Daniel Wells (snooker Player)
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Daniel Wells (born 31 July 1988) is a Welsh professional
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...
player from
Neath Neath (; ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a population of 19,2 ...
. He has twice come through
Qualifying School In professional golf, the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S.-based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the ...
to play on the professional snooker tour, and turned professional again at the beginning of the 2023–24 season after placing top of the 2022–23 One Year Ranking List for players outside the top 64, despite competing as an amateur for the entire season.


Career


Early career

He was awarded the inaugural
Paul Hunter Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was an English professional snooker player. He was a three-time Masters (snooker), Masters champion, winning the event in 2001 Masters (snooker), 2001, 2002 Masters (snooker), 2002, a ...
Scholarship. This gave him the chance to practise in the World Snooker Academy in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
, alongside professional players, such as
Peter Ebdon Peter David Ebdon (born 27 August 1970) is an English retired professional snooker player who is a former world champion and current coach. Ebdon won nine ranking titles during his career, placing him in joint 14th position (with John Parrott ...
and
Ding Junhui Ding Junhui (; born 1 April 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player. He is the most successful Asian player in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, he has won 15 major ranking titles, including three UK Championships (2005 ...
. He first qualified for the Main Tour for the 2008–09 season by finishing ranked fifth on the
International Open Series The International Open Series (often referred to as Pontins International Open Series or PIOS for sponsorship reasons), was a series of snooker tournaments that ran from the 2001–02 season until the 2009–10 season. It was originally called t ...
rankings.


2008/2009

He had consistent results on his first spell on the main tour, winning his first qualifying match in most events, apart from defeat in the first qualifying round to
Stefan Mazrocis Stefan Mazrocis (born 18 April 1967) is a Dutch-English former professional snooker player. He was born of Latvian and English parentage, and spent his early life in Leicester, England. Career Mazrocis turned professional in 1991. In 1995 ...
in the
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
. This was followed by a run to the penultimate qualifying round of the Bahrain Championship where he lost to veteran
John Parrott John Stephen Parrott (born 11 May 1964) is an English former professional snooker player who won the 1991 World Snooker Championship. He came to prominence in the mid to late 1980s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for 14 ...
3–5. An impressive run to the last 16 of the Masters Qualifying tournament included a 5–4 win over Crucible quarter-finalist
Liang Wenbo Liang Wenbo ( zh, s=梁文博; born 5 March 1987) is a Chinese former professional snooker player. During his playing career, he won one ranking title at the 2016 English Open, twice won the World Cup for China in 2011 and 2017 with teammate ...
. He followed this with a defeat to Li Hang in the first qualifying round of
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 ...
3–9. However, at 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 ...
, Wells needed a good run of results to ensure his place on the tour for the following season. A sequence of 10–9 wins over Li Hang,
Ian Preece Ian Preece (born 23 June 1982) is a Welsh former professional snooker player, from the city of Newport. Preece first appeared on the main tour in 2003, after a successful career as a junior; he held the record as the youngest winner of the ...
and
Marcus Campbell Marcus Campbell (born 22 September 1972) is a Scottish former professional snooker player. He was ranked within the world's top 64 for 15 consecutive seasons. Career Campbell is most famous for whitewashing Stephen Hendry 9–0 in the 1998 L ...
took him to the final qualifying round where he lost 9–10 to
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, ...
in the final qualifying match. In his 4 qualifying matches, he played the maximum 76 frames. His ranking rose to No. 70 as a result of his exploits that season.


2009/2010

Wells started the new season with a win over fellow Welshman
Ian Preece Ian Preece (born 23 June 1982) is a Welsh former professional snooker player, from the city of Newport. Preece first appeared on the main tour in 2003, after a successful career as a junior; he held the record as the youngest winner of the ...
5–3 in the Shanghai Masters before losing to
Joe Delaney Joe Alton Delaney (; October 30, 1958 – June 29, 1983) was an American professional football player who was a running back for two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). In his two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, Delaney set ...
in the next round by the same scoreline. In 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 ...
, he narrowly lost 8–9 to fellow Welshman Michael White. In his home championship, the Welsh Open, Wells narrowly lost in the first qualifying round to
James Wattana James Wattana (; born January 17, 1970, as วัฒนา ภู่โอบอ้อม ''Wattana Pu-Ob-Orm'', then renamed รัชพล ภู่โอบอ้อม ''Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm'' in 2003) is a Thai former professional snooker pl ...
4–5. Another first qualifying round defeat in the
China Open China Open may refer to: *China Open (snooker), a professional snooker tournament *China Open (tennis), a professional tennis tournament on the ATP World Tour and WTA Tour *China Open (badminton), an annual badminton tournament * China Open (squash) ...
meant that Wells was again in danger of losing his place on the tour. Wells failed to repeat his exploits of the previous season in 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 ...
as he lost 7–10 to former world No. 12 David Gray in the first qualifying round. This meant that he fell off the tour.


