World ranking: 7
Last five seasons: 12-13-7-5-3
Date of birth: 27-08-70
Lives: Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Turned professional: 1991
Ranking tournament victories: 4
Last season’s prize money: £225,210
Career prize money: £1,498,445
Highest tournament break: 147

A magnificent 2000-2001 season saw Ebdon claim two ranking events and climb five places to seventh in the world rankings.

He beat Jimmy White 9-6 in the British Open and claimed the Regal Scottish Masters later in the season, defeating Ken Doherty 9-7 in the final.

The dual success came on the back of a modified technique for Ebdon and he will certainly be looking to build on last year's improved showing.

It was at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre that a pony-tailed Ebdon first burst on to the snooker scene in 1992, beating six-times world champion Steve Davis 10-4 in the first round and going on to reach the quarter-finals in his first season as a professional.

His achievement earned him the WPBSA Young Player of the Year award and he went from strength to strength by collecting his first ranking title - the Grand Prix - a year later.

Victories followed in the 1995 Irish Masters, 1996 Regal Masters and 1997 Thailand Open as Ebdon firmly established himself as one of snooker’s leading players.

Stephen Hendry has twice prevented him from capturing two of the sport’s top titles.

He beat him 10-3 in the final of the 1995 UK Championship and 18-12 in the final of the 1996 Embassy World Championship.

Ebdon defeated Jimmy White, Davis and Ronnie O’Sullivan in tight finishes to reach the final but those matches had left him mentally drained and he was unable to prevent Hendry from collecting his sixth world title.

As you might expect from someone who once played the oboe and bowled leg spin for London Schools at cricket, Ebdon is not your average snooker player.