Adam Wicheard
Born (1985-08-23) 23 August 1985
Bath, Somerset, England
Sport country England
Professional2010–2012
Highest ranking84 (June–July 2011, February–March 2012)[1][2]
Best ranking finishLast 32 (x1)

Adam Wicheard (born 23 August 1985) is an English professional snooker player, who has competed professionally between 2010 and 2012.

Career

He was selected to compete in the World Under-21s in 2005 and was progressing towards turning professional, until he experienced severe back pains while competing at a festival in Pontins. An MRI scan revealed he had a ruptured tumour in his spine which required an emergency 7-hour operation, followed by 6 months of recovery in hospital with Wicheard lying flat in bed unable to move for the first 4 months. He was warned by doctors he may never walk again, but fought back by undergoing extensive physiotherapy and would later finish first in the 2009/10 English rankings to turn professional for the following season.[3][4]

However, Wicheard failed to perform well enough during the season to automatically retain his place on the World Snooker Tour, but did win all his matches at the first event of the 2011 Q School to earn a berth for the 2011/12 season.[5] In February 2012, he qualified for the main stage of a ranking event for the very first time by coming through four qualification matches, culminating with a 4–2 victory over world number 22 Marcus Campbell to reach the last 32 of the Welsh Open.[3] In the remainder of the season Wicheard could only win one more qualifying match and finished the year without a ranking, meaning he entered Q School in a bid to earn a place to play the 2012–13 season.[6] Wicheard played in all three Q School events but could not win enough games in any of them and dropped off the main snooker tour.[7] Confined to entering Players Tour Championship events for the 2012/2013 season, Wicheard played in nine of them, with his best results coming in European Tour Event 5 and Event 6 where he lost in the second round to Jimmy Robertson and Ken Doherty respectively.[8] He finished the season 97th on the PTC Order of Merit.[9] Wicheard reached the final round of the 2013 Q School to stand one win away from rejoining the tour. He was 3–2 down to Chris Wakelin, before his cue of 15 years snapped in half which forced him to concede the match.[8][10]

Wicheard's high Q School Order of Merit placing enabled him to play in the qualifying rounds of five ranking tournaments in the 2013–14 season. The only one he reached was the 2014 World Open by beating Liu Chuang 5–2, but he was whitewashed 5–0 by Mark Davis in the first round. He received automatic entry into the Welsh Open and was defeated 4–3 by Matthew Stevens in the first round. Wicheard entered Q School at the end of the season but could only win one match in the two events. He has not played in a professional event since.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Rankings after 2011 PTC1" (PDF). World Snooker. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Rankings after Welsh Open" (PDF). World Snooker. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Six of the Best on Q for Newport". 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "2009–10 English Rankings" (PDF). EASB. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  5. ↑ "Hull Back on Pro Tour". WPBSA. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  6. ↑ "Official World Ranking List for the 2012/2013 Season" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "Adam Wicheard 2011/2012". Snooker.org. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Adam Wicheard 2012/2013". Snooker.org. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Order of Merit 2012/2013". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Not the break that Adam had in mind". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "Adam Wicheard 2013/2014". Snooker.org. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
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