STEPHEN MAGUIRE’s return to the scene of his finest triumph lasted just a few hours after he was beaten by Kyren Wilson without winning a single frame.
The Scots snooker star won the UK Championship 20 years ago but had missed out on the tournament the past two years after failing to qualify.
He revealed in the build-up to this year’s competition that he had ripped his game apart in a bid to try and find some form.
It seemed to work as he made it into the main draw for the first time since 2021.
But after being paired up against reigning world champion Wilson in the first round, Maguire knew he would have to bring his A-game to the table in order to stand a chance of beating the Englishman.
However, he succumbed to a 6-0 whitewash and many of those watching the action unfold at the Barbican felt it was the one of the worst performances they’d EVER seen at the Yorkshire venue.
Maguire, 43, became so irate during the match that at one point he banged his cue off the table and later muttered the words “f*** off” under his breath after missing a relatively easy pink.
Fans on social media didn’t fail to notice Maguire starting to lose his cool.
One commented: “Stephen Maguire doing extremely well not to blow his top here this afternoon.”
Another joked: “You have to love watching Stephen Maguire. You just know at any point he’s in danger of absolutely imploding.”
Some punters had sympathy for Maguire as he struggled at the table.
He managed a miserly pot success rate of just 57 percent and over the course of the match was outscored 476 to 101 (scoring precisely zero in the final frame).
Wilson himself wasn’t at his best but he was still able to walk away with an easy win as Maguire’s confidence was shot.
One fan said: “[Maguire] has had every bit of bad luck going and most of his misses are minuscule.”
Another said: “Think we all need to start feeling sorry for Stephen Maguire here!”
A third remarked: “This game can be a form of torture sometimes. He’s played terribly, admittedly, but you haven’t got a heart if you don’t feel for Stephen Maguire the way things have gone so far today.”
Another concluded: “One to forget for Stephen Maguire today, had a nightmare. Kyren Wilson not at his best but more than enough for a 6-0 win.”
However, others were much less kind in their take on Maguire’s performance.
One said: “This is the worst I have ever seen Stephen Maguire play, it’s incredible.”
Another went further: “This Stephen Maguire performance is easily the worst I’ve ever seen from any snooker player.
“Been down on himself from the first second and hits everything way too hard! Same thing every time he plays, hasn’t learnt in 20 years.”
Maguire himself said: “Rubbish, there’s nothing more I can say. Garbage. I can’t explain it, it’s one of the worst performances ever.”
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