 Parrott in October 2008 | |
| Born | (1964-05-11)11 May 1964 (age 61) Liverpool, England |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  England |
| Nickname | |
| Professional | 1983–2010 |
| Highestranking | 2 (1989/90,1992/93–1993/94) |
| Maximum breaks | 1 |
| Century breaks | 221 |
| Tournament wins | |
| Ranking | 9 |
| World Champion | 1991 |
John Stephen Parrott (born 11 May 1964) is an English former professionalsnooker player who won the1991 World Snooker Championship. He came to prominence in the mid to late 1980s, and remained within the top 16 of theworld rankings for 14 consecutive seasons. Following his playing career, he became a snooker commentator and pundit.
He twice reached the final of theWorld Snooker Championship. At the1989 World Snooker Championship, he lost 3–18 toSteve Davis, the heaviest defeat in a world championship final in modern times. Two years later, however, he defeatedJimmy White in the final of the1991 event. He also won against White later the same year, to win the1991 UK Championship title. This made him only the third player to win both championships in the same calendar year (after Steve Davis andStephen Hendry); he is still[update] one of only six players to have achieved this feat. The following year, Parrott lost in the final of the1992 UK Championship, again to White. Parrott reached the final of theMasters on three occasions, losing to Hendry each time.
Parrott reached his highest place in the world rankings in1989–90,1992–93,1993–94 where he was second. He is one of several players to have achieved more than 200 competitivecentury breaks during his career, with 221. Following his playing career, Parrott became acommentator andpundit for theBBC. In addition, he also presentedhorse racing and was a regular on BBC quiz showA Question of Sport.
John Parrott was born on 11 May 1964 at theOxford Street Maternity Hospital, Liverpool.[2] Parrott grew up with his aunt and uncle following a split between his parents when he was 4.[3]: 10 He was a keenbowls player until the age of 11,[4] as he was first introduced to snooker by his father.[3]: 16 [5] He lost in the final of theBritish Under-16s Championship in 1979 and then again in 1980.[6][7][3]: 34–37 The next year, he won the 1981 Pontins Junior Championship. In 1982, he won thePontins Open, a tournament with over 1,000 entrants.[3]: 44 The same year, he also won the televisedJunior Pot Black championship. He turned professional in 1983 after winning 14 tournaments in his last year as an amateur player, including a second Junior Pot Black title,[8] and finishing as runner-up in theEnglish Amateur Championship.[9][10]
Parrott turned professional in 1983, aged 19, making his televised debut as a professional during the last 16 of the1984 Classic.[3]: 20 In the match, he defeatedAlex Higgins 5–2. He then beatTony Knowles in the next round before losing toSteve Davis in the semi-finals on adeciding frame.[11][12] Parrott qualified for theWorld Snooker Championship on the first attempt, losing only three frames in qualification. He defeated Knowles, but lost in the quarter-finals toDennis Taylor. He finished his first professional season ranked 20th in the world.[3]: 54 In 1987, Parrott was placed within the top 16 in the world for the first time.[3]: 54
At the1988 Classic, Parrott reached his firstranking event final. Despite leading 11–10, he lost 11–13 toSteve Davis.[13][failed verification] The following season, Parrott was runner-up in four events. He lost again to Davis in the final of the1988 World Matchplay, toStephen Hendry in the final of the invitational1989 Masters, toMike Hallett at the1989 English Professional Championship.[3]: 59–61
He also reached the final to play Davis at the1989 World Snooker Championship.[3]: 59–61 In the first to 18 match, Parrott trailed 2–5,[14] but won only one more frame in the match, losing 3–18.[15] The loss was the largest in any World Championship final.[16] With the match finishing early, Parrott had to play an exhibition match in place of the final session.[17] Parrott finished the season at his highest world ranking, second to Davis.[18]
Parrott won his first ranking title[failed verification] at the1989 European Open, defeatingTerry Griffiths in the final 9–8.[19] He successfully defended his title at the1990 event, defeatingStephen Hendry 10–6 in the final.[20] Parrott reached the final of the1990 Masters for a second time, losing again to Hendry.[21] He finished the season at the1990 World Snooker Championship losing in the semi-final 11–16 to Hendry.[22]
