John Parrott

John Stephen Parrott, MBE (born 11 May 1964) is an English former professional snooker player and television personality. He was a familiar face on the professional snooker circuit during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, and remained within the top 16 of the world rankings for fourteen consecutive seasons.

This article is about the English snooker player. For the U.S. Senator and Representative, see John Fabyan Parrott.

John Parrott
MBE
Parrott in October 2008
Born (1964-05-11) 11 May 1964
Liverpool, England
Sport country England
NicknameThe Entertainer[1]
Professional1983–2010
Highest ranking2 (1989/90, 1992/93–1993/94)
Maximum breaks1
Century breaks221
Tournament wins
Ranking9
World Champion1991

He reached the final of the 1989 World Championship, where he lost 3–18 to Steve Davis, the heaviest defeat in a world championship final in modern times. He won the title two years later, defeating Jimmy White in the final of the 1991 World Championship. He repeated his win against White later the same year, to take the 1991 UK Championship title, becoming only the third player to win both championships in the same calendar year (after Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry); he is still one of only six players to have achieved this feat. He spent three seasons at number 2 in the world rankings (1989–90, 1992–93, 1993–94), and he is one of several players to have achieved more than 200 competitive centuries during his career, with 221.

Early career

Parrott was a keen bowls player until the age of 12,[2] but then discovered snooker, and has been a dedicated player ever since. He was successful from an early age; when he was 15, his talent was spotted by Phil Miller, who became his long-term manager in 1980. He lost in the final of the English Under-16s Championship in 1980, but won the 1981 Pontins Junior Championship. In 1982, he was Pontins Open Champion and Junior Pot Black Champion, after narrowly defeating Mark "Lightning" Lockwood. He turned professional the following year after winning a record 14 tournaments in his last year as an amateur player.[3]

Professional career

Parrott turned professional in 1983 and he made his televised debut as a professional during the 1984 Classic in which he played Alex Higgins in the last 16 of the competition in front of a packed house at Warrington near his hometown of Liverpool. He caused a stir by winning the match 5–2. He then beat Tony Knowles in the next round before losing to Steve Davis in the semi-finals. By then, bookmakers had him tipped to be the World Snooker Champion within five years (it took him seven years). He took his first ranking title in the 1989 European Open, and defended his title in 1990.

Parrott spent 14 consecutive seasons in the top 16 of the snooker world rankings, 11 of them in the top 6.[2]

From 1984 to 2004 Parrott was ever-present at the World Championship, reaching at least the last 16 every year from 1984 to 1995,[2] but he failed to qualify in 2005.[4]

Following his 1991 victory he never again reached the semi-finals, but lost in the quarter-finals seven times between 1992 and 1999.

Overall, Parrott won a total of nine world ranking events, which as of November 2019 was 12th on the all-time list behind Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Jimmy White, Mark Selby, Ding Junhui, Neil Robertson, Peter Ebdon and Judd Trump. Winning both the World Championship and UK Championship in 1991 made him one of only six players to have won snooker's two most prominent ranking titles in the same year.

Parrott also reached the final of the Masters three times in four years, but lost to Stephen Hendry on each occasion.

Parrott came through the qualifying event for the World Championship a record ten times. In 2007 he reached the last 16 of the World Championship for the first time in seven years, after victories over James Leadbetter, David Gray and Steve Davis (10–9, having led 6–1 and 9–6).[5]

A record ten of Parrott's World Championship matches went to a final-frame decider, seven of which he won. He was also the first player to conduct a "whitewash" in the Crucible World Championship final stages, when he defeated Eddie Charlton 10–0 in the first round of the 1992 tournament.[6] For 27 years, he held the record for being the only player ever to achieve this, until Shaun Murphy defeated China's Luo Honghao 10–0 in the first round of the 2019 World Championship.

On 4 August 2009 at the qualifiers for the 2009 Shanghai Masters he lost 0–5 against Michael White.

Following his 6–10 defeat to young Chinese Zhang Anda in the 2010 World Championship Qualifiers, Parrott finished outside the top 64 in the end of season rankings and was not assured a place on the main tour for the 2010–11 season.[7] Later Parrott announced he was to retire from the professional game.[8]

Parrott did however participate in the preliminary qualifying rounds of the 2012 World Snooker Championship, losing 0–5 to Patrick Wallace in Round 1.

Television work

Parrott is a studio expert on snooker for BBC Sport, often in partnership with Steve Davis; he also delivers many of their playing tutorials and provides guidance for the viewers. From 1996 to 2002, he was one of the team captains on A Question of Sport, alongside footballer and pundit Ally McCoist.

