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Not sure if this will come out straight, but I have used Statman's brilliant data (buy the book Crucible Almanac if you haven't already!) to determine longest spans between first and last World Championship appearance. It's not the same as a "professional career" obviously, but a lot easier to quantify and a useful marker.
I have ignored tournaments entered but scratched without playing, which knocks a year off Pulman and Thorne, two off Barrie and six off Higgins! I have just used year of Championship, making no allowance for when games were actually played - so Higgins and Dunning get no credit for starting their 1972 campaigns early in 1971.
Interestingly, all of the top seven span the period when tournament snooker was dead, leaving Steve Davis as the man who has competed on "the circuit" for longest.
First Last Span
1 Fred Davis 1937 1993 56
2 Rex Williams 1952 1995 43
3 Jack Rea 1949 1990 41
4 Sydney Lee 1936 1974 38
5 John Pulman 1947 1981 34*
6 Kingsley Kennerley1946 1980 34
7 John Barrie 1946 1979 33*
8 Steve Davis 1979 2008 29
9 Tony Knowles 1981 2008 27
10 Jimmy White 1981 2008 27
11 Dennis Taylor 1973 2000 27
12 David Taylor 1970 1997 27
13 Eddie Charlton 1968 1995 27
14 Willie Thorne 1976 2002 26*
15 Bernard Bennett 1969 1995 26
16 Les Dodd 1983 2008 25
17 Mike Hallett 1980 2005 25
18 Doug Mountjoy 1977 2002 25
19 John Dunning 1972 1997 25
20 Alex Higgins 1972 1997 25*
Not sure if this will come out straight, but I have used Statman's brilliant data (buy the book Crucible Almanac if you haven't already!) to determine longest spans between first and last World Championship appearance. It's not the same as a "professional career" obviously, but a lot easier to quantify and a useful marker.
I have ignored tournaments entered but scratched without playing, which knocks a year off Pulman and Thorne, two off Barrie and six off Higgins! I have just used year of Championship, making no allowance for when games were actually played - so Higgins and Dunning get no credit for starting their 1972 campaigns early in 1971.
Interestingly, all of the top seven span the period when tournament snooker was dead, leaving Steve Davis as the man who has competed on "the circuit" for longest.
First Last Span
1 Fred Davis 1937 1993 56
2 Rex Williams 1952 1995 43
3 Jack Rea 1949 1990 41
4 Sydney Lee 1936 1974 38
5 John Pulman 1947 1981 34*
6 Kingsley Kennerley1946 1980 34
7 John Barrie 1946 1979 33*
8 Steve Davis 1979 2008 29
9 Tony Knowles 1981 2008 27
10 Jimmy White 1981 2008 27
11 Dennis Taylor 1973 2000 27
12 David Taylor 1970 1997 27
13 Eddie Charlton 1968 1995 27
14 Willie Thorne 1976 2002 26*
15 Bernard Bennett 1969 1995 26
16 Les Dodd 1983 2008 25
17 Mike Hallett 1980 2005 25
18 Doug Mountjoy 1977 2002 25
19 John Dunning 1972 1997 25
20 Alex Higgins 1972 1997 25*
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