Coordinates: 53°46′54″N 1°04′13″W / 53.781789°N 1.070309°W / 53.781789; -1.070309

Selby
240px Selby Abbey
Selby Town Arms Arms of Selby Town Council
Selby  Selby shown within North Yorkshire
Population	13,012 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SE614323
- London	162 mi (261 km)  SE
Civil parish	Selby
District	Selby
Shire county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SELBY
Postcode district	YO8
Dialling code	01757
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Selby and Ainsty
Website	www.selbytowncouncil.gov.uk
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated 12 miles (19.3 km) south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012,^[1] most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.

Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, much of the wealth of the town was facilitated via Selby's position upon the banks of the River Ouse. In the past, Selby had a large shipbuilding industry^[2][3] and was an important port,^[4] for the most part due to the Selby Canal which brought trade from the city of Leeds.

History[link]

The town’s origins date from the establishment of a Viking settlement on the banks of the River Ouse. Archaeological investigations in Selby have revealed extensive remains, including waterlogged deposits in the core of the town dating from the Roman period onwards. It is believed that Selby originated as a settlement called Seletun which was referred to in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle of AD 779.

The town of Selby, a sizeable town on the main route north from the Midlands, is the traditional birthplace of Henry I of England, fourth son of William the Conqueror, in 1068/69;^[5] the connection is supported by William and his wife Matilda's unique joint charter of Selby Abbey, far to the north of their usual circuit of activities, which was founded for Benedict of Auxerre in 1069^[6] and subsequently supported by the de Lacy family. It is one of the largest parish churches in Britain and is larger than several cathedrals. King Henry I is reputed to have been born there in either 1068 or 1069. A notable feature of the Abbey is the 14th century Washington Window, featuring the heraldic arms of the ancestors of George Washington, the first president of the United States.The design is often cited as an influence for the Stars and Stripes flag.

The Abbey was founded when Benedict saw three swans on a lake in Selby, and he saw it as a sign of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. That is why the official crest of Selby Abbey is three swans.^[7] Selby Abbey was closed in 1539 as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII and the majority of the buildings have since been demolished.^[8] The central nave of the abbey church survived and in 1618 it became the parish church of Selby.

There was also a very important battle in the English Civil War, named the Battle of Selby.^[9] There are many other historical sites, like the Cholera burial ground on the north side of the abbey,^[4] the market cross and the local school, Selby High School.The Market Place has existed since the early fourteenth century when the market was moved away from the monastery churchyard. The Crescent which curves eastwards from James Street was planned in the early nineteenth century by a local man, John Audus, after seeing Lansdown Crescent in Bath.^[4]

Selby is expanding to become a larger town. New houses and shops are being built on the present town's outskirts with the expansion of the town stretching as far as the bypass, although this has resulted in the loss of some trade from the town centre. Meanwhile the riverfront area is being revamped with modern housing and fashionable flats.^[10]

Selby was also a centre for shipbuilding, with vessels launched into the river. This often required the more unusual technique of launching the vessels side-on into the river due to lack of space for a more conventional stern first or bow first launch. One famous vessel of the Cochrane and Son's shipyard of the town is the preserved trawler Ross Tiger at Grimsby's National Fishing Heritage Centre. Cochrane launched their last vessel into the Ouse in 1998, a historical occasion which people around the area went to see. Once Cochrane had closed, the massive cranes still stood over the skyline of Selby until 2001, when seriously strong winds blew them down. As of 2009 the area of the shipyard has been completely demolished but to the left of the yard the parts of the cranes can be still seen.

Governance[link]

At the lowest level of governance Selby has a town council. The town is divided into three electoral wards, north, south and west, each represented by six councillors. These eighteen councillors are responsible for burial grounds, allotments, play areas and some street lighting. Elections to the town council are held every four years and the most recent elections were held in May 2007.^[11] At district level the town is part of the Selby District Council area. The town is represented by seven councillors on the District Council, two each for the west and south wards and three for the north ward.^[12] On the North Yorkshire County Council the town is part of the Selby Barlby county division which elects two representatives to the county council.^[13] In the United Kingdom Parliament Selby formed part of the Selby constituency until the 2010 general election when it became part of the new seat of Selby and Ainsty. It is represented by Conservative MP, Nigel Adams. The town is represented at the European level as part of the Yorkshire and the Humber constituency.

Geography[link]

Selby lies on the tidal River Ouse in a natural area of Yorkshire known as the Humberhead Levels. The main roads which cross at Selby are the A63 from Leeds to Hull and the A19 from Doncaster to York, though the A19 and A63 no longer meet in Selby itself since the opening of the Selby Bypass in 2004. The River Ouse is navigable upstream as far as York so the old toll bridge by which the A63 crossed the river at Selby had to allow for this. For many years the swing bridge in Selby was a notorious local bottleneck but since the opening of the Selby bypass congestion in the town has been relieved.

