Gary Ponting (born 17 January 1975) is an English former professional snooker player.[1]
| Born | 17 January 1975 |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  England |
| Professional | 1993–2002 |
| Highest ranking | 49 (1999/2000) |
| Best ranking finish | Quarter-final (x2) |
Career
Ponting was born in 1975, and turned professional in 1993. He reached the last 32 of the 1994 World Championship, losing 2–10 to Willie Thorne, and the same stage of the 1996 Thailand Open, where Peter Ebdon whitewashed him 5–0.
He then progressed to the last 16 of another four ranking events, most notably at the 1998 UK Championship, where he made five century breaks including a 138, which was the highest of his career.
He reached a career-high ranking of 49th for the 1999–2000 season, retaining his top-64 place until the start of the 2002–03 season. Having suffered a loss of form, however, he entered only one further tournament, the 2003 World Championship, where he lost 1–10 in qualifying to India's Manan Chandra.
By 2003, Ponting's ranking had slipped to 73rd and he lost his professional status at the age of 28.
Performance and rankings timeline
| Tournament | 1993/ 94 | 1994/ 95 | 1995/ 96 | 1996/ 97 | 1997/ 98 | 1998/ 99 | 1999/ 00 | 2000/ 01 | 2001/ 02 | 2002/ 03 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | [nb 1] | 173 | 113 | 74 | 85 | 75 | 49 | 53 | 53 | [nb 2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LG Cup[nb 3] | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | 1R | WD | LQ | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| British Open | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | QF | LQ | LQ | QF | LQ | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| UK Championship | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 3R | 3R | 1R | LQ | LQ | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| Welsh Open | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| European Open[nb 4] | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | NH | LQ | Not Held | LQ | A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Scottish Open[nb 5] | 1R | LQ | 3R | LQ | LQ | LQ | 3R | LQ | 1R | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| World Championship | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Masters | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | A | |||||||||||||||||||
| Former ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian Classic[nb 6] | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | Tournament Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| German Masters[nb 7] | Not Held | LQ | LQ | WD | NR | Tournament Not Held | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Malta Grand Prix | NH | Non-Ranking Event | LQ | NR | Not Held | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| China Open[nb 8] | Tournament Not Held | NR | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | NH | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thailand Masters[nb 9] | LQ | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | LQ | NR | |||||||||||||||||||
| Former non-ranking tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strachan Challenge | LQ | 1R | Tournament 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. | |||
| 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. | |||