He is also a follower of horse racing and has been involved in the BBC's horse racing coverage as part of the presenting team.[9][10]

Personal life

Parrott is an Everton supporter. He is the brother-in-law of former Everton player Duncan Ferguson.[11]

In 1996, Parrott was honoured with an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, for charitable services in Merseyside.[12]

In 2008, he launched John Parrott Cue Sports, an online retailer selling snooker and pool cues and some snooker collectables.[13] This was re-branded John Parrott Sports in 2019.[14]

In 2010, it was announced that Parrott was to be the Honorary Patron of the British Crown Green Bowling Association (BCGBA).[15]

Performance and rankings timeline
Tournament 1983/
84		 1984/
85		 1985/
86		 1986/
87		 1987/
88		 1988/
89		 1989/
90		 1990/
91		 1991/
92		 1992/
93		 1993/
94		 1994/
95		 1995/
96		 1996/
97		 1997/
98		 1998/
99		 1999/
00		 2000/
01		 2001/
02		 2002/
03		 2003/
04		 2004/
05		 2005/
06		 2006/
07		 2007/
08		 2008/
09		 2009/
10
Ranking[16][nb 1] [nb 2] 20 18 17 13 7 2 3 4 2 2 5 4 4 6 6 5 10 22 18 30 31 29 42 39 39 53
Ranking tournaments
Shanghai Masters Tournament Not Held LQ A LQ
Grand Prix[nb 3] 2R 2R 1R 2R SF 2R 3R QF 1R 2R SF 1R 1R SF QF 2R 2R 2R 2R 1R SF 1R 1R LQ LQ 2R LQ
UK Championship NR 1R 2R SF QF QF 3R SF W F SF QF 3R QF 2R QF 2R 2R 2R 1R 1R QF 1R 1R LQ WD LQ
Welsh Open Tournament Not Held SF QF 2R 1R F SF QF 2R 1R 1R LQ LQ 2R 3R 1R 1R 1R LQ LQ
China Open[nb 4] Tournament Not Held NR QF 1R 2R 1R Not Held LQ LQ LQ LQ WD LQ
World Championship 2R QF 2R 2R 2R F SF W QF QF QF QF 1R QF QF QF 2R 1R 1R 1R 1R LQ 1R 2R LQ LQ LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
Premier League[nb 5] A Not Held A A F RR A RR SF F RR RR RR A A A A A A A A A A A A A
The Masters A A A A SF F F QF F QF 1R 1R QF QF 1R 1R SF QF A A A A LQ A A A A
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters Not Held Non-Ranking QF Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 6] Non-Ranking Event NH 2R Not Held NR Tournament Not Held
Classic SF LQ 1R QF F QF 3R 2R QF Tournament Not Held
Strachan Open Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
Dubai Classic[nb 7] Tournament Not Held NR SF 2R W W 2R 1R W 1R Tournament Not Held
German Masters[nb 8] Tournament Not Held 2R 1R F NR Tournament Not Held
Malta Grand Prix Tournament Not Held Non-Ranking Event QF NR Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters[nb 9] Non-Ranking Event Not Held WD QF 3R QF 2R 2R QF QF F SF 1R SF 1R NR Not Held NR Not Held
Scottish Open[nb 10] A LQ QF 1R 3R 1R QF Not Held 2R W SF 1R QF 2R 3R 1R 3R 2R 1R 3R Tournament Not Held
British Open[nb 11] NR 2R 3R 1R SF SF 1R 1R 1R 3R 3R SF QF 1R QF QF 2R 2R 2R 3R 1R 2R Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters Non-Ranking Event LQ LQ LQ NH NR Not Held
European Open[nb 12] Tournament Not Held W W 1R SF 2R SF F W F NR SF Not Held LQ LQ LQ LQ 1R LQ NR Not Held
Northern Ireland Trophy Tournament Not Held NR LQ 1R LQ NH
Bahrain Championship Tournament Not Held LQ NH
Former non-ranking tournaments
UK Championship 1R Tournament Not Held
Canadian Masters Not Held QF A A R Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 13] A A SF A QF NH R Not Held A A Tournament Not Held
Fosters Professional[nb 14] NH A SF A A SF Tournament Not Held
Pontins Professional A QF QF SF W QF A A A A A A A A A A A Tournament Not Held
English Professional Championship NH 2R 2R QF 2R F Tournament Not Held
New Zealand Masters NH A Not Held A QF Tournament Not Held
Norwich Union Grand Prix Tournament Not Held A SF W Tournament Not Held
World Masters Tournament Not Held 2R Tournament Not Held
London Masters Tournament Not Held F F SF Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters A RR A A Not Held SF Ranking Event A Not Held A Not Held
European Challenge Tournament Not Held QF A Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Challenge[nb 15] A QF A A A QF NH A QF Tournament Not Held
Indian Challenge Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
Belgian Challenge Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Kent Classic[nb 16] Not Held A W A A A NH W Tournament Not Held
Belgian Masters Tournament Not Held W SF F Not Held A Tournament Not Held
World Matchplay Tournament Not Held F F QF QF QF Tournament Not Held
Nescafe Extra Challenge Tournament Not Held A NH RR Tournament Not Held
Pot Black A 1R 1R Tournament Not Held QF SF 1R Tournament Not Held A A A Not Held
Malta Grand Prix Tournament Not Held W A A A A R A Tournament Not Held
Tenball Tournament Not Held QF Tournament Not Held
Red & White Challenge Tournament Not Held F Tournament Not Held
German Masters[nb 17] Tournament Not Held Ranking Event W Tournament Not Held
Champions Cup[nb 18] Tournament Not Held QF QF QF QF 1R RR A A Tournament Not Held
Scottish Masters A A A QF A NH SF QF QF QF QF 1R 1R SF SF QF QF A A A Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters A A A A A SF QF F SF SF QF SF 1R QF SF 1R SF A A Ranking Event A Tournament Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)		 QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew 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.
PA / Pro-am Eventmeans an event is/was a pro-am event.
  1. From the 2010/2011 season it shows the ranking at the beginning of the season.
  2. New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.
  3. The event run under different names as Professional Players Tournament (1983/1984) and the LG Cup (2001/2002–2003/2004)
  4. The event run under different name as China International (1997/1998–1998/1999)
  5. The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984), Matchroom League (1986/1987-1991/1992) and European League (1992/1993-1996/1997
  6. The event also ran as the Australian Masters (1983/1984–1987/1988 & 1995/1996)
  7. The event ran under different names such as Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and Asian Classic (1996/1997)
  8. The event run under different name as German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)
  9. The event ran under different names such as Asian Open (1989/1990 to 1992/1993) and Thailand Open (1993/1994 to 1996/1997).
  10. The event ran under different names such as International Open (1983/1984 to 1984/1985, 1986/1987 to 1996/1997), Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986) and Players Championship (2003/2004).
  11. The event was also known as the International Masters (1983/1984).
  12. The event ran under different names such as the Irish Open (1998/1999) and Malta Cup (2004/2005–2007/2008)
  13. The event also ran as the Australian Masters (1983/1984–1987/1988 & 1995/1996)
  14. The event also ran as the Carlsberg Challenge (1984/1985–1986/1987) and the Carling Challenge (1987/1988)
  15. The event was also called the Hong Kong Masters (1983/1984–1988/1989)
  16. The event was also called the Kent Cup (1986/1987–1987/1988 & 1989/1990–1990/1991)
  17. The event run under different name as German Open (1995/1996–1997/1998)
  18. The event ran under a different name as the Charity Challenge (1994/1995–1998/1999)