The importance of Selby as a market town has declined in recent decades and its short lived prominence as the centre of the Selby Coalfield has also waned. Selby is a commuter town with proximity to both York and Leeds. Its popularity as a tourist destination, due to Selby Abbey, has led to a large amount of development and renovation in the town and surrounding area.^[14]

The residential areas of Selby have also been subject to expansion and development. A large number of new houses and apartments have been developed in the Holmes Lane area. More have been built at various points along the riverfront, the result of an ongoing project to improve an area that had been largely derelict since the decline of the shipbuilding industry. More housing is currently under development on the south side of town between the Three Lakes retail park and the bypass.

Floods[link]

In recent years there have been serious flood problems in Selby and the adjoining village of Barlby. The threat in the Barlby area has been alleviated to some extent by work on improved,better flood barriers following the major flood of November 2000.^[15][16]

Economy[link]

Much of the historical wealth of the town is based upon its position upon the banks of the tidal River Ouse. In the past, Selby had a large shipbuilding industry and was an important port, due to the Selby Canal which brought trade from Leeds. The Selby Canal links the River Ouse at Selby, to the River Aire at Haddlesey.^[17] The current Greenpeace craft bearing the name Rainbow Warrior was built in Selby in 1957.^[18]

For a time, Selby was the leading coal mining area in the UK and featured some of the most advanced mining technology in Europe. It was the first new mine in the UK for decades and seen as a rejoinder to widespread concern that the British mining industry was effectively shutting down, particularly following the defeat of the UK miners' strike (1984–1985).

Wistow Colliery, which was part of the Selby Complex, holds the UK record for coal mined in one week—200,743 tonnes in 1995. The 110 square mile (285 km²) Selby Complex, employing 3,000 miners plus contractors and ancillary staff, closed on Friday 14 May 2004 despite rising demand for coal in the UK. UK Coal, the pit's owner, said closure was due to rising costs caused by deteriorating geological conditions and the falling price of coal. In its final years, the company listed a £30 million loss on the plant.

Although much of the infrastructure of the shipbuilding and coal mining industaries remain both in and around Selby, both industries have long since been defunct. Present day, the main income for the area is derived from arable farming and as a commuter area for Leeds, Wakefield, and York.

In recent years, Selby has seen the development of new shopping areas both in the town centre and on the outskirts. The Abbey Walk Shopping Centre was developed on recreational land that runs parallel to the town centre. The expansion not only increased the volume of town centre shops but also provided large scale, convenient parking for the town centre. In more recent years, the Three Lakes Retail Park has opened on the outskirts of town and continues to expand with more developments under construction.^[19] Two of the town's supermarkets, Tesco and Morrisons are both looking to expand their stores, the latter meaning the re-siting of the Abbey Primary School.^[20]

On 14 September 2005, Selby District Council was conditionally granted outline planning permission for a state of the art science facility to be built on the site of Burn Gliding Club but these plans did not come to fruition.^[21]

Transport[link]

Selby is the transport hub for the local area and has a bus and railway station running services to many places around the area. Train services from Selby railway station run directly to London King's Cross, Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly, York and other destinations. Arriva have a bus depot in Selby, from where they offer a range of local services, as well as longer services to Goole, Doncaster, Leeds, Pontefract, Wakefield and York. Thornes Independent of Hemingbrough also offer a range of services in the area.

Bypass[link]

In July 2001 construction began on the Selby bypass which was authorised for development in 1993. The bypass runs from the A19 at Barlby along the southern perimeter of Selby, joining the A63 at Thorpe Willoughby. The project was delayed due to technical difficulties with the swing bridge over the River Ouse but was eventually completed in July 2004.

Rail crash[link]

The town of Selby is associated with the so-called Selby rail crash, which happened a few miles south of Selby at a village called Great Heck near the M62 motorway. On 28 February 2001, a vehicle crashed off the M62 down an embankment on to a railway track, where it was struck by a passenger train heading to London. The accident was then compounded by a second collision involving an oncoming goods train. Neither train was travelling to, from, or through Selby and the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident had no connection with Selby, but Selby is the closest major town to the accident site.

Hobson murders[link]

Selby and its surrounding area came to national prominence once again through another tragedy on 18 July 2004, this time through four exceptionally violent murders carried out by former binman Mark Hobson. Hobson, 34 at the time, killed his girlfriend Claire Sanderson, 27, and her twin sister Diane at a flat in the nearby village of Camblesforth. He subsequently murdered an elderly couple, James and Joan Britton, at their home in the village of Strensall, near York. Hobson was later sentenced to life imprisonment and the trial judge recommended that he should never be released; the High Court later agreed with this recommendation.

