Mark Davis
Plays out of O’Sullivans Snooker Club:
Current World Ranking: Number 32: (23/06/20)
D.O.B.: 12 Aug 1972
Age: 47
Born: St Leonards, Sussex
Lives: Hastings, Sussex
Turned Pro: 1991
Best Ranking Performance: Semi-finals – Wuxi Classic 2012, Australian Goldfields Open 2012, UK Championship 2012, English Open Runner Up.
Highest Tournament Break: 143 – China Open 2010
Achievements:
Has been a professional for almost 30 years.
Had a highest ranking number 13, in 2013.
Won the 6 reds world championships 3 times in 2009, 2012 & 2013
Had his first official maximum 147 break in the champions league 2017 agains Neil Robertson, then a second one in the champions league 51 days later against John Higgins.
Reached his first ever Ranking final in 2018. Losing out to Stuart Bingham in the English Open
Add more Ranking achievements:
Semi finalist in Australian open 2012 & 2014.
Semi finalist Wuxi Classic 2012
Semi finalist UK championships 2012.
English Open Runner-Up 2018
In the main ranking events, the 2013/14 season was an unspectacular one for Davis. He reached the quarter-finals of three events – the Australian Goldfields Open, Shanghai Masters and German Open – but was unable to progress further in any of them.
The highlight of his campaign came at the Six-Red World Championship in Bangkok, Thailand, where Davis beat the likes of John Higgins and Mark Selby to reach the final, then saw off Neil Robertson to capture the trophy. It was his second consecutive victory in that tournament and third six-red world title of his career. “I am enjoying my snooker and that is the most important thing,” said the Sussex cueman, who beat Shaun Murphy in the previous year’s final. “My trouble has been a lack of self belief. Hopefully now I can now make progress up the rankings and win one of the majors on the way.”
Like a fine wine, Davis has matured with age. He has found the best form of his career after his 40th birthday.
During the 2012/13 season he reached the semi-finals of a ranking event for the first time – and did so in three different tournaments. He go to the last four of the Australian Goldfields Open, Wuxi Classic and UK Championship.
In 2013, Davis enjoyed one of the best results of his life as he knocked John Higgins out of the World Championship, scoring a 10-6 victory in the first round. “If you talk about the best players ever, John is right up there with any of them. It’s a brilliant win for me,” said Davis. However he was unable to progress further as he lost to Stuart Bingham in the last 16.
Davis registered one of the the highlights of his career in 2003 when he captured the B&H Championship title at the Towers Snooker Club in Mansfield.
He knocked out Ian Hurdman, Jason Prince, Andy Hicks, Michael Holt, Drew Henry and Barry Hawkins to reach the final then came from 4-1 down to beat Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Husnu 9-6. That earned him a wild card to the Masters.
Davis took up a course in book-keeping in 2000 in case he dropped off the Main Tour.
Away from snooker, he enjoys watching Western films. He got married in 2010. In 2012 he ran a half marathon to raise money for a local children’s hospice.
(Taken from players profiles at worldsnooker.com)
Jimmy Robertson
D.O.B.: 03 May 1986
Lives: Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex
Turned Pro: 2002 (Aged 16 Years)
Current World Ranking: Number 24 – (June 2020)
Highest ranking: Number 21 – (March 2019)
Achievements:
Winning his first ranking event, the European Masters in Belgium in 2018, defeating Joe Perry 9-6.
Ranking events:
Last 16 international open 2015
Last 16 world open 2017
Quarter Finals German Masters 2018
Winner European Masters 2018
Quarter Finals Gibralta Open 2020
First started playing snooker on a full size table at 8 years of age, at Clarksons Leisure in Bexhill. Made his first century at 11 years of age. During his early years, coach ‘Frank Sandell’ spotted his potential, where he entered his monthly tournaments in Worthing & Chichester for under 18’s that he ran. He also went to Franks summer coaching schools in his early years, which were held at Clarksons.
