Matthew Stevens
Encyclopedia
Matthew Stevens is a Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...

 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. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters
Masters (snooker)
The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...

 in 2000
2000 Masters Snooker
The 2000 Benson and Hedges Masters professional non-ranking snooker tournament took place between 7 and 14 February 2000 at the Wembley Conference Centre, London, England....

 and the UK Championship
UK Snooker Championship
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...

 in 2003
2003 UK Snooker Championship
The 2003 Travis Perkins UK Championship professional snooker tournament took place between 18 and 30 November 2003 at the Barbican Centre in York, England. The event was broadcasted on BBC between 22 and 30 November 2003 and was the third ranking event of the 2003/2004 season...

. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...

 on two occasions, in 2000
World Snooker Championship 2000
The 2000 Embassy World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 15 April and 1 May 2000 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England....

 and 2005
World Snooker Championship 2005
The 2005 Embassy World Snooker Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 16 April and 2 May 2005 at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England....

. Stevens reached a career high ranking
Snooker world rankings
The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association...

 of #4 for the 2005/2006
Snooker world rankings 2005/2006
Snooker world rankings 2005/2006: The professional world rankings for the top 64 snooker players in the 2005/2006 season are listed below.-Note:...

 season, and is currently ranked inside of the elite top 16 at number 15. Stevens is known as a good breakbuilder, and has compiled over 200 competitive centuries so far during his career.

Early career

Stevens turned professional in 1994 and in his second season won the Benson & Hedges Championship to qualify for the 1996 Masters
Masters (snooker)
The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...

. At the Masters he beat Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...

 5–3 but lost 6–5 to 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:...

. The following season he also showed potential by beating Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...

 5–1 in the Grand Prix.
In the 1997/1998 season
Snooker season 1997/1998
The snooker season 1997/1998 was a series of snooker tournaments played during the years 1997 and 1998. The following table outlines the results for ranking events and the invitational events.-Calendar:...

 he reached the semi-finals of both the Grand Prix
Grand Prix (snooker)
The World Open is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It has previously been known as the Professional Players Tournament, the LG Cup and the Grand Prix. During 2006 and 2007, it was played in a unique round-robin format, more similar to association football and rugby tournaments than the...

 and UK Championship
UK Snooker Championship
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...

. He also reached the quarter-finals on his debut at the Crucible
Crucible Theatre
The Crucible Theatre is a theatre built in 1971 and located in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it is home to the most important event in professional snooker, the World Snooker Championship....

 of the World Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...

, beating Alain Robidoux
Alain Robidoux
Alain Robidoux is a Canadian snooker player; he played on the World Snooker tour from 1988 to 2005 and continues to play in events in Canada.-Career:...

 and Mark King
Mark King (snooker player)
Mark King is an English professional snooker player. He has not yet won a ranking tournament, but came close when he was a beaten finalist in the 1997 Regal Welsh Open and the 2004 Irish Masters.- Career :...

 before losing to Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty
Ken Doherty is an Irish professional snooker player. He is the only player ever to have been world amateur and world professional champion...

. In 1998 he reached his first ranking final at the UK Championship, losing 10–6 to John Higgins.

2000–2005

In 2000, he won the Masters
Masters (snooker)
The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...

, with a 10–8 win over Ken Doherty in the final. Later that season at the World Championship he reached the first of his two World Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...

 finals to date. After victories over Tony Drago
Tony Drago
Tony Drago is a professional snooker and pool player from Malta. He won the 2003 World Pool Masters Tournament beating Hsia Hui-kai 8–6 and also reached the quarter finals of the World Snooker Championship...

, 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:...

, Jimmy White
Jimmy White
James Warren "Jimmy" White MBE is an English professional snooker player. Nicknamed the "Whirlwind" and popularly referred to as the "People's Champion", White is a multiple World Championship finalist renowned for losing each of the six finals he contested.White's extensive list of achievements,...

 and Joe Swail
Joe Swail
-External links:*...

 he faced Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...

 losing 16–18 after having led 10–6, 13–7 and then 14–10 with only the final session to play. Stevens became only the second player in the history of the world championship to lose in the final from holding a 4 frame overnight lead.

He has also been a beaten semi-finalist on three occasions in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
In 2002 he looked certain to have won a place in the final leading Peter Ebdon
Peter Ebdon
Peter "Ebbo" Ebdon is an English professional snooker player and former world champion renowned for his remarkably focused, determined style of play.-Early years:...

 16–14 in their semi final tie, and just needed a relatively simple red in the 31st frame to leave his opponent needing snookers. Stevens missed the pot and Ebdon made a famous clearance to win the frame, and went on to take the next two to win the match 17–16.

