BRADFORD snooker star, Wayne Cooper, admitted he has mixed emotions following the cancellation of his next major event at Alexandra Palace in January.

The record 10-time Bradford champion hasn't played competitively since he was surprisingly knocked out of the World Seniors Snooker Championship qualifying in March, coming second in his group to Peter Lines.

Cooper had been looking forward to the event at the North London venue, also known as “Ally Pally”, but he will now participate at the UK Senior Championships at Hull in January, taking on John Parrott in his first fixture.

Not only that, the renowned West Yorkshire snooker star will make up for the absence of “Ally Pally”by competing at one of his dream locations further down the line.

He said: "Unfortunately, the Alexandra Palace event got cancelled, but thankfully it was all made okay by the news I got.

"It got cancelled, but I was then told I'd get to play at the Crucible (Sheffield) instead in May, so yes, it was a bittersweet feeling knowing that I'd get to play at a brilliant venue like the Crucible, even after the disappointment of Alexandra Palace.

"I know I've played there (Crucible) before, but I didn't get to experience what it was like with a crowd there, so it was very odd.

"It's going to be a fantastic experience playing there with a full crowd and it is one I'm really looking forward to."

"I'll give it my best shot when I'm there and I'd just like to go as far as possible in that competition. I will certainly be preparing harder for that one, maybe even six to eight weeks before that event, rather than my usual four weeks preparation."

Since competing back in March, Cooper has had time to reflect on his season, while also revealing his off season schedule.

He said: "I was pretty pleased with last season as whole, but I'm pretty gutted that I didn't manage to get to number one spot at senior level.

"I think losing to Peter (Lines) cost me that in the World Championship qualifiers, but I've accepted that now and it's about refocussing ahead of major tournaments in the new year."

Cooper added: "It's been nice having a break from snooker in these last months. It's always nice to step away from it because it allows you to refresh and come back to it raring to go.

"The local leagues have returned now, so I'm back playing a little bit more. It's given me time to work on the odd thing and get some more practice in too.

"I work on a few things if I'm playing on my own just to get a bit of confidence going in the hand movement again.

"I'll continue to play in the local leagues to make sure I get some good practice in ahead of the UK Championships in Hull."