by elliott west
I first saw Andy Hicks play on television at an event at the Plymouth Pavilions in the early 1990’s and I was instantly struck by the skill that this player displayed on the table. This was a man I tipped for snooker stardom but sadly he became a person who never won big in the tournaments of the time. Andy from Tavistock in Devon was one of those players that got pipped at the post. Hicks was a semi-finalist in both the UK and World Championship and the same stage at four other ranking tournaments. He was also a Masters semi-finalist in 1996 and was a top 32 player between 1995-2000 and again from 2005-07, but lost his place on the tour in 2013.
Hicks first became a professional in 1991 but didn’t hit the limelight until 1995 when he had an impressive run in the World Championship beating the likes of Steve Davis, Willie Thorne and Peter Ebdon but didn’t make the final furlong as he was blocked by a win from Nigel Bond, 16-11. With impressive runs in the UK Championship, Masters and Grand Prix, Hicks peaked at number 17 in the 1995-6 season and also won a Masters qualifier in 1997. However, from this point his professional career seemed to nosedive and by the start of the 2000’s he was struggling to qualify for events. Cruelly this sometimes happens in a player’s career and it is very difficult to claw back to your previous high standard. Unfortunately for Hicks, this blow in form was never to leave him and despite a brief bounce back in 2005, getting back into the top 32, he quickly slid down the rankings and it wasn’t long before he contemplated retiring.
Despite brief glimpses of Andy in recent years, there had never been much to write home about and so I was overjoyed to hear last week that he made it through the Q School and regained a place on next season’s tour!
Hicks is too good a snooker player to be in the shadows for long and I hope he does prove himself with this second window of opportunity. This very talented player from Devon has proved over the years that he has the game to beat any top player and this could be another moment in snooker when it is proved that when you reach the age of forty your career is not necessarily over!
