Barry Hawkins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Barry Hawkins

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)
Tournament wins
Ranking	4
Minor-ranking	1

Barry Hawkins (born April 23, 1979) is an English professional snooker player. He comes from Ditton, Kent. Barry became a professional player in 1996. He became well-known in the 2004–05 snooker season. During that time, he reached the last 16 players in the 2004 UK Championship. He also made it to the quarter-finals of the 2004 British Open. Plus, he reached the semi-finals of the 2005 Welsh Open.

Barry Hawkins has been ranked among the top 32 players for twenty seasons in a row. He won his first major title at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open. Barry has won four big ranking titles in his career.

He played in the main part of almost every World Championship from 2006 to 2022. He reached the final of the 2013 World Snooker Championship. He was also a semi-finalist in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018. Barry was the runner-up in the Masters in 2016 and 2022. He also finished second in the UK Championship in 2024.

Barry's Snooker Journey

Starting Out

Barry Hawkins was born in Ditton, Kent. Before becoming a full-time snooker player, he worked as an office clerk.

He entered the top 32 players in the 2004–2005 rankings. This happened after he reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Open. He also made it to the last 16 in three other tournaments.

Becoming a Top Player

In the 2005–2006 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix. He also made it to the semi-finals of the Welsh Open again. He beat Ding Junhui to play in the World Championship for the first time. This helped him get into the top 16 players for the 2006–2007 season.

At the World Championship in Sheffield, Barry lost to former champion Ken Doherty. He said he was "gutted" because he couldn't play his best.

Challenges and Comebacks

The 2006–2007 season was not as good for Barry. He reached the final of a smaller tournament, the Kilkenny Irish Masters. But in bigger events, he only got past the last 16 once. This was at the China Open, where he reached the semi-finals. He lost his spot in the top 16 after losing in the first round of the World Championship.

In the 2007–2008 season, Barry won a tournament to qualify for the 2008 Masters. He also reached the last 16 in several other events.

He started the 2008–2009 season by reaching the quarter-finals of the 2008 Northern Ireland Trophy. He beat famous players like Jimmy White and Marco Fu. He almost got back into the top 16 players.

From 2006 to 2010, Barry had a tough time at the World Championship. He lost in the first round five times in a row. Some of these losses were very close matches.

Breaking Through at the World Championship

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

Barry qualified for the 2011 World Snooker Championship for the sixth time. He had never won a match at the Crucible before. But this time, he beat Stephen Maguire in a very close match. He finally ended his losing streak at the World Championship. In the next round, he lost to Mark Allen by a score of 12–13.

Winning His First Titles

Barry reached the finals of the Players Tour Championship in the 2011–2012 season. He also won the non-ranking Snooker Shoot-Out. This is a fun tournament where each round is decided by a single 10-minute game. He beat Graeme Dott in the final and won £32,000.

His best performance in a ranking event that season was at the 2012 World Snooker Championship. He beat world number one Mark Selby 10–3. He then lost to Matthew Stevens in the second round. Barry finished the season ranked world number 22.

Hawkins playing at German Masters 2013.

First Major Win

Barry's big moment came at the 2012 Australian Goldfields Open in Bendigo. He won against several tough players to reach his first major final. He played against Peter Ebdon. Barry won the match 9–3, making three century breaks. This win moved him up to world number 20.

World Championship Final

In 2013, Barry had an amazing run at the 2013 World Snooker Championship. He beat Jack Lisowski and then the 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-finals, he played Ricky Walden. Barry was behind 8–12 but then won eight frames in a row! He won the match 17–14.

This set up a final match against the defending champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Barry played very well, making breaks of 127 and 133. But O'Sullivan won the final 18–12. For reaching the final, Barry won £125,000. Many people believe his work with former champion Terry Griffiths helped him gain confidence. His great season helped him climb to world number nine.

More Success and Big Finals

In the 2013–2014 season, Barry continued his strong play. He reached the semi-finals of the 2013 Shanghai Masters. He also made it to the quarter-finals of the 2013 UK Championship.

Winning Another Title

Barry played in many European Tour events. His best result was reaching the semi-finals of the Bulgarian Open. This helped him qualify for the Finals. At the finals, he played very well, beating players like Stephen Maguire and Judd Trump. In the final, he beat his practice partner Gerard Greene 4–0. He won £100,000 for this victory.