Culture, media and sport[link]

Selby Town Hall is regarded as being one of the best live venues in the area (as officially recognised by winning the Yorkshire Evening Post's Nightlife Award)^{[citation needed]}. Selby Town Council has been running this venue since 2003, with regular performances of music, dance, drama and comedy. Especially popular^{[weasel words]} are the local band nights, that regularly draw big crowds, as does the annual Battle Of The Bands, which in 2009 sold out in a record 10 hours^{[citation needed]}, seeing local band Leonard's Revenge crowned victors.

Selby's major sporting team is Selby Town Football Club (the Robins), playing in the Northern Counties East Premier Division and based at Flaxley Road Stadium. As a result of a sponsorship deal by a local manufacturer of packaging products the Flaxley Road ground has been renamed the "Rigid Group Stadium". In 2007 Selby lost the Otisdale Cup to higher league rivals Goole AFC.^[22]

A Rugby union club, Selby RUFC, is based at Sandhill Lane Stadium.^[23] Sandhill Lane Stadium is currently undergoing construction work to create a new seating stand overlooking the first team pitch, as well as a gym and new changing rooms being added to the members' bar and club bar that's already in place. Selby RUFC have five open age teams, and have veteran and junior set-ups too. Selby 1st are currently in Yorkshire League Division One. In the season 08–09 Selby U'10s won the Gullivers Plate down at Twickenham, The U'16s got to the final of the Yorkshire Bowl, and Selby 3rds also reached a North Yorkshire final. Selby also has a rugby league club, Selby Warriors based at Brayton High School^[24] and the Selby Rugby League Referees Society.^[25]

Selby Cricket Club which shares Sandhill Lane Stadium has four senior league teams, with the 1st and 2nd X1 playing in the York and District Senior League, the 1st X1 in Division 4 and the 2nd X1 in Division 5. Also the 3rd X1 play in Division 4 and 4th X1 play in Division 5 of the York Vale League. The team runs two junior teams the under 11s and 15s which both play in the York and District Junior League and also an evening league team in the Howdenshire Evening League (West Division).

Selby and District Motor Club^[26] has its own clubhouse on Breighton airfield down Sand Lane. It meets on Tuesday evenings from 20:30 and many of its members take part in various motor sporting events including Road Rallies and Stage Rallies, Sprints, Autotests and Production Car Trials. The members discuss motor sporting events on Tuesdays and regularly show videos of current events. The club have organised an annual Road Rally called the Three Swans Rally which was based on local roads and which formed a major part in local championships.

Twin towns[link]

Selby is twinned with:

• Carentan, France
• Filderstadt, Germany

Notable people[link]

See also[link]

• Selby Abbey
• Selby College
• Selby High School

References[link]

External links[link]

• Selby Times
• Selby Town Council
• Selby Town Hall Events
• Online Map-Based record of Selby's History
• Selby Chamber

Mark Selby

Mark Selby at World Series of Snooker, Warsaw, 2008
Born	(1983-06-19) 19 June 1983 (age 29) Leicester, England
Sport country	England
Nickname	The Jester from Leicester, Mark the Shark
Professional	1999–
Highest ranking	1
Current ranking	1
Career winnings	UK£1,161,871
Highest break	147 (2009 Jiangsu Classic)
Century breaks	253
Tournament wins
Ranking	2
Minor-ranking	2
Non-ranking	3

Mark Anthony Selby (born 19 June 1983, Leicester, England) is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007,^[1] he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open, the Shanghai Masters and is the current world number one. Known as a tough competitor, Selby is also an accomplished break-builder with over 200 centuries.

Career[link]

Early years[link]

Selby showed potential as a teenager, but did not consistently shine until his twenties. He reached his first ranking final aged 19, the Regal Scottish in 2003, where he finished runner-up to David Gray, losing 9–7 in the final. Before that, he had also already reached the semi-finals of the 2002 China Open, despite leaving his hotel room at 2 a.m. instead of 2 p.m. for one match due to jetlag.^[2]

Selby reached the final qualifying round of the World Snooker Championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004, losing each time. Early in the 2005/06 season he began to be managed by former snooker professional and fellow Leicester resident Mukesh Parmar and reached the final stages of the World Snooker Championship, at the Crucible Theatre, for the first time. Selby went out in the first round, losing to John Higgins but has qualified for the final stages every year since, including in 2006 despite a 147 from his final qualifying round opponent Robert Milkins.

