| Biography: |
Martin Clark made a
very promising start to his professional career when he beat
many top sixteen players in his first few matches but he had
been making people sit up and take notice since he became the
youngest winner of the British Under-19 championship in 1984
aged 15. Later in the 1986 Home International series he compiled
a break of 141 which was, at the time, ratified as a new record
break for a non-professional. When the WPBSA introduced a promotion
and relegation system whereby the top ten amateurs played the
bottom ten professionals for a place on the pro-circuit, Martin,
along with Gary Wilkinson was among the first group to gain
professional status in this way. He had however picked up no
less that £26,000 in his last season as an 'amateur'.
He began his pro career by reaching the TV stage of the first
event of the 1987/8 season, the Fidelity International at
Stoke and went on the last 16 whitewashing Dennis Taylor 5-0
on the way. Dennis described his performance as the best television
debut any player has ever had. Another last 16 spot in the
Mercantile helped him to a first season ranking of 41st. He
was also runner up to John Parrott in the invitational Kent
Cup played in China with some 100 million watching on television.
With his partner, fellow rookie pro Jim Chambers, he put out
the holders, Davis and Meo, in the World Doubles. In his second
season he reached three quarter-finals, The Mercantile Credit
Classic, British and European Opens and his ranking was already
up to 17.
Two more quarter-finals and three last 16 places in 1989/90
took Martin up to twelfth, a position he would achieve twice
more but never improve on. 1990/1 was not such a good season
and he fell back a couple of places but he did pick up his
first title as a professional. He beat Ray Reardon to win
the European Grand Masters. This was a one-off invitation
event pitching four young pros against four of snookers greats.
Martin came back the following season with three more ranking
quarter-finals rising back to 12th again. In 1992/3 he only
managed one last 16 spot and that was in the world championship
at the Crucible. That was the third time he had reached that
stage in snooker's premier event but he never progressed further.
He just about hung on to his ranking position and collected
his biggest pay cheque by reaching the semi-final of the non-ranking
Coalite World Matchplay tournament.
Although we did not know it at the time, we had seen the
best of Martin. Over the next couple of season he managed
two more quarter-finals but began to lose too many of his
opening matches to lower ranked players and dropped out of
the top 16. He spent four seasons in the lower reaches of
the top 32 but by now he was suffering physical problems with
his neck. He was still capable of beating anyone on his day
and did make it to the last 16 of two or three events and,
in 1977, won the Pontins Professional event, only the second
title he gained as a professional.
By the end of the 1999/2000 season he was finding playing
more difficult and had dropped to number 66 in the rankings.
He played on for a few events in 2000/01 but mid way through
the season decided he could not carry on and put away his
cue. He took up a new post created by the WPBSA as player's
liaison officer.
Martin is another player who did not live up to his early
promise. He reached no less than ten ranking quarter-finals
but never got beyond that stage. We do not know, however,
how early in his career he first began to suffer the problems
with his neck and how much that was responsible for his failure
to achieve more.
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Achievements:
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World
Professional Championship last 16 - 1991, 1992, 1993
Pontins Professional Champion - 1997
European Grand Masters champion - 1991
World Matchplay semi-finalist - 1992
Kent Cup runner-up - 1988
World ranking events quarter-finalist - Ten times
British Under-19 champion - 1984
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