Parrott reached the final of the World Championship again in1991. DefeatingNigel Gilbert,Tony Knowles, Griffiths and Davis, he playedJimmy White in the final.[23] He took a 7–0 lead,[failed verification] winning the match 18–11.[23] Following the World Championship win, Parrott won both the1991 Dubai Classic over Knowles and his secondTriple Crown event - the1991 UK Championship.[24] He once again played White in the final, defeating him 16–13.[25] He was just the third person to win hold both the UK and World Championships sequentially.[26] Parrott finished the 1991–92 season once again to World Number two.[27]
In 1992, Parrott reached four major finals. He retained theDubai Classic, defeating Hendry on adeciding frame,[28] but lost both theUK Championship andMasters to White and Hendry, respectively.[29][30] This was the last time Parrott reached the final of the Masters. Having won both the UK Championship, he was unable to complete the Triple Crown.[31] Parrott also reached the final of the1992 Strachan Open losing toJames Wattana.[32] He finished the season again in second in the world rankings for the third and final time.[33]
The following season, Parrott won the1994 International Open, defeating Wattana in the final.[34] Later in 1994, he reached the final of theEuropean Open for the third time, this time losing to Hendry.[35] Parrott would, however, win the European Openthe following season with a victory in the final overPeter Ebdon.[36] The same season, Parrott won the1995 Thailand Classic for the third time, defeatingNigel Bond in the final.[37]
Over the next two seasons, Parrott reached the final of three more rankings events. He lost the1997 European Open,1997 German Open finals both toJohn Higgins and1998 Thailand Masters to Hendry.[38] This was the last ranking event final of Parrotts career. He spent 14 consecutive seasons in the top 16 of the snooker world rankings, from 1987 until 2001, 11 of which were in the top 6.[4] He captained the England team that won the2000 Nations Cup.[39]
At the2007 World Snooker Championship he reached the last 16 of the World Championship for the first time since 2000, after victories overJames Leadbetter,David Gray andSteve Davis (10–9, having led 6–1 and 9–6).[40][failed verification] He was also the first player to conduct a"whitewash" in the Crucible World Championship final stages, when he defeatedEddie Charlton 10–0 in the first round ofthe 1992 tournament.[41] For 27 years, he held the record for being the only player ever to achieve this, untilShaun Murphy defeated China'sLuo Honghao 10–0 in the first round of the2019 World Championship.[42]
Following his 6–10 defeat to young Chinese playerZhang Anda in the2010 World Championship Qualifiers, Parrott finished outside the top 64 in the end of season rankings and was not assured a place on the main tour for the2010–11 season.[43] Later Parrott announced he was to retire from the professional game.[44]
Parrott played in the2011 World Seniors Championship, where he lost in the semi-finals to Davis.[45]He also participated in the preliminary qualifying rounds of the2012 World Snooker Championship losing 0–5 toPatrick Wallace in Round 1.[46]
Ronnie O'Sullivan wrote that he considered Parrott to be a "great match player [with] plenty of bottle" that, before the emergence of the "Class of '92 (snooker)", was the only player that would go "toe to toe" with Hendry.[47] In their 2005 bookMasters of the Baize, Luke Williams and Paul Gadsby described Parrott as a "solid and belligerent player, with a delightfully smooth cue action".[48] Robert Philip ofThe Daily Telegraph wrote approvingly in 2007 of how Parrott had prioritised his family above playing, and speculated that had he not done so, Parrott could have won further world championships.[49]
Following his playing career, Parrott became apundit andcommentator on snooker forBBC Sport.[50] From 1996 to 2002, he was one of the team captains on the BBC quiz showA Question of Sport, alongsideassociation football playerAlly McCoist.[51] As a supporter ofhorse racing, he was involved in the BBC's horse racing coverage as part of the presenting team.[52][53]
In 1996, Parrott was honoured with anMBE in the Queen'sBirthday Honours list, for charitable services in Merseyside.[54] In 2008, he launched John Parrott Cue Sports, an online retailer selling snooker and pool cues and some snooker collectables.[55] This was re-branded John Parrott Sports in 2019.[56] Parrott is a supporter ofEverton F.C. and brother-in-law of former Everton playerDuncan Ferguson.[57] Parrott was made the Honorary Patron of theBritish Crown Green Bowling Association in 2010.[58]
