Mark Bennett (snooker player)

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Mark Bennett

Born	23 September 1963, Newport, Monmouthshire
Nationality	United Kingdom
Professional	1986-1999
Highest ranking	24
Best ranking finish	Semi Final, 1996 Grand Prix

Mark Bennett (born 23 September 1963) is a former Welsh professional snooker player from Newport. After winning the Welsh amateur title in 1985, he turned professional a year later. He was ranked in the top 32 for a few seasons, reaching a high rank of 24 in 1994. Throughout his thirteen year professional career he managed to reach a few quarter-finals and semi-finals. His last, and most famous, run to a semi-final was in the 1996 Grand Prix. [1] On the way he beat four seeded players, Peter Ebdon 5-3, Chris Small 5-0, Steve Davis 5-3 and Tony Drago 5-1, before losing 3-6 to Euan Henderson in the semi-finals. His quarter-final against Drago was particularly memorable for the latter hurling his cue at the table and storming out of the arena at the end of the match after Bennett, who had trapped Drago in a snooker that yielded 24 points in the final frame, suggested twice to the referee that he thought Drago had missed the red ball on purpose.

He qualified for the World Championship four times between 1987 and 1994, but never made it past the first round, coming closest in the 1990 event when he lost 9-10 to John Parrott.

Bennett retired from professional snooker in 1999, but still occasionally plays in Welsh Amateur League matches.