Introduction
Kirk Stevens is one of the most charismatic snooker players that the sport has ever produced. Stylish and the ultimate bad boy, Kirk mixed drugs and booze with snooker. Canadian eye candy that turned many female heads and was one of the few people who could successfully pull off wearing a white suit. He made snooker sexy with his flair and fast play. An art learnt in the money games in Canadian pool halls. The man who set the Wembley Conference Centre alight with his stunning 147 break in 1984 in his semi-final match against Jimmy White when he was just 21.
A Natural
Kirk was born to play snooker. He made his first century break when he was only 12 years old. Born in Toronto, Canada in 1958, Stevens joined the triumvirate of Canadian snooker players Cliff Thorburn and Bill Werbenuik who took the Canadian pool clubs by storm. The dark and smoke-filled clubs where swearing, drinking and the colour of money were a must as the elements took hold outside. These were the places where parents warned you not to go but the temptation was too strong to resist. Frequented by the rough and the smooth, a loaded gun was never far away and you had to be prepared for rough and ready when entered one.
Making the bold move to turn professional, Stevens joined the elite snooker fold in 1978, the same year he won the Canadian Amateur Championship, beating Bob Paquette in the final. A tournament he would go on to win a further five times in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2008. He also won the Canadian Professional Championship in 1979, 1981 and 1983. A runner-up at the 1984 New Zealand Masters, 1985 British Open, 1986 Belgian Classic and 1986 Pot Black, Stevens’ best performance. He was the youngest player in 1980 to reach the semi-finals of the World Championship, losing to Alex Higgins
Drugs and Booze
Kirk played in an age when drugs and alcohol were always lurking in the background. With smoking and drinking, working hand in hand with late-night play, Stevens fell into a drug trap in his personal life mixed with alcohol. Falsely accused of taking stimulants during the final of the 1985 British Open, Stevens later admitted he had a cocaine addiction but never failed a drugs test when he was a professional. Joining rehab in his native Canada in 1985, his career never really recovered, eventually dropping off the tour in the 1992/3 season. Despite his demons, Kirk has managed to beat them, giving up the drug habit decades ago and being dry and sober for a number of years. A player who later tried his hand as at construction work, landscape gardening and selling cars. A true legend of the game who now lives in his native Canada. He is now 66 years old.
