After months away due to injury, Ian McCulloch is fighting fit and not letting defeat get in his way.
He has taken on some of the top names in his sport, like Ronnie O’Sullivan and the late Paul Hunter, but Preston’s Ian McCulloch still has his feet firmly on the ground.
The World number 35 was at ease this week as he trained at the Longton Sports and Social Club following his exit from the Championship qualifiers on Monday.
Things had been looking hopeful for McCulloch after he won his first match 10-6 on Friday against Malta’s Tony Drago. But in the final stage match he couldn’t compete with World number 17 Barry Hawkins, and lost 10-7.
“Obviously I was disappointed with the result in the second match and I really wanted to get through to the finals,” said McCulloch.
“But some days you win and others you don’t. You have to learn to take that on the chin, pick yourself back up and prepare yourself for the next match.”
He added: “I don’t think there was anything particularly bad with my game, it just wasn’t as good as it was in the first round against Drago. You can’t play well every time.”
Yet it’s not all bad news for Big Mac who has returned from a series of injuries that threatened his chances of playing this season.
“Last year I had to pull out of the Maplin UK Championship because I had a cricked neck and since then I’ve had a couple more injury problems and an operation on my shoulder.
“It’s been hard work training myself back up to top form, but I’m hoping I can come back and have a great season.”
In the past Ian has made the final of the 2004 Totesport Grand Prix and finished runner-up in the 2002 British Open. But his biggest achievement to date was winning the 2004 Swiss Open Championship and earning a world ranking of 16th. Not bad for someone who took up the sport after only playing the occasional game of pool round at a friend’s.
“I was fortunate to have a lot of support from my family when I was learning to play, but my dad was always there to make sure none of it went to my head and I’m glad he did,” said the 38-year-old.
“Even now I fit my training around doing everyday things like picking my children up from school and making the occasional shopping trip.
“I think it’s important to stay grounded even when your game is good, and you have to remember how fortunate you are that you’ve made a career out of your hobby.”
Ian, who is known for his love of Burberry bow ties, believes Preston has and is producing some great amateur snooker talents through the number of leagues in the city.
He continued: “The competition in some of the amateur leagues is fantastic. They are a great way to get into the sport and for others they are a good social event.
“For me they are a bit of a busman’s holiday, but I know Stuart Pettman enjoys the challenge of them.”
Preston-born Pettman is the world number 37 and did superbly to qualify for the World Championships earlier this week after outclassing world number 21 Stuart Bingham 10-2.
Ian said: “I’ve been friends with Stuart for a very long time and it was a fantastic win for him.
“Stuart is having a really good run at the moment and to get into the World Championship finals will be great for his career. He’s playing really well at the moment and this is an added boost for him.”
Even with this early season setback, Ian, who made his name with ‘no century, no fee’ appearances, is confident of pulling things back and hopes to win a world ranking event one day.
“I have a lot of matches and tournaments coming up. I’m travelling to Switzerland in a couple of weeks time and then to Holland and Thailand in the summer.
“It was hard to take not making the World Championship finals, but I’m hopeful that I can up my game for the remainder of the season.”
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