Matthew Selt lost 10-4 to World Number One Mark Selby
World number 45 Matthew Selt thrived off of his first appearance at the World Championship despite losing in the opening round 10-4 to World number one, Mark Selby.
The 28-year-old gave the Jester from Leicester a five frame lead in the opening session before he finally got a frame on the board with an impressive break of 87.
Selby, who is aiming to become only the fourth player to win the triple crown, cruised to an unassailable lead inside the opening session on Tuesday evening and Selt put his game play down to nerves.
He said: “My highest break was 14 before the break. The way I started playing early on was all down to me not being used to it and the environment that I found myself in.
“I got into a little bit of a rhythm and I made a few breaks. Being out there for the very first time definitely hindered the way that I wanted to play.”
Selt added: “In the beginning it was probably the most daunting place that I had been in, ever. Obviously qualifying here to make me debut here I was really looking forward to it and the first four or five frames he started to get away from me.”
The Romford born cue man was relieved to get back to his dressing room after losing the four opening frames as it gave him the opportunity to compose himself and take everything from the occasion in.
But, following the resumption of play and the loss of another frame Selt admitted that he started fearing the worse.
“I came in here at the mid-session interval and spoke to my coach. I felt really good there and could not wait to get back out there, then I lost the first frame and I was thinking that this could be 10-0 and then I got a frame on the board which allowed me to get a few more towards the end.”
With the Crucible catching out the Australian Goldfields Open quarter-finalist, he admitted that he was forced to alter his game play to a style which made him more comfortable on the biggest stage.
“I suppose that just made me negative and instead of me going out to try and win a frame I was going out with a different mentality of not trying to lose the frame. When you are playing the world number one you do not want go out and gift him frames but that is what happened,” Selt continued.
“The mid-session interval allowed me to settle down and look forward to the rest of the match. The longer you go on without getting a frame the more daunting it is going to be and once I got a frame on the board it was one of the best experiences ever.”
Selt, who beat Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon 10-8 in the third qualifying round, faced former champion Ken Doherty in the final qualification round at the English Institute of Sport.
Selt led the now BBC commentator but Doherty levelled the match at 9-9, which left London lad a lot to do in the final frame to win the match.
He said: “To qualify was amazing. I beat the 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty to make it here. I was well ahead and he pulled it back to 9-9 and I was so relieved to get over the line.
“The qualifier was brilliant. I had a nice touch just before I went out to play and Ken came into my changing room and he wished me all the best and that was a touch that I probably will never forget.”
“I was very pleased that I won. I got off to a great start and from then off and then Ken struggled. Then he started playing well and he got himself back into the match. I was really happy at how I played and the way that I finished the match off and I did enough to get the victory.”
He added: “It was pure class.”
Selt, who made his breakthrough in the during the 2009/10 season when he reached the last 32 of the Shanghai Masters, was delighted with the way he played against Selby even though he was on the wrong side of a heavy defeat.
“The experience of playing out there was brilliant and the experience of qualifying was a great feeling as well. After the qualifiers I came into this tournament with a bit of confidence.
“Even though I got beat 10-4 I gave Mark a 5-0 head start. I was quite happy with the way I played in the end,” Selt continued.
“As soon as I won my first frame it became really enjoyable. I started playing well towards the end of the first session and that was really good and it made me feel comfortable in the arena.”
The former world number 37 says that he will take a lot of confidence into future tournaments after making his first appearance at the Crucible as a professional player.
Selt insisted that this result will keep his confidence high: “I have enjoyed my time a lot. I did not come here to make the numbers up, but as it turns out I did.
“I really liked my time here and it has given me the drive to come back a totally different player because in the second session I was confident from the off.
“It gives me a lot of confidence because the start of the new season is just six or seven weeks away, it might not even be that long. I am hoping I can make a really good start to the new season.”
After exiting your first world championship you would expect many players to take several weeks away from the sport in order to recharge your batteries.
However, Selt confirmed that he will be back on the practice table within a matter of days as he looks forward to next season and a push that he hopes will see him move further up the rankings.
He said: “I will just be doing a lot of practicing. I had my break last year and I had a small time out in February so I will be straight back on the practice table in preparation for the new season.
“The experience that I have gained from being at this tournament was what I was after and I got a lot out there and that will definitely stand me in good stead for the remainder of my career.”
Words: Adam Grice
Photo: Eigene Aufnahme
The Sporting Section 