Ian McCulloch

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ian McCulloch (born July 28, 1971) is an English snooker player from Walton le Dale, Preston, Lancashire.

He turned professional in 1992, and is still searching for his first tournament victory. Like Barry Pinches he has entered his best form in his early 30s. He beat David Gray to qualify for the 2004 World Championship in a clash between players who share their names with musicians, and went on to reach the quarter finals. He went one stage further in 2005, losing to Matthew Stevens in the semi-final. He also reached the final of the 2004 Grand Prix in his home town, losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

However, his 2005/2006 season has proved disappointing, with a quarter-final appearance in the Welsh Open the only highlight, as he failed to qualify for the World Championship, losing to Dave Harold, and is certain to drop down the rankings. He made his first appearance as a BBC pundit during the tournament.

Lancashire’s leading player, McCulloch has appeared in two ranking finals though he has yet to lift a major trophy. His first was the 2002 British Open in Telford when he saw off the likes of John Higgins and Mark Williams but eventually lost to Paul Hunter.

The second was at the 2004 Grand Prix when McCulloch was inspired by his local fans at the Preston Guild Hall, beating Stephen Hendry and Stephen Maguire on his way to the final.

Ronnie O’Sullivan ran out a 9-5 winner but McCulloch said: “I’m sure I will win one eventually. It was very special to have a good run on home turf in Preston.”

Later that season, the left-hander enjoyed a brilliant run in the World Championship, beating Graeme Dott 10-9, Mark Williams 13-12 and Alan McManus 13-8 to reach the semi-finals.

He put up an impressive fight against Matthew Stevens but it was the Welshman who went through 17-14. “I thought it was going to be my year but Matthew deserved to win,” admitted McCulloch. Those results put him into the official top 16 of the rankings, although Shaun Murphy’s Crucible triumph allowed him to leapfrog McCulloch in the seedings and bump him down to No 17.

Last season was a disappointing one for McCulloch as he slipped down to No 26. His only ranking quarter-final was at the Welsh Open where he beat O’Sullivan 5-1 but could not get the better of friend Anthony Hamilton.

In the final round of qualifying for the 888.com World Snooker Championship, McCulloch suffered an agonising defeat against another close pal, Dave Harold, going down 10-9 after a battle on the colours in the deciding frame.

The father-of-two enjoys playing golf, keeping fit and supporting Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End. His quick-witted nature has made him popular on the exhibition circuit around Lancashire.