Ben Woollaston Biography: An English Professional Snooker Player

Did you know? BBC televised the first snooker game from Leicester Square Hall in 1950. And one prominent snooker player hails from the same place. Meet Ben Woollaston, an English professional snooker player known for his utmost precision on the table.

Be with us and watch Ben Woollaston biography on our billiard, where we will discuss his professional victories, his interesting married life, and his financial riches. In between, you will learn some facts about the 2015 Welsh Open runner-up.

Woollaston has been a key snooker player since his professional debut in 2003. He is among those few players who captivate his audiences with his performance on the grand stage of the Green baize.

Background and Early Snooker Years

Ben Woollaston was born in Leicester, England, on May 14, 1987. He began playing pool with his father at local pubs from an early age. He used to watch snooker tournaments on television and developed a likeness for the sport.

Ben Woollaston Biography. Image Credit: DerHexer.

At 9 years old, Ben picked up the cue stick and began competing in local tournaments. Growing up, Woollaston participated in numerous junior championships, recording impressive stats. At just 14, his most significant tournament break was 145. He turned professional during the 2004-2005 season at 17 years old.

Below is a table where Ben won a few amateur titles:

By the time he was 24, Woollaston had won his first biggest achievement after winning the PTC3 event 2011. Previously, he won some of the biggest titles after winning the UK U-17s, European U-19s, and a couple of English U-15s.

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Who is Ben Woollaston Wife? 

How lucky are those who find their partners with a common shared passion? Similarly, the English snooker player found himself a suitable life partner during his early career. Ben Woollaston is a happily married man whose wife has a reputation in the snooker world. But is she a snooker player, too?

Ben Woollaston’s wife, Tatiana Woollaston (nee: Torchilo), is a professional snooker referee. She was born in Pinsk, Soviet Union. They first met at the Paul Hunter Classic in Germany in 2010. While Ben was a competitor, his future wife refereed at her first professional event.

Ben Woollaston Biography. Image Credit: Instagram.

It was the only time Tatiana refereed a match of her husband. Although she had never heard of him, she was impressed with how he played. The match lasted about 25 minutes but was enough to make a lasting impression on her.

Following a ten-month romance, Ben Woollaston married Tatiana Woollaston in June 2011. The same year, Tatina refereed eight PTC events. The couple welcomed their first son, Edward, on November 8, 2012. Similarly, their second son, Henry, was born on October 21, 2017.

Ben Woollaston Biography. Image Credit: Instagram.

In 2014, Ben and his wife, Tatiana, had a breakthrough. Ben reached his first ranking event final, beating Mark Allen, Ali Carter, and Mark Williams on his way to the final, where he lost to four-time world champion John Higgins. And Tatiana refereed her first televised game at a ranking event while at the tournament in Cardiff.

Ben Woollaston Net Worth: How Rewarding Has His Snooker Career Been?

Money won is twice as appealing as money earned. While snooker seems to be a lazy sport, there is undoubtedly a greater skill required for the players to make a fortune from this sport. Having said that, let’s know how much Ben Woollaston has earned from his professional snooker career.

Let’s begin with his early career, shall we? From 2007 until the 2010-2011 season, Ben Wollaston’s earnings were just a little over $30,000. If we look at his earnings starting from the 2015 season, it can be seen that Ben Woollaston made around $550,000 from competing in nine seasons. Take a look at the breakdown below.

Table Source: Cuetracker

The reports show that Ben Woollaston’s career earnings are honorable despite his wealth not surpassing the million-dollar mark. However, the exact numbers of Ben Woollaston’s net worth are difficult to estimate.

As per the latest reports of world rankings, he is currently ranked 49, and his earnings on the money list are reported at $125,894. For information, Woollaston’s earnings during his early career were decent, as he made just $4,275 in the 2009-2010 season and $8,400 in the 2010-2011 season.

Professional Snooker Career

Ben Woollaston began his professional snooker career in 2003 and entered the Main Tour in 2004-05. He regained his place in 2006-07 by winning the European Under-19 Championship and was awarded a place for the 2007-08 tour. Woollaston has reached the final stages of the 2007 Welsh Open.

In the 2011/2012 season, Woollaston won the Players Tour Championship event, defeating former World Champion Graeme Dott in the final. In the 2012/2013 season, Woollaston climbed ten spots in the rankings at 33, his highest position to date.

Ben qualified for five ranking events in the 2013/2014 season, reaching his highest ranking in a single season. In the 2015/2016 season, Woollaston reached the quarter-finals of the Haining Open, the International Championship, and the Welsh Open.

Ben Woollaston is Battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Although the English snooker player seems perfectly fit from the outside, the Leicester native has been going through mental and physical pain since 2021. While talking for an online magazine in 2023, Ben Woollaston revealed that he still suffers from a debilitating illness.

For information, the illness can affect various body parts, such as the muscles, brain, or other areas. Ben said that his problem dates back to May 2021, the day he first took the COVID-19 vaccine. Some doctors suggested that he suffered from Chronic fatigue syndrome. However, Ben hasn’t felt the same since he took the vaccine.

 

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A post shared by Ben Woollaston (@bwoollaston)

Ben revealed that the first six months were horrendous, and he slept around 18-20 hours daily. Furthermore, he said that he got a lot of different symptoms, such as unexplained pain, chest pain, and consistent pain in his legs. In addition, the snooker player gets terrible joint pain in his hips, neck, and collarbone.

Woollaston said that it would be impossible to play if he gets such pain on a snooker day. While the doctors disagree with Ben’s certainty that he has had an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine, he believes the medication has affected his physical and mental health.

Despite having difficulty, the former event-ranking finalist is still competing. His recent playoff was in the 2023 European Masters. In conclusion, Ben Woollaston biography is a testament to the fact of a snooker player’s passion and dedication to the sport.