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Snooker: Perry is so determined to Cope in China
JOE Perry will not be short of motivation when he boards the plane to China for the start of the new snooker season.
JOE Perry will not be short of motivation when he boards the plane to China for the start of the new snooker season.The Roewe Shanghai Masters is the destination for Chatteris cueman Perry and rest of the world's elite potters.
Perry will fly out on Friday to acclimatise in the Far East before taking to the table on Wednesday - and the first round draw has provided him with the chance to exact revenge on his World Championship conqueror Jamie Cope.
The flamboyant Stoke star dismissed Perry 10-6 in the first round of the sport's blue riband event in April. It was a major blow for Perry (35) at the end of a season which started consistently but ended tamely.
Perry said: "It is a quick chance to get revenge for what happened at The Crucible and one I fully intend to take.
"I actually thought I played pretty well in that match to get into the lead, but Jamie was inspired and got the better of me.
"If Jamie has another of his good days I'll need to be careful, but if he is a bit off his best I will get plenty of chances.
"I'm refreshed and raring to go, and I'm looking forward to getting out to China and playing well."
Should Perry come through his opening test, World Championship runner-up Shaun Murphy is his likeliest opponent in the second round.
He has at least been fortunate enough to avoid a run-in with Ronnie O'Sullivan - the man who did plenty of damage to him last season.
Perry actually overcame the Essex ace in the UK Championship only to fall at the next hurdle to Marco Fu, but otherwise O'Sullivan had his measure.
He defeated Perry in the semi-finals of the Premier League and also toppled him in the first round of The Masters in January, a defeat which sparked a bad run for the local star.
Perry added: "I was very consistent in the first half of the season. I was playing a lot of snooker and felt really sharp.
"I kept running into Ronnie when I was playing well and things collapsed after losing to him in The Masters.
"I lost a couple of first round matches and then went out in the World Championship as well, so it really went downhill."
Perry took plenty of time away from the table during the summer but has been pounding the practice table at the WT's club in Cambridge (where he is based along with fellow professional potter Neil Robertson) hard in the past few weeks.
He has set his sights on remaining among the world's elite players during the months ahead. The calendar has been cut to six ranking tournaments ahead of the World Championship, with The Masters giving Perry and his top 16 peers another welcome run-out.
"I played so much snooker last season that I was ready to get away from the game for a bit," continued Perry. "I spent some great time with my wife and little girl and we had a couple of trips away.
"I've been working hard for the last four-to-six weeks and hopefully it will pay off. “Staying in the top 16 has to be the target, although I am not going to beat myself up if it doesn’t happen.
“I have been out and got myself back in before and I would just have to do the same again.
“There are no easy matches in snooker these days. The top 32 in snooker is very strong and you always have to be at your best.”
Perry admits he is gutted not to be involved in the Premier League after performing so well in the competition last year.
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