Ken Doherty (born 17 September 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player, commentator and radio presenter.

Ken Doherty
Born (1969-09-17) 17 September 1969 (age 54)
Ranelagh, County Dublin, Ireland
Sport country Ireland
Nickname
  • the Darlin' of Dublin[1]
  • Crafty Ken[2]
Professional1990–Present
Highest ranking2 (2006/07)
Current ranking 78 (as of 24 March 2024)
Maximum breaks1
Century breaks358 (as of 24 March 2024)
Tournament wins
Ranking6
World Champion1997

As an amateur, Doherty won the Irish Amateur Championship twice, the World Under-21 Amateur Championship and the World Amateur Championship. Since turning professional in 1990, he has won six ranking tournaments, including the 1997 World Snooker Championship in which he defeated Stephen Hendry, inflicting Hendry's first loss in a world final. Doherty came very close to breaking the Crucible curse, reaching the 1998 final where he lost out to John Higgins. He reached a third final in 2003, in which he was defeated by Mark Williams. In other triple crown events, he has been runner-up three times in the UK Championship and twice in the Masters.

Doherty has compiled more than 350 century breaks in professional competition. Since 2009, he has combined his playing career with commentating and punditry work.

Career edit

Doherty appeared in two quarter-finals in his first season as a professional, at the 1991 Classic and the 1991 Irish Masters, being beaten 5–3 by Jimmy White on both occasions. In the following snooker year, he won the qualifying event for the 1992 Masters, though there he lost 1–5 to John Parrott in the first round. He also made it to the semi-finals of the 1992 British and Strachan Open, and reached the final of the 1992 Irish Masters. He was a finalist at the 1992 Grand Prix as well, narrowly losing 10–9 to Jimmy White. In the same event a year later, Doherty lost in the final again, this time 6–9 to Peter Ebdon.[3]

Doherty's first ranking title was the 1993 Welsh Open,[4][5] enough to take him into the top 16 in the world, where he remained until the 2007–08 season. He also won the 1993 Irish Professional Championship,[6][7] was a semi-finalist at the 1993 International Open, and a quarter-finalist again at the 1993 Irish Masters. More quarter-final appearances followed at the 1994 Masters and the 1994 World Championship, his only run past the second round in the latter before 1997,[8] and later on in the 1994 Dubai Classic,[9] repeating his result from the previous edition of the event, down to the scoreline as he was beaten 5–4 both times. These weren't his only replicated outcomes, he also won the 1994 Pontins Professional just like he did last year, as well as the 1994 Scottish Masters[9] after winning it in 1993[5] too.[10][11] In November he made it to the final of the 1994 UK Championship, which he lost 5–10 to Stephen Hendry,[12][13] then in December he reached the quarter-final stage of the 1994 European Open, where he was defeated 5–3 by Nigel Bond. In the second half of the season, he was in yet another quarter-final at the 1995 Irish Masters, and in two finals, at the 1995 Pontins Professional and the 1995 European League.

Doherty became only the third player from outside the United Kingdom (after Australian Horace Lindrum in 1952 and Canadian Cliff Thorburn in 1980) to win the World Championship when he beat Stephen Hendry 18–12 in the 1997 final, at the age of 27. He also reached the World Championship final in 1998, losing to John Higgins,[5] and in 2003, losing narrowly to Mark Williams. The latter run was noted for some outstanding comebacks, including final-frame wins over Graeme Dott and Shaun Murphy, a 13–8 win over Higgins in a match where Doherty raced ahead 10–0 but Higgins fought back to 10–7, and a semi-final fightback from 9–15 to beat Paul Hunter 17–16. In that championship, Doherty played more frames than anyone before or since. In the final, Williams led 11–4, but Doherty fought back to 12–12 and 16–16. In frame 33, Doherty missed the penultimate red with a clearance easily available. Williams won that crucial frame and the next to prevail 18–16.[14][15]

