By Elliott West
Introduction
People from Yorkshire have always been extremely proud of their origins and heritage and none more so than Steph Daughtery from Wakefield. Steph who originally started off as a pool player, was approached by the lady behind the bar at her local club, asking whether she would like to go into snooker and do the academy? Of course, Daughtery jumped at the opportunity and within three months she joined the women’s tour. Then only 14, her main aim is to gain experience and practice within the tournament environment. A place where you are friends off the table and enemies on it, hating each other in the heat of the moment but then coming together like a second family. A group in which Steph gets on with every one of them.
The Journey
The road for Steph Daughtery certainly hasn’t been an easy one with Steph having her mental illness hit due to several illnesses that her parents were going through but through snooker, Steph was able to maintain the focus and concentration needed even when she hit rock bottom, she was able to pick herself up and come back to the tour with a positive mindset and a strong support network from her fellow players.
Snooker has been the cathartic formula that has definitely brought out the sheer talent of this ladies’ player and caused her to shine on the tour, affecting her mental health in a positive way and giving her a true purpose in life. A path that she treads with the constant backlash of monetary costs, either the price of entry fees or flights to international tournaments. However, she is so determined to win and succeed that she is prepared to take the hit of losing matches and money because she knows that potential silverware is within touching distance.
The results are starting to pay off with Daughtery getting a much-needed sponsor, Guy Batley, a plumbing and heating company in Wakefield. The company has helped boost her funds for international travel such as flights and accommodation. She is now “a happy Steph” with a string of titles under her belt including being three times winner of the UK Women’s Under 21 Championship (2015, 2016 and 2021). She also claimed her first Challenge Cup title at the Eden Women’s Masters defeating number nine Diana Schuler in the final.
It doesn’t end there because Steph also was triumphant in Belgium, winning the 2019 Belgian Women’s Open where she not only captured the Challenge Cup but the Under-21 crown as well, defeating Thailand’s Nutcharut Wongharuthai in the final of the latter to claim the title. She has broken into the top ten of the rankings by reaching the quarter-finals of this year’s 2021 UK Championship.
In Demand
Steph Daughtery has now caught the media’s attention and was invited to the recent Champion of Champions tournament in Bolton to be interviewed by ITV. Joining the likes of up and coming players Stan Moody, Steph was put under the spotlight in an interview with Rob Walker and was able to not only make the public more aware of who she is but to also promote the women’s tour, her standing as a professional and the sheer volumes of skill and talent she has to offer snooker. A name to be definitely watched out for because this lady is going places!
