Jamie Cope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jamie Cope | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 12, 1985 , Longton, Stoke-on-Trent |
| Nationality |  English |
| Nickname(s) | The Shotgun, The Potter from the Potteries |
| Professional | 2001– |
| Highest ranking | #19 |
| 2008/09 ranking | #19 |
| Career winnings | GB£118,100 [1] |
| Highest break | 147 (2006 Grand Prix) |
| Best ranking finish | Runner up: Grand Prix (2006), China Open (2007) |
Jamie Cope (born September 12, 1985, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England) is an English professional snooker player. He has reached the finals of two ranking tournaments. He has a fast, entertaining style of play (being nicknamed "Shotgun" due to his speed around the table and aggressive playing style.[2]) and has proved that he can compete at top level.
Cope has an impressive record as a junior, but dropped off the Main Tour[clarify] after two largely unsuccessful seasons. However, he finished top in the Challenge Tour for emerging players in the 2004/05 season, winning two of its four tournaments. This enabled him to return to the Main Tour.
His stated intention in pre-season was to finish the year in the Top 48, a tough target which he technically achieved by default after Paul Hunter's illness. He reached the last 16 of the season-opening Grand Prix tournament. Later in the 2005/2006 season he reached the same stage of the Welsh Open and China Open. Those three last-16 defeats were all 5-4. During the season he claimed wins over Joe Perry, Steve Davis, John Parrott and Alan McManus.
On October 23, 2006, Cope made a 147 break in a match against Michael Holt during the Grand Prix in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was only the third player to achieve a 147 in the tournament's history, after Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. (Tom Ford has since become the fourth man to make a 147 at the Grand Prix, on October 15, 2007.) After progressing from the group stages, Cope defeated Robert Milkins in the last-16 to reach his first quarter-final in ranking events. He beat Joe Perry again in a closely fought match which required a deciding ninth frame. Eventually, Cope won after a slip-up by Perry on the yellow. In the semi-finals, Cope defeated Mark King 6-3, but he lost 5-9 to Australian competitor Neil Robertson in the final. Cope had struggled early in the match and fell 2-8 behind. He briefly rallied to claim the next three frames, but Robertson won the fourteenth frame to clinch the title.
On March 31, 2007, Cope progressed into the final of the China Open against Graeme Dott, after beating Barry Hawkins on the last black (not respotted) of the final frame in the semi-finals. However, he lost the final, again by 5 frames to 9.
In the 2007-2008 season, he reached the last 32 of the Shanghai Masters losing 5-2 to John Higgins. He failed in the Grand Prix 2007 to progress beyond the group stages, finishing 6th in his group due to not winning a match. He reached the last 32 of the Northern Ireland Trophy, but lost 5-1 to Neil Robertson. In the 2007 UK Championship Cope produced a very good performance in beating world number 1 John Higgins 9-3 in the last 32. He then beat Barry Hawkins 9-8 in the last 16 before losing to eventual champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the Quarter-finals. He will make his World Championship debut against Peter Ebdon, after beating former British Open champion Fergal O'Brien in qualifying.
He has made a break of 155, the maximum that is realistically possible, by taking advantage of a free ball — in a witnessed practice match.