Doherty narrowly failed to achieve a maximum break when he missed a routine final black off its spot in the 15th frame of the 2000 Benson & Hedges Masters final against Matthew Stevens, a match Doherty eventually lost 10–8. This one pot would have seen him win an £80,000 sports car. However, his 140 break at least brought him the consolation of the £19,000 highest break prize.[14][16] He did make a 147 break two years later though, when he won the Cue Club Pro-Am tournament in Killarney in 2002.[17] He made light of his prize on television shortly afterwards, which was allegedly €300, a BMX bicycle and a toy Ferrari car.[18] His first official maximum was compiled in 2012, during a first round win against Julian Treiber at the Paul Hunter Classic.[19][20]

In 2001 Doherty became one of the few players who have won back-to-back ranking events, as he won the Welsh Open[4] and the Thailand Masters,[21] while also reaching the final of the next tournament, the Regal Scottish Open.[22][3][5]

In the 2005 World Championship, Doherty beat Barry Pinches in the first round 10–5, winning the last 8 frames,[23] but was knocked out in the second round by Alan McManus 13–11.[24]

Following an average start to the 2005–06 season, Doherty won the Malta Cup in February 2006, beating John Higgins in the final. Doherty had trailed 8–5 at one stage but managed a stirring comeback, winning four frames in a row. He called the victory, which bridged a five-year gap, his "most important tournament win since the World Championship".[25][26]

Doherty started brightly in the 2006 World Championship, winning his first match by defeating Barry Hawkins 10–1, then he beat Matthew Stevens 13–8, playing superbly to win the last five frames. He was the favourite in his quarter-final match against Marco Fu but lost 13–10. It was 8–8 as the final session started, but Doherty struggled despite winning a frame in which he required three snookers. Although he led 7–6, 8–7, 9–8 and 10–9, he could never quite take decisive advantage to win the match. Doherty admitted afterwards that he "blew it" but that he still had "a couple more years" to come back and win the title.[27] He ended the 2005–06 season as the world number 2, his highest ranking ever.

He made a solid start to the 2006–07 season by reaching the quarter-final at what is the closest thing to a home tournament for him, the Northern Ireland Trophy at Belfast's Waterfront Hall. He followed this up with a last-16 defeat at the Grand Prix in Aberdeen and the UK Championship in York. He reached the quarter-finals of the next two tournaments, the Masters and the Malta Cup. He lost in the first round of the World Championship and, although clearly disappointed, the Dubliner vowed to continue.[28] He was provisional world number 1 for most of 2006–07, but finished the season as 4th in the rankings.[citation needed]

In October 2006, he won the invitational Irish Professional Championship for a second time, having previously captured the title in 1993. He beat Michael Judge 9–4 in the final. A year later he defended his title with a resounding 9–2 victory over Fergal O'Brien. He followed this up a week later by becoming the first Irishman to win the Pot Black Invitational tournament, beating Shaun Murphy 76–31 in the one-frame final.[citation needed]

Doherty did not start the 2007–08 season well, winning only one match during the first four ranking tournaments. However, he did reach the semi-finals of the Masters with victories over Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy,[29] before losing to eventual champion Mark Selby. He then reached the final of the Malta Cup for a record fifth time, defeating John Higgins in the semi-finals, before losing to Murphy in the final. Unfortunately for Doherty, neither of these events are ranking events, meaning his performances did nothing to keep him in the top rankings for the 2008–09 season. Defeat to Liang Wenbo in the first round of the World Championship ensured that he dropped out of the top 16 after 15 years, and he started the new season 32nd on the provisional one-year list. A run of qualifying defeats saw him drop as low as 38th before the UK Championship.[citation needed]

Doherty's poor run of form continued during the 2008–09 season during which he won only two matches. For the first time since 1993, he failed to qualify for the World Championship, having been beaten in the final qualifying round by Gerard Greene.[citation needed]

