Dave Martin (born 9 May 1948) is a retired English snooker player. He became a professional player in 1980, and later reached the semi-finals at the

1981 International Open The 1981 International Open (officially the 1981 Jameson International Open) was the first staging of the professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place between 14 and 20 September 1981 at the Assembly Rooms in Derby, England. Televi ...

. He was runner-up to

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 ...

at the 1984 International Masters.

Career

Martin was born in Wheatley Hill on 9 May 1948. He was the runner-up in the English Amateur Championship in both 1979 and 1980. turned professional in 1980, by defeating Eugene Hughes 9–6 in the final of the 1980 Professional Ticket Event, and reached the first round of the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

the same season, losing 4–10 to

Bill Werbeniuk William Alexander Werbeniuk ( ; 14 January 1947 – 20 January 2003) was a Canadian professional snooker and pool player. Recognisable for his girth, he was nicknamed "Big Bill". Werbeniuk was a four-time World Championship quarter-finalist and ...

. The next season, he reached the semi-final of the International Open, defeating Bill Werbeniuk 5–2,

Eddie Charlton Edward Francis Charlton (31 October 1929 – 7 November 2004) was an Australian professional snooker and billiards player. He remains the only player to have been world championship runner-up in both snooker and billiards without winning e ...

5–2, and

Graham Miles Graham Miles (11 May 1941 – 12 October 2014) was an English snooker player. Career Miles turned professional in 1971. He first gained recognition in 1974, when he reached the final of the World Championship, losing 12–22 to Ray Reardon. As ...

5–1, before losing 1–9 to

Dennis Taylor Dennis Taylor (born 19 January 1949) is a Northern Irish retired professional snooker player and current commentator. He turned professional in 1972 and won the 1985 World Snooker Championship, in which he lost the first eight frames of 1985 W ...

. He followed this up by beating Eddie Sinclair 9–7 to qualify for the

UK Championship The UK Championship is a professional ranking snooker tournament. It is one of snooker's prestigious Triple Crown events, along with the World Championship and the Masters. It is usually held at the Barbican in York, England. Ronnie O'Sull ...

, where he lost in the first round to

Alex Higgins Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player and a two-time world champion who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the sport's history. Nicknamed "Hurricane Higgi ...

. He also qualified for the World Championship in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, once again losing in the first round, this time to Graham Miles 5–10. The following season, Martin reached the first round of the Pro Players Tournament, losing 3–5 to John Spencer. He then reached the first round of the 1982 UK Championship, losing again in the first round to Higgins by the same scoreline as the previous year. He then qualified for the 1983 World Championship, eliminating Murdo MacLeod 10–7 in the final qualifying round. At the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre, or simply The Crucible, is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which opened in 1971. Its name refers to crucible steel, which was developed in Sheffield in 1740 and drove the industrialisation of the city. ...

, he lost in the first round 4–10 to Bill Werbeniuk. Martin began the following season by qualifying again for the International Open, beating

Patsy Fagan Patsy Fagan (born 15 January 1951) is an Irish former professional snooker player. Having been runner-up in the 1974 English Amateur Championship, he turned professional in October 1976. He experienced early success with victories at the 1977 ...

5–0 in the final qualifying round. In the first round, he defeated Alex Higgins 5–2, before losing 0–5 to

Doug Mountjoy Douglas James Mountjoy (8 June 1942 – 14 February 2021) was a Welsh snooker player from Tir-y-Berth, Gelligaer, Wales. He was a member of the professional snooker circuit from the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, and remained within t ...

. He also reached the first round of the

, however he lost 4–9 in the first round to

Terry Griffiths Terence Martin Griffiths (16October 19471December 2024) was a Welsh professional snooker player, coach and pundit. After winning several amateur titles, including the Welsh Amateur Championship (snooker), Welsh Amateur Championship in 1975 an ...

. At the 1984 International Masters he reached the three-player final group, and finished as reunner-up to

. In the 1984–85 he qualified for the Grand Prix, losing to

Tony Meo Anthony Christian Meo (born 4 October 1959) is a retired English snooker player. He won the 1989 British Open by defeating Dean Reynolds 13–6 in the final, and was runner-up to Steve Davis at the 1984 Classic. He won four World Doubles C ...

4–5 in the first round. He also qualified for the British Open, where he beat

Ray Reardon Raymond Reardon (8 October 1932 – 19 July 2024) was a Welsh professional snooker player who dominated the sport in the 1970s, winning the World Snooker Championship six times and claiming more than a dozen other professional titles. Due to h ...

5–4 in the first round, before losing 4–5 to Dene O'Kane. He lost 8–10 in the final qualifying round for the World Championship against Dene O'Kane. The following season, Martin did not progress beyond the first round in any tournament; he did however qualify for the Grand Prix and the British Open, losing to Silvino Francisco and

respectively. He qualified for the

1986 World Snooker Championship The 1986 World Snooker Championship (also referred to as the 1986 Embassy World Snooker Championship for the purposes of sponsorship) was a professional snooker tournament that took place between 19 April and 5 May 1986 at the Crucib ...

where he made his last appearance at the Crucible, losing 3–10 in the first round to Joe Johnson, the eventual winner of the tournament. Martin reached the quarter-finals of the Mercantile Credit Classic in 1988, beating Doug Mountjoy 5–4, and

Jimmy White James Warren White (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player who has won ten ranking events. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his swift and attacking style of play, White has reached six World Snooker Championship finals ...

5–2, before losing 1–5 against Tony Knowles. His last appearance in the main stages of a tournament came at the 1991 UK Championship, where he lost in the first round 3–9 to Jimmy White.

References

External links

Profile on snookerdatabase.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Dave Living people English snooker players 1948 births