What happened to snooker star who beat Ronnie O'Sullivan as an amateur on Crucible debut
Ronnie O'Sullivan once suffered a shock World Championship first-round defeat to an amateur who was playing at the Crucible for the first time. But what has happened to him since?
O'Sullivan entered the tournament in red-hot form, having completed the Players Championship and Tour Championship double in March.
He was also world number one with five total event wins to his name during the 2018/19 season.
Pundits were predicting a mouth-watering quarter-final tie against Judd Trump at the Crucible should both players have gotten through their opening first-round ties.
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O'Sullivan had, on paper, one of the easier tasks of the opening round, as he had been drawn against amateur qualifier James Cahill.
Cahill, from Blackpool, had earned a two-year tour card in 2013 by winning the European Under-21 Snooker Championship, where he defeated future professionals Ross Muir and Elliot Slessor before thrashing Ashley Carty 6-0 in the final.
Aged just 17 when he made it on to the main tour, Cahill didn't make too much of an impression in his maiden year on the professional circuit, although did manage to retain his spot on tour for another two years - which included a run to the last 16 of the UK Championship and victory over one of its youngest-ever winners, Ding Junhui - before dropping off.
That meant he was classed an amateur for the 2019 World Championship, having been awarded a wildcard to compete by World Snooker.
Cahill had already produced a shock 6-3 defeat of Mark Selby at the previous year's UK Championship, and came through the three-round qualifying process for the Crucible - since extended to four - by defeating Andrew Higginson, Michael Holt and then Michael White.
Against O'Sullivan, he raced into a 8-5 lead, before his seven-time champion opponent levelled at 8-8.
But 'The Rocket' missed a regulation pink in frame 17, and Cahill took full advantage to move into a 9-8 lead.
And he made a break of 56 to clinch the biggest victory of his life at the Crucible Theatre.
Cahill was drawn against seven-time ranking event winner Stephen Maguire in the last 16, and almost pulled off a second major shock as he moved into a 11-10 lead.
But Maguire, who told BBC that he was 'gone out there' during the match, managed to bounce back to win 13-12 and progress to the quarter-finals.
Cahill's performances over the year meant he earned a two-year tour card from the 2019/20 season, and could turn professional again.
He qualified for the 2019 UK Championship and made the second round after a 6-4 win over world number 11 David Gilbert, as well as reaching round two of the Scottish Masters before being whitewashed 4-0 by O'Sullivan.
Cahill would drop off the tour in 2021 and return to amateur status.
He got back on the tour in 2022 after coming through Q-School on the third day, and enjoyed some encouraging results in the following season.
The Blackpool cueist won three matches at the 2023 WST Classic and reached the last 16 stage, before losing to Ali Carter.
After that, he defeated seven-time champion Stephen Hendry - who is, notably, his nephew - 10-4 in the first round of World Championship qualifying, and recorded a 10-6 win over Lei Peifan in round two.
However, his dreams of returning to the Crucible were ended by a 10-4 defeat against Zhou Yuelong - who would whitewash him 10-0 at the same event a year later.
Since then, Cahill has been unsuccessful in returning to the professional tour through Q-School.
At the age of 30, though, he still has plenty of time to make an impact on the World Snooker Tour, and his experiences in beating the likes of O'Sullivan, Selby and Gilbert on TV will no doubt help him when he enters Q-School later this year.
World Snooker's official website described him as 'no stranger to the big stage', but noted that 'inconsistencies away from the TV stages have plagued Cahill's career'.
Cahill was no stranger to snooker growing up, either, as his parents Maria and Patrick were both amateur snooker players. Maria runs a snooker club in Preston.
In 2011, she told the Blackpool Gazette: "I take him to his tournaments and it is very tense watching, but James puts so much effort into his practice - eight hours a day if at all possible - that he really deserves to make it to the top."
As of his Crucible victory over O'Sullivan, Cahill was working closely with coach Chris Henry, who was credited with helping Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby to revolutionise their games.
As Q-School once again nears closer, Cahill will be hoping to get back among snooker's elite players from the 2026/27 season onwards.
Ryan Smart