Stevens won the 2003 UK Championship beating Stephen Hendry 10–8 in the final. He trailed Hendry 0–4, but remarkably he reeled off the next five frames. Hendry found his form again to lead 7–5, but Stevens was not to be denied and clinched a 10–8 victory, which remains the only ranking tournament victory of his career. However, he followed this with a run of nine successive first round defeats in best-of-nine matches, only interrupted by a run to the semi-final of the 2004 World Championship.

In 2005 he was again runner-up, losing 16–18 to Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (snooker player)
Shaun Murphy is an English professional snooker player, who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian.Born in Harlow, England, Murphy turned...

 in the final, having been up 10–6 and then 12–11 with only the final session to play. Again Stevens relinquished a 4 frame overnight lead to lose in the final, only the third time this has ever happened. This defeat was all the more painful as Stevens had been widely considered as the player of the tournament.

2006–2010

In 2007 he lost 12–13 to Murphy in the quarter finals having led 11–5 and 12–7, making him the first person to ever lose a best of 25 match from leading 12–7. The defeat left him ranked outside of the top 16 for the first time in 8 years. In 2008 he was defeated in the first round of the world championship for the first time in his career by defending champion John Higgins, and he finished ranked outside the top 16 for the second consecutive season. The only highlight of the 2008/09 season was a run to the final of the Bahrain Championship
2008 Bahrain Championship
The 2008 Bahrain Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 8 November and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama, Bahrain...

, in which the unavailability of three leading players gave him a top sixteen seeding. He only reached the last sixteen of one other event, and failed to qualify for the World Championship after a defeat to Martin Gould
Martin Gould
Martin Gould is an English professional snooker player from Pinner in the London Borough of Harrow. He practises at the Whetstone Snooker Club. He works part-time as a debt collector, where he picked up his nickname "Solid Gould"....

. He finished the season with a drop of nine places to #26.

Stevens enjoyed a solid 2009/2010 season
Snooker season 2009/2010
The snooker season 2009/10 was a series of snooker tournaments played during 2009 and 2010. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :- Official rankings :...

. He qualified for the Welsh Open by beating Barry Pinches
Barry Pinches
-External links:**...

 5–4.
In the first round, he caused an upset by defeating Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (snooker player)
Shaun Murphy is an English professional snooker player, who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian.Born in Harlow, England, Murphy turned...

 5–4.
He faced Northern Ireland's 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...

 in round two, and despite making two century breaks he lost the match 5–2. Stevens also lost a close match 10–9 to Marcus Campbell
Marcus Campbell
Marcus Campbell is a Scottish professional snooker player. He lives in Erskine. He has been ranked within the worlds top 64 for 9 consecutive seasons and is currently ranked at 24.-Career:...

 in the 2010 World Championship qualifiers, and thus did not make it to The Crucible for the second year in succession.

2010/2011

Stevens made a promising start to the 2010/2011 season
Snooker season 2010/2011
The 2010/11 snooker season is a series of snooker tournaments played during 2010 and 2011. The following table outlines the results and dates for all the ranking and major invitational events.- Calendar :-New professional players:...

 by qualifying for the Shangai Masters
2010 Shanghai Masters
The 2010 Roewe Shanghai Masters professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 6–12 September 2010 at the Shanghai Grand Stage, Shanghai, China.Ronnie O'Sullivan was the defending champion, but he has withdrawn due to personal reasons....

, beating Anda Zhang 5–2. In the first round he defeated Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo
Liang Wenbo is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is left-handed and ranked as China's number 2 player, after Ding Junhui. Liang is based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom.-Career:...

 5–3. He caused another upset in the last 16 by beating Shaun Murphy. He played Ali Carter
Allister Carter
Allister "Ali" Carter is an English professional snooker player, who lives in Tiptree. He reached the final of the 2008 World Championship, his first major final. Although he lost heavily to Ronnie O'Sullivan, this run allowed him to reach the top 8 of the rankings for the first time...

 in the quarter-finals but lost 5–4 on the final black, despite leading 4–1.

Stevens continued his solid form by reaching the quarter-finals at the Welsh Open. He qualified by beating Anthony Hamilton 4-2.
There he whitewashed number 5 seed Shaun Murphy 4-0 and in the last 16 he beat fellow Welshman and close friend Ryan Day
Ryan Day
-External links:* * *...

 4-3. In the quarter-finals, Stevens was drawn against John Higgins, but was edged out 5-3. Despite these performances he still wasn't ranked in the top 16 and so had to qualify for the World Championship, where he managed to beat Fergal O'Brien
Fergal O'Brien
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.-Career:...

