Zak Surety made a record-breaking impression on the Crucible on debut last year and is desperate to return to experience snooker’s hallowed ground again.

The 34-year-old enjoyed a brilliant end to last season, making his first ranking semi-final at the World Open before coming through World Championship qualifying for the first time to reach the Crucible.

There he faced Ding Junhui and got off to a ropy start, losing the first four frames as his nerves jangled at the iconic theatre.

From there he settled impressively, becoming the first Crucible debutant to make four centuries in his first match on the famous stage.

Surety lost 10-7 to the Chinese legend, but after finding his feet in Sheffield, he is itching to tread those boards again this month.

‘There’s obviously players in the past have only played there once and you see the tour every year, it’s so hard to get through,’ Surety told Metro. ‘I’m trying not to think that way, because I’m desperate to get back there.

‘I said all the right things last year that I was going to enjoy it, but I don’t even remember walking through the curtain! I remember Rob [Walker] saying my name, and him getting the crowd clapping, but I don’t remember the walk down the steps to the chair.

‘Jason [Pegram] who looks after me said: “Stand on top of those steps, look out and take it all in, because that don’t happen every day.” I thought he was absolutely right, but there was no chance.

‘I tried. You can see especially the second session, because I’ve watched the video back. It looks like I try, but I’m at that seat before he says Surety!

‘I’d love to get back there and sit in the chair and think that I belong there rather than it all being new. I thought I felt okay, but then every time I got to the table, I tried to convince myself I was meant to feel as bad as I felt and then it got a bit on top of me until I made that first century. Then I loved it.

‘I started to actually play well. I’m still freaked out how it happened. I’d love to qualify again and not feel surreal.’

Surety will need to win two qualifying matches to return to the Crucible, with his first against Oliver Sykes starting on Sunday afternoon.

He has been working hard with regular practice partner Stuart Bingham and travelling to take on world number three Neil Robertson, which has been an education.

Yeah, great practice. He’s the man you want to practice with, said Surety. ‘He’s been good to me really. He chats to me, gives me some tips, you can’t really beat that kind of practice can you?

‘I’ve had some absolute batterings from him in his club, which is good for you. I’ve beaten him this season in a big tournament, but I kind of forget that and I just turn into like this young lad who’s going to practice with the big bad pro.

‘You go and play someone like him on his own table on his own turf, it’s daunting, isn’t it? He knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows all the shots. He knows all the tricks and he’s amazing.

‘It’s down to you to pick up on what he does and learn from it. He told me a few home truths about how I should practice, stuff I know deep down, but when a triple crown winner, a world champion tells you, you’ve got to take it on board.

‘We had a really good game the other day, I held my own, so it’s the perfect prep going into the qualifiers, because when I went a couple of weeks ago, I kind of questioned what I was doing with my life again.’

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