Barry Hawkins facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
Barry Hawkins
Tournament wins
Hawkins at the 2014 German Masters
Born	(1979-04-23) 23 April 1979 (age 46) Ditton, Kent, England
Sport country	England
Professional	1996/1997, 2000–present
Highest ranking	4 (March–July 2014)
Current ranking	7 (as of 8 May 2018)
Ranking	4
Minor-ranking	1

Barry Hawkins (born 23 April 1979) is an English professional snooker player. He comes from Ditton, Kent. He started playing snooker professionally in 1996. He became well-known in the 2004–05 snooker season. During that time, he reached the last 16 of the 2004 UK Championship. He also made it to the quarter-finals of the 2004 British Open. He even reached the semi-finals of the 2005 Welsh Open. Barry has been ranked among the top 32 players for twenty years in a row. He won his first major title at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open.

Barry has played in almost every World Championship since his first time in 2006. He reached the final of the 2013 World Snooker Championship. He beat top players like Mark Selby and Ding Junhui. He lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final. Barry has also reached the semi-finals of the World Championship several times. He was a runner-up in the Masters in 2016 and 2022. He also finished second in the UK Championship in 2024.

Barry's Snooker Journey
Barry's Family Life
Images for kids
See also

Barry's Snooker Journey

Starting Out

Before becoming a professional snooker player, Barry Hawkins worked as an office clerk. He started to climb the world rankings in 2004/2005. He reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Open in 2005. He also made it to the last 16 in three other big tournaments.

Playing in the World Championship

In the 2005/2006 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix and the Welsh Open again. He also beat Ding Junhui to play in the World Championship for the first time. This helped him get into the top 16 players for the next season.

However, at the World Championship in Sheffield, Barry lost his first match. He played against former champion Ken Doherty. Barry said he was very disappointed with how he played.

Climbing the Ranks (2006–2009)

The next few seasons were a bit up and down for Barry. He reached the final of a smaller tournament, the Kilkenny Irish Masters. But in bigger events, he only made it past the last 16 once. This was at the China Open, where he reached the semi-finals. He almost made it to his first final but lost a very close match.

In 2007/2008, Barry won a special tournament to qualify for the 2008 Masters. He also reached the last 16 in several other tournaments. In the 2008–09 season, he played well at the 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy. He reached the quarter-finals, where he lost a close match to Ronnie O'Sullivan. Barry kept winning his first matches in tournaments. He almost got back into the top 16 players.

For a few years (2006 to 2010), Barry struggled at the World Championship. He lost in the first round five times in a row. Some of these losses were very close, like 10–9.

Breaking Through (2010–2012)

In 2010, Barry played well at the World Open. He beat top players like Mark Selby and Ken Doherty.

At the 2011 World Championship, Barry finally won his first match at the Crucible Theatre. He beat Stephen Maguire in a very exciting match. He then lost a close match to Mark Allen.

In 2012, Barry won the Snooker Shoot-Out. This is a fun tournament where each game is only one frame. It was his biggest win at the time. He also had a great run at the World Championship. He beat world number one Mark Selby. He then lost a close match to Matthew Stevens. Barry ended the season ranked 22nd in the world.

Hawkins playing at German Masters 2013.

First Major Win (2012–2013)

The 2012–13 season was a very special one for Barry.

Winning His First Ranking Title

He played in the Australian Goldfields Open. He beat many good players to reach his first ever major final. He played against Peter Ebdon. Barry played amazingly well and won the title 9–3. He made three "centuries" (scores of 100 or more points in one turn) in the final. This win helped him move up to world number 20.

Other Tournaments and World Championship Final

After his big win, Barry played in the Masters for the first time in years. He almost beat Judd Trump but lost a very close match. He then reached the semi-finals of the German Masters.

At the World Championship, Barry had an incredible run. He beat Jack Lisowski and then world number one Mark Selby. He called the win against Selby the best of his career. He then beat Ding Junhui to reach the semi-finals. In the semi-final, he played Ricky Walden. Barry was behind but made an amazing comeback, winning eight frames in a row. He won the match 17–14 to reach the final.

In the final, he played against the defending champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Barry played bravely and made his highest scores ever at the Crucible. But O'Sullivan was too strong and won 18–12. Even though he lost, reaching the final was a huge achievement. Barry's success was partly due to working with former champion Terry Griffiths. Terry helped him believe in himself more. Barry finished the season ranked world number nine, his highest ever.

More Success (2013–2014)

In the 2013–14 season, Barry continued to play well. He reached the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters and the Welsh Open. He also made it to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship for the first time.

