Born | 26 September 1973 |
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Sport country | Scotland |
Professional | 1991–2005 |
Highest ranking | 12 (2004/05) |
Career winnings | £579,800 |
Highest break | 141 (twice) |
Century breaks | 50 |
Tournament wins | |
Ranking | 1 |
Minor-ranking | 1 |
Christopher "Chris" Small (born 26 September 1973) is a retired Scottish professional snooker player and now a qualified snooker coach. His career was ended by the spinal condition ankylosing spondylitis.
At age 15 Small was the number 1 under 19 player in Scotland. He turned professional the following year. In 1992 he won the Benson & Hedges Championship, defeating Alan McManus in the final, and in 1995 he reached the Semi-finals of the Welsh Open, and was again a semi-finalist at the 1998 Grand Prix event. His greatest achievement was winning the 2002 LG Cup, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins before a 9–5 win over Alan McManus in the final. This followed a season in which he won only three matches, owing to the severity of his condition. He reached the quarter finals of the LG Cup in the following season.
2003/2004 season ended with him having to pull out of a World Championship match against Alan McManus while trailing 1–7, as the regular steroid injections he required in his neck caused problems with his vision. The 2004/2005 season was disastrous for him, he lost all his ranking tournament matches, and in September 2005 he announced his retirement from the game. Small then started coaching other players, but by 2009 his condition had worsened and he had to give up coaching.
Despite being the youngest player ever to win on his Crucible debut (10–7 against Doug Mountjoy aged 18 in 1992) he never progressed beyond the last 16 in the World Championship. He was a regular in the top 32 for several years, but his LG Cup win helped him reach #12 for the 2004/2005 season, the only time he had entered the top 16. His career-high break was a 141.