Anthony McGill admits he was pleased to make amends in Scotland’s triumph over Israel on Wednesday at the Snooker World Cup. The 26-year-old struggled to find his rhythm in his country’s opening match against Thailand, going down in both of his singles before also faltering in their doubles fixture, to allow the Thai pair to run out 3-2 winners. However, he showed signs of improvement in the 3-2 win over Cyprus and was then the star of the 4-1 triumph against the Israelis.
That result put them second in Group D heading into their penultimate pool match on Thursday against Northern Ireland, a clash they are 1.50 to win, with their Celtic Cousins 2.50. A victory in Wuxi will set them up nicely heading into Friday’s clash against India and, after a poor start, the second seeds seem to be going in the right direction.
The duo of four-time world champion John Higgins and two-time ranking event winner McGill could prove hard to beat once they hit their straps. Following his slow start, the Glaswegian admits he has been pleased with his gradual improvement and believes he and Higgins will be in good stead if they can make it through their tricky group. “I felt really guilty in the first match against Thailand, as I lost both of my singles frames and we lost the doubles. John won us a couple of points there and it might be vital,” said the Indian Open champion. “Today we played a bit better and it was important to try and get a big win. We’ve done that today. This is the hardest group in my opinion, but this result has put us back in with a good chance.”