Lee Spick facts for kids
| Born | 25 April 1980 Mansfield, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 26 January 2015 (aged 34) |
| Sport country |  England |
| Professional | 2000/2001, 2002/2003, 2005–2010, 2013–2015 |
| Highest ranking | 65 (2007/2008) |
Lee Spick (born 25 April 1980 – died 26 January 2015) was a professional snooker player from England. When he was younger, he was the English champion for players under 15 years old. During his career, he reached the "last 48" stage of big snooker tournaments five times. This included reaching that stage twice in the famous World Championship.
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Lee Spick's Snooker Career
Lee Spick started playing snooker professionally in the early 2000s. He quickly showed he was a talented player.
Early Achievements
In 2000, Lee reached the Quarter-Finals of the Benson and Hedges Championship. He won against strong players like Darren Morgan and Dean Reynolds. He also made it to the Quarter-Finals of the same event in 2001, where he beat Nigel Bond, who had been a World Championship runner-up. Later, he lost to Shaun Murphy, who would go on to become a World Champion himself.
Big Tournament Successes
Lee was very good at qualifying for major events. He reached the last 48 stage of the 2006 World Championship and the 2007 China Open.
In the 2005 World Championship qualifiers, he had some amazing wins. He beat David Gilbert and then surprised everyone by defeating Ding Junhui. This put him very close to playing at the Crucible, which is where the World Championship finals are held. However, Stuart Bingham stopped him from getting there.
At the 2007 UK Championships in 2007, Lee had one of his best wins. He defeated the legendary player Jimmy White.
In the 2008 China Open, Lee won against Ashley Wright, Rod Lawler, and Mark Davis. He then lost in the Last 48 to Dave Harold.
Later Career and Comeback
The 2008/09 season was quiet at first for Lee. But then he had impressive wins against Stephen Craigie, Barry Pinches, and Adrian Gunnell. This brought him very close to playing at the Crucible for the first time. However, he lost a close match to the famous Steve Davis.
Lee continued his good form into the next season, reaching the last 48 of the Shanghai Masters. After this, he struggled to win more matches and had to leave the main snooker tour.
He tried to get back onto the tour through special qualifying events called Q School in 2011 and 2012, but he didn't succeed. Lee then announced he was retiring from snooker.
However, he decided to try Q School again in 2013. This time, he won enough matches to earn a spot back on the professional tour for two more seasons. Sadly, his return was short. He only played two matches, losing both. He also had to pull out of several tournaments due to personal challenges. He didn't play in any professional tournaments after the 2013 UK Championship.
Illness and Death
World Snooker announced that Lee Spick passed away on 26 January 2015. He was 34 years old and had been ill with a liver-related condition.
Career Finals
Lee Spick won several important tournaments during his career.
Non-ranking Finals: 2 (2 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 2002 | Challenge Tour – Event 3 |  Joe Delaney |
5–2 |
| Winner | 2. | 2002 | WPBSA Open Tour – Event 5 |  Mark Gray |
5–3 |
Amateur Finals: 1 (1 title)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 2001 | English Open |  Kurt Maflin |
8–0 |
