Aaron Hill came up short against David Gilbert once again as the Cork potter missed out on a place in the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.
Hill was beaten 10-6 by former semi-finalist David Gilbert in the final round of qualifying – dubbed ‘Judgement Day’ – at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, the second year running he has missed out at the expense of the Angry Farmer.
The 24-year-old struggled throughout the match, making just one break over 50, while Gilbert showed the class that once had him ranked inside the top 10 in the world.
Gilbert made a 141 in the third frame but Hill took a 4-2 lead with his highest score of the match, 72.
The Angry Farmer replied with a 126 in what was the final big knock of the match.
Hill hung in during a scrappy second session, levelling at 6-6.
However, heavy scoring continued to desert the former Wuhan Open quarter-finalist and it was Gilbert who reeled off four frames to clinch victory.
It marks another painful defeat for Hill, who also lost to Gilbert in the 2025 qualifiers, having led 9-7 on that occasion in the best-of-19 match.
Mark Allen will be only Irish representative in the outright tournament, which begins on Saturday at the Crucible.
Antoni Kowalski became the first Polish player to make it to the Crucible, with the 22-year-old edging out Jamie Jones of Wales on a 10-8 scoreline.
Two-time finalist Matthew Stevens was pitted against Stuart Bingham in a battle of the veterans, and the Welshman saw off Bingham 10-7 to secure his place at the home of the snooker for the first time since 2022.
China’s Zhou Yuelong and Iran’s Hossein Vafaei enjoyed easier passages to the first round, accounting for Michael Holt and Gao Yang of China in 10-4 verdicts.
The draw for the opening round takes place on Thursday morning.