Lee Walker excited for “once in a lifetime” trip to Qatar World Cup

Lee Walker is swapping the red ball for the Red Wall as he prepares for a “once in a lifetime” trip to see Wales at the Qatar World Cup.

Now his maiden Champion of Champions campaign is over, Walker’s attention switches from Bolton to Al Rayyan, where he and his brother are heading to watch two of their country’s three Group B matches at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

And the reigning World Seniors champion cannot wait to witness the Dragons’ first venture to the finals in 64 years.

“We’ve got tickets for Wales-Iran and the big one between Wales and England, so really looking forward to that,” he told Live Snooker. “It’s quite possible in my lifetime that they’ll never get to another finals.

“Although it’s a long way to go and a lot of money to book the trip, it’s a once in a lifetime thing, so we decided to go.

This may only be Wales’ fourth major tournament appearance, but they know what it takes to go deep following their fairy-tale run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals.

So, with the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey leading the charge once more, how does Walker think Rob Page’s side will fare six years on?

“I don’t see any reason why they can’t get through the group and if you’re into the knockout stages, you see some funny results from time to time,” he said.

“I think they’ll be Iran. USA will be a tough one; I don’t think there’s a lot between Wales and USA, so hopefully they can get a result.

“It would be nice if we were on six points and didn’t really have to get anything out of the England game, because they do seem to turn us over every time they play us.

“A quarter-final for a country the size of ours would be incredible. Just to be in the tournament is incredible. If we can get through the group, that’s got to be our aim. Anything from there is a bonus.”