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Player Profile: Darren Morgan
| Category: |
Professional |
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| First Name: |
Darren |
| Last Name: |
Morgan |
| Town / Country: |
Fleur de Lys, Wales |
| DoB: |
3 May 1966 |
| Club: |
Cross Keys |
| High Break: |
145 UK Championships
2001 |
| Ranking: |
8th (1994/5
& 1995/6) |
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| Biography: |
Darren Morgan's name first came to the attention of the snooker
world in general in the 1985/6 season when several century
breaks were noted in the snooker press. Also that season he won
a major pro-am in London. He netted a first prize of £400
winning another pro-am in Bournemouth in 1986 and in the
preliminaries for the Welsh amateur championship he was on
course for this first 147 when he missed the final green. He
went on to win that 1987 title as well as reaching the semi
finals of the world under-21 championship. He won several other
events including two with £1000 first prizes and ended the
1986/7 season top of the professional ticket qualifying points
table meaning he would play off against one of the bottom ranked
professionals for a place on the pro tour in 1988/9.
Winning the Welsh title qualified him for the World Amateur
championship in Bangalore. He went there having won the won the
Welsh final of the UK amateur event and went all the way to the
final where he beat Malta's Joe Grech 11-4 to win the
championship. Coming back home he reached the quarter-finals of
both the UK and Welsh amateur championships and the southern
quarter-final of the English. He won the Cue World trophy for
topping their satellite ranking list and as world champion
gained automatic entry to the professional tour being exempt
from the play-offs.
He did not make a spectacular start to his professional career
but managed to reach the last 32 of three ranking events and did
win the Pontins professional title beating Tony Drago in the
final. He also reached the quarter finals of the Welsh
professional and ended his first pro season a satisfactory 53rd
in the world rankings. In 1989/90 he reached the last 16 of the
Mercantile Credit Classic and won the Welsh Pro title. He ended
the season getting to the quarter-finals of the world
championship at Sheffield and rose to 41st in the rankings.
The following season he retained his Welsh title and consistent
if unspectacular ranking results saw him on the verge of the top
32. He also reached the semi-final of the non-ranking World
Masters and the quarter-finals of the Scottish Masters. 1991/2
saw him in his first ranking final, losing to Stephen Hendry in
the Welsh Open. Five other last 16 places plus the
quarter-finals of the European Open put him into the elite top
16 at the season's end. He was also runner up in the Benson &
Hedges Championship. Another ranking final came in 1992/3, the
Asian Open, and he got to the quarter-finals of the UK and was
runner up in the non-ranking Pontins Professional. He was then
up to number ten in the rankings.
Another good season in 1993/4 saw him reach the semis of the top
two events, the UK and World championships as well as the
Thailand Open quarter-final. This put him up to his best ever
ranking of eighth which he retained the following season
although he did not progress beyond the last four of any event.
1995/6 provided him with good results in the invitation events,
winning the Irish Masters, his biggest victory to date, and
reaching the semi-finals of the Scottish Masters and the
quarters of the B & H Masters at Wembley. Quarter finals at the
Crucible in 1996 and 1997and three other ranking quarter finals
in 1995/6 were not enough to prevent him dropping first to 9th
and then 15th by the end of 1996/7 although he did narrowly fail
to retain his Irish Masters title in '97, losing 9-8 to Hendry
in the final.
In 1997/8 he failed to get beyond the last 16 of any ranking
event and dropped to 22nd. The next season was no better and
despite a semi-final in the Thailand Masters he dropped a
further place down the list. The one highlight was captaining
Wales to victory in the Nations Cup. After reaching the UK
quarter finals in 1999, there began a disastrous spell when,
apart from the world championship, he lost his opening match all
the remaining events but he did win the Pontins Professional
title for a second time beating Jimmy White. He also led Wales
to the Nations Cup final again but this time losing to England.
He started the 2000/01 season at 25th and the slump continued.
He only won just one ranking match all season and ended the
season out of the top 32 at 39th.
There were some signs of a revival in 2001/02 as he reached the
quarter-final in the China Open and only just missed out on a
place at the Crucible. There was still not enough consistency
however and his poor results from the previous season ensured
that his ranking slumped to 54th, his lowest ever. Another poor
season followed in which he reached the last 48 in only one
event and there was talk that he would consider retirement if he
fell out of the top 64. In the event he finished 63rd and so
perhaps he will continue for a further season.
Television commentating has helped to supplement his income but
he is a far better player than his performances in recent
seasons would suggest and his place should be on the table in
front of the cameras. Confidence is still low and at present it
is hard to see him coming back to anything like his best. His
career prize money stood is over £900,000 but it seems unlikely
now that he will attain the magic million.
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Achievements:
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World
Professional Championship semi-finalist - 1994
Benson & Hedges Irish Masters champion - 1996
Welsh Professional Champion - 1990, 1991
Pontins Professional Champion - 1989, 2000
Pontins Professional
Championship runner up - 1993
Pontins Open runner
up - 1996
Nations Cup winner - 1999 (Welsh team)
Welsh Open runner-up - 1992
Asian Open runner-up - 1993
UK Championship semi-finalist - 1994
Thailand Master semi-finalist - 1999
World Amateur Champion -1987
Welsh Amateur Champion -1987
Ansells Welsh Bitter
Champion - 1987
Welsh Under 19
Championship runner up - 1985, 1986
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Chris Turner June 2003
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