PETER EBDON (England)

World Ranking: 7

Age: 28

World Championship best: Runner-up 1996

Best ranking event performance: Winner two tournaments - Grand Prix 1993; Thailand Open 1997

1998/99 ranking form: Grand Prix - QF, UK - R1, Irish - R2, Welsh - R3, Scottish - R3, Thailand - R2, China - R2, British - QF.

Peter Ebdon made an instant impression on joining the professional ranks.

He beat Steve Davis 10-4 on his Crucible debut in 1992 and went on to reach the quarter-finals before losing 13-7 to Terry Griffiths.

Voted WPBSA Young Player of the Year in 1992, he won his first major tournament the following year, the Grand Prix, defeating Ken Doherty 9-6 in the final.

He then reached the final of the Embassy World Championship in 1996, before losing 18-12 to Stephen Hendry.

But his current trophy drought stretches back to the Thailand Masters of March 1997 and he has spent 18 months of restructuring work on his cue action in partnership with coach Chris Henry.

He's rapidly in danger of gaining an unwanted title - the slowest man in snooker and a mediocre season has seen him slip to eleven in the provisional world rankings.

© PA Sporting Life