Pro Snooker Blog

Name: Jamie Cope

DOB: September 12th 1985

Nationality: English

Turned Pro: 2001

Highest Ranking: #17 (2010/11)

Current Ranking: #17

Highest Break: 147×2

Career Highlights: 2006 Grand Prix Finalist, 2007 China Open Finalist, 2007 UK Championship Quarter-Finalist, 2009 World Championship Last 16

Website: http://www.jamiecope147.co.uk/

In short

One of the most talented young players around at the moment it is surely only a matter of time before Jamie Cope breaks into the elite top 16 for the first time.

With a very fast, aggressive style of play, Jamie is a great player to watch when in full flow as he demonstrated in beating Joe Perry and pushing eventual champion John Higgins to a deciding frame in the 2009 World Championship. Hopefully over time he will improve the other aspects of his game such as his safety play and his added experience will help him to win on a more consistent basis.

Jamie’s unorthodox cue action, very reminiscent of six-times champion Ray Reardon

Early career

A terrific junior having won nearly 50 events, he continued this form in the amateur ranks before turning professional for the 2002/3 season. Unfortunately though he struggled for results and although he was able to retain his place for a second season, he was not able to repeat the feat in 2003/4 and duly lost his tour card.

He soon regained his place however by finishing top of the Challenge Tour in 2004/5 and enjoyed a brilliant return to the main tour by reaching the last 16 stage of three ranking events to finish the year just inside the top 48. Given the fact that most ‘newcomers’ to the tour struggle just to retain their place for the following year, to enter the rankings that high was in many ways a remarkable achievement.

Breakthrough

It was to be the 2006/7 season where Cope was to really make an impression to the public at large however, firstly making the third ever 147 break seen at the Grand Prix before going on to reach the final. Although he fought well from 8-2 down against Neil Robertson, the title was not to be his, though by getting that far he had already done his ranking a lot of good. He later backed this up further by reaching his second final of the season in China though the result was to be the same, losing 9-5 to Graeme Dott this time. By making these two finals he had at least done enough to secure a place in the top 32.

Jamie in action during his first ever ranking final

The 2007/8 season was not to be quite as successful, though he did go on a good run at the UK Championship in Telford before losing at the quarter-final stage. The other highlight was qualifying for the World Championship at the Crucible for the first time, though having started well, he was to lose out to former champion Peter Ebdon 10-9 In the first round. As a result he narrowly missed out on a place in the top 16 and would have to qualify for events once again in 2008/9.

2008/9

Jamie’s 2008/9 campaign was a mixed one as he won the majority of his opening round matches and in Shanghai made his second competitive 147, but he did not really push on and reach the latter stages of a tournament. He did however impress many onlookers with his performances in the 2009 World Championship as he become one of just two qualifiers to reach the last 16 with an emphatic 10-6 win over Joe Perry.

Though he lost out to John Higgins in the last 16 having led 12-10, he again performed well and it took a really special effort from the Scot to come back and win the match. The defeat meant that Jamie once again fell short of moving up into the top 16, but he has at least moved up to a new high of 18th place and will hopefully go into next season with a lot of confidence and self-belief from his Crucible run.

2009/10

Looking to kick on and finally break into the top 16, again it did not quite happen for Jamie at the start of 2009/10 as while he won all three of his qualifying matches, he could not go further at any of the venues. His best chance undoubtedly came at the UK Championship as he led an out of sorts Mark Selby by four frames with a possible five to play, but just as against Higgins previously he could not get over the line and ended the year having let slip a lead at a major tournament.

It was a similar story for the second half of Jamie’s season, three good qualifying wins followed by three last 32 defeats, most notably a 10-4 reverse at the hands of 2008 finalist Ali Carter at the Crucible. This result confirmed that despite his consistent results, he would end the season just outside of the top 16 yet again, a hugely disappointing result for Jamie.