Winning Another Ranking Title

Barry won his second major title at the Players Tour Championship Finals. He played against Gerard Greene in the final. Barry played perfectly and won 4–0, taking home a big prize.

At the World Championship, Barry had another strong performance. He came back from behind to beat Ricky Walden. He then had another amazing comeback against Dominic Dale in the quarter-finals. He was 11–5 up, then Dale won seven frames in a row! But Barry kept his cool and won the last two frames to reach the semi-finals. He faced Ronnie O'Sullivan again and lost. Barry finished the season as world number five, his highest ranking ever.

Continued Good Form (2014–2015)

Barry started the 2014–15 season well, reaching the semi-finals of the 2014 Wuxi Classic. However, he then had some early losses in other tournaments.

In January 2015, Barry made his second "maximum break" (scoring 147 points in one turn). This is very rare in snooker! He continued to play well at the China Open, reaching the quarter-finals.

At the World Championship, Barry had another exciting run. He won a deciding frame against Matthew Selt. He then made a great comeback against Mark Allen. Barry said he loves playing at the Crucible Theatre because it helps him focus. In the quarter-finals, he beat Neil Robertson in a very high-quality match. Both players made four centuries each, which is a record! Barry reached the semi-finals for the third year in a row. He lost to Shaun Murphy in the semi-final.

Masters Finalist (2015–2016)

Barry took some time off at the start of the 2015–16 season. He wanted to stay fresh for the whole year. He returned to win the Riga Open, a smaller tournament. He only lost seven frames in seven matches, showing how well he played.

He then had a great run at the Masters. He had never won a match there before. But this time, he beat Joe Perry, Mark Allen, and Judd Trump to reach the final. He played Ronnie O'Sullivan again and lost.

At the World Championship, Barry faced O'Sullivan in the second round. Barry was leading 12–9, just one frame away from winning. O'Sullivan fought back to make it 12–12. But Barry won the final frame! This was a huge win for him. He said he was proud of handling the pressure. He then lost to Marco Fu in the quarter-finals. Barry said he didn't sleep after his big win, which affected his next match.

Another Ranking Title (2016–2017)

In the 2016–17 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the English Open and the Northern Ireland Open. In the Northern Ireland Open final, he lost a very close match to Mark King.

Barry had another good run at the Masters. He was close to reaching the final again but lost to Joe Perry.

He then won his third major title at the World Grand Prix. He beat Ryan Day in the final, making five centuries along the way.

Barry reached his fourth World Championship semi-final in five years. He lost to John Higgins in that match.

More Finals (2017–2018)

In December 2017, Barry had a tough loss at the UK Championship. He lost 6–0 and said he was "in a state of shock." In January 2018, he lost in the first round of the Masters.

However, Barry bounced back. He reached the final of the Welsh Open in March. He made three centuries but lost to John Higgins. In April, he reached another final at the China Open. He lost to Mark Selby.

In May, Barry continued his great record at the Crucible. He reached another semi-final at the World Snooker Championship. He played Mark Williams in a very exciting match. Williams won a close match 17–15.

Recent Seasons (2018–Present)

In September 2018, Barry reached the final of the Shanghai Masters. He lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan in a close match. He also reached the quarter-finals of the Masters. At the 2019 World Championship, he lost a high-quality match to Kyren Wilson.

In 2019, Barry won the Paul Hunter Classic, a smaller invitational tournament. In November 2019, he made his third "maximum break" at the UK Championship.

In the 2020–21 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the German Masters and the Players Championship. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2021 Tour Championship. He lost a very close match to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

In the 2021–22 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the UK Championship. He then reached the final of the Masters for the second time. He beat Mark Selby and Judd Trump but lost to Neil Robertson in the final. He also reached the final of the Players Championship but lost to Robertson again.

In the 2022–23 season, Barry reached the final of the European Masters. He lost to Kyren Wilson. He also beat Mark Allen 6–0 at the Masters before losing to Judd Trump. Barry did not qualify for the World Championship in 2023, which was the first time since 2005.

Winning Again (2023–2024)

Barry started the 2023–24 season very strongly. He won his fourth major title at the European Masters. He beat top players like Luca Brecel and Mark Selby. In the final, he beat Judd Trump 9–6. This was his first ranking title in over six years! He also reached the semi-final of the 2023 Northern Ireland Open.

Barry's Family Life

Barry Hawkins has been with his partner Tara since 2001. They had a son together in January 2009. Barry and Tara got married in June 2012.

Images for kids

Hawkins at the 2014 German Masters
Hawkins playing at German Masters 2013.