John Parrott was "exceptionally relieved" after battling through to the Crucible in dramatic fashion at Prestatyn late last night.
Parrott, the Embassy world champion in 1991, looked certain to be denied a 21st consecutive appearance at Sheffield when he fell 5-0 and 8-4 behind to Dubliner Michael Judge.
But the 39-year-old Liverpudlian made one last determined effort and eventually secured a 10-9 victory by potting the final pink after Judge had left it hanging in the jaws of a corner pocket.
"I had to do a Best Mate to get out of jail," said horse racing fanatic Parrott, who spent the mid-session break watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
"The first four frames featured some of the worst snooker I've played for a dozen years but I kept grafting and grinding and I'm exceptionally relieved.
I hate getting beaten in anything and I would have been devastated to miss out on the Crucible."
Parrott won three of the last four frames to end the opening session trailing 6-3 and won four frames in succession to pull back from 8-4 down to 8-8 before winning the last two frames to scrape through.
His victory means Parrott will join his fellow BBC snooker presenter Steve Davis in the 32-man draw, which will be made tomorrow evening.