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Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee looks to impress
Stephen Lee has every chance to impress at next month’s UK Championship with a strong pedigree in the major tournaments.
But it’s been an emotional rollercoaster ride for the man from Trowbridge and he’ll need every ounce of mental strength to see off an increasingly hungry pack of snooker stars. People who bet on snooker will know how competitive the game is these days.
The 37-year-old has picked up four ranking titles – his last was at the Welsh Open five years ago – and it seems the smile and stunning cueing action has finally found its groove again.
A place back in the top 16 is a brilliant effort considering everything that has happened over the last three years.
In 2008 Lee was not in great spirits after losing at the World Championship in the first round for the second consecutive year. Not at all inspiring for someone who reached the semis in 2003.
The former world number five said at the time: "I have just been making up the numbers the last two years. I am sick and tired of packing my suitcase only to unpack it again soon after. It's dragging me down."
Quitting was a serious option but he battled on and more recently has had to deal with being arrested and investigations into suspicious betting patterns.
Lee though is a fighter and he’s clinging on to his place in the elite top 16, despite a first-round defeat to Matthew Stevens at the Shanghai Masters this season. Those looking at the Snooker Masters betting odds should remember this.
It has been almost 20 years since Lee set the record he still holds for the most consecutive frames won in rankings events - he notched up 33 on the bounce during qualifying events in Blackpool in 1992.
These are the highlights Lee needs to think about to help boost his charge up the rankings and if his cue catches alight then he could take some stopping at the Barbican Centre next month.
Ricky Walden is his first hurdle in York with a potential second-round clash against Mark Williams or Joe Jogia. It’s one step at a time for Lee but he could be worth a good outside punt.