| 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 | 2003/ 04 | 2004/ 05 | 2005/ 06 | 2006/ 07 | 2007/ 08 | 2008/ 09 | 2009/ 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking[59][nb 1] | [nb 2] | 20 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 18 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 42 | 39 | 39 | 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shanghai Masters | Tournament Not Held | LQ | A | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Prix[nb 3] | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | SF | 2R | 3R | QF | 1R | 2R | SF | 1R | 1R | SF | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | SF | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | 2R | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | NR | 1R | 2R | SF | QF | QF | 3R | SF | W | F | SF | QF | 3R | QF | 2R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | LQ | WD | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | Tournament Not Held | SF | QF | 2R | 1R | F | SF | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | LQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open[nb 4] | Tournament Not Held | NR | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | Not Held | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | WD | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | 2R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | F | SF | W | QF | QF | QF | QF | 1R | QF | QF | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | 1R | 2R | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Premier League[nb 5] | A | Not Held | A | A | F | RR | A | RR | SF | F | RR | RR | RR | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | A | A | A | A | SF | F | F | QF | F | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | SF | QF | A | A | A | A | LQ | A | A | A | A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadian Masters | Not Held | Non-Ranking | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Open[nb 6] | Non-Ranking Event | NH | 2R | Not Held | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classic | SF | LQ | 1R | QF | F | QF | 3R | 2R | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strachan Open | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dubai Classic[nb 7] | Tournament Not Held | NR | SF | 2R | W | W | 2R | 1R | W | 1R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters[nb 8] | Tournament Not Held | 2R | 1R | F | NR | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | Non-Ranking Event | QF | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters[nb 9] | Non-Ranking Event | Not Held | WD | QF | 3R | QF | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | F | SF | 1R | SF | 1R | NR | Not Held | NR | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open[nb 10] | A | LQ | QF | 1R | 3R | 1R | QF | Not Held | 2R | W | SF | 1R | QF | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 3R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| British Open[nb 11] | NR | 2R | 3R | 1R | SF | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 3R | SF | QF | 1R | QF | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | Non-Ranking Event | LQ | LQ | LQ | NH | NR | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Open[nb 12] | Tournament Not Held | W | W | 1R | SF | 2R | SF | F | W | F | NR | SF | Not Held | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | NR | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Ireland Trophy | Tournament Not Held | NR | LQ | 1R | LQ | NH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bahrain Championship | Tournament Not Held | LQ | NH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | 1R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Canadian Masters | Not Held | QF | A | A | R | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Open[nb 6] | A | A | SF | A | QF | NH | R | Not Held | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fosters Professional[nb 13] | NH | A | SF | A | A | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pontins Professional | A | QF | QF | SF | W | QF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| English Professional Championship | NH | 2R | 2R | QF | 2R | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Zealand Masters | NH | A | Not Held | A | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Norwich Union Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | A | SF | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Masters | Tournament Not Held | 2R | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| London Masters | Tournament Not Held | F | F | SF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters | A | RR | A | A | Not Held | SF | Ranking Event | A | Not Held | A | Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Challenge | Tournament Not Held | QF | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Kong Challenge[nb 14] | A | QF | A | A | A | QF | NH | A | QF | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indian