Doherty's form saw an upturn in the 2009–10 season, with a rise back into the top 32 in the rankings, up from 44th to 30th; this was due to a quarter-final appearance in the 2009 Shanghai Masters, and a last-16 appearance in the 2009 Grand Prix. Doherty defeated six-time World Championship finalist Jimmy White 10–3, and two-time Crucible semi-finalist Joe Swail 10–1 to mark his return to the World Championship for the first time since 2008. In an amusing moment, Doherty got down on his knees and kissed the carpet upon his return to the venue. However, he lost his first-round match 10–4 to reigning Masters champion Mark Selby.[citation needed]

The 2010–11 season proved to be a mixed campaign for Doherty, who made it to the last 32 of the 2010 World Open, yet missed out on qualifying for the 2011 German Masters, the 2011 Welsh Open and crucially, blowing a 6–3 lead, losing 10–6 to Jimmy Robertson in the final stage of qualifying for the 2011 World Championship, meaning he had only reached the Crucible once out of his previous three attempts.[citation needed]

 
2011 Paul Hunter Classic

Doherty had an excellent start to the 2011–12 season as he qualified for the Australian Goldfields Open, where he reached his first ranking event semi-final since 2006. He beat Mark Selby 5–3 in the quarter-finals, sealing the match with a clearance which he described as the best of his career. Doherty also stated that he almost quit the game in 2009, following his downturn in form which saw him drop to world number 55.[30] He failed to replicate his form in the semi-finals, however, as he was beaten 2–6 by Mark Williams.[31] In the remainder of the season Doherty qualified for the German Masters and the Welsh Open, but was defeated in the first round by Williams and Mark Allen respectively, without picking up a frame.[32] He also reached the final of the non-ranking Irish Classic, losing 2–5 to Fergal O'Brien.[33]

 
2012 Paul Hunter Classic

He was ranked 32nd in the world going into the 2012 World Championship qualifiers, where he faced Anthony Hamilton. The match went into a deciding frame with Doherty 40 points behind, but he profited from a Hamilton error to produce a match-winning clearance to win 10–9, and earned a first-round match against Neil Robertson.[34] He lost 4–10, and finished the season ranked world number 35.[35][36]

Doherty began the 2012–13 season by losing 4–5 to Stuart Bingham in the second round of the Wuxi Classic, and 3–5 to Martin Gould in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open.[37] He went on to reach the quarter-finals of the event, losing 0–4 to Mark Selby.[37] Doherty was defeated in qualifying for the Shanghai Masters and the 2012 UK Championship, and failed to advance beyond the wildcard round of the International Championship.[37] At the fifth European Tour Event, the Scottish Open, he saw off the likes of Luca Brecel and Ryan Day to reach the semi-finals where he lost 2–4 to Ding Junhui.[38] Doherty was eliminated in the first round of the German Masters by Peter Lines, but then had his best run of the season at the Welsh Open.[37] He beat four-time world champion John Higgins 4–1 and Tom Ford 4–3 to make it through to the quarter-finals.[39] He led Stuart Bingham 2–0, but a series of missed pots saw Doherty lose his confidence and he went on to lose 3–5.[40] His aforementioned run to the semi-finals of the Scottish Open helped him finish 16th on the PTC Order of Merit to qualify as one of the top 26 players for the Finals, but he lost 2–4 to Kurt Maflin in the first round.[41] Doherty almost pulled off one of his trademark comebacks against Matthew Selt in the final round of the World Championship qualifying, as from 4–9 down he levelled at 9–9, but he lost the deciding frame.[42] The result meant that this was the first season where Doherty had not featured in any of snooker's Triple Crown events. Doherty increased his ranking by eight spots during the season to finish it ranked world number 27.[43]

Doherty qualified for all but two of the ranking events in the 2013–14 season, but couldn't advance beyond the second round in any of them.[44] In April, he qualified for the World Championship after a 10–5 win against Dechawat Poomjaeng in the final qualifying round.[45][46] Doherty was the oldest player in the draw in his 19th Crucible appearance, and after trailing Stuart Bingham 5–4 in the opening session of their first round match, Doherty produced his best snooker to take all six frames in the next session and win a match at the Crucible for the first time since 2006.[47] He then lost 13–8 to Alan McManus, the second oldest player in the event.[48]