2007–present[link]

In the 2007 World Championships, he beat Stephen Lee 10–7 in the first round, having won 8 successive frames from being 5–0 behind.^[3] Selby then defeated former World Champion Peter Ebdon 13–8, with five centuries (including three-in-a-row) to reach the quarter-finals.^[4] In the quarter-final, he beat Allister Carter 13–12, from 11–8 up and 11–12 down, in a match that lasted well over nine hours.^[5] He went on to reach the final by beating Shaun Murphy 17–16 from 14–16 down, in another deciding frame which he won thanks to a 64 break.^[6] Against Higgins in the final, Selby trailed 4–12 after the Sunday sessions, but won all six frames played in the third session on Monday afternoon before the players ran out of time due to the length of the frames. Thus he entered the final session only 10–12 down and closed to within one frame at 13–14, but eventually succumbed 13–18.^[1] His performances earned him £110,000 (not far off half of his pre-tournament all-time earnings). It was noted by eventual world champion John Higgins, amongst others, in his victory speech, that Selby was the most improved player on the tour.^[7] These performances in the 2006/07 season earned Selby a place in the top 16 for the very first time for the 2007/08 season, where he was ranked 11th.^[8]

Selby's wins over Lee, Ebdon, Carter and Murphy at the 2007 World Championships also won him the inaugural 888.com Silver Chip award for outstanding performance, awarded by the Snooker Writers’ Association at the post-championship ball.^[9]

Recent years[link]

After a moderate start to the season, Selby had a strong run in the second most important professional snooker championship, the United Kingdom Championship, reaching the semi-finals of the event. He led eventual winner Ronnie O'Sullivan 7–5, fell 7–8 behind, before levelling the match at 8–8. In the deciding frame, however, O'Sullivan made a 147 break to win 9–8.^[10]

On 20 January 2008, Selby won his first major tournament – the Saga Insurance Masters at Wembley. En route to the final, he had edged out Stephen Hendry, Stephen Maguire and Ken Doherty, all on a 6–5 scoreline (and, in the first two cases, having been 5–3 behind). In the final against Stephen Lee, after leading 5–3 at the break Selby took control and reeled off five consecutive frames (eight-in-a-row overall from 2–3 behind) to win convincingly 10–3. Selby's play in the final was of the highest standard, with four century breaks and two consecutive tons to cross the winning line. His final-frame effort, a total clearance of 141, equalled the tournament's highest break and was Selby's best in competitive play.^[11]

On 17 February 2008, he won a close-fought Welsh Open final, overcoming Ronnie O'Sullivan 9–8 from 5–8 down.^[12] However, he could not reproduce his Crucible success from the previous season. Despite going into the World Championships as one of the bookmakers' favourites for the title, Selby was defeated 10–8 in the first round by Mark King.

The following year in the Welsh Open quarter-final, he was handed a writ by a member of the audience, supposedly his former manager George Barmby.^[13] Selby reached the final of the Masters again where he was runner-up to Ronnie O'Sullivan, and also reached the quarter-finals of the 2009 World Championship, losing 12–13 to Higgins, who again went on to win the title.

He opened the 2009/10 season with two first round defeats, before coming from 4–8 down to beat Jamie Cope 9–8 in the first round of the UK Championship, scoring 6 breaks over 40 in those five frames.

On 17 January 2010, Selby won his second Masters title after reaching the final for the third time in as many years in a repeat of the previous year's final, where he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan. O'Sullivan took a commanding lead at 9–6 leaving him just one frame from victory, but Selby played some of his best snooker of the season to overcome the three-frame deficit, taking the championship 10–9 and the £150,000 winner's cheque.^[14]

At the 2011 China Open, Selby beat Tian Pengfei, Robert Milkins, Ali Carter, and home favourite Ding Junhui, but was defeated 8–10 by Judd Trump in the final.

At the 2011 World Championship, Selby set the record for the most century breaks compiled in a world championship match when he made six in his second round tie with Stephen Hendry.^[15] It was also a record for a best-of-25 match and took Selby's century tally for the season to 54, setting a new record for the most centuries compiled in a season.^[16]

World number one[link]

Selby's 2011/2012 season began by winning the non-ranking Wuxi Classic with a 9–7 victory over Ali Carter.^[17] He continued his form at the Shanghai Masters where he won his second major ranking event by defeating Mark Williams 10–9 in the final, having trailed 9–7.^[18] The win also meant Selby usurped Williams as the world number one, making him the ninth player to hold the top spot and the first to do so without having previously won the World Championship.^[19] He also won the minor-ranking PTC Event 4 with a 4–0 whitewash over Mark Davis, having edged out Ronnie O'Sullivan 4–3 in the semi-finals.^[20] Selby would later finish 5th on the Order of Merit and therefore qualified to the last 16 of the Finals.^[21] He beat Ding Junhui in the Finals in Galway before losing 0–4 to eventual winner Stephen Lee in the quarter-finals.^[22]

Selby reached the quarter-finals of the German Masters and then got to the final of the Welsh Open, where he lost 6–9 to Ding.^[23] Another semi-final followed in the World Open and despite seeing a 5–2 lead slip to a 5–6 defeat against Mark Allen, he looked to be in form at just the right time in the season.^[24]

However, Selby was forced to withdraw from the second round of the China Open with a neck injury.^[25] His withdrawal was also a precautionary measure to be ready for the upcoming World Championship, which Selby declared himself fit for the week before the event.^[26] He played Barry Hawkins in the first round and was beaten 3–10. After the match Selby admitted he had only managed nine hours of practice in the lead up and that there were certain shots he was physically unable to play.^[27] Despite the disappointing end to the season Selby was guaranteed to end it ranked number one following Judd Trump's early exit from the tournament.^[28]