Challenge | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgian Challenge | Tournament Not Held | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent Classic[nb 15] | Not Held | A | W | A | A | A | NH | W | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgian Masters | Tournament Not Held | W | SF | F | Not Held | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Matchplay | Tournament Not Held | F | F | QF | QF | QF | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nescafe Extra Challenge | Tournament Not Held | A | NH | RR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pot Black | A | 1R | 1R | Tournament Not Held | QF | SF | 1R | Tournament Not Held | A | A | A | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held | W | A | A | A | A | R | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Red & White Challenge | Tournament Not Held | F | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters[nb 8] | Tournament Not Held | Ranking Event | W | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Champions Cup[nb 16] | Tournament Not Held | QF | QF | QF | QF | 1R | RR | A | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Masters | A | A | A | QF | A | NH | SF | QF | QF | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | SF | SF | QF | QF | A | A | A | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Irish Masters | A | A | A | A | A | SF | QF | F | SF | SF | QF | SF | 1R | QF | SF | 1R | SF | A | A | Ranking Event | A | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Performance Table Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LQ | 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-finals |
| SF | lost in the semi-finals | F | lost in the final | W | won the tournament |
| DNQ | did not qualify for the tournament | A | did not participate in the tournament | WD | 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. | |||
| PA / Pro-am Event | means an event is/was a pro-am event. | |||
| Legend |
|---|
| World Championship (1–1) |
| UK Championship (1–1) |
| Other (7–7) |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1988 | The Classic | Steve Davis | 11–13 |
| Winner | 1. | 1989 | European Open |  Terry Griffiths | 9–8 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1989 | World Snooker Championship | Steve Davis | 3–18 |
| Winner | 2. | 1990 | European Open(2) |  Stephen Hendry | 10–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 1991 | World Snooker Championship | Jimmy White | 18–11 |
| Winner | 4. | 1991 | Dubai Classic | Tony Knowles | 9–3 |
| Winner | 5. | 1991 | UK Championship | Jimmy White | 16–13 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1992 | Strachan Open |  James Wattana | 5–9 |
| Winner | 6. | 1992 | Dubai Classic(2) | Stephen Hendry | 9–8 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1992 | UK Championship | Jimmy White | 9–16 |
| Winner | 7. | 1994 | International Open | James Wattana | 9–5 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1994 | European Open | Stephen Hendry | 3–9 |
| Winner | 8. | 1995 | Thailand Classic(3) | Nigel Bond | 9–6 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1996 | Welsh Open | Mark Williams | 3–9 |
| Winner | 9. | 1996 | European Open(3) | Peter Ebdon | 9–7 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 1997 | European Open(2) | John Higgins | 5–9 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 1997 | German Open | John Higgins | 4–9 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 1998 | Thailand Masters | Stephen Hendry | 6–9 |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Team | Opponent(s) in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2000 | Nations Cup | England | Wales | 6–4 |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 1982 | Pontins Spring Open | Ray Reardon (WAL) | 7–4 | [62] |
| Runner-up | 1. | 1985 | Pontins Spring Open | Jim Chambers (ENG) | 6–7 | [62] |
| Winner | 2. | 1986 | Pontins Spring Open(2) | Tony Putnam (ENG) | 7–6 | [62] |
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 1979 | British Under-16 Championship | Tony Pyle (ENG) | 2–3 | [6] |
| Runner-up | 2. | 1979 | Pontins Junior Championship | Dave Gilbert (ENG) | 1–3 | [63][64] |
| Runner-up | 3. | 1980 | British Under-16 Championship(2) | Terry Whitthread (ENG) | 1–3 | [7] |
| Winner | 1. | 1981 | Pontins Junior Championship | Don Tate (ENG) | 3–1 | [63][65] |
| Runner-up | 4. | 1982 | British Under-19 Championship | Neal Foulds (ENG) | 2–3 | [66] |
| Winner | 2. | 1982 | Junior Pot Black | John Keers (ENG) | 156–70[a] | [8] |
| Runner-up | 5. | 1983 | English Amateur Championship | Tony Jones (ENG) | 9–13 | [9] |
| Winner | 3. | 1983 | Junior Pot Black(2) | Steve Ventham (ENG) | [a] | [8] |
Citations
Books