Doherty won three qualifying matches and a wildcard round to be at the 2014 Shanghai Masters, where he met Mark Selby in the first round, losing 5–2.[49] The only other tournament Doherty could advance to the last 32 in this season was the 2014 UK Championship by overcoming Mitchell Mann and Michael White, but he was beaten 6–1 by Ricky Walden. He was knocked out of the semi-finals of the World Seniors Championship by Fergal O'Brien.[50] He reached the final round of World Championship qualifying following wins over Reanne Evans and Lee Walker, but was thrashed 10–3 by Mark Davis.[51] Doherty was placed 45th in the world rankings at the end of the season, the lowest he had been since 1991.[52]

A 6–0 thrashing at the hands of Peter Ebdon ended Doherty's International Championship run at the first round stage, and he lost 6–3 to Mark Davis in the second round of the 2015 UK Championship, having whitewashed Tony Drago 6–0 in the opener. His best results in the season were a pair of last 32 exits at the German Masters and Welsh Open, losing 5–1 to Stephen Maguire and 4–2 to Joe Perry respectively.[53] His end of season ranking of 57 was the lowest of his 26-year professional career.[54] He had two last 16 showings during 2016–17, and would have dropped off the tour at the end of the season as he was outside of the top 64 in the world rankings.[55] However, the day before the 2017 World Championship started, it was announced that Doherty would receive an invitational tour card for the next two years.[56]

Doherty played against Ronnie O'Sullivan, the defending champion, in the second round of the 2018 UK Championship. Doherty was sharp throughout the first half of the first session, leading 3–1, then he extended his lead further to 4–1, but O'Sullivan fought back to win the next 4 frames. Doherty was able to force a decider, but ultimately just one error from him was enough for his opponent to finish the frame, to prevent Doherty from causing a considerable upset in the tournament where many seeds fell to lower-ranked players already,[57] and more would follow. Doherty would be the only player that came close to defeating the eventual champion, as the other matches, with the exception of the final, produced very one-sided results.[58]

Doherty's loss in the 2020 World Championship qualifying meant that he finished the season outside the top 64 and fell out of the tour. However, he was given an invitational tour card to continue playing professional snooker in the 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons.[59] The same occurred at his loss in the 2022 World Championship qualifying, for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.[60]

Playing style edit

Despite being most renowned as an intelligent tactician, he is a heavy scorer as well when amongst the balls at close quarters.[61] This relatively cautious approach has led to the nickname "Crafty Ken".[citation needed]

Doherty has played his entire career with a warped cue randomly selected from the cue rack in Jason's, a club where he practised. He humorously revealed that the club manager originally wanted £5 for it, but Doherty haggled him down to £2.[62] In his words, "It's warped. I must be one of the few professionals playing with a warped cue, but I wouldn't dream of changing it. I have got used to holding it in a certain way, with my eye trained on a piece of grain.[63]

Media work edit

Doherty works on TV coverage of snooker matches with the BBC snooker coverage team. He became a regular commentator for the BBC starting with the 2009 Masters, following the side-lining of veteran expert Clive Everton. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he began working on ITV's snooker coverage.

Doherty guested as a presenter on the Morning Show on East Coast FM. He presents a sports programme on Sunshine 106.8FM on Saturday mornings.[64]

Personal life edit

Doherty resided in Rathgar, Dublin, and was married from 2001 to Sarah, with whom he has a son named Christian, born in 2007.[65] In 2022 Doherty revealed that he and his wife have separated, and that these days he is based in England.[66][67]

Doherty was nearly blinded in 2002 in a bathroom accident; after slipping, he struck an ornament, which narrowly missed his left eye. However, the distinctive scar on his right cheek dates back to his seventh birthday, when he fell off a shed roof onto a metal dustbin.[63]