Life outside snooker[link]

He is a fan of Leicester City Football Club, who he has supported since childhood.^[29]

In July 2006, he won the WEPF World Eight-ball Championship, beating Darren Appleton 11–7 in the final at Blackpool.^[30] He is also known to be a fan of darts, beating Eric Bristow in 2007 and taking on Raymond van Barneveld in exhibition matches.^[31][32]

Selby's nickname on the snooker circuit is "the Jester from Leicester", a name given to him by snooker compere, Richard Beare.^[33]

Mark's wife Vikki Layton, who often attends his major matches, is an Irish international pool player.^[34] They announced their engagement in August 2010,^[35] and were married in Mexico on May 24, 2011.^[36]

Performance and rankings timeline[link]

^[37]

Career finals[link]

Ranking event finals: 7 (2 title, 5 runner-ups)[link]

Legend World Championship (0–1) UK Championship (0–0) Other (2–4) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Runner-up 1. 2003 Scottish Open Gray, DavidDavid Gray 7–9 Runner-up 2. 2007 World Snooker Championship Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins 13–18 Winner 1. 2008 Welsh Open O'Sullivan, RonnieRonnie O'Sullivan 9–8 Runner-up 3. 2011 German Masters Williams, MarkMark Williams 7–9 Runner-up 4. 2011 China Open Trump, JuddJudd Trump 8–10 Winner 2. 2011 Shanghai Masters Williams, MarkMark Williams 10–9 Runner-up 5. 2012 Welsh Open Ding Junhui 6–9 Minor-ranking finals: 2 (2 titles)[link] Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Winner 1. 2010 Players Tour Championship – Event 2 Pinches, BarryBarry Pinches 4–3 Winner 2. 2011 Paul Hunter Classic Davis, MarkMark Davis 4–0 Non-ranking event finals: 9 (3 titles, 6 runner-ups)[link] Legend Masters (2–1) Premier League (0–1) Other (1–4) Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score Runner-up 1. 2006 Masters Qualifying Event Bingham, StuartStuart Bingham 2–6 Winner 1. 2008 Masters Lee, StephenStephen Lee 10–3 Runner-up 2. 2008 Championship League Perry, JoeJoe Perry 1–3 Runner-up 3. 2008 Jiangsu Classic Ding Junhui 5–6 Runner-up 4. 2008 Premier League Snooker O'Sullivan, RonnieRonnie O'Sullivan 2–7 Runner-up 5. 2009 Masters O'Sullivan, RonnieRonnie O'Sullivan 8–10 Runner-up 6. 2009 Championship League (2) Trump, JuddJudd Trump 2–3 Winner 2. 2010 Masters (2) O'Sullivan, RonnieRonnie O'Sullivan 10–9 Winner 3. 2011 Wuxi Classic Carter, AliAli Carter 9–7 Pro-am tournaments[link] Warsaw Snooker Tour – 2007 Notes[link] ^ New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking. ^ The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009-2009/2010). ^ The event was called the LG Cup (2001/2002-2003/2004) and the Grand Prix (2000/2001 and 2004/2005-2009/2010 ^ The event was called the Players Championship (2003/2004) ^ The event was called the Jiangsu Classic (2008/2009-2009/2010). References[link] ^ a b "Higgins beats brave Selby in epic". BBC Sport. 8 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/6633177.stm. Retrieved 8 May 2007.  ^ "World Snooker Player Profiles". sportinglife.com. http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/worldchampionships2005/profiles/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=Sporting_Life/05/03/31/manual_113935.html. Retrieved 22 December 2007.  ^ "Selby completes amazing comeback". BBC Sport. 25 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/6590115.stm. Retrieved 6 May 2007.  ^ "Sizzling Selby knocks out Ebdon". BBC Sport. 30 April 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/6605633.stm. Retrieved 6 May 2007.  ^ "Selby finally shakes off Carter". BBC Sport. 2 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/6612799.stm. Retrieved 6 May 2007.  ^ "Selby pips Murphy to world final". BBC Sport. 5 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/6621799.stm. Retrieved 6 May 2007.  ^ "Murphy and Selby join Championship Snooker". Matchroom Sport. 6 February 2008. http://matchroomsport.com/articleDetail.asp?intArticleId=500. Retrieved 16 November 2009. [dead link] ^ "Hot Shot". BBC Leicester. http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2007/05/04/mark_selby_feature.shtml. Retrieved 9 September 2009.  ^ "Selby's Had His Chip". World Snooker, 5 May 2007. Archived from the original on 14 May 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070514012803/http://www.worldsnooker.com/news_press_releases-18703.htm. Retrieved 19 May 2007.  ^ "Superb Sullivan stuns Selby". sportinglife.com. http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=snooker/07/12/15/SNOOKER_Telford_Nightlead.html. Retrieved 22 December 2007.  ^ "Selby trounces Lee to win Masters". BBC Sport. 20 January 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/7198650.stm. Retrieved 7 October 2009.  ^ "Selby comeback stuns O'Sullivan". BBC Sport. 17 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/7249951.stm. Retrieved 7 October 2009.  ^ "Writ claim disrupts Selby match". BBC News. 20 February 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/7902914.stm. Retrieved 5 January 2010.  ^ "Selby stuns O'Sullivan to win Masters". BBC Sport. 16 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/8418809.stm. Retrieved 18 January 2010.  ^ "Selby rewrites the Crucible record books". World Snooker. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 24 April 2011. http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2345958,00.html. Retrieved 24 April 2011.  ^ "World Snooker: Record-breaking Selby close to victory". BBC Sport. BBC. 24 April 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/snooker/13181061.stm. Retrieved 24 April 2011.  ^ "Snooker: Mark Selby wins Wuxi Classic". This is Leicestershire. 11 July 2011. http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Snooker-Mark-Selby-wins-Wuxi-Classic/story-12922096-detail/story.html. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Mark Selby beats Mark Williams to win Shanghai Masters". BBC Sport. 11 September 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/snooker/14870798.stm. Retrieved 12 September 2011.  ^ "Selby exploits Williams error to win in Shanghai". Eurosport. 12 September 2011. http://asia.eurosport.com/snooker/selby-downs-williams_sto2946252/story.shtml. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Selby Storms To Title". WPBSA. 30 August 2011. http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/PTC4Article/0,,13165~2436238,00.html. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Order of Merit". WWW Snooker. 8 January 2012. http://snooker.org/res/index.asp?template=10&season=2011. Retrieved 31 March 2012.  ^ "Betfair Players Tour Championship Grand Finals (2012)". Snooker.org. http://snooker.org/res/index.asp?event=103. Retrieved 18 March 2012.  ^ "Welsh Open: China's Ding Junhui beats Mark Selby 9-6 to lift title". BBC Sport. 19 February 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17091924. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Mark Allen to face Stephen Lee in World Open final". BBC Sport. 3 March 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/17245308. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Selby withdraws from China Open". Eurosport. 29 March 2012. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29032012/58/selby-withdraws-china-open.html. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Selby packs a punch". The Sun. 17 April 2012. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/4262817/Mark-Selby-beats-neck-injury-ahead-of-World-Champs.html. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Mark Selby equals unwanted record". London Evening Standard. 26 April 2012. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/other-sports/mark-selby-equals-unwanted-record-7681104.html. Retrieved 1 May 2012.  ^ "Official World Ranking List for the 2012/2013 Season". http://www.worldsnooker.com/staticFiles/1d/b0/0,,13165~176157,00.pdf. Retrieved 23 May 2012.  ^ Mark Selby Picture Special, Leicester City 4 October 2007; Retrieved on 5 October 2007 ^ "Selby pockets world rules pool crown". UK 8 Ball Pool Community, 17 June 2006. Archived from the original on 6 December 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061206035403/http://www.uk8ball.com/article.php?sid=2469. Retrieved 6 May 2007.  ^ Bozeat, Mark (2 December 2007). "Selby hits top form .... but on the oche!". Sunday Mercury. Birmingham, England. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-171983186.html. Retrieved 17 January 2010.  ^ "Darts: Selby on the oche". Leicester Mercury. 29 April 2009. http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Darts-Selby-oche/article-944870-detail/article.html. Retrieved 17 January 2010.  ^ Ashdown, John (18 April 2008). "Small talk: Mark Selby". The Guardian. London. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/apr/18/sportinterviews.worldsnookerchampionship. Retrieved 17 January 2010. "Well, I just seem to make people laugh. I used to have a laugh and a joke with the compere, Richard Beare, and he gave me the nickname the Jester from Leicester."  ^ Dillon, Andrew (19 April 2008). "Selby finds perfect match". The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/article1061473.ece. Retrieved 17 January 2010.  ^ "Mark And Vikki To Tie The Knot". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. http://www.worldsnooker.com/news(Mark_And_Vikki_To_Tie_The_Knot)-2516.htm. Retrieved 22 August 2010.  ^ "Mark And Vikki Tie The Knot". World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/NewsArticles/0,,13165~2369233,00.html. Retrieved 31 May 2011.  ^ "Latest Results and Rankings". http://www.snooker.org/trn/latest_res.shtml. Retrieved December 9, 2011.  External links[link] Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mark Selby Official website Website Mark Selby "Mark Selby". WorldSnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 2007–2010 [copyright date]. "Players Alphabetical" section. http://www.worldsnooker.com/page/PlayersAlphabeticalArticle/0,,13165~2234612,00.html.  Official WPBSA player profile. Mark Selby at CueTracker.net: Snooker Results and Statistic Database Mark Selbys Blog on Eurosport Profile on the Global Snooker Profile on Pro Snooker Blog v t e World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association top sixteen snooker players after the 2012 World Championship     Mark Selby Judd Trump Mark Williams Stephen Maguire John Higgins Shaun Murphy Neil Robertson Stephen Lee Ronnie O'Sullivan Matthew Stevens Ding Junhui Mark Allen Graeme Dott Martin Gould Ricky Walden Stuart Bingham v t e World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association World Number Ones Ray Reardon Cliff Thorburn Steve Davis Stephen Hendry John Higgins Mark Williams Ronnie O'Sullivan Neil Robertson Mark Selby Current No. 1 in bold Persondata Name Selby, Mark Alternative names Short description Date of birth 19 June 1983 Place of birth Leicester, England Date of death Place of death

