Dayv Harold English professional snooker player. Country: Great Britain

Biography of Dave Harold

Dave Harold is an English professional snooker player. He became a professional in 1991 and won his first and only ranking tournament, the Thailand Masters, in 1993. At that time, he was ranked 93rd in the world, making him the lowest-ranked snooker player to win such a title.

In 1994, Harold reached the final of the Grand Prix but lost to John Higgins 6-9. From the 1996/97 to 2001/02 seasons, he was part of the Top 16 players, although he never reached the final of any tournament during that time. His best result in the World Championship was reaching the quarter-finals in 1996, where he lost to Nigel Bond. Interestingly, a few weeks before this defeat, he had lost to Bond in another tournament, the British Open. Harold's highest ranking was 11th in the 1996/97 season.

From 1996 to 2001, Harold reached the semi-finals of various competitions 10 times. After a disappointing 2000/01 season, he fell out of the Top 16 for the first time since 1996. In 2002, he broke his wrist, which led to a significant decline in his game and his eventual elimination from the Top 32. Only after a relatively successful 2006/07 season did Harold manage to return to the Top 32, ranked 30th.

The 2007/2008 season was Harold's best since 2001. He reached the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, where he lost to the eventual winner, Dominic Dale. In the UK Championship, Harold defeated world number 2 Graham Dott in the last 16, but lost to Mark Selby 2-9 in the next round. Finally, in the World Championship, he qualified for the Last 32 but was defeated by Shaun Murphy 3-10. Harold finished the season ranked 26th in the world rankings.

The first half of the following season went very well for Harold. In the Northern Ireland Trophy, he unexpectedly reached the final, defeating Ricky Walden, Graham Dott, and Stephen Lee along the way (although Lee made three century breaks in that match). In the semi-finals, Harold played against the most esteemed of his previous opponents, John Higgins, and showed excellent play, defeating him 6-4 after leading 5-1. In the final, he faced Ronnie O'Sullivan, the reigning world champion. Harold employed his usual tactic of slow play, but this time O'Sullivan, in excellent form, didn't give Harold a single chance, winning 9-3.

After this success, Harold moved into the Top 16 in the provisional rankings. In the subsequent competitions, although he didn't achieve equally significant results, he performed fairly well. In the Shanghai Masters, he reached the last 16, eliminating local favorite Ding Junhui along the way. Harold is known for his slow and methodical style of play, often taking more than a minute for a shot. His shot technique is unique, as he takes a long time to aim but does not make a backswing before striking the ball. Despite this unconventional technique, he is one of the most prolific break builders on the main tour, with 114 century breaks to his name. Due to his deliberate and calculated approach, Harold is sometimes compared to Cliff Thorburn.