Mark Selby

DOB: 19 June 1983
Lives: Leicester
Turned Pro: 1999
Ranking Tournament Victories: Two - Welsh Open 2008, Shanghai Masters 2011
Last season World Snooker Tour prize money: £181,530
Highest Tournament Break: 147 - Jiangsu Classic 2009

The 2010/11 campaign finished on happy note for Mark Selby as he married girlfriend Vikki Layton...but on the table his season had been a case of 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride'.

He performed consistently throughout the season and reached two ranking finals, but was not able to get his hands on a major piece of silverware.

Selby got to the final of the new German Masters in Berlin and battled Mark Williams all the way, only to lose 9-7. "I played well in the first session but I wasn't quite with it in the evening," he said.

And at the Bank of Beijing China Open it was a similar story for the Leicester man as he was edged out 10-8 in the final by Judd Trump.

"It was a great final and it was great to be involved," said Selby. "Judd put me under pressure and I played well myself - I couldn't have done any more."

The Betfred.com World Championship also ended in disappointment for Selby as he lost 13-10 to Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals.

He did pick up one trophy during the season - at the second Players Tour Championship event when he beat Barry Pinches 4-3 in the final.

And he went on to land a major piece of silverware at the Bank of Communication Shanghai Masters in September 2011 when he came from 9-7 down to beat Mark Williams 10-9 in the final.

Undoubtedly Selby's favourite event is the Masters, as he has won snooker's biggest invitation tournament twice.

In 2010 he came from 9-6 down to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-9 in the final, his renowned gritty matchplay and calmness under pressure coming to the fore.

"It was like playing in the lion's den," said Selby. "Ronnie is one of the best players ever, to beat him in any tournament is a great achievement, so to beat him in his own back yard in such a big event is unbelievable."

He had won his first Masters in 2008 when he beat Stephen Lee 10-3 in the final.

Shortly after that he won his sole ranking title at the Welsh Open, recovering an 8-5 deficit to beat O'Sullivan 9-8. "Strangely, I felt more relaxed the longer the game went on. It's something special to win my first ranking title," he said.

Selby got to the Crucible final in 2007 with wins over Stephen Lee, Peter Ebdon, Ali Carter and a surprise 17-16 defeat of Shaun Murphy. Into the final against John Higgins and Selby looked in danger off an emphatic defeat at 12-4 down overnight. He boldly fought back to 12-10 and trailed by just one frame at 14-13, but Higgins showed the mark of a champion to pull away and win the last four frames.

The Leicester City fan's first ranking final was the 2003 Scottish Open at the Royal Highland Centre on the outskirts of Edinburgh, where he went down 9-7 to David Gray.

His first breakthrough came at the 2002 China Open in Shanghai when, aged just 18, he beat Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan to reach the semi-finals before losing to Anthony Hamilton.

Selby proved in 2006 that he also has a knack for pool as he won the World 8-Ball Championship, staged in Blackpool, beating Darren Appleton 11-7 in the final.

A keen darts fan, Selby has beaten Eric Bristow in an exhibition. He is a friend of Leicester band Kasabian, with bassist Chris Edwards a close pal since their teenage years.