King of the Road

By Elliott West

“SOMETIMES I GO TO THE TABLE AND MY HEAD CAN BE IN A JAM JAR. AT THAT POINT, I DON’T WANT TO BE THERE OR HIT A BALL. IT IS ALL ABOUT DOING THE MENTAL PREPARATION AND BEING IN A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN DEAL WITH AND BE COMFORTABLE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS”

Mark King

Introduction

Mark King has been on a soul searching journey throughout his snooker career, one that started as a professional in 1991. A classic example of a player who has had to suffer the knocks of life but possesses a drive and resilience that eventually led to his first title in 2016 when he defeated Barry Hawkins 9-8 in the final of the Northern Ireland Open. Someone who isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and walk that arduous snooker path, a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, heavily tattooed but just one of the warmest and funniest people that you could ever meet.

The Secret

A few years ago, Mark would tell you that he was privately thinking of quitting the game, the results weren’t coming in and he was going through his own problems off the table with chronic addiction to gambling. This put a massive toll on his home life and snooker career. However he went to Gamblers Anonymous and beat the addiction, he will always have a compulsive personality but he has stopped that terrible need to bet away all monetary possessions in order to fuel this terrible illness, what in essence is a form of a compulsive disorder.

With his addiction abated, Mark spent some time with Chris Henry, probably one of the best snooker coaches out and definitely up there with the likes of Terry Griffiths and Frank Callan. This happened just prior to the 2016 Northern Ireland Open and opened a winning door that King had been waiting a long time to occur. The results are there in black and white and this emotional victory after only previously reaching finals in the 1997 Welsh Open and 2004 Irish Masters, will go down as one of those classic snooker wins. Whoever watched that final at home or live, definitely shed some tears because you could just see how much it meant to Mark. His generosity is also remembered after the match when he bought all the people behind the scenes takeaway pizza to show his thanks for their support.

Since then, King recently was approached by my friend Noel Flannery, a man who previously worked in the motor racing industry but decided to use his success in his previous field to help others in the sport. Now working in mind, performance and elite sports coaching, Noel works with people in golf, football and primarily snooker to create a plan that looks and improves mental agility, positivity and nutritional intake. An action plan that was highlighted in his post-match interview with Rachel Casey and Jimmy White on Eurosport after beating Judd Trump 5-3 in the quarter-finals. Here he cites Flannery in helping him with his game and positive attitude, no longer being that oversized teddy bear who stamps his cue when he misses a ball and instead a player who keeps his cool, concentrates, hydrates and keeps his hunger at bay with bananas and nutritional bars.

A Winner

Mark King may not have reached the final of this year’s English Open but he is still a winner. I say this because time after time, he has produced the goods throughout the tournament, producing a high-quality level of snooker that we know he is capable of. He only lost his semi-final clash against Neil Robertson 4-6 because he missed the odd crucial ball and his opponent was able to find that extra gear to get over the line. Mark outplayed Neil in the early part of the match and had much higher percentage rates in safety play and long potting success.

Mark can walk away from this tournament with his head held high, £20,000 richer and not have to worry about his place on the main tour. Even at 47, this lad who hails from Steve Davis country, Romford, Essex, had proven that still has that inner hunger to win and isn’t afraid of who he has to play to achieve this goal. His family must be so proud of him and Mark King has shown that he is here to stay and a force that can once again go deep into competitions and definitely on the brink of future professional silverware.