Three wins all season is scant return for a player of Hicks' class. It seems a lifetime ago but in the space of 16 months between the end of 1994 and the beginning of 1996, he reached the semi-final stage of the four major events on the sport's calendar � namely the 1994 Grand Prix, 1995 World Championship, 1995 UK Championship and the 1996 Masters.

Having lost four matches in a row to end last year, The Toast of Tavistock was a fair bet to be at home in Devon during the last two weeks of April but a slight resurgence of form has helped him make the Crucible for the third consecutive season.

Hicks beat Patrick Wallace in the first round of the Welsh Open before once again falling to Shaun Murphy in round two. The World Champion had also beaten him at the same stage of this season�s Grand Prix.

Nonetheless, the 1995 World Championship semi-finalist obviously took heart from his efforts in Wales as he played solid matchplay snooker to beat Mark Allen 10-7, a result that booked his place in Sheffield.

Hicks has a fairly good record at The Crucible. In recent memory, he gave Ronnie O�Sullivan a good game in the second round of the 2004 Championship before eventually losing out 13-11. He has also beaten first-round opponent Steve Davis on two occasions at the World Championships, so he could yet be toasting his own success.

Prediction: First-round checkout