The Early Years
It was a fluke that I started playing. I got a six-foot table for Christmas a couple of weeks before my 13th birthday and it all began from there. I had never played the game before then but soon started playing on a full size table and made my first century when I was 13. My first 147 came in a practice match when I was 14.

Turning Pro
I met Ian Doyle when I was 15 and he was sponsoring the Scottish Amateur Championship. He instilled in me that if you want to compete with the best, you have to work hard for it.

Doing the Rounds
I’ve spent a lot of time travelling over the years so it’s nice to get home and be with my wife, Mandy, and son, Blaine. I have no intention of retiring yet but, when I do, I would quite like to work in the media.

Headlines and Highlights
There have been a lot of proud moments in my career but the best was winning my seventh world title in 1999 and beating the record I shared with Ray Reardon and Steve Davis. When I won that, I fulfilled my ambitions. The worst was losing 9-0 to Marcus Campbell in the 1998 UK Championship.