Mike Hallett

English snooker player and commentator

For the American football coach, see Mike Hallett (American football).

Mike HallettBorn|  (1959-07-06) 6 July 1959 (age 66)
Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England

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Sport country|  England
Professional| 1980–1997, 1998/1999, 2000/2001, 2004/2005
Highest ranking| 6 (1989/90)
Tournament wins
Ranking| 1

Mike Hallett (born 6 July 1959) is an English former professional snooker player and commentator. He won the 1989 Hong Kong Open.

## Career

[edit]

Hallett was born in Grimsby on 6 July 1959.[1] Having won the national under-16 title in 1975, he turned professional in 1979.[1] His world ranking peaked at number six, in the 1989/1990 list.[2][3] His only ranking tournament victory was at the 1989 Hong Kong Open in which he defeated Dene O'Kane 9–8.[2]

In a semi-final match against John Parrott in the 1988 Benson & Hedges Masters, he recovered from needing three snookers to win the decider 6–5.[4] However, he lost 0–9 to Steve Davis in the final, the first whitewash in the Masters final.[5]

Three years later, in 1991 he reached the Masters Final again at Wembley where, in the best-of-17-frame match, he surged to a 7–0 lead over Stephen Hendry and missed a pink which would have put him 8–0 ahead. He then moved into an 8–2 lead and needed just the pink and black to clear for the match in the eleventh frame, but missed the shot with the rest. Hendry took that frame and managed to spring a comeback to win the match 9–8.[6] Hallett would go on to win two invitational World Series of Snooker events later in the year, but did not win another professional title after 1991.[2]

Hallett did reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship twice, but never progressed further. His final season on the main tour was in 2004–05, after which he went on to play in the Pontin's International Open Series.[7][2]

At the start of the 2011/12 season Hallett entered the Players Tour Championship and after winning his first two matches against Duane Jones 4-3 and Elliot Slessor also 4–3, he played Ronnie O'Sullivan and managed to take two frames in losing 4–2.[8]

In August 2021 the World Snooker Tour tweeted that Hallett was recovering from a stroke.[9]

## Performance and rankings timeline

[edit]

Tournament  | 1979/
80 | 1980/
81 | 1981/
82 | 1982/
83 | 1983/
84 | 1984/
85 | 1985/
86 | 1986/
87 | 1987/
88 | 1988/
89 | 1989/
90 | 1990/
91 | 1991/
92 | 1992/
93 | 1993/
94 | 1994/
95 | 1995/
96 | 1996/
97 | 1997/
98 | 1998/
99 | 2000/
01 | 2004/

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Ranking[10] | [nb 1] | [nb 2] | 29 | 31 | 32 | 25 | 28 | 27 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 34 | 46 | [nb 1] | [nb 2] | [nb 2] | [nb 2]
Ranking tournaments
Grand Prix[nb 3] | Not Held  | 2R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ  | A  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ
British Open[nb 4] | Non-Ranking Event  | 2R | 2R | 2R | F | SF | 2R | QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | LQ  | A  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ
UK Championship | Non-Ranking Event  | 1R | 2R | 3R | QF | 1R | QF | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | LQ  | LQ  | A  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ
Welsh Open | Tournament Not Held  | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 1R | LQ  | A  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ
Malta Cup[nb 5] | Tournament Not Held  | SF | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | LQ  | 1R | LQ  | LQ  | A  | LQ  | NH  | LQ
Irish Masters | Non-ranking Event  | LQ
China Open[nb 6] | Tournament Not Held  | NR  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ
World Championship | LQ  | LQ  | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | 2R | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | A  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ
Non-ranking tournaments
The Masters | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | F | 1R | 1R | F | 1R | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A
Premier League[nb 7] | Tournament Not Held  | A  | Not Held  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | RR | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters[nb 8] | NR  | Not Held  | Non-Ranking  | SF | Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 9] | Non-Ranking Event  | NH  | W | Tournament Not Held  | NR  | NR  | Tournament Not Held
Classic | Non-Ranking Event  | 2R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | SF | QF | Tournament Not Held
Strachan Open | NH  | 1R | MR  | NR  | Tournament Not Held
Dubai Classic[nb 10] | Tournament Not Held  | NR  | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | Not Held
German Open | Tournament Not Held  | LQ  | LQ  | A  | NR  | Not Held
Thailand Masters[nb 11] | Tournament Not Held  | Non-Ranking Event  | Not Held  | 2R | SF | 2R | 2R | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | A  | LQ  | LQ  | NH
Scottish Open[nb 12] | Not Held  | NR  | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | 2R | Not Held  | 2R | 2R | 3R | 1R | LQ  | A  | LQ  | LQ  | NH
Former non-ranking tournaments
Bass & Golden Leisure Classic | Not Held  | SF | Tournament Not Held
UK Championship | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | Ranking Event
British Open[nb 13] | LQ  | RR | LQ  | LQ  | LQ  | Ranking Event
Costa Del Sol Classic | Tournament Not Held  | F | Tournament Not Held
Hong Kong Open[nb 14] | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | F | NH  | R  | Tournament Not Held  | A  | A  | Tournament Not Held
Fosters Professional | Tournament Not Held  | A  | A  | A  | A  | W | Tournament Not Held
English Professional Championship | NH  | 1R | Not Held  | 2R | SF | QF | QF | W | Tournament Not Held
New Zealand Masters | Tournament Not Held  | A  | Not Held  | F | QF | Tournament Not Held
International League | Tournament Not Held  | RR | Tournament Not Held
London Masters | Tournament Not Held  | A  | QF | A  | Tournament Not Held
Shoot-Out | Tournament Not Held  | F | Tournament Not Held
Norwich Union Grand Prix | Tournament Not Held  | A  | QF | QF | Tournament Not Held
World Masters | Tournament Not Held  | 3R | Tournament Not Held
Thailand Masters | Tournament Not Held  | A  | A  | A  | A  | Not Held  | Ranking  | QF | Ranking Event  | NH
Hong Kong Challenge | Tournament Not Held  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | NH  | QF | 1R | Tournament Not Held
Indian Challenge | Tournament Not Held  | QF | Tournament Not Held
World Matchplay | Tournament Not Held  | QF | 1R | 1R | QF | A  | Tournament Not Held
Belgian Challenge | Tournament Not Held  | SF | Tournament Not Held
Irish Masters | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | QF | 1R | 1R | SF | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | R
European Challenge | Tournament Not Held  | SF | A  | Tournament Not Held
Belgian Masters | Tournament Not Held  | QF | W | QF | Not Held  | A  | Tournament Not Held
Pot Black | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | Tournament Not Held  | 1R | A  | F | Tournament Not Held
Scottish Masters | Not Held  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | NH  | QF | 1R | W | QF | A  | QF | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | NH
Pontins Professional | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | A  | F | QF | F | F | QF | SF | QF | QF | QF | QF | QF | QF | Not Held
Performance Table Legend

LQ  | lost in the qualifying draw  | #R  | lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)  | QF  | lost in the quarter-finals
SF  | lost in the semi–finals  | F  | lost in the final  | W | won the tournament
DNQ  | did not qualify for the tournament  | A  | did not participate in the tournament  | WD  | withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held | means an event was not held.

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NR / Non-Ranking Event | means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event | means an event is/was a ranking event.
MR / Minor-Ranking Event | means an event is/was a minor-ranking event.

1. ^ a b He was an amateur.
2. ^ a b c d New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking.
3. ^ The event ran under a different name as Professional Players Tournament (1982/1983 to 1983/1984).
4. ^ The event was known as British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982 to 1983/1984).
5. ^ The event ran under different names such as European Open (1988/1989 to 1996/1997) and Irish Open (1998/1999).
6. ^ The event ran under different names as China International (1997/1998 and 1998/1999)
7. ^ The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984), the Matchroom League (1986/1987–1991/1992) and the European League (1992/1993–1996/1997)
8. ^ The event run under the name Canadian Open (1979/1980 to 1980/1981)
9. ^ The event ran under different names as Australian Masters (1979/1980 to 1987/1988 and 1995/1996) and Australian Open (1994/1995).
10. ^ The event run under different names as Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Thailand Classic (1995/1996) and Asian Classic (1996/1997)
11. ^ The event ran under different names such as Asian Open (1989/1990 to 1992/1993) and Thailand Open (1993/1994 to 1996/1997).
12. ^ The event ran under different names such as International Open (1981/1982 to 1984/1985, 1986/1987 to 1996/1997) and Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986).
13. ^ The event was known as British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982 to 1983/1984)
14. ^ The event ran under different names as Australian Masters (1979/1980 to 1987/1988 and 1995/1996) and Australian Open (1994/1995).

## Career finals

[edit]

[11]

### Ranking finals: 2 (1 title)

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Outcome  | No.  | Year  | Championship  | Opponent in the final  | Score

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Runner-up | 1. | 1988 | British Open |  Stephen Hendry | 2–13
Winner | 1. | 1989 | Hong Kong Open |  Dene O'Kane | 9–8

### Non-ranking finals: 16 (6 titles)

[edit]

Legend

The Masters (0–2)
Other (6–8)
Outcome  | No.  | Year  | Championship  | Opponent in the final  | Score

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Runner-up | 1. | 1984 | Costa Del Sol Classic |  Dennis Taylor | 2–5
Winner | 1. | 1986 | Clacton Professional |  Tony Jones | 5–3
Runner-up | 2. | 1987 | Australian Masters |  Stephen Hendry | 226–371 points
Winner | 2. | 1987 | Clacton Professional |  Jack McLaughlin | 6–1
Runner-up | 3. | 1988 | The Masters |  Steve Davis | 0–9
Runner-up | 4. | 1988 | Pontins Professional |  John Parrott | 1–9
Runner-up | 5. | 1988 | New Zealand Masters |  Stephen Hendry | 1–6
Winner | 3. | 1988 | Fosters Professional |  Stephen Hendry | 8–5
Winner | 4. | 1989 | English Professional Championship |  John Parrott | 9–7
Runner-up | 6. | 1990 | Pontins Professional (2) |  Stephen Hendry | 6–9
Runner-up | 7. | 1990 | Shoot-Out |  Darren Morgan | 1–2
Runner-up | 8. | 1991 | The Masters |  Stephen Hendry | 8–9
Runner-up | 9. | 1991 | Pontins Professional (3) |  Neal Foulds | 6–9
Winner | 5. | 1991 | Scottish Masters |  Steve Davis | 10–6
Winner | 6. | 1991 | Belgian Masters |  Neal Foulds | 9–7
Runner-up | 10. | 1993 | Pot Black |  Steve Davis | 0–2

### Pro-am finals: 4 (3 titles)

[edit]

Outcome  | No.  | Year  | Championship  | Opponent in the final  | Score

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Winner | 1. | 1989 | Dutch Open |  Darren Morgan | 6–5[12]
Winner | 2. | 1991 | Pontins Spring Open |  Wayne Brown | 7–5
Winner | 3. | 1993 | Pontins Spring Open (2) |  Steve James | 7–6
Runner-up | 1. | 2003 | Pontins Spring Open |  Judd Trump | 2–4

### Team finals: 3 (2 titles)

[edit]

Outcome  | No.  | Year  | Championship  | Team/partner  | Opponent(s) in the final  | Score

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Runner-up  | 1\.  | 1986 | World Doubles Championship |  Stephen Hendry |  Steve Davis
Tony Meo | 3–12
Winner  | 1\.  | 1987 | World Doubles Championship |  Stephen Hendry |  Cliff Thorburn
Dennis Taylor | 12–8
Winner  | 2\.  | 1991  | World Masters Doubles |  Stephen Hendry |  Brady Gollan
Jim Wych | 8–5

## References

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1. ^ a b Morrison, Ian (1988). Hamlyn Who's Who in Snooker. London: Hamlyn. pp. 43–44\. ISBN 9780600557135.
2. ^ a b c d Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. pp. 490–493\. ISBN 978-0-9548549-0-4.
3. ^ Turner, Chris. "Historical World Rankings 1975/76 to 1989/90". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
4. ^ Lancaster, Joe (31 January 1988). "Masterly Hallett". The Sunday Telegraph. p. 45.
5. ^ "The Masters". Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
6. ^ "Winning the hard way". BBC News. 11 February 2002. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2005.
7. ^ "Snooker Player Ranking – Mike Hallett". World Snooker. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
8. ^ "Livescores". 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011. "121 Round 3 RONNIE O'SULLIVAN 4 - 2 MIKE HALLETT"
9. ^ "World Snooker Tour on Twitter". 19 August 2021. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022 – via Twitter.
10. ^ "Ranking History". Snooker.org. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
11. ^ "Relive Mike Hallett's fantastic snooker career in Sport Bygones". Grimsby Telegraph. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.[permanent dead link]
12. ^ "Hallett wins a Dutch thriller". Pot Black. Brentwood: Pot Black Publishing. July 1989. p. 29.