Fergal O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Fergal O'Brien is an Irish
professional snooker
player. He has won one ranking title and reached two other major finals, and spent three seasons as a top 16 player.
in 1999, beating Anthony Hamilton
9–7 in the final. Hamilton opened with two centuries, but O'Brien won five frames on the final black to defeat the Nottingham man.
O'Brien also came close to winning the Masters title, losing the 2001 final to Paul Hunter
after leading 7–3. He has reached one further ranking final, and three semi-finals
O'Brien peaked at #9 in the rankings following his sole title, but nosedived after this. He narrowly retained his top 16 place for the 2001/2002 season
, but dropped out a year later – and then out of the top 32 a year later. Three further falls down the rankings left him at #45, before beginning to recover.
O'Brien also holds the honour of being the only player in history to hit a century break in his very first frame played at the Crucible. Despite this, his best run at the World Championship was only reaching the quarter-final.
O'Brien started the 2007/2008 campaign
in Shanghai
where he had beaten Paul Davies and Barry Hawkins
in qualifying rounds, however, he lost to Steve Davis
in the first round. O'Brien also qualified for the Grand Prix
but lost five of his group matches (whitewashing Ali Carter 3–0 in the other) to finish 5th in his group ahead of only Graeme Dott
.
After qualifying for the main draw of the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy
by beating Barry Pinches
in a deciding frame, O'Brien went on to beat Dave Harold
in the first round of the main draw. Victories over John Higgins (in a decider), Barry Hawkins
and Ronnie O'Sullivan
, before he reached the second ranking-event final of his career by beating Mark Allen
by 6 frames to 3. He lost the final to Stephen Maguire
, 5–9.
This run helped him return to the top 32 of the Snooker world rankings 2007/2008
, but the early part of the 2008/2009 season proved disappointing, O'Brien not reaching the last sixteen of any of the first four tournaments.
He is also the only player to score a century in his first frame at the World Championships in the Crucible, which he achieved against Alan McManus
in 1994 (though he lost the match 10–7 and did not qualify again until 1998), and the first player ever to beat John Parrott
in a World Championship qualifier, in 2005. As of the end of 2009 O'Brien has compiled 101 competitive century breaks in his career.
| valign=top width=40% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|Legend
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| World Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| UK Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor=
| Other (1–1)
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
|width="80"|Outcome
|width="20"|No.
|width="50"|Year
|width="250"|Championship
|width="200"|Opponent in the final
|width="100"|Score
|-
| style="background:#98FB98"|Winner
| 1.
| 1999
| British Open
|
| 9–7
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| 2007
| Northern Ireland Trophy
|
| 5–9
|}
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
professional snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player. He has won one ranking title and reached two other major finals, and spent three seasons as a top 16 player.
Career
His greatest achievement was winning the British OpenBritish Open (snooker)
The British Open was a professional snooker tournament. It was a ranking tournament from 1985. The tournament has not been held since the 2004/2005 season....
in 1999, beating Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton (snooker player)
Anthony Hamilton is an English professional snooker player noted for his strong break-building technique and distinctive appearance. He has spent five seasons ranked among the game's top 16, and fifteen in the top 32, reaching a career-high at number #10 in the world in the 1999/2000 season...
9–7 in the final. Hamilton opened with two centuries, but O'Brien won five frames on the final black to defeat the Nottingham man.
O'Brien also came close to winning the Masters title, losing the 2001 final to Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter
Paul Alan Hunter was an English professional snooker player. His media profile developed swiftly and he became known as the "Beckham of the Baize" because of his good looks and flamboyant style....
after leading 7–3. He has reached one further ranking final, and three semi-finals
O'Brien peaked at #9 in the rankings following his sole title, but nosedived after this. He narrowly retained his top 16 place for the 2001/2002 season
Snooker season 2001/2002
The snooker season 2001/2002 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 2001 and 2002. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:- Official rankings :...
, but dropped out a year later – and then out of the top 32 a year later. Three further falls down the rankings left him at #45, before beginning to recover.
O'Brien also holds the honour of being the only player in history to hit a century break in his very first frame played at the Crucible. Despite this, his best run at the World Championship was only reaching the quarter-final.
