Stuart Bingham sets his sights on retaining the Welsh Open title

Bingham returns to Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena today, where he will begin his title defence 12 months after seeing off Judd Trump to win his first championship since 2015.

And the Bowers Gifford-based Bingham is looking to build on the good memories he made in the Welsh capital last year.

Bingham said: “Winning the Welsh Open last year got a bit of a monkey off my back because it was the first trophy I had won since the World Championship in 2015.

“I have some good memories of the place and it will be good to go back there.

“It would be unbelievable to win the Welsh Open again.

“I don’t feel like my game is too far away off my best.

“Mentally, I am a bit off but I have been talking to my family and friends, which has helped me.”

Bingham returned from a lengthy ban, after breaching betting rules, at the Snooker Shoot-Out earlier this month.

And the 41-year-old is now looking to build on his return to action at the Welsh Open.

Bingham secured the Welsh Open trophy by overcoming Trump in a pulsating final frame in Cardiff 12 months ago.

Thanks to holding his nerve, Bingham was able to claim a 9-8 victory and clinch £70,000 in prize money.

Bingham will get his title defence underway when he takes on Chen Zhe in a best-of-seven frames first round encounter, with the clash set to start in front of a packed crowd at 2pm today.

The former world champion has only faced China’s Zhe once before, with Bingham falling to a narrow defeat nearly eight years ago.

And Bingham will be looking to gain revenge, while also booking his place in the second round of the competition.

Bingham added: “I have trained with him a few times because he was at the Grove Academy.

“He is a good player and sometimes you need to find your feet if you are to progress.

“I definitely won’t be taking anything for granted because if you have an off day at this level, you will get beaten.”

Should Bingham see off Zhe, he will take on either Jackson Page or Sean O’Sullivan in the second round and move a step closer to retaining the Welsh Open title.

Clinching silverware once again would allow Bingham to win another £70,000 in prize winnings.

‘My attitude to game has changed slightly’

STUART Bingham has admitted that he is more appreciative of his position as a professional snooker player following his suspension.

The former world champion was slapped with a six month ban - suspended for three months - by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association in October, after he was ruled to have bet more than £35,000 in the past seven years.

And having now played in two competitions since his return, after competing in the Snooker Shoot-Out and World Grand Prix, Bingham confirmed that he sees the game differently.

Bingham, 41, said: “I think I may appreciate the position I’m in a little bit more.

“I’ve got a lot of issues with some of the players [due to them not giving him a stronger backing following the suspension].

“I enjoyed being able to spend more time with my family and I think my attitude has changed a little bit.

“But once I have played a few more games, I’m sure the hunger will come back.”

Bingham, who is from Bowers Gifford, was also interested to see the reaction he would get from the Guild Hall crowd at the World Grand Prix.

But Bingham was pleased with the reception he got from the Preston crowd, and he will be hoping for a similar reaction at the Welsh Open.

Bingham added: “It was all positive and I didn’t hear anything bad coming from the crowd.

“It was nice to be involved in a proper tournament again.

“I enjoyed being back and it was good to get a good reaction from the crowd.”

Mixed feelings - Stuart Bingham was disappointed with his exit

World Grand Prix leaves Bingham with mixed feelings

STUART Bingham admitted that he was disappointed to exit the World Grand Prix in the second round.

Bingham secured a 4-2 win over Mark Williams, a two-time world champion, in the first round of the competition to set up a clash with Scotsman Anthony McGill in the next stage of the tournament.

But the Bowers Gifford-based Bingham was unable to overcome McGill and move into the latter stages at the Guild Hall, Preston.

However, Bingham was pleased with his display against Williams.

Bingham said: “The first round was good.

“It took a couple of frames to get my head right, but when I went 2-1 up I felt confident and comfortable.

“The table was lightning quick.

“Mark Williams is one of the best players of the season, so it was a good win for me.”

As a result of seeing off the Welshman, Bingham booked a clash with McGill.

But the 27-year-old notched a 4-1 win over Bingham, leaving the former world champion’s hopes of winning the World Grand Prix in tatters.

And Bingham confirmed that he made too many mistakes in the second round encounter for him to progress to the quarter-finals, where he would have gone up against eventual finalist Ding Junhui.

The 41-year-old added: “I was a bit disappointed to lose to Anthony.

“His longest pot was two or three foot, so there were a few mistakes from me.

“But I’m just looking forward to getting back in action at the Welsh Open.”