James Cahill to meet Stephen Hendry in snooker's Cazoo World Championship qualifier

The pair meet in the opening qualifying round at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport next week as 128 players compete for the final 16 slots at the Crucible Theatre.

Giving the match added spice is the fact Hendry was formerly married to Cahill’s maternal aunt Mandy, the sister of his mother Maria.

Hendry, who began a comeback in 2021 after retiring in 2012, is attempting a return to the venue where he won seven world titles between 1990 and 1999.

However, he is yet to win a match this season in losing 14 of 15 frames in matches across all competitions, leaving him ranked 127th in the world.

Cahill, currently ranked 96th, knows all about beating high-profile names on the big stage.

The Crucible saw him beat Ronnie O’Sullivan as an amateur in 2019, having previously defeated Mark Selby and Ding Junhui in the UK Championship.

Having dropped off World Snooker’s main tour at the conclusion of the 2020/21 campaign, the 27-year-old gained a two-year card after coming through qualifying in Sheffield last year.

The winner of the Cahill-Hendry match will meet Lei Peifan and whoever is victorious in that meeting then takes on Zhou Yuelong.

Also in the draw, Ken Doherty – who beat Hendry in the 1997 final – will meet 12-time women’s world champion Reanne Evans.

Jimmy White, who has not reached the final stages of the tournament since 2006, enters at the second qualifying round stage, when he meets either Marco Fu or Martin O’Donnell.