World ranking: 13
Last five seasons: 17-19-18-11-13
Date of birth: 09-12-66
Lives: Stoke, Staffordshire
Turned professional: 1991
Ranking tournament victories: 1
Last season’s prize money: £66,075
Career prize money: £495,927
Highest tournament break: 142

Stoke potter Dave Harold was a 500-1 outsider when he won his first and only world ranking tournament to date - the 1993 Asian Open in Bangkok.

His 9-3 victory over Darren Morgan in the final sparked an impressive run of results, which took him through to the final of the 1994 Grand Prix and catapulted him into the top 16.

Victories over Neal Foulds and Rod Lawler enabled him to reach the quarter-finals of the 1996 Embassy World Championship before his run was halted by Nigel Bond.

Harold missed out on a trip to the Crucible in 1999 when he was beaten 10-7 by Joe Perry in the final qualifying round but he made no mistake in 2000, beating Anthony Davies 10-7.

“That was the first time I had missed out in six years and having to stay at home and watch it on the television was a real sickener,” he said.

“You have to be at the Crucible; that’s where all the best snooker is played.

"I have reached one quarter-final and I want to do better than that before my career is out.”

Harold’s hopes of doing that in 2000 were dashed by John Higgins but he made the 1998 world champion fight all the way for a 10-8 victory.

“His safety is very good. He doesn’t give anything away so you just have to hang in there and wait for your chance,” said the Scot.

Harold, a mad keen Stoke City supporter, even turned down the chance to see his side win the Auto Windscreens Shield against Bristol City at Wembley so he could prepare properly for Sheffield.