at and felt more determined that I do want to come back.’

‘This is the most confident I’ve been in my game since…‘

A couple of wins in the Saudi Arabia Masters and in Northern Ireland Open qualifying have represented a good start to the season in the pro tournaments available to Hugill and his time in the doldrums appears to be behind him.

The 30-year-old credits work with new coach Anthony Hamilton for fine tuning parts of his game as he looks to reach new heights.

‘I think this is the most confident I’ve been in my game since I got to the Crucible, without a doubt,’ he said.

‘I’m working with Anthony Hamilton now and I can see how that’s working for me already and it’s only been a couple of months. I feel like my game’s heading in the right direction.’

Hugill’s most recent outing was a 4-3 win over multiple ranking event winner Ricky Walden in Northern Ireland Open qualifying, with breaks of 132, 68, 67 and 63, which shows the touch he is in.

‘I was just happy to show my form on the match table,’ he said. ‘It’s not often in the past where I’ve won a best of seven with four 60-plus breaks.

‘I’m working on it with Ant, the technical changes I’ve made to try and help me score heavier because I think the other parts of my game are really strong. So hopefully I’m going to reap the rewards.’

Hugill’s work with Hamilton is also about trying to enjoy the game again, which can be lost in a battle to survive on tour and earn a living.

‘I completely lost sight of that for at least a year, 18 months,’ he said. ‘The last six months on tour and then the majority of last season, it was a real slog, a real battle to try and enjoy it.

‘That’s the nature of the sport at the lower end of the rankings, it’s very cutthroat. It is hard to keep perspective.’

Things are looking up now, though, with almost too many tournaments to play in as he competes in both professional and amateur tournaments and continues the task of regaining his place on tour.

‘My schedule’s absolutely insane at the minute,’ he said. ‘I think in the next eight weeks I’ve got 10 comps. So I’ve got to be a little bit careful with my energy levels. It’s a good problem to have, it means I’m doing something right.

‘I know I’m more than good enough to be on the tour, but I don’t just want to be on the tour, I want to be up the rankings.

‘It’s a nice job to have travelling around the world and playing snooker, but you’re not making any money and you’re not able to lead a nice lifestyle if you’re right down the bottom of the rankings.

‘I don’t just want to get back on the tour and mill about at the 70s and 80s in the world rankings again. I want to get right up there.’

Hugill looks to continue his fine recent form in the opening round of the English Open against Ben Mertens on Friday September 12 at 7pm.

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