Philip Seaton
edit| Born | May 7, 1972 |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  England |
| Professional | 1991–1997, 1998/1999 |
| Highest ranking | 189 (1998/1999) |
| Best ranking finish | 6th round qualifying (three times) |
Philip Seaton (born 7 May 1972) is an English former professional snooker player.
Career
editBorn in 1972, Seaton turned professional in 1991. He first progressed past the fifth qualifying round at any tournament at the 1992 UK Championship, where he overcame Elliott Clark, Danny Smith and Kevin Young before losing 1–5 to Nic Barrow in round 6. Seaton won his frame against Barrow with a break of 102, the first and only century break of his career.
At Event 2 of the Strachan Challenge later in the 1992/1993 season, Seaton beat Paddy Browne 5–4 to qualify for the first round - the last-128 stage - but lost his match 3–5 to the former world number two Tony Knowles. He was drawn against, and lost 1–5 to, the emerging Ronnie O'Sullivan in the next event, seventeen-year-old O'Sullivan compiling his seventeenth career century in the process, also losing to eighteen-year-old Mark Williams 5–0 in the International Open. Seaton's season concluded with a 3–5 defeat to another young prospect, Dominic Dale, in the 1993 World Championship.
At the 1993 UK Championship, he again reached the 6th qualifying round, beating Bjorn Haneveer and Simon Parker before being eliminated 5–1 by Mark King.
Seaton was relegated from the main tour in 1997 with the advent of the secondary UK Tour; his performances on that circuit during the 1997/1998 season were sufficient for him to return to the top level, but although he began 1998/1999 ranked 189th, his highest-ever position, he could not retain his place and was relegated again at the season's conclusion.
As a WPBSA member not competitive on the tour, Seaton entered pre-qualifying for the World Championship between 2000 and 2010. He lost 1–6 to Colm Gilcreest in 2000 and 2–5 to the Mauritian Richard Somauroo in 2001, and began entering Challenge Tour events from 2001, attempting to re-qualify as a professional. He reached the last 16 at one such tournament in 2002, losing 3–5 to Lee Spick, and his World Championship campaign that year was ended by a 1–5 defeat to Leo Fernandez.
Defeats in the World Championship in 2004, 2005 and 2006 - 0–5 to Gary Wilson, Mehmet Husnu and Knowles - followed, before Seaton won his first match in the tournament for four years, in the 2007 edition. There, he overcame Ali Bassiri 5–0, but having led Roy Stolk 4–3, could not prevent a 7–10 loss to the Dutchman.
The following year, Seaton led Colin Mitchell 4–2, but succumbed 4–5; he fared no better in 2009, losing 2–5 to Knowles, and after a 2–5 loss to Del Smith in 2010, did not play another competitive match.