Alan McManus called time on a 31-year snooker career last night, saying that it had been a hell of a ride littered with special memories.
The 50-year-old from Glasgow lost 6-3 to China’s Bai Langning in the Betfred World Championship qualifiers at the English Institute of Sport yesterday. And after seeing hopes of a final appearance at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield disappear, the former world No 6 announced his decision to retire from the professional tour.
As a respected and popular commentator and analyst for several TV stations, McManus will remain in close contact with the game. He will be in action in his media role at this month’s World Championship. The main event, pitting the big guns against the 16 qualifiers, kicks off on April 17.
McManus, the world No 59, famously won the Masters in 1994 in a thriller, ending Stephen Hendry’s five-year and 23-match unbeaten run 9-8 in the final.
He reached the semi-finals and the single table set-up at the Crucible on three occasions. Two of those came in his 1990s pomp, back to back in 1992 and 1993. He lost to Jimmy White and Hendry respectively, just falling short of getting to the final itself.
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There were two ranking title successes: in 1994 he won the Dubai Classic, and then two years later the Thailand Open. But in the latter part of his career there was something of an Indian summer at the Crucible, after six years in a row not managing to qualify.
McManus made it back four years in a row from 2013, and in the last of those in 2016 he once more made it all the way to the last four. His final qualification came last year.
McManus was also part of the famous Scotland “Dream Team” along with Hendry and John Higgins that won the team World Cup in 1996.
He said yesterday: “To be honest I had made the decision some time ago, and just told a handful of those close to me. It has been an incredible ride, and the reason for making the decision now is just that I am no spring chicken and all travelling can be hard and tiring.
“I am at heart a home boy, I love being at home in Scotland and Glasgow and maybe now I will be there more often. I have had some great moments and good things happen to me during all that time. But honestly I think turning pro for me is still the highlight.
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“In many ways I have always felt, throughout my career, I was like a teenager having recently got my tour card, just having fun.
“It was brilliant winning the World Cup with Scotland, and just be on a team with Stephen Hendry and John Higgins, maybe two of the greatest three players of all time.
“My biggest memory of that Masters final against Stephen is a silly thing, him missing a red near the end leading 8-7 and snookering me. There was a look, not quite a smirk, a little grin.
“I thought, ‘All right, OK then, you shouldn’t have done that!’ But I don’t remember too many of the actual shots.
“In matches and on stages like that I honestly sometimes felt like being in a video game or a movie, looking around, thinking ‘What’s a lad like you doing in a place like this?’
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“It felt like I needed to play a part, so that’s what I tried to do. Basically, I am a humble lad from Glasgow.”
