Alfie Burden regains World Snooker Tour place after edging thriller with Iulian Boiko at Q School – 'So many emotions'

Alfie Burden put the disappointment of his World Seniors final defeat to close friend Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White behind him last month to regain his place on the World Snooker Tour on the final day of Q School in Leicester. Burden picked up from where he left off on Monday evening at Event Two of the 208-player competition after recovering a 3-0 deficit to overcome former Shoot Out winner Michael Holt 4-3 just before midnight. Ad A 4-2 win over Duane Jones in the last 16 on Tuesday morning, which included a closing 91, set the Londoner up for a quarter-final meeting with talented Ukraine teenager Iulian Boiko, who had defeated former World Seniors champion Peter Lines by the same scoreline.

SnookerBurden ends Holt's hopes of tour return with comeback win9 HOURS AGO Burden produced breaks of 55 and 88 to lead 2-1 before Boiko edged 3-2 clear boosted by knocks of 54 and 68 in the fourth frame and claiming a tough fifth frame. Despite his plight, the evergreen Burden refused to buckle as a 52 run set up the decider which he won on the final brown. The result means Burden has secured his tour card for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons respectively, meaning he will celebrate his 30th anniversary since turning professional in 1994 among the sport's elite.

“There are so many emotions,” said Burden on WST. “I actually tried to pull out of Q School after the World Seniors because I felt I had let my family down by not winning that event – I felt very down and didn’t want to pick my cue up. I had a few days practice, came here and rolled the dice.

“Q School is so tough. After I won I went to the toilet and there was a kid bent over the sink crying his eyes out because he had lost. «It was Florian [Nuessle] and I feel for him.