Pot Black Trivia Quiz

Answer: Steve Davis

Steve Davis was born in a suburb of London in 1957. He started playing snooker at age 12 and turned professional in 1978. His first World Championship (1979) was a failure: he was eliminated in the first round by Dennis Taylor. But the eighties were his decade: he won the World Championship in 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1989. On top of this he won also six UK Championships (all in the eighties) and three World Masters (1982, 1988 and 1997).

Steve Davis scored the first 147 ever in professional snooker: in the first round of the Lada Classic 1982 he inflicted a perfect score on John Spencer, whom he defeated 5-2. In the semi-final Steve Davis defeated Ray Reardon (5-4), but he lost to Terry Griffiths 9-8 in the final.

Steve Davis retired in 2016. During his career, he was known under several nicknames: Romford Slim (because he started his career playing for the club at Romford), the Ginger Magician and the Ginger Mushroom (because of his hair colour), Master Cueman, Interesting (both nicknames for his style of play) and The Nugget. According to his manager, "you could put your case of money on him and you knew you were going to get paid." (quote from a newspaper article appeared in the Daily Mail on December 23, 2009).

Answer: Cliff Thorburn

Cliff Thorburn was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1948. This Canadian started his professional snooker career in 1972 and would retire in 1996.
Cliff Thorburn won the World Championship in 1980 against Alex Higgins (18-16) and won the World Masters thrice (1983, 1985 and 1986).

Cliff Thorburn was the first player to score a maximum break twice: in 1983 at the World Championship (opposite Terry Griffiths) and in 1989 at the Matchroom League (against Jimmy White). Cliff's first 147 break came after a foul by his opponent, so he won the frame by 151-0. It was also the first maximum break at the World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield. Cliff Thorburn's best known nickname was The Grinder, derived from his determination and slow playing style. 

Answer: James Wattana

James Wattana was born in Bangkok in 1970. His career as a snooker player switched a few times between amateur and professional. His professional career stretched from 1989 to 2008 and a second spell between 2009 and 2014. He scored three maximum breaks: one in 1991 at the Masters against Paul Dawkins, one in 1992 against Tony Drago at the British Open, and one in 1997 at the China International against Pang Weiguo.

Wattana was also once at the receiving end of a maximum break, inflicted on him by Ronnie O'Sullivan. Wattana's nicknames The Thai-Phoon and the Thai Tornado are of course inspired by his nationality, but also by his speedy style of play. He scored for instance the 1992 maximum break in just over six minutes - then a record, that would be surpassed by Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1997.

Answer: Jimmy White

Jimmy White was born in Tooting (England) in 1962. He started his professional career in 1980. One of the early highlights of White's career was his victory at the Masters in 1984. That same year he also played his first final at the World Championship, but lost to Steve Davis. Later on he would lose five World Championship finals in a row: 1990 until 1994 (losing to Stephen Hendry, John Parrott, and thrice in a row to Hendry). It seems Stephen Hendry was Jimmy's most dreaded opponent. At the World Championship of 1992, Jimmy White scored a maximum break against Tony Drago. It was the thirteenth frame of the first round.

White's nickname the Whirlwind is a fine alliteration, but it was also inspired by his style of play: a relentless attacker, known to score some fabulous recoveries in match play. For instance: in his match against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the 1998 World Championship, Jimmy White reduced a six frame lagging to a three frame lagging (from 1-7 to 6-9), only to lose with 7-13.

Answer: Stephen Hendry

Stephen Hendry was born in Edinburgh in 1969. He started his professional career in 1985, at the early age of 16. His greatest successes came between 1989 and 1999, with 6 final victories in the Masters (1989 up to 1993 and 1996) and seven World Championship titles (1990, 1992 until 1996, and 1999). In 2012 he retired as a player and became one of the most experienced snooker commentators at the BBC.

Hendry's first maximum break was in 1992 at the Matchroom League tournament (which was not televised at the time). Hendry went on with another ten maximum breaks, ending his professional career as the second player to reach eleven official maximum breaks. Three of this maximum breaks were scored during a World Championship: 1995 against Jimmy White, 2009 against Shaun Murphy and 2012 against Stuart Bingham. As Stephen Hendry was the first player to win seven World Championships at the Crucible in Sheffield, his nickname King of the Crucible is quite obvious. Other nicknames of his include The Golden Boy, The Golden Bairn, The Wonder Bairn, The Maestro, The Great One and The Ice Man (this last nickname was inspired by the fact that he seems to stay quite undisturbed, whatever happens at the table).