After learning his craft in local tournaments & becoming a very successful junior, representing the East Sussex County senior team at the age of 12, he then progressed to entering events all over the country, especially at the ‘Willie Thorne Snooker Centre’ in Leicester, where the best juniors from all over the UK would meet up to compete. Many professionals on the circuit today competed here regularly such as ‘Mark Selby’, who was based there, Shaun Murphy, Jamie Cope, Ben Woollaston, Judd Trump, Jack Lisowski, Gary Wilson, Dave Gilbert, Tom Ford to name but a few. Other events at Junior, Senior, Pro-am, Counties & Nationals, were competed for, before getting the highest accolade of all, as a junior, being selected to represent ‘England Juniors’ at Under 16 Level, the highlight of a glittering junior career, as well as turning professional at 16.
The transition to Professional snooker at such an early age was very difficult, but was a good experience. Getting relegated in his first season was a big disappointment, but with more hard work and determination, it was nearly 5 years of waiting before Jimmy got another chance. Again, he found it difficult to keep his place, even though he did better than his first attempt, it was back to the amateur scene the next season. This time, extra hard work, grit, and the thought of being a professional, drove Jimmy on. Within 2 years he had won 3 National Amateur Titles, to earn his Professional card for a third time in 2009, aged 23. This time, although progress has been hard and slow, the experience he has gained over the years has been invaluable, and with continued hard work, he has kept his place for 6 years now, and is up to 47 in the World Rankings. He still has dreams of winning many professional titles.
Best Ranking Performance Last 32 – 2011 World Championship, Haikou World Open 2012, Shanghai Masters 2012, China Open 2013, Wuxi Classic 2013, Players Championship 2014
Robertson has reached the last 32 of six full ranking events but is yet to go further. He got to that stage for the fifth time at the 2013 Wuxi Classic, winning three matches before losing 5-4 to Scott Donaldson.
Robertson has reached the Crucible 4 times in 2011, 2015, 2017 & 2018 but unfortunately had never advanced past the last 32.
Kept his place on the main professional tour fort past 11 years.
In 2013 he got to the quarter-finals of European Tour events in Bulgaria and Doncaster. Those results helped him qualify for the 2014 Players Championship Grand Finals in Preston, but once again he lost at the last 32 stage, against John Higgins.
At the one-frame Shoot-Out in 2013 he made an astonishing 57 clearance in 131 seconds to beat Tian Pengfei. That won him the Magic Moment prize at the annual World Snooker awards.
In 2011, Robertson qualified for the televised stages of the World Championship for the first time in his career.
In the qualifying rounds he beat Xiao Guodong 10-9 and Tony Drago 10-8 then came from 6-3 down to beat 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty 10-6 in the final round. “I’m just really happy,” he said. “This will be my first time at the Crucible but hopefully not the last.”
Handed a tough draw against Mark Selby at Sheffield, Robertson must have been dreaming of an upset when he won the first frame, but he was not able to trouble the scorers again and lost 10-1.
Robertson gained his main tour place by finishing top of the 2008/09 EASB English Pro-Ticket tour rankings. For good measure, he added the English Amateur title with a 9-8 victory on the pink in the deciding frame against David Craggs.
Robertson is a keen footballer and had trials for Crystal Palace before deciding to focus on the green baize. He owns a snooker club in Bexhill called O’Sullivans.
(Taken from players profiles at worldsnooker.com)
One of Jimmys highlights from 2013 was the one frame shoot-out, where he was awarded the ‘Magic Moment Award’, make sure you watch it right until the end: Click on the following link to watch: YouTube
As an amateur, Jimmy had a prolific career as a junior, winning many events around the country. The biggest highlights of this, was winning the EASB (English Association of Snooker & Billiards), ‘English Ranking amateur Title’, in 2008, then the ‘English Amateur Title’ in 2009, along with the ‘English amateur Ranking Title’ again, in the same season, for good measure, which won him his professional ticket back onto the main World Tour, for the third time.