In May 2007, Doherty appeared on RTÉ's spoof show Anonymous, heavily disguised as a priest.[68] Ostensibly he was a beginner at snooker and received some tips from Alex Higgins, who was initially fooled by the make-up and Doherty's hopeless play. However, as "Fr Donoghue" began to clear the table, Higgins' suspicions were aroused and Doherty was eventually rumbled. Doherty's disguise was enough to fool his mother and his wife.[69] In 2020, Doherty made a cameo appearance along with Jack Lisowski and Liang Wenbo in the snooker movie Break.[70]

Doherty has been a WPBSA player director since 2012.[71]

Performance and rankings timeline edit

Tournament 1990/
91
1991/
92
1992/
93
1993/
94
1994/
95
1995/
96
1996/
97
1997/
98
1998/
99
1999/
00
2000/
01
2001/
02
2002/
03
2003/
04
2004/
05
2005/
06
2006/
07
2007/
08
2008/
09
2009/
10
2010/
11
2011/
12
2012/
13
2013/
14
2014/
15
2015/
16
2016/
17
2017/
18
2018/
19
2019/
20
2020/
21
2021/
22
2022/
23
2023/
24
Ranking[72][nb 1] [nb 2] 51 21 11 7 9 7 3 4 7 7 4 5 6 7 11 2 4 18 44 30 29 35 27 33 45 57 [nb 3] 65 56 [nb 3] 73 [nb 3] 76
Ranking tournaments
Championship League Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 3R 2R RR RR
European Masters[nb 4] 3R LQ 1R 2R QF 2R SF NH QF Not Held SF 2R 1R 2R W QF NR Tournament Not Held LQ 2R 1R LQ 2R LQ LQ 1R
British Open 1R SF QF 3R 2R 3R 1R SF 2R 3R 2R 3R 2R 2R 3R Tournament Not Held 2R LQ 1R
English Open Tournament Not Held 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R LQ 1R LQ
Wuhan Open Tournament Not Held LQ
Northern Ireland Open Tournament Not Held 2R 3R 1R 4R 2R LQ LQ 1R
International Championship Tournament Not Held WR LQ LQ 1R 1R A 1R 1R Not Held LQ
UK Championship LQ LQ 2R 3R F QF SF 2R 3R 3R 2R F F 2R 2R QF 3R 1R 1R LQ 1R LQ LQ 1R 3R 2R 1R 2R 2R 1R 1R 1R LQ LQ
Shoot Out Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 4R 1R 2R 2R 3R 3R 2R 1R
Scottish Open[nb 5] Not Held SF 2R 3R 1R 2R QF SF 3R F 2R SF SF Tournament Not Held MR Not Held 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R LQ
World Grand Prix Tournament Not Held NR DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
German Masters[nb 6] Tournament Not Held F 2R SF NR Tournament Not Held LQ 1R 1R 1R LQ 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R LQ 1R
Welsh Open NH 2R W 3R 1R 2R 3R 1R 1R 3R W F QF 3R QF 3R 3R 3R LQ LQ LQ 1R QF 2R 2R 3R 1R 1R 2R 2R 2R LQ 1R LQ
Players Championship[nb 7] Tournament Not Held DNQ DNQ 1R DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
World Open[nb 8] LQ 2R F F 3R 3R 3R 1R 2R QF QF 2R 2R SF 2R 2R 2R RR LQ 2R 1R LQ LQ 2R Not Held LQ 1R LQ 1R Not Held LQ
Tour Championship Tournament Not Held DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ
World Championship 1R LQ LQ QF 1R 2R W F QF 2R QF QF F 1R 2R QF 1R 1R LQ 1R LQ 1R LQ 2R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters LQ 1R 1R QF 1R 1R SF SF F F QF 1R SF QF 1R 1R QF SF LQ LQ A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Championship League Tournament Not Held 2R RR A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
World Seniors Championship NH A Tournament Not Held QF A A A SF 1R A A NH A F QF 1R
Former ranking tournaments
Classic QF 3R Tournament Not Held
Strachan Open[nb 9] NH SF MR NR Tournament Not Held
Asian Classic[nb 10] 1R 2R 2R QF QF 1R SF Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event W NR Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters[nb 11] LQ 2R 2R 2R 2R F 2R SF QF SF W QF NR Not Held NR Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters Non-Ranking Event 1R SF 2R NH NR Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held NR QF 3R 2R Tournament Not Held
Bahrain Championship Tournament Not held 1R Tournament Not held
Wuxi Classic[nb 12] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event 2R 1R 1R Tournament Not Held
Australian Goldfields Open[nb 13] Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Tournament Not Held SF 1R 1R LQ LQ Tournament Not Held
Shanghai Masters Tournament Not Held 1R LQ QF 1R LQ LQ LQ 1R LQ LQ A Non-Ranking Not Held NR
Paul Hunter Classic[nb 14] Tournament Not Held Pro-am Event Minor-Ranking Event A 3R A NR Tournament Not Held
Indian Open Tournament Not Held 1R 1R NH LQ 3R LQ Tournament Not Held
China Open[nb 15] Tournament Not Held NR QF LQ 2R QF Not Held SF SF QF 2R LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R 1R 1R LQ LQ LQ 2R Tournament Not Held
Riga Masters[nb 16] Tournament Not Held MR 3R SF A A Tournament Not Held
China Championship Tournament Not Held NR 1R 1R WD Tournament Not Held
WST Pro Series Tournament Not Held RR Not Held