Career finals

Ranking finals: 18 (9 titles)
Legend
World Championship (1–1)
UK Championship (1–1)
Other (7–7)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1988 The Classic England Steve Davis 11–13
Winner 1. 1989 European Open Wales Terry Griffiths 9–8
Runner-up 2. 1989 World Snooker Championship England Steve Davis 3–18
Winner 2. 1990 European Open (2) Scotland Stephen Hendry 10–6
Winner 3. 1991 World Snooker Championship England Jimmy White 18–11
Winner 4. 1991 Dubai Classic England Tony Knowles 9–3
Winner 5. 1991 UK Championship England Jimmy White 16–13
Runner-up 3. 1992 Strachan Open Thailand James Wattana 5–9
Winner 6. 1992 Dubai Classic (2) Scotland Stephen Hendry 9–8
Runner-up 4. 1992 UK Championship England Jimmy White 9–16
Winner 7. 1994 International Open Thailand James Wattana 9–5
Runner-up 5. 1994 European Open Scotland Stephen Hendry 3–9
Winner 8. 1995 Thailand Classic (3) England Nigel Bond 9–6
Runner-up 6. 1996 Welsh Open Wales Mark Williams 3–9
Winner 9. 1996 European Open (3) England Peter Ebdon 9–7
Runner-up 7. 1997 European Open (2) Scotland John Higgins 5–9
Runner-up 8. 1997 German Open Scotland John Higgins 4–9
Runner-up 9. 1998 Thailand Masters Scotland Stephen Hendry 6–9

