Ken Owers (born 30 March 1953) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

former professional

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

player.

Career

Born in 1953, Owers turned professional in 1986. He saw immediate success, reaching the last 16 at his first tournament, the 1986 International Open. There, he defeated John Hargreaves 5–3, George Scott 5–1,

Jimmy White James Warren White (born 2 May 1962) is an English professional snooker player who has won three seniors World titles. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his fluid, attacking style of play, White is the 1980 World Amateur Champion, 2009 ...

5–2 and

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5–0, before losing 1–5 to

Neal Foulds Neal Foulds (born 13 July 1963) is an English former professional snooker player and six-time tournament winner, including the 1986 International Open, the 1988 Dubai Masters and the 1992 Scottish Masters, as well as the invitational Pot Blac ...

. Later in the same season he reached the last 16 at the 1987 English Professional Championship, exiting 2–6 to

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, and twice beat the veteran Fred Davis - 5–3 in the British Open, and 10–5 in the 1987 World Championship, where he eventually lost in the last 64 to Warren King. The following season, Owers beat

Mick Fisher Mick Fisher (born 12 July 1944) is an English former professional snooker player. He appeared once at the main stage of the World Snooker Championship during his career, and attained a highest professional ranking of 37th, in the Snooker wor ...

5–0 and

Rex Williams Desmond Rex Williams (born 20 July 1933) is a retired English professional snooker and billiards player. He was the second player to make an official maximum break, achieving this in an exhibition match in December 1965. Williams won the Worl ...

5–3 before losing 0–5 to

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in the last 32 at the 1988 Classic, and again progressed to the last 16 of the English Professional Championship, this time losing 4–6 to Tony Knowles. Owers won the 1989 WPBSA Invitational Event Two beating Dave Gilbert 9–6 in the final. By the 1989/1990 season, Owers' form had dipped dramatically, and that season yielded only £500 in prize money, when he reached the last 64 at the 1990 European Open; there, he lost 2–5 to a declining

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. At the 1990 World Championship, Owers beat Mike Darrington 10–1, but was eliminated in the last 96, losing 8–10 to another fading former World Champion, John Spencer. The next season brought a welcome return to form in patches; most notably, Owers reached the last 16 at a ranking event for the first time in four years at the 1990 Grand Prix. There, he was victorious over Gary Natale, Brian Rowswell,

John Virgo John Virgo (born 4 March 1946) is an English former professional snooker player who has since developed a career as a snooker commentator and TV personality. Snooker career Early professional career (1973–1978) Virgo's first notable appea ...

and Knowles, before losing once more to Peter Francisco - this time taking the third frame in a 1–5 defeat. This proved to be Owers' last showing in the latter stages of a tournament; at the 1993 World Championship, he lost his second-round qualifying match 0–10 to a young

Drew Henry Drew Henry (born 24 November 1968) is a Scottish former professional snooker player, who spent five consecutive seasons of his career in the top 32 of the rankings, peaking at No. 18. Career A strong amateur, Henry won the 1988 Scottish Amateur ...

, having beaten Sefton Payne 5–1 in the first round. In the last 64 at the 1993 Grand Prix, Owers again faced Neal Foulds but lost 3–5, making a break of 57 in the eighth frame before Foulds replied with 72 to seal victory. In the 1997 World Championship, Owers lost 5–10 to Leigh Robinson in his first qualifying match; this was his final competitive match, as his world ranking, having slipped to 256th, was not sufficient to keep him on the main tour. He thus left professional snooker, aged 44.

Non-ranking wins: (1)

* WPBSA Non-ranking Event 2 - 1989

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owers, Ken 1953 births Living people English snooker players