2010/2011

Despite not being on the main tour during the 2010–11 season Wells entered many of the PTC and EPTC events, and recorded some impressive wins eventually finishing 29th on the Order of Merit. He regained a place on the main tour for 2011–12 by finishing top of the Welsh rankings. Wells also won the European Snooker Championships and the European Team Championships (with team Wales).


2011/2012

As an unranked player on the tour Wells would need to win four qualifying matches to reach the main draw of the ranking events. However, he only won three matches during the season, including going without a single victory in the 11 of 12
Players Tour Championship The Players Tour Championship was a series of snooker tournaments comprising some minor-ranking events played in Europe, and an Asian leg comprising some minor-ranking events in Asia. The series concluded with a Players Championship Grand Final, ...
events that he played. He finished the season without a ranking and had to enter Q School in an attempt to earn a place on the tour for the 2012–13 season. In May, Wells won five matches at the second
2012 Q School The 2012 Q School was a series of three snooker tournaments held at the start of the 2012–13 snooker season. An event for amateur players, it served as a qualification event for a place on the professional World Snooker Tour for the following ...
event concluding with a 4–3 win over
Michael Wasley Michael Wasley (born 23 February 1990) is an English former professional snooker player. Wasley turned professional after qualifying via Event 3 of 2012 Q School and gained a two-year tour card for the 2012–13 and 2013–14 snooker season ...
to earn a place on the tour for the next two seasons.


2012/2013

Wells did not win two consecutive matches in qualifying for any of the ranking events in the 2012/2013 season, and therefore did not reach the main draw for any tournaments. He played in all ten
Players Tour Championship The Players Tour Championship was a series of snooker tournaments comprising some minor-ranking events played in Europe, and an Asian leg comprising some minor-ranking events in Asia. The series concluded with a Players Championship Grand Final, ...
events this season, with his best results being two last 64 defeats, to be placed 101st on the PTC Order of Merit. His season ended when he was beaten 7–10 by
Aditya Mehta Aditya Mehta (born 31 October 1985) is an Indian former professional snooker player. He participated on the World Snooker Tour for the 2007–08 season, and between 2011 and 2018. He reached a highest world ranking of 49. Mehta participated in ...
in the first round of World Championship Qualifying which saw him finish ranked world number 87.


2013/2014

Wells lost in the qualifying rounds of the first five ranking events in the 2013–14 season, but received automatic entry into 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 ...
as all 128 players began the tournament in the first round. It was here that Wells won the first match at a main venue for the first time in his career by defeating
Alfie Burden Alfred Burden (born 14 December 1976) is an English former professional snooker player from London. He first turned professional in 1994 and reached his highest world ranking of 38th in the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons. His best results in ...
6–4, but he then lost 6–3 to Joe Perry. The only event Wells qualified for this season was the
German Masters The German Masters is a professional Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament held at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany since 2011, except for 2021, when it was held at Milton Keynes in England because of the COVID-19 pandemic. An ear ...
, with an impressive 5–1 victory over
Nigel Bond Nigel Bond (born 15 November 1965) is an English retired professional snooker player. Bond competed on the main tour from 1989 to 2022, and was ranked within the world's top 16 players between 1992 and 1999, peaking at 5th for the 1996–97 ...
, before he was eliminated in the first round 5–1 by Gary Wilson. After Wells was beaten 10–7 by
Kurt Maflin Kurt Graham Maflin (born 8 August 1983) is an English-Norwegian former professional snooker player. A strong break-builder, Maflin has compiled more than 200 century breaks during his career and has made two 147 breaks in professional competit ...
in the second round of
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 ...
qualifying he was ranked world number 100 meaning he could no longer reach the top 64 and was relegated from the tour. He played in the
2014 Q School The 2014 Q School was a series of two snooker tournaments held at the start of the 2014–15 snooker season. An event for amateur players, it served as a qualification event for a place on the professional World Snooker Tour for the following tw ...
in an attempt to regain his place and came closest to doing so in the second event when he lost in the last 16 to Ashley Carty.