 10–9 on the final black to qualify for the first time since 2008. He was eliminated by Mark Allen in the first round, losing 4 consecutive frames after leading 9-6. Still it was enough to secure his return to the top 16.

He then won the 2011 Championship League
2011 Championship League
-Group two:Group two matches were played on 5 and 6 January 2011. Mark Williams was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:*Ali Carter 1–3 John Higgins*Mark Williams 3–0 Shaun Murphy*Neil Robertson 0–3 Ronnie O'Sullivan...

 beating Mark Williams
Mark Williams (snooker player)
Mark James Williams, MBE is a Welsh professional snooker player who has been World Champion twice, in 2000 and 2003. Often noted for his single-ball potting, he has earned the nickname, The Welsh Potting Machine...

 3-1 in the semi-final and Shaun Murphy 3-1 in the final, to qualify for the prestigious Premier League.

Personal life

Stevens was born in Carmarthen, Wales, attended an all Welsh speaking school, and is fluent in the Language – Bro Myrddin Welsh Comprehensive School
Bro Myrddin Welsh Comprehensive School
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin is a Welsh-medium school in Wales. It is located near Croes-y-Ceiliog, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire. The name 'Bro Myrddin' means 'Myrddin Borough' in Welsh, since Carmarthen is linked with Myrddin Wyllt...

.

The unexpected death of his father, manager and friend Morrell in 2001 was tough on him. This caused Matthew to have an uneventful few seasons. Stevens and his wife Claire Holloway have two sons, Freddie and Ollie, who were born in 1993 and 2008 respectively.

Stevens was a close friend 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....

 and was pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....

 at his funeral. He is also a celebrity Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...

 poker player and in 2004 won the UK's richest poker tournament at just 27 years old, beating 15 time World Darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...

 champion Phil Taylor to first place. Stevens had only been playing poker for 18 months before his victory.

Ranking event finals: 7 (1 title, 6 runner-ups)

{|
| valign=top width=40% align=left |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|Legend
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| World Championship (0–2)
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| UK Championship (1–2)
|- bgcolor=
| Other (0–2)
|}

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
|width="80"|Outcome
|width="20"|No.
|width="50"|Year
|width="250"|Championship
|width="200"|Opponent in the final
|width="100"|Score
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 1.
| 1998
| UK Championship
UK Championship (snooker)
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...


|  
| 6–10
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 2.
| 1999
| UK Championship
UK Championship (snooker)
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...

 (2)
|  
| 8–10
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 3.
| 2000
| World Snooker Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...


|  
| 16–18
|- bgcolor="dfe2e9"
| style="background:#98FB98"|Winner
| 1.
| 2003
| UK Championship
UK Championship (snooker)
The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is the second biggest ranking tournament after the World Championship and is one of the Triple Crown events.-History:...


|  
| 10–8
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 4.
| 2005
2005 Irish Masters
-Final:- Qualifying :Qualifying for the tournament took place between 10–13 January 2005 at Pontin's in Prestatyn, Wales.- Qualifying stages centuries :* 141, 125, 110 Ding Junhui* 138 Mark Selby* 138 Jamie Burnett* 132 Barry Pinches* 130 Gary Wilson...


| Irish Masters
|  
| 8–10
|- bgcolor="#e5d1cb"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 5.
| 2005
| World Snooker Championship
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...

 (2)
|  
| 16–18
|-
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Runner-up
| 6.
| 2008
2008 Bahrain Championship
The 2008 Bahrain Championship professional ranking snooker tournament took place between 8 November and 15 November 2008 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre, Manama, Bahrain...


| Bahrain Championship
|  
| 7–9
|}

Non-ranking

  • Benson & Hedges Championship – 1995
  • Regal Scottish Masters
    Scottish Masters (snooker)
    The Scottish Masters, often known by its sponsored names, the Lang's Scottish Masters or the Regal Scottish Masters, was a non-ranking professional snooker tournament held every year from 1981 until 2002, with the exception of 1988....

     – 1999
  • Benson & Hedges Masters
    Masters (snooker)
    The Masters is a professional snooker tournament and the second longest running tournament outside the World Championship. Although not a ranking event, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit, earning the second biggest prize money.-History:The tournament was held...

     – 2000
  • 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....

     – 2005
  • Pot Black
    Pot Black
    Pot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...

     – 2005
  • Championship League
    Championship League
    Championship League is a non-ranking snooker tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport. All tournaments have been held at the Crondon Park Golf Club since its debut in 2008.- History and format :...

     – 2011

External links

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