- Nigel Bond
-
Nigel Bond 
Born November 15, 1965
Darley Dale, DerbyshireSport country 
EnglandNickname Basildon
00-147Professional 1989–current Highest ranking 5 (96/97) Current ranking 43 Career winnings GB£1,365,660[1] Highest break 140, Grand Prix 2004 Century breaks 97 Tournament wins Ranking 1 Non-ranking 2 Medal record Competitor for 
United KingdomMen's Snooker World Games Gold 2009 Kaohsiung Individual Nigel Bond (born 15 November 1965, Darley Dale, Derbyshire) is an English professional snooker player. He was ranked within the top 16 from 1992 to 1999. After a season outside the top 32, he regained his place there. At 43 years old, he was the second-oldest player (behind Steve Davis) in the 2008/2009 rankings top 32. He is a former British Open champion, and World Championship finalist; in 2009 he won the World Games title. He is noted as one of the best users of the swan neck rest. A solid breakbuilder, Bond has compiled 95 centuries so far in his career.[2]
Contents
Career
After a strong amateur career,[3] Bond turned professional for the 1989–1990 season. He reached his first ranking semi-final in his first season, and his first final in his second season, but his career peaked in the mid-1990s. In the 1994 World Championships, Bond pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in the event's history, rallying from 9–2 to defeat Cliff Thorburn 10–9 in what would be Thorburn's final appearance at the Crucible. A year later, Bond reached the final, but lost to Stephen Hendry 18–9. This was his only semi-final run of the season. As a consequence of reaching the final, he climbed to number 5 in the world rankings for 1996/97, and in that same season he acquired his only ranking tournament victory (after three previous losing finals), the British Open, beating John Higgins 9–8 after needing a snooker in the final frame,[4] winning the World Snooker Association Performance of the Year award for this achievement, although he has failed to maintain this level of performance. He reached at least the quarter finals at the Crucible Theatre every year from 1993 to 1996, losing to Stephen Hendry every time, which added extra spice to their first round match in 2006. After leading comfortably throughout the match Bond was pegged back to 7–7, and the match went to a final frame. With only the black remaining, and 7 points up, Bond clipped it into the left corner pocket, only for the cue ball to go in-off in the right middle pocket, resulting in a respotted black (the first one ever to decide the final frame of a World Championship match), which Bond potted to take frame and match. Final score 10–9, Bond's first win at the Crucible since 1999,[5] and his only last-16 run of that season.[6]
By the end of the 1990s, Bond was out of the top 16, and dropped out of the top 32 for the 2004–2005 season. However, he reclaimed his place a year later, and he has remained there ever since as of 2009. In the 2007 World Championship he lost in the first round, 10–7 to Peter Ebdon.
A run to the last 16 of the 2007 UK Championships,[7] in which he came from 5–7 to win 9–7 against Ken Doherty in the last 32 before losing 9–6 to Ding Junhui in the last 16, was a precursor to his first quarter-final run for 5 years, at the China Open. Victories over David Roe, Stephen Lee and Barry Pinches took him to a meeting with Stephen Maguire, which he lost 5–0.
He opened the 2008/09 season with first-round defeats in the first five tournaments, but victory over Ebdon in the first round of the World Championship ensured that he didn't lose his top 32 status.
On the 30th January 2011, Bond won the 2011 Snooker Shoot-Out event. This involved the top 64 players in the world of snooker. Bond was successful, winning only 6 frames to win the competition. He picked up the £32,000 prize money as well as the Snooker Shoot-Out trophy. He beat Robert Milkins 58–24 in the final.[8]
Personal life
Bond was brought up in Darley Dale, where he attended Churchtown Primary School. Bond is interested in football, supporting Manchester City.[9]
World Championship finals: 1 (1 runner-up)
Outcome Year Opponent in the final Score in the final Runner-up 1995 
Stephen Hendry18–9 Tournament wins
Ranking wins
- British Open – 1996
Non-ranking wins
- Scottish Masters – 1997
- Malta Grand Prix – 1996
other format wins
- 2011 Snooker Shoot-Out
Amateur wins
- World Games (Snooker – Men's Singles) – 2009 [10]
References
- ^ Yahoo! Sport. 2009. Nigel Bond. [Online] Yahoo! UK (Updated 2010) Available at: http://uk.yahoo.eurosport.com/snooker/person_prs32330.shtml [Accessed 10 February 2010].
- ^ "Chris Turners Snooker Archive – Top Century Makers". 2008. http://www.cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Centuries.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
- ^ "Profile at globalsnooker.co.uk". Global Snooker. 2005. http://www.globalsnookercentre.co.uk/files/Players/Global_Europe/Global_England/p_profile026.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^ "Profile on WWW Snooker". http://www.snooker.org/plr/bio/nbond.shtml. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ "Profile on Sporting Life 2007". Sporting Life. 2007. http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/worldchampionships2007/profiles/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=snooker/07/04/09/manual_152208.html. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ "Profile on Sporting Life 2006". Sporting Life. 2006. http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/worldchampionships2006/profiles/bond.insdat. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ "Bond fight back sets up Junhui clash". Matlock Mercury. 2007. http://www.matlockmercury.co.uk/sport/Bond-fight-back-sets-up.3571243.jp. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
- ^ "Nigel Bond revels in Snooker Shoot-Out win in Blackpool". BBC Sport. 2011-01-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/9382463.stm. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- ^ Profile on World Snooker
- ^ Global Snooker: Snooker strikes Gold for Team GB
External links
- "Nigel Bond". WorldSnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 2007–2010 [copyright date]. "" section. http://www.worldsnooker.com/page//0,,8527.html. Official WPBSA player profile.
- Nigel Bond – results & statistics at CueTracker.net
- Player Profile on Pro Snooker Blog
Categories:- 1965 births
- Living people
- English snooker players
- People from Darley Dale
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