Peter Ebdon facts for kids

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Peter Ebdon
Tournament wins
Ebdon in 2018
Born	(1970-08-27) 27 August 1970 (age 54) Islington, London, England
Sport country	England
Professional	1991–2020
Highest ranking	3 (1996/97 & 2002/03)
Current ranking	55 (as of 8 May 2018)
Ranking	9
World Champion	2002

Peter David Ebdon (born 27 August 1970) is an English retired professional snooker player. He was once a world champion. Today, he works as a snooker coach.

During his career, Peter Ebdon won nine major snooker titles. This places him among the top players ever. He also won two "Triple Crown" events: the World Championship in 2002 and the UK Championship in 2006.

Ebdon became a professional player in 1991. He first played in the Crucible (where the World Championship is held) in 1992. He reached the quarter-finals in his very first try. He won his first big title, the Grand Prix, in 1993. This helped him become one of the top 16 players in the world. He stayed in the top 16 for many years, even reaching number three.

He played in the World Championship 24 times. He reached the final three times. In 1996, he lost to Stephen Hendry. But in 2002, he beat Hendry to become world champion! In 2006, he lost to Graeme Dott in the final. Peter Ebdon retired from playing professionally in 2020. This was because of ongoing neck and back pain. He is known for his strong focus and careful playing style. He made 377 "century breaks" (scoring 100 points or more in one turn). He also made two "maximum breaks" (the highest possible score of 147). After retiring, Ebdon started coaching other snooker players. These include Shaun Murphy and Kyren Wilson.

Peter Ebdon's Snooker Journey
Peter Ebdon's Achievements
About Peter Ebdon's Life
Career Finals
Images for kids
See also

Peter Ebdon's Snooker Journey

Starting as an Amateur Player

In the mid-1980s, Peter Ebdon began playing in amateur snooker tournaments. He quickly became one of the best amateur players. In 1990, he won the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship. He beat Oliver King in the final match.

Becoming a World Champion (1991–2002)

Peter Ebdon turned professional in 1991. He made his debut at the World Championship in 1992. He surprised many by beating Steve Davis and reaching the quarter-finals. For this, he won the "Young Player of the Year" award.

His first major win was the Grand Prix in 1993. He beat Ken Doherty in the final. He also won the Irish Masters in 1995. He reached his first "Triple Crown" final at the UK Championship in 1995, but lost to Stephen Hendry. Ebdon entered the top 16 players in the world in 1994. He reached his highest ranking of third in 1996 and again in 2002.

At the 1996 World Championship, Ebdon reached his first world final. He beat famous players like Jimmy White, Steve Davis, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. But he lost the final to Stephen Hendry. He then won the Thailand Open in 1997, the British Open in 2000, and the Scottish Open in 2001.

In 2002, Ebdon reached his second world final at the World Championship. He beat players like Joe Perry and Matthew Stevens. He won his only world title by beating Stephen Hendry in a very close match, 18–17. After winning, he said he had been working and dreaming of this moment for 17 years.

After Winning the World Title (2002–2011)

In 2003, Ebdon tried to defend his World Championship title. He played Paul Hunter in the quarter-finals. Ebdon almost came back to win, but lost in the very last frame. The match lasted over eight hours.

Peter Ebdon's playing speed became a topic of discussion. In 2005, he played Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Championship quarter-finals. Ebdon won the match, but his average shot time was 37 seconds. At one point, he took three minutes for a single shot. He later said he didn't mean to play slowly, it just happened when he was trying his hardest.

At the 2006 World Championship, Ebdon reached his third world final. He beat Marco Fu in a deciding frame in the semi-finals. In the final, he faced Graeme Dott and lost. Later that year, Ebdon won his second "Triple Crown" title. He won the UK Championship, beating Stephen Hendry in the final.

In 2008, Ebdon reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship. He lost to Ali Carter. This was the last time he made it to the later stages of the World Championship. After this, he lost in the first round in his next seven appearances.

In 2009, Ebdon won the China Open. He beat John Higgins in the final. After the 2009–10 season, Ebdon fell out of the top 16 world rankings. He had been in the top 16 for 16 years straight. He said he was "bitterly disappointed but also very proud" of this achievement.

Ebdon at the 2010 Brugge Open

In 2010, Ebdon reached the semi-finals of the World Open. This helped him get back into the top 16. He finished the 2010–11 season ranked number 13 in the world.

Leaving the Top 16 (2011–2015)

Ebdon dropped out of the top 16 again in 2011. This meant he had to play in qualifying rounds for tournaments. He missed the main stage of the UK Championship for the first time since 1991. He also missed the Masters for the first time since 1992.

In 2012, Ebdon won the China Open. He beat top players like John Higgins and Neil Robertson. In the final, he defeated Stephen Maguire. This win helped his ranking improve. During the final, he made his 300th "century break." At the 2012 World Championship, he won a qualifying match 10–0. But he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round. He ended the season ranked 20th.

In 2012, at the Australian Goldfields Open, Ebdon had a long match against Ding Junhui. It lasted almost five hours. Some players criticized his slow playing style. Ebdon reached the final of this event but lost to Barry Hawkins.

Ebdon at the 2014 German Masters

In 2013, Ebdon played in his 22nd World Championship in a row. This matched a record set by Steve Davis. He lost to Graeme Dott in a long match. After this, his world ranking fell to 30th.

Ebdon's streak of World Championship appearances ended in 2014. He lost in the qualifying round and missed the main event. He also failed to qualify in 2015.

