Dave Gilbert (snooker player, born 1961)

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Dave Gilbert
Born (1961-08-15) 15 August 1961 (age 63)
Bethnal Green, London
Sport countryFlag of England.svg  England
Professional1985–1995
Highest ranking 57 (1988-1989)
Best ranking finishLast 16 (1987 International Open)

Dave Gilbert (born 15 August 1961) is an English former professional snooker player.

Contents

Career

Gilbert was introduced to snooker by his father Les. [1] In January 1977, Patsy Fagan hit the first maximum of his career, against Gilbert at the Clapton Bus Garage Social Club. [2] He was later coached by Ron Shore at the Ilford Snooker Centre. In 1979, he defeated John Parrott to win the Pontins Junior title. In 1983, he beat Terry Whitbread in the final of the London Championship. He took up professional status in July 1985. [1] In the final round of qualifiers for the 1986 Snooker World Championship he lost 10-5 to Dave Martin. [3]

He made his television debut in 1987, in a match in which Gilbert defeated Cliff Wilson on the way to the last-16 of the 1987 International Open, before losing to Stephen Hendry. He finished 1987 ranked 82 in the world, but rose to a world ranking of number 57 in 1988. [1] [4] He reached the last-32 of both the 1988 and 1989 English Professional Championship, losing to Dean Reynolds and Joe Johnson, in those respective years. [5] He beat former World Champion Dennis Taylor to reach the last-32 of the 1989 Asian Open. [6] At the 1989 Snooker World Championship Gilbert lost 10-7 against Doug Mountjoy in the final round of qualifying before the Crucible Theatre section of the tournament. [7]

Personal life

He was born in Bethnal Green, London to Les and Brenda. His father Les was a London Transport bus driver. Gilbert worked at Smithfield meat market, and as an engraver at Hatton Garden, prior to becoming a professional snooker player. In 1980, he was involved in a head-on collision on the M6 near Stafford following a snooker tournament in Prestatyn in which his sister Sue was killed and required him to have a steel plate inserted into his left arm, and prevented him from being able again to straighten that arm from the elbow.

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament 1985/
86
1986/
87
1987/
88
1988/
89
1989/
90
1990/
91
1991/
92
1992/
93
1993/
94
1994/
95
Ranking [nb 1] [nb 2] 72 82 57 63 74 91 154 168 206
Ranking tournaments
Dubai Classic [nb 3] Tournament Not HeldNRLQLQLQALQA
Grand Prix LQLQLQ 1R 1R LQLQLQLQWD
UK Championship LQLQLQ 1R 1R LQLQLQLQWD
European Open Tournament Not Held 1R LQLQLQALQA
Welsh Open Tournament Not HeldLQALQA
International Open [nb 4] LQLQ 3R LQLQNot HeldALQA
Thailand Open [nb 5] Non-RankingNot Held 2R LQLQALQA
British Open 1R LQ 1R LQLQLQLQLQLQA
World Championship LQLQWDLQLQLQLQLQLQA
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters AAAAALQLQAAA
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters Non-Ranking EventLQTournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open [nb 6] Non-Ranking EventNH 1R Tournament Not HeldNR
Classic LQLQ 1R LQLQLQLQTournament Not Held
Strachan Open Tournament Not HeldLQMRNRNH
Former non-ranking tournaments
English Professional Championship LQLQ 1R 1R Tournament Not Held
Shoot Out Tournament Not Held 3R Tournament Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQlost in the qualifying draw#Rlost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QFlost in the quarter-finals
SFlost in the semi-finalsFlost in the finalWwon the tournament
DNQdid not qualify for the tournamentAdid not participate in the tournamentWDwithdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Heldmeans an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Eventmeans an event is/was a minor-ranking event.
  1. It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. New players on the Main Tour don't have a ranking
  3. The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989)
  4. The event was also called the Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
  5. The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1985/1986-1986/1987, 1991/1992) and the Asian Open (1989/1990-1992/1993)
  6. The event was also called the Australian Masters (1985/1986-1987/1988)

Career finals

Non-ranking finals: 1

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Runner-up1.1989WPBSA Non-Ranking - Event 2 Flag of England.svg Ken Owers 6–9

Amateur finals: 2 (1 title)

OutcomeNo.YearChampionshipOpponent in the finalScore
Runner-up1.1979British Under-19 Championship Flag of Ireland.svg Joe O'Boye 0–3 [8]
Winner1.1979Pontins Junior Championship Flag of England.svg John Parrott 3–1 [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Morrison, Ian (1988). Who's Who in Snooker. Hamlyn. p. 37. ISBN   0-600-55713-8.
  2. Maximum-webdesigner.com, David Weller -. "Patsy Fagan Snooker Archives". www.patsyfagan.com. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  3. Morrison, Ian (1989). Snooker - Records, Facts and Champions. Guinness Publishing. p. 28. ISBN   0-85112-364-3.
  4. "Snooker Scene". 24 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013.
  5. "engpro". 28 February 2012. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012.
  6. "Snooker Scene". 24 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013.
  7. Morrison, Ian (1989). Snooker - Records, Facts and Champions. Guinness Publishing. p. 32. ISBN   0-85112-364-3.
  8. "Oh Boy-Joe wins it!" . Leicester Daily Mercury. 2 April 1979. p. 36.
  9. Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN   0600501922.