Ronnie O'Sullivan

O'Sullivan at the 2011 Paul Hunter Classic.
Born	(1975-12-05) 5 December 1975 (age 36) Wordsley, West Midlands
Sport country	England
Nickname	The Rocket[1] The Essex Exocet[2]
Professional	1992–
Highest ranking	1
Current ranking	9
Career winnings	UK£6,989,447
Highest break	147 (11 times)
Century breaks	678 (as of 4 May 2012)[3]
Tournament wins
Ranking	24
Minor-ranking	2
Non-ranking	23
World Champion	2001, 2004, 2008, 2012
www.ronnieosullivan.tv

Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975^[4]) is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style, and is nicknamed "The Rocket".^[5] He has been World Champion on four occasions (2001, 2004, 2008 and 2012) and, with career earnings of over £6 million is second after Stephen Hendry on snooker's all-time prize-money list.^[6] O'Sullivan has been the world's no. 1 player on five occasions, and has won a total of 24 ranking titles. He is second, again behind Hendry, on the list of players making the most competitive century breaks, with a total of 678.^[3] O'Sullivan has compiled 11 maximum breaks in professional competition, a record which he shares with Hendry.^[7] He also holds the record for the fastest maximum break, at 5 minutes 20 seconds.^[8]

O'Sullivan is considered by many fans, critics and professionals, including fellow multiple-World Championship winners Hendry and Steve Davis, as the most naturally talented player in the history of the game.^[9] He has, however, been involved in a number of controversial incidents during his career.^[9]

Career[link]

Early career[link]

O'Sullivan was born in Wordsley, West Midlands,^[4] and grew up, and still lives, in the exclusive Manor Road area in Chigwell, Essex.^[10] He attended Wanstead High School.^[11] He began his snooker career at an early age, first achieving a century break at the age of 10 (making 117). He scored a maximum break at 15, and turned professional at 16. He won his first 38 ranking matches as a professional – a record that still stands^[12][8] – on his way to the 1993 World Championship, where he is the third youngest player to have qualified. He lost in the first round 7–10 to Alan McManus,^[13] and in the following season was ranked 57.^[14] He became the youngest winner of a ranking tournament when, aged 17, he won the 1993 UK Championship,^[8] beating Stephen Hendry in the final.^[15] In 1995, he won his first Masters title, by defeating John Higgins 9–3.^[16]

In the 1996 World Championship, snooker's governing body found O'Sullivan guilty of assaulting Mike Ganley, a media official.^[17] He was given a two-year suspended sentence and a £20,000 fine, and advised to donate £10,000 to charity.^[4] On 21 April 1997, in the first round of the World Championship against Mick Price, he made the fastest maximum break, completed in 5 minutes and 20 seconds – an average of one shot every 8.8 seconds.^[8] In November 1997, he won his second UK title, beating Hendry 10–6 in the final.^[15]

After winning the 1998 Irish Masters 9–3 against Ken Doherty, he was stripped of his title and disqualified after a drug test found cannabis in his system. The title then went to Doherty.^[18] O'Sullivan made it to the semi–finals of the 1999 World Championship, but lost 13–17 to Stephen Hendry. During the match, they made four successive centuries: two from Hendry and two from O'Sullivan.^[19] Following his solid performance during the previous year, O'Sullivan had a promising campaign in the 1999/2000 season, and won two ranking tournaments. He won the 1999 China Open by defeating Stephen Lee 9–2,^[20] and the 2000 Scottish Open by defeating Mark Williams 9–1.^[21] At the World Championship, O'Sullivan was eliminated in the first round by David Gray, losing the match 9–10.^[22] In that match, O'Sullivan became the first snooker player to compile five centuries in a best of 19 frames match.^[23]

