Stephen Hendry

Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE (born 13 January 1969) is a Scottish former professional snooker player.

Hendry became the youngest professional snooker player in 1985 aged 16 and, in 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He won the World Championship seven times, a record in the modern era, and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive seasons between 1990 and 1998, and again in 2006/2007. Hendry has the distinction of winning the most world ranking titles (36) and is second on the century break list behind Ronnie O'Sullivan with 775 competitive century breaks. He has made 11 competitive maximum breaks, second only to Ronnie O'Sullivan. In May 2012 he retired from the sport to concentrate on his commercial interests, and also works as a commentator for the BBC.

Career

Amateur years (1981–1985)

Hendry started playing snooker in 1981, aged 12, when his father, Gordon, bought him a child-sized snooker table as a Christmas present. Two years later he won the Scottish U-16 Championship. He also appeared on BBC's Junior version of Pot Black. The following year he won the Scottish Amateur Championship and also became the youngest ever entrant in the World Amateur Championship. In 1985, after retaining the Scottish Amateur Championship, he turned professional. At 16 years and three months old he was the youngest ever professional. Hendry was managed by entrepreneur Ian Doyle.

Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan, OBE (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player, and one of the most successful players in the sport's modern era. Regarded by many commentators as the most naturally gifted player in snooker history, and frequently described as a genius, he is also noted for his mercurial temperament and for his ambivalent relationship with the sport, from which he has taken prolonged sabbaticals and repeatedly threatened to retire.

A childhood snooker prodigy, O'Sullivan made his first century break at age 10 and his first maximum break at age 15. He turned professional in 1992, at the age of 16, and soon earned the nickname "The Rocket" because of his rapid playing style. He achieved his first major professional success when he won the 1993 UK Championship at the age of 17 years and 358 days, making him the youngest player ever to win a ranking title, a record he still holds. He is also the youngest player to have won the Masters, having captured his first title in 1995 at the age of 19 years and 69 days.