Darren Morgan

Darren Morgan (born 3 May 1966) is a Welsh former professional snooker player who now competes as an amateur.

For other people named Darren Morgan, see Darren Morgan (disambiguation).

Darren Morgan
Darren Morgan at the 2008 European Snooker Championship
Born (1966-05-03) 3 May 1966
Newport, Wales
Sport country Wales
Professional1988–2006
Highest ranking8 (1994–95–1994–95)
Career winnings£250,000[1]
Highest break145 (2001 UK Championship)
Century breaks89[2]
Best ranking finishRunner-up (2 times)
Tournament wins
Non-ranking7

Morgan won the World Amateur Championship in 1987 and played on the professional main tour from 1988 until 2006. He earned just over £1 million in prize money, reached a high ranking of eight, and was ranked within the top 16 for six years despite never winning a ranking event. He compiled 111 century breaks in his career.[3]

Career

Morgan was born in Newport, South Wales.

His best achievements as a professional were to win the Irish Masters in 1996, beating Steve Davis 9–8 in the final, and he captained Wales to victory in the 1999 Nations Cup. He was also a semi-finalist in the 1994 World Championship, beating Mark King 10–5, Willie Thorne 13–12 and John Parrott 13–11 before losing to Jimmy White 9–16. He was also a quarter-finalist on three occasions, beating Ken Doherty and Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1996 and 1997 respectively at the Crucible. When he beat O'Sullivan in 1997 it was in the round after O'Sullivan had scored his memorable 5:20 147 break against Mick Price.

Morgan still plays in amateur and pro-am events, and won the European Masters and World Masters Championship titles in 2007. On 22 October 2009 he won the TCC Pro-Am by beating fellow Welshman Mark Williams 7–4 in the final.[4]

On 23 November 2009 Morgan won his second IBSF World Snooker Championship in the Masters section, defeating three-time defending champion Dene O'Kane of New Zealand 6–0 in the final.[5]

Morgan entered the World Open 2010 as an amateur along with fellow senior Tony Knowles and caused an upset by reaching the last 64 of the competition, before narrowly losing to former world number four Matthew Stevens 3–2 in round three.

In November 2011, he entered the World Seniors Championships in Peterborough and came away with victory over Steve Davis in the final. Morgan beat former world champion Cliff Thorburn and 'Whirlwind' Jimmy White in the previous rounds before facing the six-times world champion in the final. In fact, Morgan had to win qualifying matches just to reach the final stages of the tournament. He beat Davis 2–1 in the final and came home to his Club in Cross Keys with the trophy.

In June 2016, as a wildcard entry to the Riga Masters having won the EBSA European Open title several weeks prior, Morgan overcame Bradley Jones 4–3, Adam Stefanow 4–2, Zhao Xintong 4–1, Doherty 4–3 and Xiao Guodong 4–2 to set up a semi-final encounter with Neil Robertson. Appearing at this stage of a ranking event for the first time since 2002, and becoming the oldest ranking semi-finalist since Rex Williams in 1986, Morgan was whitewashed 5–0 by the eventual champion.[6]

Personal life

He lives with his wife, Tracy, and their three daughters in Newbridge, and owns a nearby snooker club in Crosskeys, Newport, named The Red Triangle, where he coaches young players.[7]

