Robert Stephen (born 27 June 1984) is a Scottish 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. He first qualified for the main tour for the 2006–07 season having topped the Scottish rankings the year before. During the 2008–09 season, he reached the last 64 at the Shanghai Masters and the Bahrain Championship.

Career

Stephen was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and first played competitive snooker in 2003, entering three Challenge Tour events and qualifying for 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, ...

; he progressed to the last 32 at one tournament, where

Chris Norbury Christopher Norbury (born 14 August 1986) is an English former professional snooker player. He began his professional career by playing Challenge Tour in 2003, at the time the second-level professional tour. Norbury first entered Main Tour for ...

beat him 5–0, but lost his opening World Championship match 3–5 to

Troy Shaw Troy Shaw (born 6 October 1969) is an English former professional snooker player. Career Competing on the main tour from 1991, Shaw won the second leg of minor ranking tournament the Strachan Challenge in 1993, beating Nigel Bond in the fi ...

. Having gained a place on the professional tour through the Scottish rankings, Stephen made his début in the 2006 Northern Ireland Trophy, where he lost 0–5 to

Liang Wenbo Liang Wenbo (; born 25 March 1987) is a Chinese professional snooker player based at the Oracle Snooker Club, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. Liang, who plays left-handed, has reached one Triple Crown final, made three Masters appearances, and ...

. He recorded his first wins as a professional in his qualifying group for the 2006 Grand Prix, beating both Lee Page and

Mark Joyce Mark Joyce (born 11 August 1983) is an English professional snooker player who lives in Walsall. He began his professional career by playing Challenge Tour in 2003. Joyce enjoyed an outstanding amateur career, winning the European Under-19 Cham ...

3–0, but did not qualify for the tournament itself. At the 2007 Welsh Open, he made his first competitive

century break In snooker, a century break (also century, sometimes called a ton) is a of 100 points or more, compiled in one to the table. A century break requires potting at least 25 consecutive balls, and the ability to score centuries is regarded as a m ...

, a 115, in the process of defeating

Tian Pengfei Tian Pengfei (, born 16 August 1987) is a Chinese 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 on the Wo ...

5–2; he lost his next match by the same scoreline to

Stuart Pettman Stuart Pettman (born 24 April 1975) is an English former professional snooker player and author. The Preston native has qualified for the World Championship three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2010. He beat 2005 champion Shaun Murphy in qualifying ...

. In the 2007 World Championship, Stephen was drawn against

Alfie Burden Alfred Burden (born 14 December 1976) is an English professional snooker player from London. Career Burden originally had his eyes set on making a career as a professional footballer, but a badly broken leg curtailed this ambition. He spent a ...

in the last 96, but lost 9–10, and fell off the tour as the world number 91 at the season's end. During the 2007/2008 season, Stephen played in the Pontin's International Open Series in an attempt to win back his place, reaching the semi-final of Event Three, where Michael King beat him 5–4. His performances were not sufficient for him to return to the main tour for the 2008/2009 season. But he ended on top of the Scottish rankings, winning three of the seven tournaments of the Scottish Senior tour. And so he was again nominated for the Main Tour by the Scottish Snooker association.''Player List - Robert Stephen''
World Snooker, archived on May 30, 2009 Stephen's second season as a professional brought more success than his first, with runs to the last 64 at the Bahrain Championship, the Shanghai Masters and the China Open. In the Shanghai Masters, he defeated Scott MacKenzie 5–2 and

Paul Davies Paul Charles William Davies (born 22 April 1946) is an English physicist, writer and broadcaster, a professor in Arizona State University and Director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He is affiliated with the Institute ...

by the same scoreline, but lost 1–5 to Michael Holt, while his progress in Bahrain, encompassing victories over

David Grace David Grace (born 1949 in Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby, Warwickshire, England) is a British motorsport, racing driver and businessman. He was the Chief Executive Officer, CEO at Rockingham Motor Speedway between 2000 and 2002, and oversaw the openi ...

and

Andrew Norman Andrew Norman (born October 31, 1979) is an American composer of contemporary classical music whose texturally complex music is influenced by architecture and the visual arts. His string trio ''The Companion Guide to Rome'' (2010), was a runner- ...

, was ended by a 3–5 loss to

Robert Milkins Robert Milkins (born 6 March 1976) is an English professional snooker player. Considered one of the most naturally talented and quickest players in the game, Milkins has been a mainstay on the tour since regaining his tour card in 1998. Milkins ...

. In the China Open,

John Parrott John Stephen Parrott, (born 11 May 1964) is an English former professional snooker player and television personality. He was a familiar face on the professional snooker circuit during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, and remained within ...

overcame him 5–3. Stephen lost 3–10 to

Matthew Selt Matthew Selt (born 7 March 1985) is an English professional snooker player originally from Romford, east London and now living in Chelmsford, Essex. He qualified for the professional tour by finishing seventh on the Pontin's International Open ...

in qualifying for the 2009 World Championship, and was ranked 88th at the conclusion of the season. As a result, he was relegated once more from the tour.

References

External links

*
Profile on the Global Snooker Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen, Robert Scottish snooker players 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Glasgow Competitors at the 2005 World Games