During the 2000/2001 season, he won six tournaments, and reached the final of one further event. He won the Champions Cup by defeating Mark Williams 7–5,^[24] and reached the final of the Grand Prix, but lost 5–9 against Williams.^[25] O'Sullivan defended his China Open title, by defeating Williams 9–3 in the final.^[26] In 2001, he won the Irish Masters, by defeating Stephen Hendry 9–8, and claimed his first World Championship title, with an 18–14 victory over Higgins.^[27][28] O'Sullivan dedicated this win to his father.^[29] O'Sullivan ended the season by winning the Premier League. After finishing second in the league stage, he defeated John Higgins 6–3 in the semi-finals, and Stephen Hendry 9–7 in the final.^[30]

After the first world title[link]

In the 2001/2002 season, O'Sullivan won his third UK title, with a 10–1 victory over Doherty.^[15] At the World Championship, Hendry and O'Sullivan were set to meet in the semi–finals, O'Sullivan having edged out Stephen Lee in his quarter-final match, 13–10, and Hendry having won his quarter-final match against Doherty. At a pre-match interview, O'Sullivan said, referring to a previous match against Hendry in 1999, "I know if I do get beat and he comes up and does a moonie in front of me and goes 'Ne ne ne', I'll just look at him and say 'well done' and say 'go back to your sad little life'."^{[31] [32]}In the match, O'Sullivan had the better of the first day's play, opening up an 8–5 lead; but on the second day, Hendry rallied to reach 12–12 before going into the final session. Hendry subsequently outplayed O'Sullivan, and won by 17 frames to 13. After the match, O'Sullivan accused Hendry of poor sportsmanship, referring to his conduct over a "miss" shot at an unnamed prior tournament.^[33] Hendry did not comment on his opponent's outburst, although O'Sullivan did receive some criticism for his remarks from Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor and Clive Everton. O'Sullivan later apologised to Hendry for his comments.^[34] O'Sullivan ended the season by defending his Premier League title. Having finished first after the league stage,^[35] O'Sullivan defeated Jimmy White 6–2 in the semi-final, and John Higgins 9–4 in the final.^[36] O'Sullivan began the 2002/2003 season ranked number 1.^[14]

Another successful season followed in 2002/2003, with O'Sullivan reaching the last 16 in seven ranking tournaments. He began the season by winning the invitational Scottish Masters, defeating John Higgins 9–4 in the final.^[37] He reached the quarter-finals of the LG Cup, losing against eventual champion Chris Small,^[38] the last 16 of the British Open, losing against Paul Hunter,^[39] the quarter-finals of the UK Championship, losing against Drew Henry.^[40] and the quarter-finals of the Welsh Open, losing to Marco Fu.^[41] After this, O'Sullivan won back-to-back ranking titles, by defeating Hendry in the European Open, and Higgins in the Irish Masters.^[42][43] He then reached the last 16 of the Scottish Open, losing against Ken Doherty.^[44] O'Sullivan's only first round loss at a ranking event in the season came at the World Championship, when he lost 6–10 in the first round against the unseeded Marco Fu,^[45] despite making a maximum break in the match.^[46] This defeat saw him drop to number 3 in the rankings.^[14] O'Sullivan participated at the Premier League, but despite topping the table after the league stage, he lost 4–6 in the semi-final against Marco Fu.^[47]

In the 2003/2004 season, O'Sullivan reached the three ranking-event finals. He reached the final of the British Open, losing 6–9 against Stephen Hendry,^[48] and won the Welsh Open, defeating Steve Davis 9–8.^[49] O'Sullivan also reached the final of the Masters, but lost 9–10 against Paul Hunter, despite having led 6–1 and then 9–7, before losing the final three frames to lose the match.^[50][51] In 2004, O'Sullivan's father telephoned 1970s six-time World Champion Ray Reardon, and asked if he could give O'Sullivan some advice.^[52] With Reardon's backing, O'Sullivan recovered his form and claimed the World Championship, beating Graeme Dott very convincingly in the final, by 18 frames to 8. He had lost the first five frames of the match, however, which he attributed to his opponent's (and O'Sullivan's former) coach's mind games – entering O'Sullivan's dressing room minutes before the match.^[53] He also beat Hendry 17–4 in the semi–final – the most one-sided defeat ever in a World Championship semi–final.^[54] O'Sullivan was ranked number one for the next two seasons.^[14]

2004/2005[link]

O'Sullivan began the 2004/2005 season by winning the Grand Prix, defeating Ian McCulloch 9–5 in the final.^[55] He then reached the semi-finals of the British Open, losing 1–6 to Stephen Maguire, and the last 32 of the UK Championship, losing 6–9, once again against Maguire.^[56][57] In 2005, O'Sullivan defended his Welsh Open title, by defeating Stephen Hendry 9–8.^[58] During the tournament, O'Sullivan compiled ten century breaks, including a break of 146, the highest of the tournament.^[59][60] After this, he won his second Masters title, by defeating John Higgins 10–3.^[61]After the final, Higgins described O'Sullivan as a "total genius".^[62][63]