Christopher Small (born 26 September 1973) is a retired Scottish professional snooker player and now a qualified snooker coach. His playing career was ended by the spinal condition ankylosing spondylitis.
Career At age 15, Small was the number 1 under-19 player in Scotland. He turned professional the following year. In 1992, he won the Benson & Hedges Championship, defeating Alan McManus in the final, and in 1995 he reached the Semi-finals of the Welsh Open, and was again a semi-finalist at the 1998 Grand Prix event. His greatest achievement was winning the 2002 LG Cup, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, before a 9–5 win over Alan McManus in the final. This followed a season in which he won only three matches, owing to the severity of his medical condition. He reached the quarter-finals of the LG Cup in the following season.
The 2003/2004 season ended with him having to pull out of a World Championship match against Alan McManus while trailing 1–7, as the regular steroid injections he required in his neck caused problems with his vision. The 2004–05 season was disastrous for him, as he lost all his ranking tournament matches, and in September 2005 he announced his retirement from the game. Small then started coaching other players, but by 2009 his condition had worsened, and he had to give up coaching.
Despite being the youngest player ever to win on his Crucible debut (10–7 against Doug Mountjoy aged 18 in 1992), he never progressed beyond the last-16 in the World Championship. He was a regular in the top 32 for several years, but his LG Cup win helped him reach #12 for the 2004–05 season, the only time he had entered the top 16. His career-high break was a 141.
He applied for a grant from a trust fund for players who have fallen on hard times from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, but was rejected. This decision, stemming from Small's refusal to provide a £250 medical certificate, has been criticised by figures including Jimmy White, Graeme Dott ("Everybody in the game that I've spoken to is behind him") and Clive Everton.
In 2012, improved medication allowed Small to return to coaching, one of his players being former snooker professional Michael Leslie.
Personal life Small is the son of a taxi driver. He worked as a bank clerk before his success in snooker. Small and his wife Clare have four children.
Performance and rankings timeline Tournament 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 RankingFrom the 2010/2011 season it shows the ranking at the beginning of the season.New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking.75988662302525182124291812 Ranking tournaments Grand PrixThe event also ran under the name LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004) LQ LQ LQ1R LQ2RQFSF3R1R1RWQF1R UK Championship LQ1R LQ1R3R2R2R1R2R2R2R3R2R2R Malta CupThe event also ran as the European Open (1991/1992–1996/1997 and 2001/2002–2003/2004) and Irish Open (1998/1999) A LQ1R LQ LQ2R NH LQ Not Held LQ LQ2R1R Welsh Open LQ LQ LQSF3R2R3R2R2R1R1R LQ2R2R China OpenThe event ran under a different name as China International (1997/1998–1998/1999) Tournament Not Held NR1R LQ LQ LQ Not Held1R World Championship2R LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ2R1R2R1R1R1R1R Non-ranking tournaments The Masters LQWR LQ LQ LQ LQ A A A A A A A1R Former ranking tournaments Classic LQ Tournament Not Held Strachan Open LQ Tournament Not Held Dubai ClassicThe event also ran under the names Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and Asian Classic (1996/1997) A LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ Tournament Not Held German Open Tournament Not Held1R LQ1R NR Tournament Not Held Malta Grand Prix Not Held Non-Ranking EventLQNR Tournament Not Held Thailand MastersThe event also ran under the names Asian Open (1992/1993) and Thailand Open (1993/1994–1996/1997) A LQ LQ LQ LQ LQ1R LQ1R1R LQ NR Not Held Scottish OpenThe event also ran under the names International Open (1991/1992–1996/1997) and Players Championship (2003/2004) A LQ LQ LQ3R2R1R3R2R2R1R1R1R NH British Open LQ1R1R2R LQ1R2R3R2R1R1RSF1R2R Irish Masters Non-Ranking EventQFSF LQ Former non-ranking tournaments Australian Masters Not Held AF Tournament Not Held Scottish Masters A1R A A A A A LQ LQ LQ A LQ Not Held NH / Not Held event was not held.NR / Non-Ranking Event event is/was no longer a ranking event.R / Ranking Event event is/was a ranking event.MR / Minor-Ranking Event event is/was a minor-ranking event.
Career finals
Ranking finals: 1 (1 title)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreWinner 1. 2002 LG Cup 9–5
Minor-ranking finals: 1 (1 title) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreWinner 1. 1992 Benson & Hedges Championship 9–1
Non-ranking finals: 2
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Runner-up 1. 1995 Australian Masters 6–8 Runner-up 2. 1995 Australian Open 7–9
Team finals: 1 Outcome No. Year Championship Team/partner Opponent(s) in the final ScoreRunner-up 1. 1999 Nations Cup 4–6
References
External links