Turkish Masters Tournament Not Held LQ Not Held
Gibraltar Open Tournament Not Held MR WD 4R 3R 1R 2R 2R Not Held
WST Classic Tournament Not Held A NH
Former non-ranking tournaments
World Masters 2R Tournament Not Held
Top Rank Classic Tournament Not Held RR Tournament Not Held
Red & White Challenge Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Superstar International Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
German Masters[nb 6] Tournament Not Held Ranking Event SF Tournament Not Held Ranking Event
Pontins Professional A A W W F W SF SF QF QF Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix Tournament Not Held A SF QF W F R RR Tournament Not Held
Champions Cup[nb 17] Tournament Not Held 1R SF QF SF SF RR RR SF Tournament Not Held
Scottish Masters A A A W W QF QF QF 1R QF SF QF 1R Tournament Not Held
World Champions v Asia Stars Tournament Not Held RR Tournament Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held 1R Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters QF F QF 1R QF SF 1R W QF 1R 1R SF Ranking Event NH QF Tournament Not Held
Euro-Asia Masters Challenge Tournament Not Held F W Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Irish Professional Championship NH 1R W Tournament Not Held F W W Tournament Not Held
Pot Black A A A 1R Tournament Not Held A SF W Tournament Not Held
Malta Cup[nb 4] Ranking Event NH R Not Held Ranking Event F Tournament Not Held Ranking Event
World Series Jersey Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
World Series Warsaw Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
World Series Grand Final Tournament Not Held 2R Tournament Not Held
World Series Killarney Tournament Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Masters Qualifying Event[nb 18] 3R W MR A A A A A A A A A A A NH A A A SF 1R Tournament Not Held
Legends of Snooker Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
Irish Classic Tournament Not Held A W RR A F Tournament Not Held
Premier League[nb 19] A A A A F W SF W RR A A A A A A A RR A A A A A A Tournament Not Held
Shoot Out 4R Tournament Not Held 3R 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R Ranking Event
Paul Hunter Classic Tournament Not Held Pro-am Event Minor-Ranking Event Ranking Event 1R Tournament Not Held
Six-red World Championship[nb 20] Tournament Not Held 3R 3R RR NH 2R 2R 2R 2R A A A RR Not Held RR NH
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi–finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
DQ disqualified from the tournament
NH / Not Held event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
PA / Pro-am Event means an event is/was a pro-am event.
  1. ^ From the 2010/2011 season it shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. ^ New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking
  3. ^ a b c Players issued an invitational tour card began the season without ranking points
  4. ^ a b The event was called the European Open (1992/1993–1996/1997), the Irish Open (1998/1999) and the Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)
  5. ^ The event was called the International Open (1992/1993–1996/1997) and the Players Championship (2003/2004)
  6. ^ a b The event was called the German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)
  7. ^ The event was called the Players Tour Championship Grand Final (2010/2011–2015/2016)
  8. ^ The event was called the Grand Prix (1990/1991–2000/2001 and 2004/2005–2009/2010) and the LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004)
  9. ^ The event was called the Strachan Challenge (1992/1993–1993/1994)
  10. ^ The event was called the Dubai Classic (1990/1991–1994/1995) and the Thailand Classic (1995/1996)
  11. ^ The event was called the Asian Open (1990/1991–1992/1993) and the Thailand Open (1993/1994–1996/97)
  12. ^ The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009–2009/2010)
  13. ^ The event was called the Australian Open (1994/1995) and the Australian Masters (1995/1996)
  14. ^ The event was called the Grand Prix Fürth (2004/2005) and the Fürth German Open (2005/2006–2006/2007)
  15. ^ The event was called the China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)
  16. ^ The event was called the Riga Open (2014/2015–2015/2016)
  17. ^ The event was called the Charity Challenge (1994/1995–1998/1999)
  18. ^ The event was called the Benson & Hedges Championship (1990/1991–2002/2003)
  19. ^ The event was called the Matchroom League (1990/1991–1991/1992) and the European League (1992/1993–1996/1997)
  20. ^ The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009) and the Six-red World Grand Prix (2009/2010)