Performance and rankings timeline
Tournament 1988/
89		 1989/
90		 1990/
91		 1991/
92		 1992/
93		 1993/
94		 1994/
95		 1995/
96		 1996/
97		 1997/
98		 1998/
99		 1999/
00		 2000/
01		 2001/
02		 2002/
03		 2003/
04		 2004/
05		 2005/
06		 2010/
11		 2011/
12		 2012/
13		 2013/
14		 2014/
15		 2015/
16		 2016/
17		 2017/
18
Ranking[8] [nb 1] 53 40 33 16 10 8 8 9 15 22 23 25 39 54 63 75 66 [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2] [nb 2]
Ranking tournaments
Riga Masters[nb 3] Tournament Not Held MR SF A
World Open[nb 4] LQ 1R 2R 1R 2R 2R 2R 3R 3R 3R 3R 1R 1R LQ LQ LQ 1R 2R LQ A A A A A A A
European Masters[nb 5] LQ 1R 2R QF 3R 2R 2R 2R 2R NH LQ Not Held LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ Tournament Not Held A A
UK Championship LQ LQ 2R 3R QF SF QF 2R 1R 3R 1R QF 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ A A A A A A A A
Scottish Open[nb 6] LQ 1R Not Held 1R 3R 3R 1R 1R 1R 1R 1R WD LQ LQ LQ Tournament Not Held A A
German Masters[nb 7] Tournament Not Held QF 2R 1R NR Tournament Not Held A A A A A A A A
Welsh Open Not Held F 1R 3R 2R QF 1R 1R 1R 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ A A A A A A A LQ
China Open[nb 8] Tournament Not Held NR LQ LQ LQ QF Not Held LQ LQ A A A A A A A A
World Championship 1R QF LQ LQ 2R SF 2R QF QF 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ A A A A A A A A
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters A A LQ LQ WR 1R 1R QF 1R 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ A A A A A A A A A A
World Seniors Championship Not Held LQ Tournament Not Held A W SF QF QF F A A
Variable format tournaments
Six-red World Championship Tournament Not Held A NH 2R RR A A 2R RR
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters 1R Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 9] NH LQ Tournament Not Held NR NR Tournament Not Held
Classic LQ 3R LQ 3R Tournament Not Held
Strachan Open Not Held 3R MR NR Tournament Not Held
Dubai Classic[nb 10] NR 1R 3R 3R 2R 2R 2R 2R 1R Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event LQ NR Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters[nb 11] NH 1R 2R 1R F QF QF 1R 1R 1R SF LQ 1R LQ NR Tournament Not Held
British Open 2R 2R 1R 3R 3R 3R 2R QF 2R 1R 2R 2R 1R LQ LQ LQ LQ Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters Non-Ranking Event LQ LQ LQ Tournament Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
New Zealand Masters QF A A A A A A Tournament Not Held
Shoot-Out Not Held W Tournament Not Held A A A A A A Ranking
European Grand Masters Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
World Masters Not Held SF Tournament Not Held
Welsh Professional Championship QF W W Tournament Not Held
World Matchplay A A A A 1R Tournament Not Held
Pot Black A A A A A 2R Tournament Not Held A Tournament Not Held
King's Cup Not Held A A F A Tournament Not Held
Charity Challenge Tournament Not Held 1R QF 1R A A A A A Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix Tournament Not Held A SF QF A A R A Tournament Not Held
Scottish Masters NH A QF A A A 1R SF 1R LQ A A A A A Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters A A A A A A A 1R W F A A A A Ranking Event Tournament Not Held
Pontins Professional W QF QF QF F A SF SF A QF QF W Tournament Not Held
Masters Qualifying Event[nb 12] Not Held SF F MR A A A A 4R 4R 1R 2R 3R 2R A NH A A A Tournament Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)		 QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi–finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Heldmeans an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
  1. New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.
  2. He was an amateur.
  3. The event ran under different names such as the Riga Open (2014/2015 to 2015/2016).
  4. The event ran under different names such as the Grand Prix (1987/1988 to 2000/2001) and the LG Cup (2001/2002 to 2003/2004).
  5. The event ran under different names such as European Open (1988/1989 to 1996/1997 and 2001/2002 to 2003/2004) and Irish Open (1998/1999).
  6. The event ran under different names such as International Open (1987/1988 to 1996/1997) and Players Championship (2003/2004).
  7. The event ran under different names such as German Open (1994/1995 to 1996/1997).
  8. The event ran under different names as China International (1997/1998 and 1998/1999)
  9. The event ran under different names as Australian Open (1994/1995) and Australian Masters (1995/1996).
  10. The event run under different names as Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and Asian Classic (1996/1997)
  11. The event ran under different names such as Asian Open (1989/1990 to 1992/1993) and Thailand Open (1993/1994 to 1996/1997).
  12. The event was also called the Benson & Hedges Championship (1990/1991–2002/2003)

Career finals

Ranking finals: 2 (2 runner-ups)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1992 Welsh Open Stephen Hendry 3–9
Runner-up 2. 1993 Asian Open Dave Harold 3–9

Non-ranking finals: 14 (7 titles, 7 runner-ups)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1989 Pontins Professional Tony Drago 9–2
Runner-up 1. 1989 WPBSA Non-Ranking - Event 1 Robby Foldvari 1–8
Winner 2. 1990 Welsh Professional Championship Doug Mountjoy 9–7
Winner 3. 1990 Shoot-Out Mike Hallett 2–1
Winner 4. 1991 Welsh Professional Championship (2) Mark Bennett 9–3
Runner-up 2. 1991 Benson & Hedges Championship Ken Doherty 3–9
Runner-up 3. 1993 Pontins Professional Ken Doherty 3–9
Runner-up 4. 1993 King's Cup James Wattana 3–8
Winner 5. 1996 Irish Masters Steve Davis 9–8
Runner-up 5. 1997 Irish Masters Stephen Hendry 8–9
Winner 6. 2000 Pontins Professional (2) Jimmy White 9–2
Winner 7. 2011 World Seniors Championship Steve Davis 2–1
Runner-up 6. 2016 World Seniors Championship Mark Davis 1–2
Runner-up 7. 2019 World Seniors Championship (2) Jimmy White 3–5

