I did this article last year. The reason why I’m updating it now is because one of those nominees became World Champion. Talk about timing.
There are a number of nominations on this topic. Stephen Maguire, James Wattana or if you go back far enough, Perrie Mans and Eddie Charlton. But since I’ve decided that five will go in this countdown, so here it is below.
5. Paul Hunter
It may sound a bit too romantic to put Paul Hunter this high in the countdown. But I am putting him in No. 5 because of the huge amount he achieved during a career that ended far too soon. Every snooker player is aware by now of his Masters accomplishments. Many players would love just one Masters trophy, but to win three Masters trophies in four years is a brilliant feat. Especially since he beat three different players on the decider when he was at least four frames behind in each of them.
Aside from winning three ranking titles, the former No. 4 made one semi-final in the World Snooker Championships. That semi-final is still regarded as one of the most fascinating matches in Crucible. Ken Doherty trailed Paul 9–15 with Hunter only requiring two more frames for victory. Doherty won five in a row to reduce the deficit to a single frame. Hunter won one more frame, but Doherty won all three remaining frames to win the match 17–16.
We will never know how much he would have achieved if he hadn’t tragically lost his battle to cancer in 2006. He was clearly so good and such a likeable character that he left such a positive legacy. Some snooker legends of the game, such as Ken Doherty and Neal Foulds, believe that Paul would’ve become World Champion. We certainly won’t forget him.
4. Ali Carter
Ali Carter won eight events, including four ranking events. Most recently, he reached the 2020 Masters final where he lost to Stuart Bingham 10-8. I hoped he would win that one. Though he never won any Triple Crown competition yet, he reached two World Championship finals in 2008 and 2012. Both of which are against Ronnie O’Sullivan 18-8 and 18-12 respectively. Don’t forget, O’Sullivan played out of his skin in both finals and you could argue that Carter might’ve beaten any player over than him. Most famously in the Crucible, he scored his first 147 at the Crucible in 2008.
His off-tables battles are well-documented. Suffering from Crohn’s disease. He beat testicular cancer in 2013 and beat lung cancer the year after, taking six months away from the sport in between. It is difficult to ignore that Carter would’ve won a lot more trophies had these series of health problems not got in the way.
His loss to Louis Heathcote in the third qualifying round in 2020 ended an unbelievable streak. He has made the main stages of the World Championship every year since his debut in 2003. Two finals, one semi-final and three quarter-finals, the most recent was in 2019. He’s certainly one of the best players to not win a Triple Crown event. But considering his record and reputation and how close he got, he deserves to be in my Top 5.
3. Matthew Stevens
‘The Welsh Dragon’ has won two of the most prestigious events in the snooker world. In the 2000 Masters, he beat Ken Doherty 10-8. Despite being 4-0 behind in the 2003 UK Championship, Stevens managed to be one of the very few players to defeat Stephen Hendry by making a comeback to win 10-8. He has lost seven ranking finals but every player understood what a threat Stevens was. Not forgetting two of those finals were in two World Snooker Championships.
Most will remember how he lost his two World finals, despite his decent Crucible record. Stevens was 10-5 and 13-8 ahead of Mark Williams and ended up losing 18-16 in 2000. In 2003, he had a greater chance of winning the World Championship against qualifier Shaun Murphy in the final. Despite leading 7-3 and 10-6, to lost to the break-building force 18-16 who was just too strong for him.
The match that unfortunately showed his habit of sacrificing big leads was in the Last 16 of the 2007 World Championship. Stevens led 11-5 and 12-7 against Murphy, only to then get knocked out 13-12. In his career, he has made the Crucible 17 times, the latest when in 2020 when he lost in the first round 10-5 to John Higgins. Stevens deserved more titles than what he’s won in his career, especially in the 2000s. It’s just a shame he couldn’t hold onto the lead and who knows how different snooker might be?
2. Ding Junhui
Ding Junhui first came onto the scene as the 18 year-old wildcard who beat Stephen Hendry to win the 2005 China Open. He became the first overseas player to win the UK Championship in the same year. After Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Ding 10-3 in the 2007 Masters final, the Rocket predicted that he would be a multiple World Champion. To date, he has won over 20 tournaments, ranging from the Masters to the World Cup. He made six maximums, over 500 century breaks and became No. 1 in the world.
Yet the only thing missing in his career is the World Snooker Championship.
Ding has appeared at the Crucible every year since 2007. Before he reached his first final in 2016, he had a very poor record. He reached the last eight just three times during that time, including one semi-final appearance in 2011. Since then, Ding’s Crucible record significantly improved. Ding reached his first World Championship final in 2016, despite being forced to qualify for the event. Despite a few spirited comebacks, he never led the final, losing to Mark Selby 18-14. He lost to Selby the following year in the semi-final and lost to Barry Hawkins in the quarters in 2018.
Does he feel the pressure of having the entire country of China on his shoulders? His form has been very inconsistent over the past few years. One example is during the 2019/2020 season, where he won the UK Championship but almost vanished throughout that season.
What is very interesting is that some believe Ding to be the greatest player to never win the World Championship. Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams argued that Ding is on a different level to Jimmy White because of his superior scoring and ball control. They are justifiable reasons! Time is still on Ding’s side but will he finally lift the World Championship trophy? Or will the copious number of young superstars from China beat him to it?
1. Jimmy White
You would expect any man who won ten ranking titles and twenty-two non-ranking events to have won the World Championship. You would also be surprised to hear that the same man reached four World Championship semi-finals and six finals didn’t kiss the lady on the trophy. Unfortunately, that man is the ‘Whirlwind’, the ‘People’s Champion’ – Jimmy White.
His rebellious and lavish lifestyle with the likes of Alex Higgins and Kirk Stevens didn’t help matters. Jimmy mentioned in his autobiography that his addiction to crack cocaine cost him ten World titles. His struggle with drink and gambling also got him into a lot of trouble.
The other reason was his lack of bottle. He always had the flair and the aggression. But he is let down by his concentration and playing while under pressure. The greatest example was during the decider of the 1994 final. White was in first and was among the balls, but missed a black off the spot. Hendry cleared up to clinch the title. It was due to pure pressure. The Scotsman was able to handle it, which is why he won so much.
The other main reason is due to a lot of bad luck. Losing six finals was one thing, but losing five in a row must be torture, especially when four was against the same man. You can argue that Jimmy would’ve won a lot more had he not been around.
But at the age of 57, Jimmy competed in the 2019 World Seniors Championship at the Crucible. He reached the final and beat Welshman Darren Morgan 5-3. Though it is not THE World Championship, we can still go to bed knowing that Jimmy White won a World Championship at the greatest snooker arena at long last.
