Reanne Evans and Susie Wolff. Both women are competing against other women but want to take that next step, a step that should be given to them.

Evans has won the female World Championships for the last decade and was given the opportunity last Thursday to qualify for the men’s Crucible.

She faced former champion Ken Doherty and despite taking an early lead, was pegged back and ultimately beaten 10-8, ending her dream of competing next week in Sheffield.

Evans carried a lot on her shoulders and should be applauded. Normally not a team sport, she wasn’t just playing for herself but for the rest of the female snooker players.

If she had successfully beaten Doherty, it would have not only changed her life but the lives of every other woman attempting to make a living playing snooker.

I do believe that regardless of your gender, players should be able to compete at the World Championship and Evans proved last week that she can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with one of the best snooker players of this generation.

Even if she has to qualify for the tournament, Evans should be allowed to try again next year along with a few other women, maybe the top five ranked players in the world.

When talking about the possibility of women competing in Formula One alongside men, Jenson Button said: “There’s no reason a woman can’t race against guys. These days, with the way the cars are, it is mentally taxing and demanding but not physically.”

The same can be applied in snooker. It is not a sport that tests a player’s strength, rather their skill at getting balls into a pocket.

Evans is clearly head and shoulders about the rest of her opponents, evident in the fact that she has won 10 world championships in a row.

There is nothing left for her to do except compete alongside men and it was a shame to see Barry Hearn confirm that Evans would not be getting a season-long tour wild card on the main tour.

I get that Hearn wants her to earn her place and by making her qualify for each event is his way of making things fair, especially as she was given one in 2010 and struggled.

But she admitted after that it was the experience of being in that situation before that got her opponent over the line, something she lacks and can only get by competing at this level.

“I’ve not played in that situation for five years and I’ve only done it once before. So unless we are put in those situations more often then we are not going to gain that experience and that exposure to snooker.

“But hopefully, women will get these opportunities more in the future, hopefully myself, but hopefully others so we can push snooker further and further and it will only be good for the whole sport.”

And Doherty after the match believed she had done what is necessary to get another shot on the circuit. Stephen Hendry was given a wildcard this year and is yet to play.

Give Evans another chance.

As for Wolff, I can see why she doesn’t want an all-female Formula One season.

Like Evans, Wolff gets no benefit from driving alongside women and would most probably dominate the majority of Grand Prixs.

She is a tremendous driver and has gained the respect of her peers by showing she has the talent to be a test driver for Williams.

“It’s most definitely not the right way forward,” she said when asked about the idea.

“First of all, I don’t know where you’d find a full grid of female drivers who are good enough.

“Secondly, I have raced my whole career in motor sport as a normal competitor. Why would I ever look for a race where I was only competing against women?

“I can hand on heart say it would not interest me at all to win such a race. I would rather not be in the race because what am I winning? A race where they’ve just looked for any girl to make a grid up.”

I can see the thought behind Bernie Ecclestone’s idea and it’s obvious he is trying to give women a platform to showcase their talents.

But what bigger stage can there be than actually being on the grid alongside Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel?

She may not finish in the top 10 every racer but she would become a better race and give young girls who are looking to get into the sport someone to look up to.

Also, a special mention to Leah Williamson, who last Thursday night was getting ready to take one of the longest penalties in the history of football, waiting five days to take the spotkick.

In football, players often know that a match could end in penalties or that they may be called upon to score the winner in dramatic circumstances.

But for the Arsenal player, the fate of her and her teammates rested on her shoulders. She knew that if she didn’t score England would miss out on a place in a huge tournament.

She admitted that she went through every single emotion in the build-up to that decisive moment and the next time an English player talks about nerves before a World Cup penalty shoot-out, they should try and picture what Williamson went through.