RAINHAM snooker player Gerard Greene reached The Crucible for only the second time after a 10-3 win over Anthony Hamilton in the final qualifier for the Embassy World Snooker Championships yesterday.

Hamilton, world number 17 and a quarter-finalist in last year’s tournament, was no match for Greene who is enjoying the form of his life.

So far this season he has reached the quarter-finals of the LG Cup and the last 16 of the recent European Open and this is the icing on the cake. Breaks of 128, 74, 57, 46, 44, 43 and 38 helped Greene establish a 7-2 first session lead before going on to clinch the match.

The 29-year-old is now hoping he can do better on his second visit to Sheffield, having been thrashed 10-2 by defending champion John Higgins on his debut in 1999.

He said: “I'm looking for a nice easy draw. Everybody wants to be at The Crucible, including myself, and that's why it’s so hard to get there.

“I'm disappointed that I haven't achieved more in my career so far. My problem is that I'm too inconsistent.”

The draw for the first round of the Embassy Championship, which starts on Saturday, April 19, will be made tomorrow morning.