Andy Hicks

Andy Hicks

Nickname	The Cream of Devon
Professional	1991–
Highest ranking	17 (1995/1996)
Century breaks	167 (as of 6 January 2025)
Best ranking finish	Semi-finals: 1995 World Championship

Andy Hicks (born 10 August 1973, Tavistock, Devon, England) is a English professional snooker player presently from Cornwall. Hicks, nicknamed "the Cream of Devon", is a World Snooker Championship semi-finalist and has been ranked in the top 20 players in the world.

Career

Although a pro since 1991, Hicks, a left-hander of short stature [1], first came to prominence in the 1995 World Championship, in which he reached the semi-finals, beating Steve Davis, Willie Thorne and Peter Ebdon along the way, but being blocked from the finals by Nigel Bond, 11-16. This remains his career highlight, although he has reached the semi-finals of four other ranking events, and the Masters tournament.

He spent most of the second half of the 1990s close to the Top 16 elite section in the world rankings, peaking at no. 17 in the 1995/1996 season, and winning the 1997 Masters qualifier. He struggled in the early part of the 2000s however.

Later, he was only one frame loss away from being bumped out of the Top 64, rallying to defeat Craig Butler 10-9 in a close 2003 World Championship qualifier. He ended up ranked no. 62 for the 2003/2004 season.

However, recent years have seen him return to form. He reached the second round of the 2004 World Championship, beating Quinten Hann in a match memorable for a near-fight between the two players at the end, triggered by Hicks pointing out to Hann that he was likely to drop out of the Top 16 as a result of the loss.[2]. Hicks later admitted his regret at this [3]. This marked the only time Hicks had won a match at the Crucible since 1995. He next gave Ronnie O'Sullivan a challenge in the second round, before ultimately losing, 13-11.

In 2004/2005 Hicks made it to the quarter-finals of the British Open with a first-round victory over Ken Doherty.

Returning to the Top 32, in the following season he reached the last 32 in four of the six tournaments he entered, and retained his Top 32 status (marginally, at no. 31). He played in the 2006 World Championship, and lost to Steve Davis, 4-10, in the first round. In a World Snooker interview, Hicks said of his comeback, "It’s amazing how things can change because a couple of years ago I was close to giving the game up. I’m playing great snooker and it's nice to be involved in the later stages of tournaments. I’m proving to myself that I can compete with the top players."

Although slipping only a single position in the rankings (from no. 30 to no. 31) for 2006/2007, the year was not as successful for him, resulting in a drop down to the no. 41 position for the current season.

He has compiled 100 competitive centuries during his career, with a tournament high break of 147 at a 1994 WPBSA Tour event. Despite winning only one key event, Hicks has done modestly well for himself, with career winnings of GB£562,560 (up to the start of the 2006/2007 season).

Personal life

He currently lives outside Launceston, Cornwall and is the staff pro at Bell's Court Snooker Club in Falmouth. His future wife Rachel was working there when they met; they married in 2005, and had their first child in 2006. He also plays golf, in a local club named after him.