‘It’s the pits’ says snooker star about venue after reaching UK Championship in front of measly crowd

STEPHEN MAGUIRE labelled the qualification venue for the UK Championship "the pits" aft making it done to the main draw.

The Scot, 43, won the tourney 20 years agone and reached the last arsenic precocious arsenic 2019.

But the erstwhile satellite No2 has slipped to 33rd successful the rankings pursuing a mediocre tally of form.

Players extracurricular the apical 16 person to suffice for the last-32 of the contention - which gets underway astatine the Barbican successful York connected Saturday.

The earlier rounds instrumentality spot astatine the Mattioli Arena successful Leicester - and Maguire edged into the main gully with a 6-5 triumph implicit satellite No32 Elliot Slessor.

Yet contempt picking up the win, Maguire took purpose astatine the snooker venue pursuing the result.

He said: "I effort hard not to slag these places, but it’s the pits, it truly is.

"That deciding framework determination should beryllium butterflies determination should beryllium atmosphere, but there’s thing retired there.

"I blasted myself due to the fact that I’m down determination successful the rankings.

"The suits volition accidental it, and they person said, good get backmost up determination and you don’t person to travel here."

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Maguire was besides quizzed arsenic to whether helium inactive has the tendency to get backmost into the apical 16 successful the rankings.

To which helium replied: "I deliberation so. I inactive despise getting beat. I bask winning but I despise getting bushed more.

"If that’s the crushed that is ticking maine implicit past maybe, it inactive hurts the aforesaid arsenic 20 years ago."

Maguire volition find retired his last-32 hostile erstwhile the UK Championship gully takes spot connected Thursday afternoon.