2014/2015

Wells was back to being an amateur player for the 2014–15 season, but still considered himself as a professional as he was playing for his living. He faced
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 m ...
in the first round of 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 ...
and, despite his opponent playing with a broken ankle, Wells was beaten 6–2. He lost 4–2 to
Gerard Greene Gerard Eamonn Greene (born 12 November 1973 in Chatham, Kent) is a Northern Irish former professional snooker player. He represents Northern Ireland in international events, as his parents are from Belfast. Greene has enjoyed moderate success ...
in the first round of the Welsh Open. Wells qualified for his first
China Open China Open may refer to: *China Open (snooker), a professional snooker tournament *China Open (tennis), a professional tennis tournament on the ATP World Tour and WTA Tour *China Open (badminton), an annual badminton tournament * China Open (squash) ...
by defeating
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...
5–3 and lost the last three frames in the first round against
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 ...
to be eliminated 5–3. At the first event of the
2015 Q School The 2015 Q School was a series of two snooker tournaments held at the start of the 2015–16 snooker season. An event for amateur players, it served as a qualification event for a place on the professional World Snooker Tour for the following t ...
he eliminated
Alexander Ursenbacher Alexander Ursenbacher (born 26 April 1996) is a Swiss professional snooker player from Rheinfelden. He is the first snooker player from Switzerland to have competed professionally (former professional Darren Paris represented England, in the mid ...
4–1 in the final round to earn a two-year tour card starting with the 2015–16 season.


2015/2016

Wells played in his first
International Championship The International Championship is a professional Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament. The reigning champion is Ding Junhui. History The event was introduced in the 2012–13 snooker season, 2012/2013 season. It was named as the ...
by beating Rory McLeod 6–1 and advanced through a wildcard round in China, before losing 6–4 to
Lee Walker Lee Walker (born 11 February 1976) is a Welsh retired professional snooker player and former World Seniors Champion. He is an official WPBSA coach and is the long-term coach of Mark Williams. Career After turning professional in 1994 at the ag ...
in the first round. He won three matches to reach the last 16 of the
Bulgarian Open The Bulgarian Open (also known as the Victoria Bulgarian Open for sponsorship reasons) was a pro–am minor-Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament, which was part of the Players Tour Championship. The tournament started in 2012 and was ...
where he was eliminated 4–0 by Mike Dunn. He would finish 39th on the
European Order of Merit European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
. Wells saw off
Rod Lawler Rod Lawler (born 12 July 1971) is an English retired professional snooker player. He is noted for his slow playing style which gave rise to his nickname, "Rod the Plod". After turning professional in 1990, Lawler has reached one ranking tourna ...
6–4 at 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 ...
, despite abandoning his car due to traffic and running to the venue before the match. He lost 6–3 to
Ali Carter Allister Carter (born 25 July 1979) is an English professional snooker player. He has twice been a World Championship finalist, in 2008 and 2012, losing both finals to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has won six ranking titles and briefly reached number t ...
in the second round. Wells reached the same stage of the Welsh Open by beating
Andrew Higginson Andrew Higginson (born 13 December 1977) is an English professional snooker player from Widnes, Cheshire. He is best known for being the surprise finalist of the 2007 Welsh Open (snooker), 2007 Welsh Open. Career Early years After some succ ...
4–2, but was knocked out 4–1 by
Marco Fu Marco Fu Ka-chun (; born 8 January 1978) is a Hong Kong professional snooker player. He is a three-time snooker world rankings, ranking event winner, having won the 2007 Grand Prix (snooker), 2007 Grand Prix, the 2013 Australian Goldfie ...
.