Career finals edit

Ranking finals: 17 (6 titles) edit

Legend
World Championship (1–2)
UK Championship (0–3)
Other (5–6)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1992 Grand Prix   Jimmy White 9–10
Winner 1. 1993 Welsh Open   Alan McManus 9–7
Runner-up 2. 1993 Grand Prix (2)   Peter Ebdon 6–9
Runner-up 3. 1994 UK Championship   Stephen Hendry 5–10
Runner-up 4. 1995 German Open   John Higgins 3–9
Runner-up 5. 1996 Thailand Open   Alan McManus 8–9
Winner 2. 1997 World Snooker Championship   Stephen Hendry 18–12
Runner-up 6. 1998 World Snooker Championship   John Higgins 12–18
Winner 3. 2000 Malta Grand Prix   Mark Williams 9–3
Winner 4. 2001 Welsh Open (2)   Paul Hunter 9–2
Winner 5. 2001 Thailand Masters   Stephen Hendry 9–3
Runner-up 7. 2001 Scottish Open   Peter Ebdon 7–9
Runner-up 8. 2001 UK Championship (2)   Ronnie O'Sullivan 1–10
Runner-up 9. 2002 Welsh Open   Paul Hunter 7–9
Runner-up 10. 2002 UK Championship (3)   Mark Williams 9–10
Runner-up 11. 2003 World Snooker Championship (2)   Mark Williams 16–18
Winner 6. 2006 Malta Cup   John Higgins 9–8

Minor-ranking finals: 1 edit

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1993 Strachan Challenge – Event 3   Tony Drago 7–9

