Neal Foulds (born 13 July 1963) is an English former professional snooker player and six-time tournament winner, including the 1986 International Open, the 1988 Dubai Masters and the 1992 Scottish Masters, as well as the invitational Pot Black in 1992. He was runner-up at the 1986 UK Championship and the 1987 British Open, and reached the semi-finals of three Masters tournaments and the 1987 World Championship. After his retirement, Foulds became a commentator for the BBC and is currently part of the presenting team for ITV and Eurosport.
Career The son of snooker professional Geoff Foulds, he began playing the game at the age of 11 and by the early 1980s was already one of the strongest players in his area. Following victory in the national under-19's Championship beating John Parrott in the final, Foulds then turned professional in 1983.
At the end of the season he qualified for the final stages of the World Championship at his first attempt. Even more impressively however, he then defeated twice-champion Alex Higgins 10–9 in the first round before going down 13–9 to Doug Mountjoy in the last 16, a run that saw him enter the rankings at number 30.
Foulds quickly climbed the rankings in the seasons that followed reaching no. 3 within four years. He won his first ranking tournament in 1986, the BCE International, beating Cliff Thorburn 12–9 in the final. In the same season he was runner-up to Steve Davis in the UK Championship, and he also reached the semi-finals of the 1987 World Championship, losing 16–9 to Joe Johnson. Starting the following season in a career high position of number three, 1987/88 was not to be quite as successful, though another strong run to the quarter-finals in the 1988 World Snooker Championship before losing to Terry Griffiths ensured that he would retain his spot at third in the rankings. Foulds also won the 1988 Dubai Masters, beating Steve Davis in the final, though this event would not hold any ranking points until the following year.
From here however he started to struggle, dropping 17 places to 20th in the rankings and finding himself having to qualify for events the following season. Still, 1989/90 was to see a revival and despite a round one exit at the World Championship to Wayne Jones, he did enough to regain a place in the top 16 before moving up to number seven at the end of 1990/1.
In 1992, Foulds was crowned the Scottish Masters champion and also won the 1992 edition of Pot Black, beating Nigel Bond, Jimmy White, and Gary Wilkinson en route to the final, where he beat James Wattana 252–176 on a points based final.
Though he was able to maintain a top 16 place until the end of the 1993/4 season, and a place on the tour until 2003, he played his final match as a Main Tour player on 13 January 2003 before retiring from competitive play aged 39.
Foulds made a brief reappearance as a player in November 2011 in the World Seniors (aged 48) before eventually losing to Dene O'Kane.
Foulds made 88 competitive century breaks in his career.
Commentary career Since his retirement, Foulds has moved up to the commentary box for [TNT], BBC, Sky Sports and he also co-hosts all ITV4 tournament coverage, interviewing players as well as commentating. In 2014, Foulds made a cameo as himself commentating on a fictional match at the climax of the snooker short film drama "Extended Rest".
Personal life Foulds has a son and a daughter. He supports Queens Park Rangers.
Performance and rankings timeline Tournament 1983/84 1984/85 1985/86 1986/87 1987/88 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 RankingNew players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.3023133320136414252821303440737178 Ranking tournaments LG CupThe event ran under different names such as Professional Players Tournament (1983/1984) and Grand Prix (1984/1985 to 2000/2001).LQSF2RSF1R3R2RQF3RQF3R1R2R2R1RLQ1RLQLQLQ British OpenNR2R2RF3R3RQF2R3R1R1R3R2R1RQFLQLQLQ1RLQ UK ChampionshipNRLQ3RF1R2R2R3RQF1R1R1R2R1R3R1RLQ1RLQLQ Welsh Open Tournament Not held3R3R1R2R2R1R1R1RLQLQLQLQ European OpenThe 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). Tournament Not held1RQFQF3R1R1R1R1RLQNHLQ Not heldLQLQ Irish Masters Non-Ranking EventLQ Scottish OpenThe event ran under different names such as International Open (1983/1984 to 1984/1985, 1986/1987 to 1996/1997), Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986) and Players Championship (2003/2004).A1RSFW2R2R3R Not held1RQF2R3R1R2RLQLQLQLQLQ 2R1R1RSFQF1RQF2R2RQF2RLQ1RLQLQLQLQLQLQLQ Non-ranking tournaments Scottish MastersAAAAQF NHAAQFWQFALQAAAAAAA The MastersAAA1R1RSFAQFSF1RSFAAAAAAAAA Premier LeagueThe event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984), the Matchroom League (1986/1987–1991/1992) and the European League (1992/1993–1996/1997)ANot HeldFRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAA Former ranking tournaments Canadian Masters Not Held Non-RankingLQ Tournament Not Held Hong Kong OpenThe event ran under different names such as the Australian Masters (1983/1984 to 1987/1988 and 1995/1996) and Australian Open (1994/1995). Non-Ranking Event NHQF Tournament Not heldNRNR Tournament Not held ClassicLQLQQF1R2R2R1RSF2R Tournament Not Held Strachan Open Tournament NH1RMRNR Tournament Not Held Dubai ClassicThe event run under different names as Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and Asian Classic (1996/1997) Tournament Not Held NRA3R3R1R1RLQLQ1R Tournament Not Held German Open Tournament Not held1RLQLQNR Tournament Not Held Malta Grand Prix Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking EventLQNR Not Held China OpenThe event ran under a different name as the China International (1997/1998 and 1998/1999) Tournament Not HeldNRLQLQLQLQNH Thailand MastersThe event ran under different names such as Asian Open (1989/1990 to 1992/1993) and Thailand Open (1993/1994 to 1996/1997). Non-Ranking Event Not Held2RQF2R1R2RLQ1R1R1RLQLQLQLQNR Former non-ranking tournaments UK Championship1R Tournament Not Held International MastersRR Ranking Tournament Malaysian MastersNHANHQF Tournament Not HeldA Tournament Not Held Carling ChallengeNHAAASFA Tournament Not Held Tokyo Masters Not HeldQF Tournament Not Held Canadian Masters Not HeldAASFR Tournament Not Held Dubai Masters Tournament Not HeldW Ranking Event Tournament Not Held Not Held1RSFSF Tournament Not Held Norwich Union Grand Prix Tournament Not HeldRRAA Tournament Not Held English Professional ChampionshipNH2RF1RFSFTournament Not Held London MastersTournament Not HeldQFAATournament Not Held Shoot-Out Tournament Not Held4R Tournament Not Held World Masters Tournament Not Held2R Tournament Not Held Thailand MastersAAAA Not Held RankingSF Ranking EventNR Hong Kong ChallengeThe event was also called the Hong Kong Masters (1983/1984–1988/1989)AAAQFQFFNHA1RTournament Not Held Indian ChallengeTournament Not HeldQFTournament Not Held World Matchplay Tournament Not HeldAA1R1RA Tournament Not Held Belgian Challenge Tournament Not Held1R Tournament Not Held Kent ClassicThe event was also called the Kent Cup (1986/1987–1987/1988 & 1989/1990–1990/1991) Not HeldQFAAAANH1R Tournament Not Held European Challenge Tournament Not HeldQFA Tournament Not Held Belgian Masters Tournament Not HeldAFQF Not HeldA Tournament Not Held Irish MastersAAAAFQFAA1R1RAAAAAAAAAR Pot BlackAQFATournament Not HeldQFW1RTournament Not Held Pontins ProfessionalAQFQFWQFAAWFQFQFQFQFSFQFAANot Held
Performance Table LegendLQ 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-finalsSF lost in the semi–finalsF lost in the finalW won the tournamentDNQ did not qualify for the tournamentA did not participate in the tournamentWD withdrew from the tournament NH / Not Held means an event was not held.NR / Non-Ranking Event means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.R / Ranking Event means an event is/was a ranking event.MR / Minor-Ranking Event means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
Career finals Ranking finals: 3 (1 title)
Legend UK Championship (0–1) Other (1–1) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreWinner 1. 1986 International Open Cliff Thorburn 12–9Runner-up 1. 1986 UK Championship Steve Davis 7–16Runner-up 2. 1987 British Open Jimmy White 9–13
Non-ranking finals: 12 (5 titles) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreRunner-up 1. 1986 English Professional Championship Tony Meo 7–9Winner 1. 1987 Pontins Professional Willie Thorne 9–8Runner-up 2. 1987 Matchroom League Steve Davis Round-RobinRunner-up 3. 1988 English Professional Championship (2) Dean Reynolds 5–9Runner-up 4. 1988 Irish Masters Steve Davis 4–9Runner-up 5. 1988 Hong Kong Masters Jimmy White 3–6Winner 2. 1988 Dubai Masters Steve Davis 5–4Winner 3. 1991 Pontins Professional (2) Mike Hallett 9–6Runner-up 6. 1991 Belgian Masters Mike Hallett 7–9Runner-up 7. 1992 Pontins Professional Steve James 8–9Winner 4. 1992 Scottish Masters Gary Wilkinson 10–8Winner 5. 1992 Pot Black James Wattana 252–176 points
Pro-am finals: 3 (2 titles) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreWinner 1. 1983 Warners Open Danny Fowler 4–0Winner 2. 1984 Pontins Spring Open Doug Mountjoy 7–4Runner-up 1. 1998 Pontins Spring Open James McGouran 0–7
Team finals: 2 (2 titles) OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipTeam/partnerOpponent(s) in the finalScoreWinner 1. 1988 World Cup Winner 2. 1989 World Cup (2) Rest of the World
Amateur finals: 1 (1 title) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final ScoreWinner 1. 1982 British Under-19 Championship John Parrott 3–2
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