Potted History

With over 40 years of competitive experience, my journey began with a remarkable encounter. At age 11, I won a local competition that earned me a frame against the newly crowned World Champion, Steve Davis, in front of over a thousand fans (see above).

The match generated a lot of publicity, especially due to my passing resemblance of Steve with my red hair! Davis was so impressed, the following year, he tipped me as a "future champion" in his autobiography Frame and Fortune (right).

This early success led to coaching and mentorship from the legendary Frank Callan, the world-renowned "Guru" who coached multiple World Champions, including Davis and Stephen Hendry. Frank's core methods are an integral part of my coaching.

By my early 20s, I had established myself as an accomplished amateur in East Lancashire, winning several local titles and highest break prizes. Notable highlights include reaching the East Lancs Amateur final in 1993, winning the prestigious Accrington Observer Cup in 1994, and two consecutive Blackburn & Darwen CIU titles, plus the first-ever league century break in 1995.

My focus then turned away from snooker. I graduated from the Open University in 2004 with an honours degree in Mathematical Sciences, and from there, I built a successful career, first in banking and then in the public sector, where I specialised in Business Process Modelling, Lean Six Sigma (I'm a qualified black belt) and Operational Research. This is where the data analytics comes from!

When I realised there were snooker tournaments in the public sector, I returned to the table in 2015. As well as winning six regional events in eight seasons, I became National Champion in 2018. My return to local competition also brought local successes - firstly reaching the Blackburn CIU final again, after 30 years, then winning the other two local league individual titles to complete the set.