Non-ranking finals: 33 (19 titles) edit

Legend
The Masters (0–2)
Premier League (2–1)
Other (17–11)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1991 Benson & Hedges Championship   Darren Morgan 9–3
Runner-up 1. 1992 Irish Masters   Stephen Hendry 6–9
Winner 2. 1993 Pontins Professional   Darren Morgan 9–3
Winner 3. 1993 Irish Professional Championship   Stephen Murphy 9–2
Winner 4. 1993 Scottish Masters   Alan McManus 10–9
Winner 5. 1994 Pontins Professional (2)   Nigel Bond 9–5
Winner 6. 1994 Scottish Masters (2)   Stephen Hendry 9–7
Runner-up 2. 1995 European League   Stephen Hendry 2–10
Runner-up 3. 1995 Pontins Professional   Peter Ebdon 8–9
Winner 7. 1996 European League   Steve Davis 10–5
Winner 8. 1996 Pontins Professional (3)   Nigel Bond 9–7
Winner 9. 1997 Malta Grand Prix   John Higgins 7–5
Winner 10. 1998 Irish Masters   Ronnie O'Sullivan Disqualified [nb 1]
Winner 11. 1998 Premier League (2)   Jimmy White 10–2
Runner-up 4. 1998 Malta Grand Prix   Stephen Hendry 6–7
Runner-up 5. 1999 The Masters   John Higgins 8–10
Runner-up 6. 2000 The Masters (2)   Matthew Stevens 8–10
Runner-up 7. 2003 Euro-Asia Masters Challenge – Event 1   James Wattana 4–6
Winner 12. 2003 Euro-Asia Masters Challenge – Event 2   Marco Fu 5–2
Runner-up 8. 2005 Irish Professional Championship   Joe Swail 7–9
Winner 13. 2006 Irish Professional Championship (2)   Michael Judge 9–4
Winner 14. 2007 Irish Professional Championship (3)   Fergal O'Brien 9–2
Winner 15. 2007 Pot Black   Shaun Murphy 1–0
Runner-up 9. 2008 Malta Cup   Shaun Murphy 3–9
Winner 16. 2008 Irish Classic   Fergal O'Brien 5–2
Runner-up 10. 2008 World Series of Snooker Warsaw   Ding Junhui 4–6
Winner 17. 2009 Pro Challenge Series – Event 2   Martin Gould 6–2
Runner-up 11. 2009 Legends of Snooker   Stephen Hendry 3–5
Runner-up 12. 2011 Irish Classic   Fergal O'Brien 2–5
Runner-up 13. 2017 UK Seniors Championship   Jimmy White 2–4
Winner 18. 2018 UK Seniors Championship   Igor Figueiredo 4–1
Runner-up 14. 2020 World Seniors Championship   Jimmy White 4–5
Winner 19. 2024 Seniors 900   Jimmy White 2–1

Team finals: 2 edit

Outcome No. Year Championship Team Opponent(s) in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1996 World Cup   Ireland   Scotland 7–10
Runner-up 2. 2001 Nations Cup   Ireland   Scotland 2–6

Pro-am finals: 14 (7 titles) edit

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1988 Pontins Spring Open   Colin Morton 7–5
Runner-up 1. 1989 Pontins Spring Open   Peter Ebdon 4–7
Winner 2. 1996 Pontins Spring Open (2)   Darren Morgan 7–3
Winner 3. 1997 Pontins Spring Open (3)   Paul Bunyard 7–6
Winner 4. 2002 Cue Club Pro-Am   Rodney Goggins 5–2[73]
Winner 5. 2003 Liam O'Connor Memorial   Ian McCulloch 6–2[74]
Winner 6. 2003 Barry McNamee Memorial Trophy   Joe Swail 6–5[75]
Runner-up 2. 2005 Swiss Open   Ricky Walden 3–5[76]
Runner-up 3. 2006 Pontins Pro-Am - Event 1   Jamie Cope 2–4[77]
Winner 7. 2006 Pontins World Series Grand Final   Ricky Walden 4–2[78]
Runner-up 4. 2007 Paul Hunter Classic   Barry Pinches 0–4
Runner-up 5. 2007 Swiss Open   Dave Harold 0–5[79]
Runner-up 6. 2009 Pontins Pro-Am - Event 4   Michael White 4–5[80]
Runner-up 7. 2009 Pontins World Series Grand Final   Stuart Bingham 1–3[78]

Amateur finals: 7 (6 titles) edit

Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1985 Irish Amateur Championship   Gay Burns 6–11
Winner 1. 1987 Irish Amateur Championship   Richard Nolan 8–7
Winner 2. 1987 All-Ireland Amateur Championship   Seamus McClarey 5–3[81]
Winner 3. 1989 Irish Amateur Championship (2)   Anthony O'Connor 8–5
Winner 4. 1989 World Under-21 Amateur Championship   Jason Ferguson 11–5
Winner 5. 1989 All-Ireland Amateur Championship (2)   Harry Morgan 5–2[82]
Winner 6. 1989 World Amateur Championship   Jonathan Birch 11–2

References edit

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Further reading edit

External links edit