At the 2014 World Snooker Championship, Barry reached the semi-finals again. He had a tough match against Dominic Dale, who almost made a huge comeback. But Barry held on to win. He then faced O'Sullivan again in the semi-finals, losing 7–17. Barry finished the season as world number five, his highest ranking ever.

Continuing Strong Performances

In the 2014–2015 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the 2014 Wuxi Classic. He said he was gaining more confidence. However, he had some early exits in other tournaments.

In January 2015, he made the second maximum break of his career. This is when a player pots all 15 reds with 15 blacks, then all six colors, scoring 147 points.

Barry had another great run at the 2015 World Snooker Championship. He won two very close matches to reach the quarter-finals. He then beat Neil Robertson in a high-quality match. Both players made four century breaks, which was a World Championship record for that type of match. Barry reached the semi-finals for the third year in a row. He lost to Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals.

Masters Finals and Big Wins

Barry took some time off at the start of the 2015–2016 season. He wanted to stay fresh for the whole year. He won the minor-ranking Riga Open, only losing seven frames in seven matches.

He then had a fantastic run at the Masters. He had never won a match there before. But he beat Joe Perry, Mark Allen, and Judd Trump to reach the final. He faced O'Sullivan again and lost 1–10.

At the 2016 World Snooker Championship, Barry met O'Sullivan in the second round. Barry had not beaten O'Sullivan in 10 tries over 14 years. But Barry won a thrilling deciding frame to beat O'Sullivan 13–12! He said he was proud of handling the pressure. He then lost to Marco Fu in the next round.

More Titles and Semi-finals

In the 2016–2017 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the English Open. He also made it to the final of the Northern Ireland Open. He was leading 5–1 but lost a very close match 8–9 to Mark King.

Barry won his third ranking title at the World Grand Prix. He beat Ryan Day 10–7, making five century breaks. He won £100,000 for this win. He also reached his fourth World Championship semi-final in five years, but lost to John Higgins.

Recent Years

In December 2017, Barry was surprised to lose 0–6 to Sunny Akani at the UK Championship. He reached the final of the Welsh Open and the China Open, but lost both. In April 2018, he reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Snooker Championship again, losing a close match to Mark Williams.

In September 2018, Barry reached the final of the Shanghai Masters, a special invitational event. He lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan 9–11. In 2019, he won the invitational Paul Hunter Classic. He also made his third career maximum break at the 2019 UK Championship.

In 2021, Barry reached the semi-finals of the German Masters and the Players Championship. He also reached the semi-finals of the 2021 Tour Championship.

In the 2021–2022 season, Barry reached the semi-finals of the UK Championship. He also made it to the final of the 2022 Masters for the second time, but lost to Neil Robertson. He reached another final at the Players Championship, also losing to Robertson.

In the 2022–2023 season, Barry reached the final of the European Masters, losing to Kyren Wilson. He also had a great 6–0 win over Mark Allen at the 2023 Masters. However, he lost his spot in the top 16 rankings. This meant he had to qualify for the 2023 World Snooker Championship, and he missed playing at the Crucible for the first time since 2006.

Barry started the 2023–2024 season strongly. He reached the final of the European Masters. He beat the world champion Luca Brecel and Mark Selby on his way to the final. He then beat Judd Trump 9–6 to win his fourth ranking title. This was his first title in over six years. He said, "It's been a long time coming. I was at a stage where I didn't think I'd ever win a tournament again."

In 2024, Barry reached the final of the 2024 UK Championship for the first time. He beat Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Allen. He then lost to Judd Trump in the final. In February 2025, he was runner-up at the 2025 German Masters, losing a very close final 9–10 to Kyren Wilson.

Personal Life

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

Career Finals

Major Ranking Finals: 12 (4 Wins)

• Wins:

* 2012 Australian Goldfields Open * 2014 Players Tour Championship Finals * 2017 World Grand Prix * 2023 European Masters

• Runner-up:

* 2013 World Snooker Championship * 2016 Northern Ireland Open * 2018 Welsh Open * 2018 China Open * 2022 Players Championship * 2022 European Masters * 2024 UK Championship * 2025 German Masters

Other Finals: 17 (8 Wins)

Barry has also won other smaller tournaments and invitational events. These include the 2015 Riga Open, the 2012 Snooker Shoot-Out, and the 2019 Paul Hunter Classic. He has also been runner-up in events like the Masters in 2016 and 2022.

See also

In Spanish: Barry Hawkins para niños