Barry Hawkins

D.O.B: 23 Apr 1979
Lives: Dartford, Kent
Turned Pro: 1996
Best Ranking Performance: Semi-finals - Welsh Open 2005, 2006; Grand Prix 2005, China Open 2007
Last season World Snooker Tour: prize money £51,326
Highest Tournament Break: 145 - Grand Prix 2005

The highlight of Barry Hawkins' 2010/11 season was undoubtedly qualifying for the Crucible and winning a match at the famous venue for the first time.

He beat Anthony Hamilton 10-5 in the final qualifying round to make it to Sheffield for the sixth consecutive year, and avoided another first round defeat by beating Stephen Maguire 10-9. A superb break of 92 in the deciding frame gave Hawkins one of the best wins of his career.

"I've been on the wrong end of a couple of 10-9s here, but I tried to stay calm and positive," said Hawkins. "To win the last frame in one visit gives me a lot of self belief. I feel as if I've won the World Championship and I'm excited to be in the next round. Anything can happen now. Mark Selby got to the final here in 2007 and that kick-started his career, then Ali Carter did the same in 2008. There's no reason why that can't happen to me."

Hawkins might have gone even further as he matched Mark Allen all the way in the next round, but eventually lost 13-12. He finished the season ranked No 22 in the world.

Hawkins won the qualifying tournament for the 2008 Masters at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield. He beat the likes of Nigel Bond and Jamie Cope to reach the final then saw off Kurt Maflin 6-4.

He has reached the semi-finals of four ranking events, most recently at the 2007 China Open in Beijing. He beat home favourite Ding Junhui, Joe Swail and Ken Doherty to set up a semi-final with Jamie Cope, but lost 6-5 on the final black after Hawkins had agonisingly rattled his attempted pot in the jaws of a baulk corner.

The player nicknamed the Hawk reached two ranking semi-finals during the 2005/06 season. The first was at the Grand Prix at the Guild Hall in Preston, losing narrowly 6-5 to Ronnie O'Sullivan, despite recording a career high 145 break in that game.

At the Welsh Open in Newport, Hawkins accounted for Stephen Hendry on his way to the last four but could not cope with Shaun Murphy, losing 6-1.
The Dartford player's first semi-final came at the 2005 Welsh Open when he saw off Ebdon and Paul Hunter but was denied a final spot by O'Sullivan, losing 6-4.

The former office clerk first made a name for himself at the 2002 Scottish Open when he knocked out O'Sullivan.

Throughout his teenage years, Hawkins played the cello drums in a local band which played regular concerts in a shopping centre in Wapping and even one in Hyde Park.

"We did the Blue Danube, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Pomp and Circumstance, those sort of tunes," he said. "We were pretty good, I reckon I could pick it up again pretty easily if I tried."

In January 2009, Hawkins' wife Tara gave birth to their first child, a son called Harrison.