2015 Masters (snooker)
The 2015 Masters (officially the 2015 Dafabet Masters) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 11 and 18 January 2015 at the Alexandra Palace in London, England. It was the 41st staging of the Masters tournament, which was first held in 1975, and the second of three Triple Crown events in the 2014–15 snooker season, following the 2014 UK Championship and preceding the 2015 World Snooker Championship. It was sponsored by online betting site Dafabet. The participants were invited to the tournament based on the world rankings as they stood after the UK Championship. However, Ali Carter, who had been unable to take part in several events due to lung cancer, had his position amongst the top 16 frozen and was allowed to play, while Graeme Dott, who was 16th in the standing, had to sit out the event. Carter thus played his first match since being given all-clear from his illness. He received a standing ovation from the crowd before his first-round e ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dafabet
Dafabet is an online betting and gambling site. The company was founded in November 2004 and is headquartered in Makati, Philippines. History Dafabet was founded oin November 2004, in Makati, Philippines under the subsidiary of the privately-owned company AsianBGE licensed by Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and regulated by First Cagayan Leisure and Resorts (FCLRC). The company operated first in Asian countries then later advertised its UK presence by sponsoring football clubs such as Bournemouth, Norwich City, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland FC, Burnley FC, Everton FC and Celtic FC. The company owns a remote UK license under AsianBGE (Isle of Man) Limited, managed and regulated by The Gambling Commission in Great Britain. Services Dafabet offers in-play gambling for sports events such as FIFA World Cup, Barclays Premier League, National Basketball Association, US Open (tennis), US Open, and Ultimate Fighting Championship. It has a partnership with ONEworks to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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2014 UK Championship
The 2014 UK Championship (officially the 2014 Coral UK Championship) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place between 25 November and 7 December 2014 at the Barbican Centre in York, England. It was the fifth ranking event of the 2014/2015 season. Neil Robertson was the defending champion, but he lost 5–6 against Graeme Dott in the last 16. This result led to Ding Junhui becoming the first Asian player to reach the world number one ranking. Ronnie O'Sullivan won his fifth UK Championship and his 27th ranking title by defeating Judd Trump 10–9 in the final. Trump had trailed 4–9 at one point during the evening session but fought back with 5 consecutive frames to level at 9–9 before O’Sullivan won the deciding frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan made the 109th official maximum break during his last 16 match against Matthew Selt. This was O'Sullivan's 13th official 147 break and also the fourth maximum break in the 2014/2015 season and the third time in a row t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mike Hallett
Mike Hallett (born 6 July 1959) is an English former professional snooker player and commentator. He won the 1989 Hong Kong Open. Career Hallett was born in Grimsby on 6 July 1959. Having won the British Junior Snooker Championship, national under-16 title in 1975, he turned professional in 1979. His world ranking peaked at number six, in the Snooker world rankings 1989/1990, 1989/1990 list. His only ranking tournament victory was at the 1989 Hong Kong Open in which he defeated Dene O'Kane 9–8. In a semi-final match against John Parrott in the 1988 Masters (snooker), 1988 Benson & Hedges Masters, he recovered from needing three snookers to win the decider 6–5. However, he lost 0–9 to Steve Davis in the final, the first whitewash in the Masters (snooker), Masters final. Three years later, in 1991 he reached the Masters Final again at Wembley where, in the best-of-17-frame match, he surged to a 7–0 lead over Stephen Hendry and missed a pink which would have put him 8– ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Steve Davis
Steve Davis (born 22 August 1957) is an English retired professional snooker player who is currently a Sports commentator, commentator, DJ, electronic musician and author. He dominated professional snooker in the 1980s, when he reached eight World Snooker Championship finals in nine years, won six world titles and held the List of world number one snooker players, world number one ranking for seven consecutive seasons. He won 28 ranking titles during his career, placing him fifth on the List of snooker players by number of ranking titles, all-time list, behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (41), Stephen Hendry (36), John Higgins (33) and Judd Trump (30). The first player to make an officially recognised maximum break in professional competition, at the 1982 Classic (snooker), 1982 Classic, he was also the first to earn £1 million in career prize money. He is the only snooker player to have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, which he received in 1988. Davis became w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ricky Walden
Ricky Walden (born 11 November 1982) is an English professional snooker player from Chester. Walden turned professional in 2000 and it took him eight years to win his first ranking title at the Shanghai Masters. He has since won the 2012 Wuxi Classic and the 2014 International Championship and has been inside the top 16 in the season-ending rankings on four occasions. A former world Top 6 player, Walden has reached the televised stages of the World Snooker Championship on nine occasions as of 2023, with his best result being a semi-finalist in 2013. Early years Walden was born in Chester but raised in Bagillt, North Wales, where he now lives once more, having spent some time living elsewhere in Flintshire. He was one of the Young Players of Distinction in a scheme run in 2000, designed to help young players develop their playing and media skills, alongside Shaun Murphy, Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter. In 2001 he won the World Under-21 Championship. Career 1999–201 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Century Break
