By Elliott West
“I have tried to model myself on Steve Davis”.
Steve Lemmens
Introduction
In recent years Belgian snooker has produced Luca Brecel and more recently Ben Mertens but who can forget the late and great Steve Lemmens? Born 1972 in Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Steve first turned professional in 1991 and played on the main tour between 1991 and 1995. A fine amateur snooker player, Lemmens was a dominant force in Belgium’s snooker scene and someone who will long be remembered as a very talented player and would definitely have captured more silverware had it not been for his life being cut so short.
The Belgian Master
Steve Lemmens first broke out onto the snooker stage when he was a mere 16 years old, reaching the final of the Belgian Amateur Championship. This was an impressive achievement and a record that was held and not beaten until 2010 when Luca Brecel managed to crack this monumental challenge set. Not content with just this record, Lemmens turned up the gas and three years later won the Belgian Championship defeating five-time champion Mario Lannoye 7-2 in the final. He went on to represent Belgium in the 1990 World Amateur Championship where he reached the final, losing to Stephen O’Connor 11-8.
Turning professional in 1991, Steve was one of 700 players on the main tour but had limited success with his best result being a last 32 appearance in the 1993 Welsh Open and never managed to climb higher than 167th in the rankings and by 1995 he had dropped off the main tour. His only other appearance was at the 1996 World Amateur Championship where he reached the semi/final, losing to Stuart Bingham 5-8 in New Plymouth, New Zealand.
Lemmens was coached by Tom Atkins, an Englishman who had lived in Belgium for thirty years and someone who was largely responsible for his great run in the Welsh Open. Steve modelled himself on Steve Davis and had been hooked on snooker since he first picked up a cue at the age of 12. A formidable character who was followed by 800 Belgian fans on a coach around Wales and who was still doing National Service for his country at the time.
Sadly Steve committed suicide in October 2016, aged only 44, when he stood in front of a train at Wezemaal and lost his life. A player whose highest ranking was 167, achieved in May 1994, made his highest break of 105 at the 1993 British Open, made 5 career centuries and earned £6,675 in prize money. A familiar face at the Belgium Championship, a tournament he won in 1990 and was runner-up in 1987, 1995, 1996 and 1997. He also reached the final of the 1990 IBSF World Championship, held in Columbo, Sri Lanka, where he lost to Stephen O’Connor 11-8.
