Harold beat Joe Delaney 5-0 in Grand Prix qualifying before going on to beat Northern Ireland Trophy winner Matthew Stevens 5-4 in the first round. What was even more remarkable was that he had been 4-1 down.

However, these results proved to be a false dawn as the 'Stoke Potter' has struggled for the majority of the season, failing to win another first-round match.

Nevertheless, Harold has managed to keep his season alive by qualifying for his ninth visit to the Crucible.

He beat Tom Ford 10-8 in the penultimate round of qualifying and then recorded a heart-stopping 10-9 victory over Ian McCulloch in the final round.

The 39-year-old has drawn Ronnie O’Sullivan in the first round of the main event and form is a worry, losing tamely 5-2 to a Chinese amateur at the China Open, not to mention that he has a dismal record against the world No1.

He lost 13-6 to the 'Rocket' in the second round at The Crucible in 2001 and 10-3 to him in round one back in 1995.

All things considered, it would be a major shock if Harold advanced any further in this year’s championship.

Prediction: First-round checkout