Stephen James (born 2 May 1961)White, Jason (2002) "Steve James: Crucible or bust for James; Last act beckons in great entertainer's compelling snooker tale", ''

Sports Argus The ''Sports Argus'' was a Saturday sports paper printed on distinctive pink paper and published in Birmingham, England between 1897 and 2006. Its great appeal was that it was available very shortly after all the Saturday 3pm games had been compl ...

'', 26 January 2002, (confirms May 1961) 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 ...

retired professional snooker player.

Career

A former

postman A mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, or letter carrier (in American English), sometimes colloquially known as a postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), is an employee of a post ...

, the high point of his career was his sole ranking title – the

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

in 1990, beating Australian Warren King 10–6 in the final. His world ranking peaked at number seven the following season, the best of his five seasons in the top sixteen."Booze nightmare for snooker star who blew fortune", '' Sunday Mercury'', 28 June 1998 On 14 April 1990, in his match against

Alex Higgins Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010) was a Northern Irish professional snooker player who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the game. Nicknamed "Hurricane Higgins" because of his fast play, he was Worl ...

at the

World Snooker Championship The World Snooker Championship is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the wealthiest, with total prize money in 2022 of £2,395,000, including £500,000 for the winner. First held in 1927, it ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, James became the first player to produce a 16-red total clearance in competitive play. In other words, he potted 16 reds and 16 colours consecutively, followed by all the coloured balls in order: a situation that was only possible because he was awarded a

free ball Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each (so ...

before any red had been potted.''Guinness World Records 2001'', IBS Books, A year later he reached the semi-finals of the

, beating defending champion

Stephen Hendry Stephen Gordon Hendry (born 13 January 1969) is a Scottish professional snooker player who dominated the sport during the 1990s, becoming one of the most successful players in its history. After turning professional in 1985 at age 16, Hendry ...

in the quarter-finals (it was six years before anyone else beat Hendry in the tournament:

Ken Doherty Ken Doherty (born 17 September 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player, commentator and radio presenter. As an amateur, Doherty won the Irish Amateur Championship twice, the World Under-21 Amateur Championship and the World Amateur C ...

in 1997). He was beaten in the semi-final by

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 ...

, with whom he shares his birthday; coincidentally, the match began on their birthday, 2 May. James became wealthy through snooker, but was banned from driving in 1996,Snooker: James steps up a gear
, ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', 15 February 1997, Retrieved 22 May 2010 and in 1998 declared himself bankrupt after spending £700,000 on "fast living", even having to sell his practice table.Larner, Tony (1999) "Bankrupt snooker ace Steve on cue for return", '' Sunday Mercury'', 18 April 1999 His financial problems saw him turn to drinking heavily. A

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

, James missed the British Open in 2004 due to a kidney infection.McLaughlan, Lee (2004) "Steve's Fit For Fresh Start", '' Sunday Mercury'', 7 November 2004 He was the first player ever to score two centuries on his Crucible debut, including a 140, the second highest by a debutant of all time. In addition to 1991, he reached the quarter-finals on his debut in 1988, and the last 16 on three further occasions.

Performance and rankings timeline

Career finals

Ranking finals: 1 (1 title)

Non-ranking finals: 3 (1 title)

Pro-am finals: 2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Steve 1961 births Living people English snooker players People from Cannock