O'Brien started the 2007/2008 campaign
Snooker season 2007/2008
The Snooker Season 2007/2008 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2007 and 2008. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events...
in Shanghai
2007 Shanghai Masters
The 2007 Shanghai Masters was the inaugural event of the Shanghai Masters tournament and the first ranking event of the season. It took place between 6–12 August 2007 at the Shanghai Grand Stage.Dominic Dale won in the final 10–6 against Ryan Day....
where he had beaten Paul Davies and Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player. He has reached three ranking semi-finals, and spent five seasons inside the top 32 of the rankings. He has also played in the World Championship the last six years running.-Early career:Before taking up snooker professionally he was an...
in qualifying rounds, however, he lost to Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
in the first round. O'Brien also qualified for the Grand Prix
Grand Prix 2007 (snooker)
The 2007 Royal London Watches Grand Prix professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 13 and 21 October 2007 at the A.E.C.C., Aberdeen, Scotland.Marco Fu won in the final 9-6 against Ronnie O'Sullivan.-Prize fund:*Winner: £75,000...
but lost five of his group matches (whitewashing Ali Carter 3–0 in the other) to finish 5th in his group ahead of only Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott is a Scottish professional snooker player from Larkhall in Scotland. He won the 2006 World Championship, which was his first ranking title after four previous runner-up spots...
.
After qualifying for the main draw of the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy
Northern Ireland Trophy 2007
The 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy snooker tournament took place between 4–11 November 2007 in the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.In his third round match against Ali Carter, Ronnie O'Sullivan completed a maximum break, one of five centuries that he completed in his 5–2 victory.Stephen Maguire won his...
by beating Barry Pinches
Barry Pinches
-External links:**...
in a deciding frame, O'Brien went on to beat Dave Harold
Dave Harold
David 'Dave' Harold is an English professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. He is known by the nicknames of "the Hard Man" and "the Stoke Potter"...
in the first round of the main draw. Victories over John Higgins (in a decider), Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins is an English professional snooker player. He has reached three ranking semi-finals, and spent five seasons inside the top 32 of the rankings. He has also played in the World Championship the last six years running.-Early career:Before taking up snooker professionally he was an...
and Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
, before he reached the second ranking-event final of his career by beating Mark Allen
Mark Allen (snooker player)
Mark Allen is a Northern Irish professional snooker player. He won the World Amateur Championship in 2004. The following year he turned professional and took only three seasons to reach the elite top 16...
by 6 frames to 3. He lost the final to Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire
Stephen Maguire is a Scottish professional snooker player.-Early career:Maguire almost qualified for the 2000 World Championships, leading eventual semi-finalist Joe Swail 9–6 in the final qualifying round before losing 9–10, but first served notice of his true potential by knocking out Stephen...
, 5–9.
This run helped him return to the top 32 of the Snooker world rankings 2007/2008
Snooker world rankings 2007/2008
Snooker world rankings 2007/2008: The professional world rankings for the top 75 snooker players in the 2007/2008 season are listed below...
, but the early part of the 2008/2009 season proved disappointing, O'Brien not reaching the last sixteen of any of the first four tournaments.
He is also the only player to score a century in his first frame at the World Championships in the Crucible, which he achieved against Alan McManus
Alan McManus
Alan McManus is a Scottish professional snooker player, known for his tactical play and safety shots, giving rise to his nickname "Angles" McManus.-Career:...
in 1994 (though he lost the match 10–7 and did not qualify again until 1998), and the first player ever to beat John Parrott
John Parrott
John Parrott MBE is an English professional snooker player and TV personality.He won the World Snooker Championship in 1991, defeating Jimmy White in the final. Two years earlier he had lost 3–18 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times...
in a World Championship qualifier, in 2005. As of the end of 2009 O'Brien has compiled 101 competitive century breaks in his career.
Ranking event finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
{|| valign=top width=40% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|Legend
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| World Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| UK Championship (0–0)
|- bgcolor=
| Other (1–1)
|}
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
|width="80"|Outcome
|width="20"|No.
|width="50"|Year
|width="250"|Championship
|width="200"|Opponent in the final
|width="100"|Score
|-
| style="background:#98FB98"|Winner
| 1.
| 1999
| British Open
British Open (snooker)
The British Open was a professional snooker tournament. It was a ranking tournament from 1985. The tournament has not been held since the 2004/2005 season....
|
| 9–7
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| 2007
| Northern Ireland Trophy
Northern Ireland Trophy
- History :First contested in 1981 and named Northern Ireland Classic. It was an invitational event held at Ulster Hall, Belfast, and Jimmy White beat Steve Davis in the final....
|
| 5–9
|}
Non-ranking tournaments
- Irish Classic – 2010
- Lucan Racing Classic – 2011