Non-ranking finals: 22 (7 titles)
Legend
The Masters (0–3)
Premier League (0–2)
Other (7–10)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1988 Kent Cup England Martin Clark 5–1
Winner 2. 1988 Pontins Professional England Mike Hallett 9–1
Runner-up 1. 1988 World Matchplay England Steve Davis 5–9
Runner-up 2. 1989 The Masters Scotland Stephen Hendry 6–9
Runner-up 3. 1989 English Professional Championship England Mike Hallett 7–9
Runner-up 4. 1989 Matchroom League England Steve Davis Round-Robin
Runner-up 5. 1989 London Masters Scotland Stephen Hendry 2–4
Runner-up 6. 1989 World Matchplay (2) England Jimmy White 9–18
Runner-up 7. 1990 The Masters (2) Scotland Stephen Hendry 4–9
Runner-up 8. 1990 London Masters (2) Scotland Stephen Hendry 2–4
Winner 3. 1990 Belgian Masters England Jimmy White 9–6
Winner 4. 1990 Norwich Union Grand Prix England Steve Davis 4–2
Runner-up 9. 1991 Irish Masters England Steve Davis 5–9
Runner-up 10. 1991 Indian Challenge Scotland Stephen Hendry 5–9
Runner-up 11. 1992 The Masters (3) Scotland Stephen Hendry 4–9
Winner 5. 1992 Kent Classic Scotland Stephen Hendry 6–5
Runner-up 12. 1992 Belgian Masters Thailand James Wattana 5–10
Runner-up 13. 1994 European League (2) Scotland Stephen Hendry 7–10
Winner 6. 1994 Malta Grand Prix Malta Tony Drago 7–6
Runner-up 14. 1995 Red & White Challenge England Nigel Bond 6–8
Winner 7. 1998 German Masters Wales Mark Williams 6–4
Runner-up 15. 2017 World Seniors Championship England Peter Lines 0–4

Team finals: 1 (1 title)
Outcome No. Year Championship Team Opponent(s) in the final Score
Winner 1. 2000 Nations Cup  England  Wales 6–4

Pro-am finals: 3 (2 titles)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1982 Pontins Spring Open Wales Ray Reardon 7–4[17]
Runner-up 1. 1985 Pontins Spring Open England Jim Chambers 6–7[17]
Winner 2. 1986 Pontins Spring Open (2) England Tony Putnam 7–6[17]

Amateur finals: 8 (3 titles)
Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Runner-up 1. 1979 British Under-16 Championship England Tony Pyle 2–3[18]
Runner-up 2. 1979 Pontins Junior Championship England Dave Gilbert 1–3[19][20]
Runner-up 3. 1980 British Under-16 Championship (2) England Terry Whitthread 1–3[21]
Winner 1. 1981 Pontins Junior Championship England Don Tate 3–1[19][22]
Runner-up 4. 1982 British Under-19 Championship England Neal Foulds 2–3[23]
Winner 2. 1982 Junior Pot Black England John Keers 169–70[n 1]
Runner-up 5. 1983 English Amateur Championship England Tony Jones 9–13
Winner 3. 1983 Junior Pot Black (2) England Steve Ventham 1–1[n 2]

Notes
  1. Final decided on aggregate score over two frames
  2. Match decided on pink ball game

References
  1. "John Parrott (5 May 2009)". WWW Snooker. Archived from the original on 1 August 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  2. "Player Profile: John Parrott". Global Snooker. Archived from the original on 23 December 2002.
  3. John Parrott MBE Archived 26 May 2012 at archive.today
  4. "Ding Denied". Eurosport. 15 March 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  5. "Parrott edges out colleague Davis". BBC Sport. 22 April 2007.
  6. Hendon, David (9 November 2004). "Obituary: Eddie Charlton". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  7. Everton, Clive (4 March 2010). "Jimmy White out of snooker world championship after Ken Doherty defeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  8. "Parrott could call it a day". Sky Sports. 4 March 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  9. BBC Press Office (29 March 2010). "2010 Grand National in HD – a first for UK horse racing".
  10. Mukesh (17 January 2023). "John Parrott Net Worth 2023, Biography, Age, Height, Family, And More". ViralNewly. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  11. "Why I love... Everton". BBC Sport. 13 March 2001. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  12. "Supplement to the London Gazette, 15th June 1996 – Birthday honours 1996". The London Gazette. No. 54427. 14 June 1996. p. B22.
  13. "John Parrott Cue Sports". johnparrottcuesports.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  14. "John Parrott Sports". johnparrottsports.com. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  15. "Press Release – BCGBA welcome John Parrott MBE as honorary patron". BCGBA. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  16. "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  17. "Brief History of the Pontins Open and Professional". SnookerArchive.co.uk. 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012.
  18. "Off the cush". Daily Mirror. 5 April 1979. p. 26.
  19. Morrison, Ian (1986). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 0600501922.
  20. "Pontin's Roll of Honour". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  21. "The weekend's sport in detail". The Guardian. London. 31 March 1980. p. 21.
  22. "Parrott cues in on snooker glory". Liverpool Echo. 16 May 1981. p. 14.
  23. "Sport in brief: snooker". The Guardian. London. 7 June 1982. p. 21.

Further reading
  • Parrott, John (1991). Right on Cue : an Autobiography. London: Robson Books Ltd. ISBN 0-86051-778-0.
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