2016/2017

Wells began using a new cue at the beginning of the 2016–17 season and it proved to be his most successful year to date. He qualified for the World Open by thrashing
Tian Pengfei Tian Pengfei (; born 16 August 1987) is a Chinese former professional snooker player. He began his career by playing the Challenge Tour in 2004, at the time the second-level professional tour. Tian played on the Main Tour in 2006 and competed o ...
5–0 and then beat Xu Si 5–3, before recording another 5–0 whitewash this time over
Kyren Wilson Kyren James Wilson (; born 23 December 1991) is an English professional snooker player from Kettering. He has won 10 ranking titles. Wilson made his professional tour debut in the 2010–11 snooker season, 2010–11 season after finishing fif ...
to reach the last 16 of a ranking event for the first time. After being 2–0 down to
Ali Carter Allister Carter (born 25 July 1979) is an English professional snooker player. He has twice been a World Championship finalist, in 2008 and 2012, losing both finals to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has won six ranking titles and briefly reached number t ...
he moved 4–2 ahead, before missing chances to play in the quarter-finals and was defeated 5–4. Wells qualified for the
International Championship The International Championship is a professional Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament. The reigning champion is Ding Junhui. History The event was introduced in the 2012–13 snooker season, 2012/2013 season. It was named as the ...
by overcoming
Mark Allen Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
6–5 and eliminated
Stuart Carrington Stuart Carrington (born 14 May 1990) is an English former professional snooker player. He practises frequently with Steven Hallworth and Ian Glover in Grimsby. In May 2011, Carrington qualified for the 2011–12 professional Main Tour as on ...
6–2 in the first round, but then lost 6–5 to Michael Holt having been 5–3 up. A 6–5 win over Ian Burns at 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 ...
saw Wells face world number one
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 ...
in the second round. Wells was 3–1 ahead, but would be defeated 6–4. He advanced to the third round of both the Scottish Open and
Gibraltar Open The Gibraltar Open was a Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament. In 2015 it was part of the Players Tour Championship. The tournament started in 2015 and was staged at the Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar. Robert Milkins was ...
, losing 4–3 to
Yu Delu Yu Delu (; born 11 October 1987) is a former professional snooker player from the People's Republic of China. He is currently serving a 10 years and 9 months ban for match-fixing from 25 May 2018 until 24 February 2029. The ban was announced on ...
and 4–0 to
Nigel Bond Nigel Bond (born 15 November 1965) is an English retired professional snooker player. Bond competed on the main tour from 1989 to 2022, and was ranked within the world's top 16 players between 1992 and 1999, peaking at 5th for the 1996–97 ...
respectively. Wells qualified for the
China Open China Open may refer to: *China Open (snooker), a professional snooker tournament *China Open (tennis), a professional tennis tournament on the ATP World Tour and WTA Tour *China Open (badminton), an annual badminton tournament * China Open (squash) ...
with a 5–3 victory over
Marco Fu Marco Fu Ka-chun (; born 8 January 1978) is a Hong Kong professional snooker player. He is a three-time snooker world rankings, ranking event winner, having won the 2007 Grand Prix (snooker), 2007 Grand Prix, the 2013 Australian Goldfie ...
and reached the last 16 for the second time this season by beating
Jamie Cope Jamie Cope (born 12 September 1985) is an English former professional snooker player. A finalist in two ranking tournaments, the 2006 Grand Prix and the 2007 China Open, Cope also reached the semi-finals of the 2011 Masters. He reached his h ...
5–3 and
Matthew Stevens Matthew John Stevens (born 11 September 1977) is a Welsh professional snooker player. He has won two of the game's Triple Crown events, the Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been a two-time runner-up in the other t ...
5–2, but lost 5–1 to
Stephen Maguire Stephen Maguire (born 13 March 1981) is a Scottish professional snooker player. He has won six major ranking tournaments, including the 2004 UK Championship, and has twice since reached the finals of that event. Maguire turned professional in ...
. Wells finished a season within the top 64 in the world rankings for the first time as he was number 62.


2018/2019

He advanced to the quarter-final of the
Paul Hunter Classic The Paul Hunter Classic is a non-ranking snooker tournament. It changed from a ranking event to a 16-man invitational event in 2019. From 2010 to 2015 it was part of the Players Tour Championship. Barry Hawkins is the reigning champion. After los ...
losing 4–3 to
Kyren Wilson Kyren James Wilson (; born 23 December 1991) is an English professional snooker player from Kettering. He has won 10 ranking titles. Wilson made his professional tour debut in the 2010–11 snooker season, 2010–11 season after finishing fif ...
. Wells reached the semifinal of a ranking tournament for the first time at the 2018 Scottish Open, and despite leading 4–0, and 5–2 over
Mark Allen Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
he lost 6–5. He advanced to the four round of both the
English Open The English Open was a professional golf tournament held in England. First played in 1988, it was an annual event on the European Tour until 2002. After several aborted attempts at reviving the tournament, it returned to the tour schedule in 20 ...
,
Shoot-Out A shootout, also called a firefight, gunfight, or gun battle, is a confrontation in which parties armed with firearms exchange gunfire. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used in a non-military context or to ...
and
Gibraltar Open The Gibraltar Open was a Snooker world rankings, ranking snooker tournament. In 2015 it was part of the Players Tour Championship. The tournament started in 2015 and was staged at the Europa Point Sports Complex in Gibraltar. Robert Milkins was ...
, losing 4–3 to
Ali Carter Allister Carter (born 25 July 1979) is an English professional snooker player. He has twice been a World Championship finalist, in 2008 and 2012, losing both finals to Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has won six ranking titles and briefly reached number t ...
, 1–0 to
Rod Lawler Rod Lawler (born 12 July 1971) is an English retired professional snooker player. He is noted for his slow playing style which gave rise to his nickname, "Rod the Plod". After turning professional in 1990, Lawler has reached one ranking tourna ...
and 4–3 to David Gilbert respectively.


Performance and rankings timeline


Career finals


Pro-am finals: 1


Amateur finals: 5 (3 titles)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Daniel Welsh snooker players 1988 births Living people Snooker players from Neath