Hello,
I am 27 years old and I've been a snooker fan since watching the Hendry v White World Final of 1994. My best friend at the time (Robert Valiant, currently 19th on PIOS) had a 10x5 snooker table at his house and we spent countless hours practising together. In 1995 I got my own full-size table and from then on my standard improved rapidly.
I played occasionally in junior and amateur tournaments from 1994-2002. I never competed in as many as I should have, and looking back now I regret that a lot because I had a chance to be a real player. My highest ever break in non-competitive play is 145 (one blue, fourteen blacks). I also made a couple of 143's. My highest in competition was 130.
My best result was probably winning the 1997 North-West Under 15's Championship (on Ronnie O'Sullivan's personal practise table at the George Scott club in Liverpool). I won a couple of Plate competitions at Pro-Am's. I had a great match against decent pro Nick Dyson once, although I lost 2-3 (I broke off in the decider and he made a 136 from a long red). Another time I was 1-0 up on Peter Lines and I potted a great long black for 2-0 but the white went round the table and into the middle! (I eventually lost 1-3).
At Pontin's in the 90s I had a simple black to knock Ian Preece out of the UK Juniors, but pressure bitchslapped me and I missed (we drew the match 1-1 which meant that he qualified one place above me and he then went on to the final, losing to Shaun Murphy). Same thing happened to me a year later with Andrew Norman.
Whenever I had a chance to beat a good player I psychologically cracked and threw the match away... oh well.
I haven't played competitively for eight years, but I'm thinking about getting on it again. Despite having rarely played snooker in the past five years I can still knock in regular 80's and 90's, the odd ton.
Anyway, that's me. Hope you're all enjoying the 2010 WSC
I am 27 years old and I've been a snooker fan since watching the Hendry v White World Final of 1994. My best friend at the time (Robert Valiant, currently 19th on PIOS) had a 10x5 snooker table at his house and we spent countless hours practising together. In 1995 I got my own full-size table and from then on my standard improved rapidly.
I played occasionally in junior and amateur tournaments from 1994-2002. I never competed in as many as I should have, and looking back now I regret that a lot because I had a chance to be a real player. My highest ever break in non-competitive play is 145 (one blue, fourteen blacks). I also made a couple of 143's. My highest in competition was 130.
My best result was probably winning the 1997 North-West Under 15's Championship (on Ronnie O'Sullivan's personal practise table at the George Scott club in Liverpool). I won a couple of Plate competitions at Pro-Am's. I had a great match against decent pro Nick Dyson once, although I lost 2-3 (I broke off in the decider and he made a 136 from a long red). Another time I was 1-0 up on Peter Lines and I potted a great long black for 2-0 but the white went round the table and into the middle! (I eventually lost 1-3).
At Pontin's in the 90s I had a simple black to knock Ian Preece out of the UK Juniors, but pressure bitchslapped me and I missed (we drew the match 1-1 which meant that he qualified one place above me and he then went on to the final, losing to Shaun Murphy). Same thing happened to me a year later with Andrew Norman.
Whenever I had a chance to beat a good player I psychologically cracked and threw the match away... oh well.
I haven't played competitively for eight years, but I'm thinking about getting on it again. Despite having rarely played snooker in the past five years I can still knock in regular 80's and 90's, the odd ton.
Anyway, that's me. Hope you're all enjoying the 2010 WSC
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