OnlineSnooker

BORN 27th August 1970
BIRTHPLACE Wellingborough, England
TURNED PRO 1991
EARNINGS 00/01 Ł224,224
RANKING 7
HIGHEST RANKING 3

Achievements

1993 - Grand Prix
1997 - Thailand Open
1995 - B&H Irish Masters
1996 - Regal Scottish Masters
2000 - British Open
2001 - Scottish Open

Biography
A young Peter Ebdon was introduced to snooker by watching his heroes Steve Davis and Jimmy White on the TV. A relatively late starter, by today's standards, Peter played his first game aged 14, when a friend of his dad's took him to the local snooker club. The club was one of London's best-known snooker hotbeds, Kings Cross, and soon Ebbo was going straight from school to practise with his friend (and former pro) Frank Maskall.

He served his apprenticeship playing in strong local league snooker, the Greene King League. From there he embarked on a highly successful career on the pro-am circuit, which included a large number of both high-class players and tournaments in the boom days of the late 1980s.

Ebdon didn't remain an unknown face for very long when he turned professional in 1991. On his Crucible debut he defeated Steve Davis 10-4, and soon the unknown quantity was famous for his ponytail and for his off-table hobby of playing the oboe. At the end of his first professional season Ebdon had established himself at No.47 on the ranking list, the best rookie of his year. Ebdon became the first player to compile four century breaks in five frames, during the European Open qualifying competition at Blackpool on 6th September 1992. He is also one of snooker's maximum men, with two to his name in major events - the 1991 Strachan Professional and in the 1992 UK Championship.

Victory in the 1993 Skoda Grand Prix confirmed his class and further wins followed in Ireland, Scotland and Thailand. Known for his intense approach to the game, Ebdon can often be heard to shout out in celebration at the end of a frame or match. On one occasion, on the way to the final of the world championship in 1996, he dropped to the floor in exhaustion and celebration at the end of a match.

Ebdon started the 1999/2000 season with a bang, reaching the final of the British Open, but failed to recapture that form in the subsequent events during 1999.

He started wearing contact lenses to play during the January 2000 qualifiers for Thailand and Malta and with the aid of his "new eyes" reached the semi-final of the 2000 Regal Welsh before losing a close encounter to eventual winner John Higgins.

Last season, Ebdon claimed two ranking events: the British Open and the Scottish Open, thus doubling his career tally.

Away from the table his hobbies include racing. He owns and breeds racehorses, and in 1996 he released a record about being a clown. A happy family man, he relaxes from the stresses of the snooker circuit with wife Deborah and their children.