In snooker, a century break (also century, sometimes called a ton) is a of 100 points or more, compiled in one to the table. A century break requires potting at least 25 consecutive balls, and the ability to score centuries is regarded as a mark of the highest skill in snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan has described a player's first century break as the "ultimate milestone for any snooker player". Joe Davis made the first televised century break in 1962. O'Sullivan holds the record for the most career centuries in professional competition, with over 1,200. Three players have reached the milestone of 1,000 career century breaks: O'Sullivan attained it at the 2019 Players Championship, followed by John Higgins at the 2024 English Open and Judd Trump at the 2024 British Open. Overall, 14 players have surpassed 500 career centuries in professional competition. Trump holds the record for the most century breaks in a single season, having made 107 in the 2024–25 season. He and N ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry (born 13 January 1969) is a Scottish retired professional snooker player and a current Sports commentator, commentator and pundit. One of the most successful players in snooker history, he turned professional in 1985, aged 16, and rose rapidly through the snooker world rankings, reaching number four in the world by the end of his third professional season. He won his first World Snooker Championship in 1990 World Snooker Championship, 1990, aged 21 years and 106 days, making him the sport's youngest world champion, a record he still holds. He won seven world titles between 1990 and 1999, setting a new modern-era record that stood outright until Ronnie O'Sullivan equalled it in 2022 World Snooker Championship, 2022. He also won the Masters (snooker), Masters six times and the UK Championship five times for a career total of 18 Triple Crown (snooker), Triple Crown tournament wins, a total exceeded only by O'Sullivan's 23. His total of 36 List of snooker play ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mark Selby
Mark Anthony Selby (born 19 June 1983) is an English professional snooker player. Ranked List of world number one snooker players, world number one on multiple occasions, he has won a total of 24 ranking titles, placing him eighth on the all-time list of List of snooker players by number of ranking titles, ranking tournament winners. He is a four-time World Snooker Championship, World Snooker Champion, and has won the Masters (snooker), Masters three times and the UK Championship twice for a total of nine Triple Crown (snooker), Triple Crown titles, putting him on a par with John Higgins, and behind only Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ronnie O’Sullivan (23), Stephen Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15). After winning the England Under-15 Championship in 1998, Selby turned professional in 1999, aged 16. He made his Crucible debut in 2005 World Snooker Championship, 2005, and reached his first World Championship final in 2007 World Snooker Championship, 2007, when he was runner-up to John Hi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history, he has won the World Snooker Championship seven times, a modern-era record he holds jointly with Stephen Hendry. He has also won a record eight Masters (snooker), Masters titles and a record eight UK Championship titles for a total of 23 Triple Crown (snooker), Triple Crown titles, the most achieved by any player. He holds the record for the most List of snooker players by number of ranking titles, ranking titles, with 41, and has held the top ranking position multiple times. After winning amateur titles including the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship, O'Sullivan turned professional in 1992, aged 16. He won his first ranking event at the 1993 UK Championship aged ; he remains the youngest player to win a ranking title. He is also the youngest player to win the Masters, having claimed his f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Barry Hawkins
Barry Hawkins (born 23 April 1979) is an English professional snooker player from Ditton, Kent. He turned professional in 1996, but only rose to prominence in the 2004–05 snooker season when he reached the last 16 of the 2004 UK Championship, the quarter-finals of the 2004 British Open (snooker), 2004 British Open and the semi-finals of the 2005 Welsh Open (snooker), 2005 Welsh Open. He has spent twenty successive seasons ranked inside the top 32. Hawkins reached his first ranking final and won his first ranking title at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open. Hawkins has won four ranking titles. Hawkins played in the televised stages of every World Championship between his Crucible Theatre debut in 2006 World Snooker Championship, 2006 and his failure to qualify in 2023 World Snooker Championship, 2023. He lost in the first round on his first five appearances but reached the second round in 2011 World Snooker Championship, 2011 and 2012 World Snooker Championship, 2012. Rated an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Graeme Dott
Graeme Dott (born 12 May 1977) is a Scottish professional snooker player and snooker coach from Larkhall. He turned professional in 1994 and first entered the top 16 in 2001. He has won two ranking titles, the 2006 World Snooker Championship and the 2007 China Open, and was runner-up in the World Championships of 2004 and 2010. He reached number 2 in the world rankings in 2007, but a subsequent episode of clinical depression seriously affected his form, causing him to drop to number 28 for the 2009–10 season. He then recovered his form, regained his top-16 ranking, and reached a third World Championship final. In 2011, he published his autobiography, ''Frame of Mind: The Autobiography of the World Snooker Champion.'' In 2025, Dott was charged with sexually abusing two children. Prosecutors alleged that he abused a girl between 1993 and 1996, beginning when she was around 10 years old, and a boy between 2006 and 2010, beginning when he was around 7 years old. On 9 April, t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lung Cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged airway cells gain the ability to multiply unchecked, causing the growth of a tumor. Without treatment, tumors spread throughout the lung, damaging lung function. Eventually lung tumors metastasize, spreading to other parts of the body. Early lung cancer often has no symptoms and can only be detected by medical imaging. As the cancer progresses, most people experience nonspecific respiratory problems: coughing, shortness of breath, or chest pain. Other symptoms depend on the location and size of the tumor. Those suspected of having lung cancer typically undergo a series of imaging tests to determine the location and extent of any tumors. Definitive diagnosis of lung cancer requires a biopsy of the suspected tumor be examined by a patholo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |