Jamie Rhys Clarke
| Born |
5 October 1994 Llanelli, Carmarthenshire |
|---|---|
| Sport country |
 Wales |
| Nickname | The Welsh Whirlwind |
| Highest ranking | N/A |
| Career winnings | £12,391[1] |
| Highest break | 111 (2013 Antwerp Open)[2] |
| Century breaks | 5[1] |
| Best ranking finish | Last 80 (2016 World Championship) |
Jamie Rhys Clarke (born 5 October 1994 in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire) is an amateur Welsh snooker player, widely considered one of the most promising upcoming snooker talents.
Career
Jamie Rhys Clarke drew attention in 2014 when he defeated former world number 8 Darren Morgan in 6–0 whitewash in the semi-finals of the Welsh Amateur Championship before going on to defeat Lee Walker to capture the highest ranking and most prestigious amateur event in Wales.[3][4] In 2015 Clarke entered several events in an attempt to qualify for the World Snooker Tour and narrowly missed out by losing in the final of tournaments on 3 occasions. In April, Clarke lost 4–3 in a final-frame decider to Martin O'Donnell in the final round of the EBSA Qualifying Tour Play-Off. Clarke would go on to enter Q School in May 2015, but would be unable to advance further than the third round. In June 2015, Clarke qualified for the knockout stage of EBSA European Snooker Championship as the 19th seed where he lost 7–4 to Michael Wild in the final.[5][6] The following month at the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship Clarke once again reached the tournament final before losing 8–7 in the deciding frame to Boonyarit Keattikun. In February 2016, Clarke once again reached the final of the EBSA European Snooker Championship as the number 1 seed, however he was once again defeated 7–4 losing to fellow countryman Jak Jones.[7] Two months later Clarke again lost a final-frame decider 4–3 to Elliot Slessor in the final round of the EBSA Qualifying Tour Play-Off. This was Clarke's fifth defeat in the final round of a world tour qualifying tournament in 12 months. Following his repeated bad fortune in the finals of qualifying tournaments Clarke started being referred to as the "Welsh Jimmy White" or the "Welsh Whirlwind", the latter of which has since been adopted as his permanent nickname on the tour events.
Tournament wins
Amateur finals: : 3 (1 titles)
| Outcome | No. | Year | Championship | Opponent in the final | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 2014 | Welsh Amateur Championship | Walker, LeeLee Walker |
8–6 |
| Runner-up | 1. | 2015 | European Snooker Championship |  Wild, MichaelMichael Wild |
4–7 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 2015 | World Under-21 Snooker Championship |  Keattikun, BoonyaritBoonyarit Keattikun |
7–8 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 2016 | European Snooker Championship | Jones, JakJak Jones |
4–7 |
References
- 1 2 "Career-total Statistics for Jamie Rhys Clarke - Professional". CueTracker Snooker Results & Statistics Database. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ↑ "2013 European Tour - Event 7 - Centuries". CueTracker Snooker Results & Statistics Database. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ↑ "Jamie Clarke crowned Welsh Amateur Champion 2014". welshsnooker.com. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Llanelli's Jamie Clarke crowned amateur snooker champ". Llanelli Star. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Wild Champion of Europe". easb.co.uk. 26 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "PRAGUE'S GONE WILD". European Billiards & Snooker Association. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
- ↑ "JAK JONES IS THE NEW EUROPEAN CHAMPION". European Billiards & Snooker Association. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
External links
- Jamie Rhys Clarke at CueTracker.net: Snooker Results and Statistic Database