Later Career and Retirement (2015–2020)

At the 2015 UK Championship, Ebdon reached the last 16. He beat the current world champion, Stuart Bingham. At 45 years old, he was the oldest player at the 2016 World Grand Prix. He qualified for the World Championship in 2016 after three years. He won a very late match at 2:00 a.m. to qualify. However, he lost in the first round.

Ebdon playing at the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic, where he finished as runner-up

Ebdon reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 Indian Open. He made his 24th and final World Championship appearance in 2017. He qualified after winning a very close match. He lost in the first round to Stuart Bingham. He finished the season ranked 40th, his lowest ranking since 1992.

In 2018, Ebdon reached his last major final at the 2018 Paul Hunter Classic. He lost to Kyren Wilson. His last professional match was in December 2019. He lost to Matthew Stevens. Peter Ebdon announced his retirement on 30 April 2020. He was 49 years old. He had ongoing neck and spinal pain and did not want to have surgery.

Coaching Career (2021–Present)

In 2021, Peter Ebdon started coaching Jack Lisowski. Lisowski reached his first World Championship quarter-final in 2022 and said Ebdon helped him improve. As of 2023, Ebdon also coaches other professional players like Anthony McGill and Kyren Wilson.

Peter Ebdon's Achievements

Peter Ebdon (left) and Shaun Murphy (right) at the 2025 Masters

Peter Ebdon was the third player ever to make two "maximum breaks" (147 points) in professional tournaments. He did this in 1992. In the same year, he was the first player to make four "century breaks" in just five frames. He won the World Championship and the UK Championship. However, he never won the "Triple Crown" (which includes the Masters). His best results at the Masters were reaching the semi-finals in 1995 and 2005. Some other players criticized his slow playing style and his strong reactions after winning points.

About Peter Ebdon's Life

Peter Ebdon was born in Islington, London. He later moved to Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. He played the oboe in his school orchestra and studied Latin and Greek. He also played cricket for North London. He left school early to focus on snooker. He later said he wished he had finished his O levels.

Early in his career, Ebdon was known for wearing his hair in a ponytail. He is also colour blind. Sometimes, he had trouble telling the brown ball from the red balls during matches. He would ask the referee for help. In some matches, he accidentally hit the wrong ball because of this.

Peter Ebdon has four children with his first wife, Deborah. In 2005, he moved to Dubai with his family. He said he moved for tax reasons, lower crime, and better weather. He lived there until 2009, when he and Deborah separated. In 2010, Ebdon married his second wife, Nora. They met at a snooker event in Austria. After they married, they lived in Nora's home country, Hungary. Ebdon was declared bankrupt in 2015.

Ebdon is known for being very focused on his fitness. He used to swim one mile every day. In 2012, he became a vegan. He is a big fan of the motivational book Think and Grow Rich. In 2018, he became a professional healer. He also enjoys breeding racehorses and has released three music songs.

Career Finals

Here are some of the professional finals Peter Ebdon played in.

Ranking Finals: 18 (9 Wins)

Legend
World Championship (1–2)
UK Championship (1–1)
Other (7–6)

Result	No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score
Won	1.	1993	Grand Prix	Ken Doherty	9–6
Lost	1.	1994	Dubai Classic	Alan McManus	6–9
Lost	2.	1995	UK Championship	Stephen Hendry	3–10
Lost	3.	1996	European Open	John Parrott	7–9
Lost	4.	1996	World Snooker Championship	Stephen Hendry	12–18
Won	2.	1997	Thailand Open	Nigel Bond	9–7
Lost	5.	1999	British Open	Stephen Hendry	5–9
Won	3.	2000	British Open	Jimmy White	9–6
Won	4.	2001	Scottish Open	Ken Doherty	9–7
Lost	6.	2001	LG Cup	Stephen Lee	4–9
Won	5.	2002	World Snooker Championship	Stephen Hendry	18–17
Won	6.	2004	Irish Masters	Mark King	10–7
Lost	7.	2006	World Snooker Championship (2)	Graeme Dott	14–18
Won	7.	2006	UK Championship	Stephen Hendry	10–6
Won	8.	2009	China Open	John Higgins	10–8
Won	9.	2012	China Open (2)	Stephen Maguire	10–9
Lost	8.	2012	Australian Goldfields Open	Barry Hawkins	3–9
Lost	9.	2018	Paul Hunter Classic	Kyren Wilson	2–4

Non-Ranking Finals: 6 (4 Wins)

Result	No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score
Won	1.	1995	Irish Masters	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	9–8
Won	2.	1995	Pontins Professional	Doherty, KenKen Doherty	9–8
Lost	1.	1995	Scottish Masters	Hendry, StephenStephen Hendry	5–9
Won	3.	1995	Malta Grand Prix	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	7–4
Won	4.	1996	Scottish Masters	McManus, AlanAlan McManus	9–6
Lost	2.	2002	Irish Masters	Higgins, JohnJohn Higgins	3–10

Pro-am Finals: 5 (4 Wins)

Result	No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score
Won	1.	1989	Pontins Spring Open	Doherty, KenKen Doherty	7–4
Won	2.	1990	Dutch Open	Knowles, TonyTony Knowles	6–4
Lost	1.	1995	Pontins Spring Open	Williams, MarkMark Williams	4–7
Won	3.	2015	Vienna Snooker Open	King, MarkMark King	5–3
Won	4.	2016	Vienna Snooker Open (2)	Davis, MarkMark Davis	5–1