Team finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Outcome No. Year Championship Team/partner Opponent(s) in the final Score
Winner 1. 1999 Nations Cup  Wales  Scotland 6–4
Runner-up 1. 2000 Nations Cup  Wales  England 4–6

Pro-am finals: 6 (2 titles, 4 runners-up)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1996 Pontins Spring Open Ken Doherty 3–7
Runner-up 2. 1999 TCC Open Snooker Championship Ryan Day 4–6[9]
Winner 1. 2000 TCC Open Snooker Championship Ryan Day 6–3[9]
Runner-up 3. 2003 TCC Open Snooker Championship (2) Mark Williams 1–6[9]
Runner-up 4. 2004 TCC Open Snooker Championship (3) Mark Williams 6–7[9]
Winner 2. 2009 TCC Open Snooker Championship (2) Mark Williams 7–4

Amateur finals: 26 (20 titles, 6 runner-ups)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1987 Welsh Amateur Championship John Herbert 8–4
Winner 2. 1987 World Amateur Championship Joe Grech 11–4
Winner 3. 2007 European Amateur Championship - Masters Kieran McMahon 6–2
Winner 4. 2007 World Amateur Championship - Masters Kanchai Wongjan 9–1
Runner-up 1. 2009 Welsh Amateur Championship Michael White 2–8
Winner 5. 2009 European Amateur Championship - Masters (2) Joe Delaney 6–3
Winner 6. 2009 Bargoed Labour Club Invitational Ian Sargeant 5–4[10]
Winner 7. 2009 World Amateur Championship - Masters (2) Dene O'Kane 6–0
Winner 8. 2010 European Amateur Championship - Masters (3) Joe Delaney 6–0
Winner 9. 2012 European Amateur Championship - Masters (4) Steve Judd 6–0
Winner 10. 2012 World Amateur Championship - Masters (3) Glen Wilkinson 6–2
Winner 11. 2013 European Amateur Championship - Masters (5) Alan Trigg 6–3
Runner-up 2. 2014 World Amateur Championship - Masters Phisit Chandsri 5–6
Winner 12. 2015 Welsh Amateur Championship (2) Daniel Wells 8–0
Winner 13. 2015 European Amateur Championship - Masters (6) Jamie Bodle 6–2
Runner-up 3. 2016 Welsh Amateur Championship (2) David John 7–8
Winner 14. 2016 IBSF World 6-Reds Snooker Championship Chau Hon Man 6–4
Winner 15. 2017 European Snooker Open Michael Judge 4–1
Runner-up 4. 2017 Welsh Amateur Championship (3) Rhydian Richards 4–8
Winner 16. 2017 IBSF World 6-Reds Snooker Championship Kamal Chawla 6–4
Winner 17. 2017 European Amateur Championship - Masters (7) Elfed Evans 6–2
Winner 18. 2017 World Amateur Championship - Masters (4) Aiden Owens 6–3
Runner-up 5. 2018 WSF Seniors Championship Igor Figueiredo 3–5
Winner 19. 2018 World Amateur Championship - Masters (5) Saleh Mohammadi 6–0
Winner 20. 2019 Welsh Amateur Championship (3) Gavin Lewis 8–2
Runner-up 6. 2020 European 6-Reds Championship Iulian Boiko 3–5

References
  1. "Career Total Statistics For Darren Morgan - Professional Results". Cuetracker. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  2. "Centuries". Pro Snooker Blog. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  3. Turner, Chris (2008). "Top Century Makers". Snooker Archive. self-published. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  4. Global Snooker: 2009 TCC Pro-Am (Results) Archived 13 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. The Hindu: Kamal Chawla’s run comes to an end; Morgan is the master
  6. http://cuetracker.net/Players/darren-morgan
  7. Wales Online: Meet snooker star Darren Morgan
  8. "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  9. "2008 TCC Open Snooker Championship". Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  10. Global Snooker: 2009 Bargoed Labour Club Invitational (Results) Archived 27 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
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