Four of Cheshire's top snooker players narrowly failed in their quest to qualify for the World Championship, which will dominate our screens from 17 April to 3 May.

Nick Dyson, Nick Walker, Wayne Brown and Andrew Higginson will have to watch the game's premier tournament at home after being knocked out in the qualifying rounds.

34-year-old Dyson, based in Warrington, battled past two-time quarter-finalist Gary Wilkinson before losing out 10-6 to Ali Carter in the final qualifying round.

That meant the world number 55 failed to emulate his performances of 1991 and 2001, when he qualified for the first round proper.

Chester's Nick Walker, Widnes player Andrew Higginson and St Helens potter Wayne Brown will be disappointed after losing to players ranked lower than them on the World Tour.

Walker, who rose to 54 in the world after a successful season in 2002/3, reached the last 16 of the World Championship in 1999, but lost 10-4 to Peter Lines in the fourth qualifying round.

Dubliner Joe Delaney belied his ranking of 183 in beating Higginson 10-4 in the second qualifying round.

World number 77 Brown, who plays for Newton Social in the Warrington Snooker League when he's not taking on the game's elite, has been as far as the last 16 of the China Open, but lost 10-5 to Chinese youngster Liu Song this year.

Flying the flag for the north-west at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre will be Liverpudlian world number 30 John Parrott, the elder statesman who will be playing in his 21st consecutive World Championship, and Preston players Ian McCulloch and Stuart Pettman.

Both McCulloch and Pettman have tough first round matches, the former taking on 2002 World Champion Peter Ebdon and the latter up against seven-time winner Stephen Hendry. Parrott's opponent is pin-up Paul Hunter, the reigning Masters champion.

By James Tuck