Answer: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O'Sullivan was born in 1975 in the West Midlands in England. He started his professional career in 1992 and was still active at the time this question was written, although he contemplated retiring several times. O'Sullivan won the World Championship in 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2013. He also went home victoriously after the Masters 1995, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016 and 2017 - the first player with seven Masters titles (out of twelve finals).

O'Sullivan's first professional maximum break was in 1997 against Mick Price. Later on he would score 147 against James Wattana in 1999, against Graeme Dott in 1999, against Quinten Hann in 2000 and against Drew Henry in 2001. In 2003, Ronnie O'Sullivan inflicted a maximum break on Marco Fu at the World Championship. In 2007 he scored two maximum breaks, one opposite Ali Carter and one against Mark Selby. In 2008 O'Sullivan scored his second maximum break at the World Championship, against Mark Williams. Ronnie's tenth maximum break was against Mark King in 2010, and he continued with maximum breaks opposite Adam Duffy in 2011, Ding Junhui in 2014 and Matthew Selt in 2014. This means Ronnie O'Sullivan is the first player ever to score thirteen official maximum breaks during his professional career. Ronnie O'Sullivan is nicknamed The Rocket for his incredible speed of play. His first official maximum break was completed in five minutes and twenty seconds, a speed record that holds for at least twenty years. Another nickname of his is The Essex Exocet.

Answer: Mark Williams

Mark Williams was born in Cwm, Ebbw Vale in 1975. He started his career as a professional snooker player in 1992. Highlights in his career include first place on the world ranking in 2000-2002, 2004 and 2012; the World Championship in 2000 and 2003, the Masters in 1998 and 2003; and maximum breaks in 2005 (World Championship, against Robert Milkins), and 2010 (opposite Diana Schuler, at the German Masters).

He holds the nicknames The Welsh Potting Machine and The Welsh Wonder, but also Sprog. (The word Sprog is most commonly used as slang for children and adolescents, but can also indicate a new recruit or an inexperienced person).

Answer: Ding Junhui

Ding Junhui was born in Jixing, province of Jiangsu in 1987. He became a professional snooker player in 2003 and is one of the most successful Chinese snooker players of his generation. Ding won several ranking tournaments (including the UK Championship in 2005 and 2009, the China Open in 2005 and 2014, the Indian Open and the German Masters in 2014, and the Shanghai Masters in 2014 and 2017. He also won the Masters in 2011 and reached the final at the World Championship in 2016. In 2014 he held the first place in the world ranking for a brief period.

Ding scored his first maximum break in 2007 against Anthony Hamilton at the Masters. He would follow this achievement with maximum breaks in 2008 against John Higgins, in 2011 against Brandon Winstone and opposite James Cahill. Mark Allen was at the receiving end of a maximum break in 2013, and Ding inflicted a sixth maximum break on Neil Robertson in 2016.

Ding Junhui has several nicknames, all referring to his Chinese nationality. One of these is Pot Noodle (maybe a bit nasty). More positive connotations have Star of the East, Enter the Dragon and Chinese Sensation. This last nickname Ding earned after his victory in the UK Championship in 2005 (against Steve Davis).

Answer: Ali Carter

Ali Carter was born in Colchester in 1979 and has obtained a pilot license. If I were a snooker commentator I could be tempted to make such puns as "Carter is in control" - "Carter takes the rudder" - "Carter succeeds a soft landing". But his nickname is not The Pilot, as I would expect. His nickname is The Captain, a nickname he shares with the Canadian Kirk Stevens. Ali Carter started his professional snooker career in 1996. Highlights of his career include a second place on the World Ranking in 2010, two finals in the World Championship (2008 and 2012, lost both finals to Ronnie O'Sullivan) and two maximum breaks.

In 2008 Ali Carter scored a maximum break at the World Championship against Peter Ebdon. Carter's second maximum break was in 2016 against Wang Yuchen in the qualifying rounds for the German Masters of 2017. Carter would indeed qualify and reached the final, which he lost to Anthony Hamilton. 

Answer: Mark Davis

The top snooker players win ranking tournaments, take on a high place on the world ranking and/or score maximum breaks before they reach the age of 40. Mark Davis is a different kind of player: born in August 1972, he had not won any ranking tournaments at the end of 2016. Until that day, his highest ranking was 13, and his highest break was 143. And then suddenly in 2017, when he was already 44 years old, Mark Davis earned his place in this quiz by a first maximum break against Neil Robertson and a second maximum break against John Higgins, both in the Snooker Championship League. Mark Davis is nicknamed The Battler from Hastings because of his fighting spirit and because his birthplace Saint-Leonards is quite near Hastings.